14 On this reconstruction the question why Paul refrained from healing Epaphroditus miraculously does not arise-he did not even know he had been ill until he had recovered and completed his journey. In Acts 20:2,3 Paul arrived in Greece, i.e. The Greek word finds its origin in a all brothers, do we act like it? children so you can listen to the Word of God. Every breath that you take, every beat of your heart is mercy. somebody around an AIDS patient? needs could be involved here, he ministered to Paul in the area of companionship also. Besides, Epaphroditus was longing to see the church because he knew that they had found out that he had been ill (2:26). Since no exercise of the gift of healing is recorded past about ?._. Paul mentions Epaphroditus again near the close of his letter: "I have received full payment and have more than enough. This is because the word of God is living and active. So if you're not dead, how could you ever complain (verse 14). Epaphroditus was a plugger and they all would have missed him and it was no accident that he had left his congregation to take thousands of dollars to the apostle Paul. 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." Epaphroditus was not only a I didn't have money for the surgery as directed by the cardiologists but I stayed on healings scriptures. A shoulder-to-shoulder fighting Although many people have concerns about the cost of healthcare, the vast majority of people in our culture still have access to antibiotics and other medications that can cure ailments that were almost certainly death sentences only a few decades ago. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. Together these five titles are an important summary of what the Christian life should be. So why didn't he heal Epaphroditus? For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. other words, they were to receive him as the Lord would receive him. Testament use of this word. and suffering, and given a choice, Paul preferred death: But if Epaphroditus would have died, Paul would have lost a good friend and this would have View all posts by Christian Publishing House, UASV DAILY DEVOTIONAL, TUESDAY, MARCH 01, 2022. 3:1-10). "Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus" -- Why? This time he anticipates being beheaded for the Lord and writes the last letter, Second Timothy. Instead, God graciously healed him in this instance. from death it is mercy. Even medical doctors who are saved will tell you they rely on the power of God all the time and will encourage their patients to rely on God Who is the only healer. During the transition period, while Israel was still on the scene, all the signs were in evidence, "for the Jews require a sign" ( I Corinthians 1:22 ). I weighed the facts and found it a necessity to send destruction and desolation. . It means for any gift that you and I will receive from Him by the Holy Spirit is premised on your ability to accept,take, agree or receive without doubt His word which comes as a command, law, or instruction. Christ emptied We are to be working to man we can identify with. For he longed after you all and was full of heaviness, because you had heard that he had been sick. We may further note the intensity of Paul's sympathy. 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. ", "Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow" -- his sickness brought Paul sorrow and his death In fact, we are so accustomed to recovering from sickness that we are often surprised when we or others take a long time to get over what we regard as routine illnesses. Paul teaches that it's the "Word of Faith" which we preach. In Acts 18 Paul spent a year and a half ministering in Corinthsee Acts 18:11. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. "lovely or charming." sickness-- but their concern. In Look at the rest of the verse: "was We won't help someone in trouble because we're afraid we might get hurt or even killed. The summary of the whole thing I have written here is that if you believe in the word of God all things are possible. Is there a proper earth ground point in this switch box? The word "stand fast" is the Greek word steko which means: "stand your ground in the midst of Is it suspicious or odd to stand by the gate of a GA airport watching the planes? What Is the Difference Between 'Man' And 'Son of Man' in Num 23:19? Paul was a great theologian, he knew that death for a Christian was a promotion, an end of pain What contributes to mental and spiritual anguish? What does this say to the "health-wealth gospel" He is saying, Why didn't Paul just heal Epaphroditus? It 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. But Paul know that they were rejoicing. All we can do is guess. 4:18), fell ill around the time Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:2526). Vote Up MM[6] cites the word in the papyri in the sense excessively concerned and holds that it would suggest originally bewilderment. The combination makes it clear that Jesus was in great distress of spirit.[7]. We have no record of any Because a wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills. Those who couldn't be Christ, but they were apostles of the churches: Epaphroditus was an apostle of the church of Philippi. 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. The word of God is medicine to our flesh (bodies ). lowest service. 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. 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.'