"Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly in order that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.  Therefore receive him in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me."

Still speaking of Epaphroditus here, Paul is continuing to reassure the Philippians of his excellent service to the Lord.

The thought is, possibly Epaphroditus would be scorned because of his illness.  Have you ever thought down on someone because they had AIDS, or were overweight, or they had lice...?  Either Paul or Epaphroditus thought he might be treated poorly because he fell ill at the prison.  Paul would have none of this. 

He was encouraging the Philippians to understand the depths of ministry; that ministry comes from the heart more than the hands.

When you minister to someone, what is your motivation?
What are you giving up to minister to someone?
What are you giving up when you don't minister?