The Godfather – Philippians 2:19-24

There is a vulnerability to Paul in this letter. You can very much feel the weight of all that came before, the successes and failures, the deaths and the new life, the frustrations and the joys. Paul here, writing from a prison cell, is simply concerned with for the Philippians and wanting them to be in the Lord, or “on mission.”

Recall that in the section just previous, Paul cited the Philippians as a key marker of his service to God, something that makes all his toil and suffering worthwhile. So when he sends Timothy to the Philippians as a spiritual godparent, there is a lot that comes behind that.

In Paul’s letters to Timothy, he spends much time encouraging boldness. Timothy was young, which means that in the Greek culture he lacked the authority that came with age. He had been raised and brought to faith by his grandmother Eunice and mother Lois.

Paul assures the Philippians that Timothy has “no equal in soul” in terms of his concern for the Philippians. This is what makes Paul confident that Timothy is the right person to serve as godfather to his spiritual children. In Corinthian he calls him out in his way as well, noting that the Corinthians had “many teachers but few fathers,” and that Timothy can take on that role of godparent.

The role of a godparent in Christ is to continually be intentionally pointing others to Christ. As we grow in maturity, we are all called to this role of godparent in some way. How do we do this.

First and most importantly, you must know Christ. It is not about you or what you have accomplished or are capable of, but about the righteousness imputed by Christ’s death and resurrection. You must have humility and be aware of your own sin, but also leaven that with an acknowledgement and embracing of our authority in Christ.

You must continually develop yourself in Christ through the process of sanctification. This is the continual life process of growing and sharpening and movement towards the person of Christ. To be a good godparent means that you are moving forward in the lord rather than sliding backwards or staying stagnant. Peter describes sanctification in 2 Peter 1:5-7, “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”

Third, you need to know and own the assignment as a godparent. In Matthew 28, Jesus outlines what that assignment is: “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” We are called to be godparents, not spiritual baby daddies, discipling, not just telling and moving on.

How do you godparent? First, pray and seek guidance. Second, take an inventory of who you are in a position to godparent and who is godparenting you? Third, assess their needs and engage and build a relationship. Fourth, assess the level of effort needed, and then determine how to move forward. Maybe this means taking the small things first, maybe the big ones. Finally, pray over the entire thing again and invite Jesus into the mission.