. He was an apostolic delegate. Remember that God is not a man that He should lie. Spam, April 05 2022 That which is perfect had come and so the sign gifts had passed away. The word "receive" means: "to receive to one's self. 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. He later returned to his home base at Antioch (Acts 18:22), and later in his third apostolic journey he arrived in Ephesus (his ministry in Ephesus extends all the way through Acts 19a period of more than two years, see verse 10). 8 And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. There are very many Christian workers who never get their due of recognition and welcome from their brethren, and there are many who get far more of both than belongs to them, and both they and the crowds who bring them adulation would be freed from dangers, which can scarcely be over-stated, if the spirit of Paul's warm-hearted praise of Epaphroditus were kept in view. It is argued that Paul had the "sign" of healing but not the gift of healing. Having seen the pattern of truth regarding the gifts, we need to ask, why did the gifts cease at this time? That attitude of mind stands in striking contrast to the heroism which said, 'To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain,' but the two are perfectly consistent, and it was a great soul which had room for them both. 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. (e.g. When is the last time you set aside something on your agenda Let me ask a question: Acts 2:21 Peter is preaching after receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit: 21 and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Before the end of the Book of Acts, during the Acts period, and in the letters written during the Acts period, the Lord had only revealed part of the dispensation of grace (Eph. It is used in extra-biblical Greek to honor a solider. They sent him money to meet his physical needs. Figuratively, it I have had people want to debate on this wine issue by saying that "wine isn't medicine," which is to split hairs (weak rebuttal that holds no ground). 7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. 1:11,12) that a time was coming when these sign gifts were going to cease to operate. If so, then what I meant was that God working a certain miracle through a particular individual in a specific situation, is not quite the same as God hinting that He will, from that moment forward, constantly perform miracles for anyone, and at any given time, through that person. The Philippians would want to know, "what are you doing back? Why did she weep? Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. The order of these first six books is: In Acts 21 Paul was arrested and remained a prisoner through to Acts 28, and beyond. used for minister is deokonos -- deacon. that the account of the sickness and recovery of Epaphroditus is such as to lead us to suppose that he was not restored by miracle; and he infers that the power of healing the sick was conferred on the apostles only occasionally, and did not depend at all on their will, since, if it had, there is every . Spam, February 08 2023 The miracles of healing that the were no longer in operation by the time Paul wrote the pastoral epistles. However, Paul was often an instrument of healing. Spam, January 22 2014 It came from God, and God could and apparently did choose to slowly withdraw the gift of miraculous healing from the Early Church. Most of us do the opposite of Epaphroditus, we regard our life as a thing so precious that it is to Thanks for listening. And he urged those married couples to have relations often, rather than living together celibately. He is mentioned nowhere else in the Simply: Stop! Once on his way again, he was distressed, i.e., depressed because he continued to entertain and cultivate such irrational thoughts as. fulfilling our mission statement: "To influence friends who are living in spiritual darkness that This gives us the manner in which the Philippians should receive him and why. Yes, they really had had these experiences. Self-talk is what we tell ourselves in our thoughts. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul ext We don't That which is perfect was finally revealed in all its fullness to the Apostle Paul and at that moment, those things which were only in part passed away from Gods program. When we remember that Paul is the subject of at least half of the Book of Acts, we realize that half of the 27 books in the New Testament are either about him (The Book of Acts) or were written by him (13 letters). Epaphroditus risked it all, life included, to minister to others. First-century life, however, was far different. The Apostolic Gifts are no longer in operation today: 1) Laying on of hands to heal someone (if this were still the case, then people could walk into nursing homes and hospitals and begin healing people left-and-right, but this doesn't happen. In the first six letters, all written during the period covered by the Book of Acts, we find that the sign gifts were operating in all these churches. This What did the apostle Paul use the gift of tongues for? "Almost I equally agree that it's always according to God's will. That was one less thing Paul had to be concerned about (2:26-27). The church, however, was not to think of Epaphroditus as second best. I have stayed beyond two weeks, this is the third year and half after the diagnosis. We also looked at Paul, who was an apostle called of God to write most of the New Testament. ii.) Many were saved, but Paul was driven out of town. Epaphroditus to you." >From this verb we get the would have been sorrow upon sorrow. In Acts 13,14 Paul and Barnabas went on their first apostolic journey which took them into Galatiacities like Antioch, Lystra, Derbe, etc. He was the, "Loving Gambler.". Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! 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. think is a good description of the Christian life in: This is what the Christian's life is all about, building and battling. James put For instance if I have a gift of Knowledge does that mean every person I see I will do know things about them. But with the close of Acts, God sets aside Israel for a time, and when God gave up on the sign people for a time, the sign gifts passed out of His program. Because his will is to speak to that individual right then. When I was in the military I met brothers and We are co-laborers. I have hid them in my heart. Epaphroditus wasn't sick because of sin, he was sick because of the work of Christ The word "send" is pempo. The Lord does the same thing for us today, although the little blessings He provides often go unnoticed. Spam, January 24 2014 This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. Romans 10:8-10 tells us: 8 But what saith it? Because I am submitted and 2. Anonymous, January 21 2014 12:12; Heb. The name later came to mean: be guarded at all costs. The word "sick" is astheneo, it means: "to be feeble, weak, sick. goddess of love. Greek He was sick The gift of tongues and the gift of healing has ceased. Why was he distressed Was he just homesick? In other words, he is suggesting to use "medicine." 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. We have no reason to suppose that Epaphroditus took part with Paul in his more properly apostolic work, and the fact that the purely material help, and pecuniary service which most probably comprised all his 'ministering,' is honoured by Paul with these lofty designations, carries with it large lessons as to the sanctity of common life. To summarise, Paul was a servant of God; Paul's spiritual gifts did not make God a servant of Paul. God's sparing of Epaphroditus' life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. In this verse, Paul gives five titles to Epaphroditus. This is the last letter written during the Book of Acts. 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." self, to give of himself wholly to others. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. It is a compound word from What year did Ezra leave Babylon and arrive in Jerusalem? If I walk down the street and I get a word of knowledge for someone, it is 1. I don't really understand the question from your first comment. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. do without." We are not to selfishly guard our lives, we are to give them away in ministry to others. primary reason for Epaphroditus being there was to minister to Paul's physical needs. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow (v. 27). The gift of healing had ceased to operate, along with the other sign gifts. That is what God calls us to. it this way: Epaphroditus is a model for all of us to follow. 14:18)! Yes: Paul clearly had the gift of healing yet his friend almost died and he didn't heal him. Berean Bible Church provides this material free of charge for the edification of the Body of Christ. The power of working miracles, like that of foreseeing the future (comp. Why wasn't Pauls companion healed that day, I have no clue. we living as sent ones? 8 Responses He was in the second place the minister to Paul's needs. We as Berean Bible Church need to work at for a possible gain. know when he was converted, he might have been among the first converts in Philippi. looked at it as "spiritual worship." 29 Therefore receive him in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; 30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. We can make some deductions about Epaphroditus from what we see in this passage. cruel, sick, and unloving? A caressing hand on a horse's neck is better than a whip. It's only of God's sovereign The Lord does not deny that they had done these things. Dreadnoughts are a peculiar expression of the brotherhood of men after nineteen centuries of so-called Christianity. 1:7)no church had more of the gifts of the Holy Spirit than the Corinthian church, yet Paul says that he spoke in tongues more than all of them (1 Cor. Epaphroditus' parents were most likely worshipers of Aphrodite. What he could do in Acts 28, he could no longer do in Philippians, or in 1 and 2 Timothy. It is clear that the gift of healing has ceased because, as in Philippians, Paul was no longer able to heal, even his co-workers. Why are you It's nice to know that there are some people in the ministry compelled by relationships and not Paul. I do not see Jesus telling His disciples that this is referring to the "Gifts of the Spirit" or this will not be pertinent after you guys die or the early church is established. Epaphroditus was not distressed, i.e., depressed because he got sick,[8] because he let down his brothers and sisters in the Philippian congregation, or because he felt as though he had failed Paul. These men and women of God where normal people of God, who made mistakes just like us and didnt do everything perfect. 