It is argued that Paul had the "sign" of healing but not the gift of healing. A worker must be a warrior, in the work of the gospel you encounter many foes. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. The first 6 of Pauls letters can be fit into the Book of Actswe can read Acts and then read Pauls letters and we can see where Paul was when he wrote these letters. He provides a pattern that Paul is clear that we do not need miracles for the completion and equipping of our faith, but the Word of God. The sign gifts, tongues, prophecy, the gift of healing, etc. Simply: Stop! 61 ( Acts 28:8 ), it may be that the special apostolic gift of healing (cf. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Intense negative thinking will always lead to at least a minor depressive episode or mere painful emotion. Because the tomb was empty! For those people, he believed it was best to get married and satisfy their urges legally. Again, we have no indication whatsoever that healing was his "right" or something which he could "claim." . And, again, in places where we would have expected Paul to mention the sign gifts, he is silent. The gifts were all in operation all through the Book of Acts period and are mentioned in the letters written during that time, but the Lord had revealed that the sign gifts were going to cease at some time in the future. The Christian Apologists (150 220 C.E.). Keyword: "IF". 1. Colossians 1:7 of a different man. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. It was their aim to visit the prisoners and the sick, especially those Soon after Paul returned from this journey he wrote the letter to the Galatians (see Galatians 1:6 where Paul writes to the Galatians and says, you are so quickly turned.). honor a solider, they would give him the title -- Sustratiotes. it this way: Epaphroditus is a model for all of us to follow. The keyword here is "gift." of the church. Epaphroditus was not only a Epaphroditus did not invoke a certain claim to be healed or visit someone with the gift of healing. The ship sails across the track of the moonlight, and then vanishes ghost-like into darkness. 3. Paul does not seem to have healed Epaphroditus. Isn't that God healed me completely and perfectly today. Paul was saved in Acts 9 when the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus. He knew they would be sad and their sadness has greatly affected him-- not his >From this verb we get the This morning we are going to look at the kenois of Epaphroditus who is much like us, he is a Epaphroditus, the man who had carried a monetary gift from the Philippian church to Paul while the Apostle was imprisoned in Rome (Phil. The true-but-probably-too-simple answer is "it must not have been God's will for them to be healed." God uses illness, injury and other types of suffering to work in the hearts and lives of people in various ways. 3:1-10). Christ, but they were apostles of the churches: Epaphroditus was an apostle of the church of Philippi. and they sure wouldn't have sent a lazy man. here with us can get a tape and those who were here but slept can go home and listen to the The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. In other words, he is suggesting to use "medicine." So, Paul calls him a brother, a fellow worker, and then he calls him: "My fellow solider" -- solider is from the Greek word sustratiotes. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. And he wrote to the Corinthians about the gift of healing that was operating in their church during the Acts period (1 Cor. So, Jesus got distressed, anguished to the point of sweating blood, and he could not heal himself, or the Father did not heal him from experiencing his distress? He is mentioned nowhere else in the Once saved, his spirit is completely made Brand New, is this not a miracle? In a while, don't be surprised to have this "answer" you've given disappear. great opposition." We need to be sustratiotes, fighting together. Vote Up 25 But I [Paul] thought it necessary to send to you [Philippians] Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need; 26 since he has been longing for all[2] of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 3:3,4,9 and Col. 1:26,27, etc.). 2:25-30) and Paul no longer had the gift of healing, and was no longer able to heal as he did only a few years earlier in Acts 28:9. Do you know who my co-laborers are? We do read of prophecies that had been made about Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18 and 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6, but these were given years before. 19:28). think is a good description of the Christian life in: This is what the Christian's life is all about, building and battling. Possibly there were in Philippi some sharp tongues and envious spirits, who needed the exhortation. Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. In Galatians 3:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:20, 1 Corinthians 12,13,14, 2 Corinthians 12:12, Romans 12:6in all these letters we read about the gifts in operation right through to the end of the Book of Acts. I think sometimes it is wise to not isolate the Gift of Healing when we think about these questions. He wasn't a teacher nor preacher that we know of. In that case, it can lead to destructive depression, mood slumps, our self-worth plummeting, our body feeling sluggish, our will to accomplish even the tiniest of things is not to be realized, and our actions defeat us. Paul thought that chastity was best, but realized that most people have natural sexual desires. Epaphroditus. feel bad because he is sick. Berean Bible Church provides this material free of charge for the edification of the Body of Christ. messages, or do what ever Paul needed. who were ill with dangerous and infectious diseases. So Epaphroditus was sent to take care of Paul because Paul was imprisoned under house arrest, and in the end Epaphroditus became a burden to Paul because he almost died and Paul had to. 1:22) so God gave them signsamong the Gentiles!in order to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. We need to meet people's needs Paul could not heal Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25-27) "Yet I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow-worker, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger and he who ministered to my wants. Vote Up The word of God is a Spirit. He never allows us to suffer something that He doesnt give us the strength to live through. And this will we do, if God permit." Of all the inhabitants of Philippi at that time we know the names of but three, Euodias, Syntiche, and Epaphroditus, and we owe them all to Paul. He had an illness which was probably the consequence of his toil. (Phil. Let us hope he got safe back to his friends, and as Paul bade them, they received him in the Lord with all joy, the echoes of which we almost hear as he passes out of our knowledge. Lightfoot[5] says of this word, It describes the confused, restless, half-distracted state, which is produced by physical derangement, or by mental distress, as grief, shame, disappointment, etc. (Saint Pauls Epistle to the Philippians [London, 1908], p. 123). Perhaps over-exertion in travel, or perhaps his Macedonian constitution could not bear the enervating air of Rome, or perhaps Paul's prison was unhealthy. This 3:2) to the Apostle Paul, but He had not yet revealed the entire message to him. deliver the money and leave, he was to stay and to minister to Paul's needs. This may be the most important message you ever read. God healed me of heart disease. During this time he wrote the three letters known as the Pastoral Epistles, because these letters were written to Pauls co-workersPastor Timothy and Titus. It was his brethren who were exhorted to receive their own messenger back again 'in the Lord with all joy, and to hold him in honour.' Tongues is a written, spoken language, not mere blabbering in the air, which even Paul himself said was utterly useless and just mere cacophony). We are not to fear people, they can't hurt you. Cyprian, the Christian bishop, we are all from the same womb, we're family. healthy. , , , , , For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. Notice that it was the work "of Christ." For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. 1 Corinthians 7:5. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul extra gifts to help the Apostle bear his sorrows. We briefly note some general lessons which may be suggested by the picture of Epaphroditus as he stands by the side of Paul. The fact that Paul performed many miracles means that he exercised divine power at the behest of the divine will. 2:4) had passed away by this time. adherents? We can now give a scriptural answer to the question that we started with: when did the sign gifts cease? priestly functions that were performed in that system. The gift of healing by the laying on of hands, etc., was no longer needed, because that particular gift was a gift for a sign to the Jews! life, the same effort and we have the same enemies. It came from God, and God could and apparently did choose to slowly withdraw the gift of miraculous healing from the Early Church. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul ext Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Philippians 2:25-30 Updated American Standard Version (UASV). needs could be involved here, he ministered to Paul in the area of companionship also. 3. The word "considered" is hegeomai. 1:2) and Titus (Tit. Apart from Acts arguably Luke or Paul wrote it and Paul wrote the others - does anyone else say Paul could do miracles? 0 Responses Doctors (Cardiologists ) gave me two weeks to go for surgery due to a leak in my valve which caused my heart to dilate and other things. He hazzard his life "to supply what was lacking in your service toward How many times was the apostle Paul in a prison in Rome? It was actually unusual for people to recover from serious illnesses, and we get a glimpse of this reality in todays passage. In the This illness, as we will see in tomorrows study, occurred as Epaphroditus journeyed from Philippi to Rome with the gift for Paul, and it was so severe that word of it had spread back to the Philippian Christians (v. 26). John 1:12 ). (2 Timothy 4:20), The power to heal was present in Paul's ministry as described in the book of Acts, 8 At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mothers womb, who had never walked. honor him. If the gift of healing was still in operation, it's unlikely that Paul would have said to use something to merely "help" with your "infirmities." Clearly "Epaphroditus" was a brave man, for anyone who proposed to offer himself as the personal attendant of a man awaiting trial on a capital charge was laying himself open to the very . And as for the gift of healing, we read of a co-worker of Paul's, Epaphroditus, who fell seriously ill during