Philippians 2:25-30; Serious

^"But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. ²⁶ For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. ²⁷ Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸ Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. ²⁹ So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, ³⁰ because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.”

William Borden graduated high school in 1904.  As heir to the Borden family fortune, the world was at his feet.  Literally.  For graduation, his parents gave him a trip around the world.  As he travelled to country after country, his heart was burdened for the poor and disadvantaged.  He decided that after college, he would become a missionary to the Muslim Kansu people of China.

Long story short, he did amazing ministry while studying at Yale (wait actively!) then at Princeton Seminary and upon graduation set sail for China.  He stopped in Egypt to study Arabic, caught spinal meningitis, and died one month later.  Many thought that he threw his life away, but William Borden did not.  He lived his short life in obedience to Christ and that was all that mattered to him. In his bible were written these three phrases: “No Reserve. No Retreat. No Regrets”. 

If you would like to read more about William Borden, I encourage you to read this short synopsis of his life: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/regret.htm. 

Doing God’s work does not guarantee you safety or health in this world.  Poor Epaphroditus nearly died taking care of Paul.  Joseph and Jeremiah were both tossed into cisterns, many of the prophets died brutal deaths, as did most of the apostles.  And right now, Pastor Saeed is wasting away in an Iranian prison.  Serving God faithfully often brings trouble, not peace.

What is my point with this discussion?  One thing really: Please pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ who are serving God as missionaries or simply trying to follow Christ in areas that are hostile to believers.  Not everybody has it as easy as we do…and following Christ is going to get more challenging for us in the coming years. 

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work.” – Oswald Chambers