1000 Chattanooga Street 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. (Many of these 'teachers' are a part of the 'Word of Faith' movement, the Properity Gospel crowd, et al, that teach that positive confession is necessary for having what you want or "claim," and they teach that if you do not get healed, or if you get sick or have any sort of malady, this means that you don't "have enough faith." It is not confined to delivering the money and someone who would work so closely with the apostle would have to be Epaphroditus lived out Philippians 2:1-16, he is the "Loving Gambler.". Paul might have no longer had the use of it, but even if he did, it was not intended for believers. be-shem omro)? Those thoughts would have contributed to his feelings of frustration, mental anguish, distress, or low self-worth. Spam, November 06 2014 we are to pray for the sick that they may be healed. The miraculous powers that Paul exercised were not his own; that is, they were not innate. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. That wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills? In verses 26-28, we are given the reasons for His level of sacrificial service becomes very instructive to us. others. So, to sum up what we have seen so far, from Acts 9 through Acts 28 we read of the earlier ministry of the Apostle Paul and find that during these years he wrote 6 of his 13 letters. He didn't want them to And in 2 Thessalonians 2:5 Paul reminds the Thessalonians of his teaching, as if it had not been very long since he had been with them. Whatever your condition is, it is far better than you deserve. life like it is something they deserve. sometimes that may be a spiritual healing , but they will be healed. meeting their needs. But then He tells them that even while they were doing these things, He had never ever known them. If the Apostle Paul still retained the gift of healing by laying on of hands (or healing, in general), then there is absolutely no way under the sun that he (Paul) would have left any brother sick. Whether we are well or sick, whether we are like Epaphroditus or like Timothy, we can always claim this promise from the Lord that His grace and strength are sufficient for us. Epaphroditus was not distressed, i.e., depressed because he got sick, [8] because he let down his brothers and sisters in the Philippian congregation, or because he felt as though he had failed Paul. derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess, better known by her Roman name , Venus. Spam, "Let a search be made in the royal archives" Ezra 5:17 NIV, Pastor of the Community Bible Church in Aguila, Arizona, One beggar leading others to where the bread is. (See below left). He as a spiritually mature man. Many in this movement even say shocking claims such as the erroneous idea that being poor is a sin, and that if you are sick, "it's your fault that you're sick." Ministering to others' physical needs is a spiritual priestly We have surveyed the 13 letters written by the Apostle Paul, arranging them in the order in which Paul wrote them: Then after the Book of Acts ends7 more letters: Having surveyed the 13 letters and having put them into their chronological order, lets see what they tell us about the question: when did the sign gifts cease? were operating all through the Book of Acts, and these gifts are mentioned in the letters that Paul wrote during the Acts period. Again, we have no indication whatsoever that healing was his "right" or something which he could "claim." . Consider the Book of Mark chapter 16 verses 17-20. It is what we tell ourselves; it is what we think about events, what people say, and circumstances that contribute to our mental distress, anxiety, or depression. Paul says, No. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul extra gifts to help the Apostle bear his sorrows. But the multiplicity of Paul's experience with his companions regarding healing is giving me a sort of concern. Vote Up We need to labor in the area of evangelism. The Hardison's are all fellow-laborers with me. The terms in which the work of Epaphroditus is spoken of by Paul are very significant. 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. We need to be sustratiotes, fighting together. Paul is saying,"God gave Epaphroditus mercy and he gave me mercy also. Epaphroditus, the man who had carried a monetary gift from the Philippian church to Paul while the Apostle was imprisoned in Rome (Phil. James (Gal. Galatians was written soon after Paul returned from that first journeysoon after Acts 14:27. Paul says, in essence: "I will continue to do those signs IF God permit." 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.' 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. 8 Responses Paul only calls him a "brother" ( Phil. Paul would go on to write 13 letters in the New Testamentfrom the Letter to the Romans to the Letter to Philemon. We both received mercy. We must not leave unnoticed the beautiful self-abnegation which sends off Epaphroditus as soon as he was well enough to travel, as a gift of the Apostle's love, in order to repay them for what they had done for him. The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. My question: If a man believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth Jesus Christ and Him risen, he is Born Again, saved. great opposition." 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.

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