this time (Phil. Historians tell us that he had a very common name. Epaphroditus was ministering to Paul physically; he brought him a financial gift, and was there to minister to Paul in any way that he could; do his laundry, carry messages, or do what ever Paul needed. All believers share this bond, The name Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite," which is ironic because his life certainly did not belong to the Greek goddess. So, Paul says, "I'm sending him to you." Those who work in the nursery are my fellow-laborers, they take care of your In fact, he would have probably sent a handkerchief or even went to him, personally, if possible, and laid hands on him and healed him instantly. The church, however, was not to think of Epaphroditus as second best. I find the denial of Divine Healing today interesting. A man who never opens his lips but to censure or criticise, who fastens on faults as wasps do on blemished fruit, will never be surrounded by loyal love. Paul used this word in: It is a strong inward desire for the Philippians. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. ", "Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow" -- his sickness brought Paul sorrow and his death Because I am submitted and 2. messages that he preached. Why did not the Apostle Paul ever say "In the name of him who says" (i.e., Heb. is not an official title. Since no exercise of the gift of healing is recorded past about ?._. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! Anonymous, January 21 2014 'The cup of cold water' given 'in the name of a disciple' is grateful to the lips of the Master. Epaphroditus was also a common noun. Paul would go on to write 13 letters in the New Testamentfrom the Letter to the Romans to the Letter to Philemon. In Acts 17, Paul, on his second apostolic journey, came to Thessalonica and preached there. gathered his congregation together and set them to burying the dead and nursing the sick in that (verse 30). He has no hesitation in describing the work done for himself as 'the work of Christ,' nor in using, as the name for it, the word ('service'), which properly refers to the service rendered by priestly hands. She was the goddess Here Paul writes of the gift of tongues, the gift of prophecy and the gift of knowledge (see 1 Cor. Hardly. Indeed he was ill, near to death. Is it possible to rotate a window 90 degrees if it has the same length and width? (II Corinthians 12:7-9) Epaphroditus came to Paul at Rome and became gravely ill, but Paul who had miraculously healed so many did not miraculously heal him (Philippians 2:25-30). He comes back to the theme in the last words of the context, where he says that the Philippian messenger had 'hazarded' his life, or, as we might put it with equal accuracy and more force, had 'gambled' his life, or 'staked it on the die' for Paul's sake. somebody around an AIDS patient? Paul uses this word again in: This is also primarily speaking of physical needs. The word "receive" means: "to receive to one's self. goddess of luck. So far as we read in these three letters, we wouldnt even know that there had been a gift of tongues.. have survived without him but that's not how Epaphroditus saw it. It's nice to know that there are some people in the ministry compelled by relationships and not Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. This is uncomfortable to hear, isn't it? I subscribe to the view that the reason is because the gifts that he was performing in the early days was a "sign to the Jews"; not all spiritual gifts are still in operation today; or, they aren't necessarily "needed." The word "stand fast" is the Greek word steko which means: "stand your ground in the midst of The name later came to mean: children so you can listen to the Word of God. He was sent there to serve Paul In Acts 21:33 Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, and would spend the next 5 years in prison, right through the end of the Book of Acts. Paul says, No. 1000 Chattanooga Street All deeds done from the same motive are the same, however different they may be in regard to the material on which they are wrought. What we do know for sure is that Epaphroditus illness was so severe that he almost died (v. 27). 11:14). would have been sorrow upon sorrow. Philippians had heard that he was sick. Epaphroditus had made a 600-mile journey from Philippi to Rome, an 80-day journey on foot round trip, which was fatiguing, to visit the apostle Paul. We are Spam, January 22 2014 It appears my previous comment has been deleted, no explanation why. The word "longing" is epipotheo, it The Name: Epaphroditus was a common name, a shortened form of it is Epaphrus, used in These very thoughts are what keep us sluggish and contribute to our feeling frustrated, angry, or worthless. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH ABOUT ________? 11 God was performing extraordinary [e]miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. were operating all through the Book of Acts, and these gifts are mentioned in the letters that Paul wrote during the Acts period. As Paul sends a letter to the church in Philippi he acknowledges Epaphroditus's close connection with himself, as "my brother and co-worker and fellow soldier" (Philippians 2:25). Epaphroditus risked it all, life included, to minister to others. Most likely it was not the apostle Paul who led him to faith in the Lord Jesus as his Savior because he would have called Epaphroditus "his son in the faith" as he did Timothy (I Tim. Christ. Welcome to BHSE! You won't die prematurely, so go ahead and take some He was Paul's fellow laborer. We selfishly clutch life and guard our own interests when the mind of Christ is to be selfless and View all posts by Christian Publishing House, UASV DAILY DEVOTIONAL, TUESDAY, MARCH 01, 2022. Why was he distressed Was he just homesick? EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. This is because the word of God is living and active. do without." He wasn't an incredibly gifted man but he was committed totally to View all posts by Christian Publishing House, Epaphroditus, Paul and Epaphroditus, Philippians 2:25-30, SCROLL THROUGH DIFFERENT CATEGORIES BELOW, King James Version Versus Modern Translations, NT Versions (Latin, Syriac, Coptic, etc. Whatever your condition is, it is far better than you deserve. Ministering to others' physical needs is a spiritual priestly That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with When would these gifts cease? The pattern could not be clearer, and the contrast could not be sharper between the earlier letters and the later letters, between the time when all the sign gifts were operating, and the time when all the sign gifts had ceased. This is the last letter written during the Book of Acts. The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. Epaphroditus who was to stay at Rome and help Paul in any way he could. self, to give of himself wholly to others. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. In English, as in Greek, this is a neuter pronounthat thing which is perfect. Paul was not writing about the coming of He who is perfect but of the coming of a thing which is perfect. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. "Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus" -- Why? He was given the assignment of delivering a gift to Paul and staying with Paul for a time, assisting him in whatever way he could in his difficult times. But here is a better question, why did Paul ignore the Holy Spirit three times when he was told not to go to Jerusalem? It is a compound word from This study focuses on that questionwhen did the sign gifts cease? Paul was quick to send Hello Uche Ogu, welcome to BHSE, glad to have you with us! In verse 25, we have a description of Epaphroditus. Paul sees Epaphroditus' ministry to him as The summary of the whole thing I have written here is that if you believe in the word of God all things are possible. You can help further this work by your prayer and by contributing online or by mailing to: Berean Bible Church ), Apostolic Fathers (e.g., Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp), Apologists (e.g., Justin Martyr, Clement, Tertullian), Church Fathers (e.g., Gregory, Jerome, Augustine, Ambrose), Flawed Biblical Historical Literary Criticism, PART 8-Jesus Resurrection to the Death of the Apostle John. Epaphroditus wasn't sick because of sin, he was sick because of the work of Christ (See below left). 16:23). The miraculous powers that Paul exercised were not his own; that is, they were not innate. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. emptied himself. How this happened or what his sickness was He re-introduces Epaphroditus to them as someone who had risked his own life for the sake of others, even "to the point of death". You were extremely upset and grieved over Because a wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills. The first one suggested is the very familiar one of the great uniting principle which a common faith in Christ brought into action. Hello Restlee, welcome to BHSE, so glad to have you here! So, Paul's third example is Epaphroditus, he is not an apostle, nor an Bible scholar J. The difficulty of communication would sufficiently account for the partial intelligence. If they wanted to Why didn't Paul just heal Epaphroditus? We are to follow the example of Christ who "emptied Thanks for listening. If you haven't already, please make sure to take our tour, to get yourself familiar with the site and to see how we're a little different than other sites. Parallel Commentaries . The reason it is "send" is because he was supposed to be there permanently. As we have seen, Paul was able to heal many sick people all through the Book of Acts. I mean, I was a 1% biker, I did many many bad things which I will not glorify. Spam, February 08 2023 at after carefully weighing the facts. Once on his way again, he was distressed, i.e., depressed because he continued to entertain and cultivate such irrational thoughts as. So the writing of 1 and 2 Thessalonians can be placed into Acts 18 during Pauls ministry in Corinth, and that makes them the second and third letters that Paul wrote. It is possible for us in the ordering of our own lives to fulfil the great prophecy with which Zechariah crowned his vision of the Future, 'In that day shall there be on the bells of the horses Holiness unto the Lord'; and the 'pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.'. God's sparing of Epaphroditus' life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV). "Who ministered to my need" -- The word "need" is from chreia it means: "a need or Why? In the days of the Early Church there was an association of men and women called the When is the last time you set aside something on your agenda When it came, then the gifts which were only in part would cease. we don't know. Paul uses the word sunergos here of himself and Apollos. He tells us in verses 26-28. However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. Paul was the prisoner and enemy of Rome. January 23 2014 Report Paul goes on to say: "My companion in labor" -- the Greek word for companion is sunergos. mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. from death it is mercy. But when we turn to the letters written after the Book of Actsthe 4 Prison Epistles, and the 3 Pastoral Epistles, we find that the sign gifts either arent mentioned at all or we seeas with the gift of healingthat they were no longer operating in Pauls life. It wasn't Paul's lack of compassion for his friend. 2:25; 4:18) While in Rome, Epaphroditus "fell sick nearly to the point of death; but God had mercy. Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. Figuratively, it In our ministry, we (my wife and I) operate in the Gifts of the Spirit almost every Sunday and Wednesday. However, by that time, those gifts had ceased, because the "signs and wonders" were to the Jews; the laying on of hands for healing and the gift of tongues had become unnecessary. used for minister is deokonos -- deacon. Now we turn to the prison epistles, the four letters written shortly after the end of the Book of Acts, while Paul was a prisoner in RomeEphesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippiansand we find that there is not one word about tongues, or the gift of healing. Arranging Pauls letters in the order that he wrote them allows us to see the pattern of truth that is found in the Word of God: The sign gifts were operating in Acts and in all of the Acts Epistles: Galatians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians and Romans. The question has always been: when? sorrow." life, it was mercy to me. What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow (v. 27). primary reason for Epaphroditus being there was to minister to Paul's physical needs. The gifts of tongues, prophecy, etc. But the Is it suspicious or odd to stand by the gate of a GA airport watching the planes? We don't So why didn't he heal Epaphroditus? Gods sparing of Epaphroditus life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. 2 Responses meeting their needs. We begin by setting up a time line of Pauls ministry. He labored on Paul's behalf until his own health broke, and, even when he was sick, Epaphroditus took no thought of himself; rather, he was distressed because his church had heard of his illness, and he didn't want them to worry. Vote Up What is the correct way to screw wall and ceiling drywalls? He heals according to His will today. Testament use of this word. This is not the attitude of Christ: Christ's attitude was to give up his life to meet the needs of others: The Bible teaches that we are to give up our lives in order to save them. the proclamation of the gospel effective. He could heal all the sick on the island in Acts 28:9, but he couldnt heal any of his closest co-workersTimothy, Epaphroditus, Trophimusafter the close of the Book of Acts. 0 Responses In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul prays that a " thorn in the flesh " would be removed, but God refuses to do this. Here is Epaphroditus, the loving gambler, risking it all to minister to Paul's needs. "Epaphroditus is here to do what you can't do because you're so far away.". 12:9). All others were not apostles of Jesus If we are going to Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? No! Vote Up Greek He was sick Hebrews 11:6 we are taught: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. This miraculous healing was not only for Epaphroditus benefit but for Pauls as well, something that the Lord worked in order to keep the Apostle from having to endure the extra sorrow of losing a friend on top of the sorrows of suffering in prison (Phil. Paul commends Epaphroditus very highly for his faithfulness even unto death. The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preachI'm sorry, but there is no "Word of Faith Movement." Paul teaches that it's the "Word of Faith" which we preach. 2:25-30) and Paul no longer had the gift of healing, and was no longer able to heal as he did only a few years earlier in Acts 28:9. No, the answer is that God's program had changed. This is the depth of love and care. Dreadnoughts are a peculiar expression of the brotherhood of men after nineteen centuries of so-called Christianity. There would be many ways of serving the captive, looking after his comfort, doing his errands, procuring daily necessaries, managing affairs, perhaps writing his letters, easing his chain, chafing his aching wrists, and ministering in a thousand ways which we cannot and need not specify. The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. We need to work hard in intellectual areas; we need to toil in study. What did the apostle Paul use the gift of tongues for? Spam, March 20 2018 Epaphroditus' parents were most likely worshipers of Aphrodite. On the contrary, Paul considered him his "brother," "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier," and "their apostle and servant" (2:25). I have stayed beyond two weeks, this is the third year and half after the diagnosis. All the loving thoughts, and all the material expressions of them which Epaphroditus brought to Paul were fragrant with the perfume of the Philippians' love, 'an odour of a sweet smell, acceptable' to Paul as to Paul's Lord.
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