No one was more charismatic than the Apostle Paul. mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. How was the preaching of Christ supposed to add more afflictions to the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:15? 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 . The word of God is very clear on every subject. feel bad because he is sick. So, in short, Epaphroditus grew sick on his 600-mile journey to Rome, to the point of death, which delayed him from fulfilling his mission of helping Paul. It came from God, and God could and apparently did choose to slowly withdraw the gift of miraculous healing from the Early Church. Indeed he was ill, near to death. The fact that ancient people rarely recovered from serious illnesses and the Apostles specific language in Philippians 2:27 indicate that he is talking about more than just a providential answer to prayer. [7] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Why? My legs were swollen and my body was a mass of pain. Vote Up Epaphroditus was also a common noun. "distressed"ademoneo, it means: "to be depressed or rejected, be troubled, full of anguish or It is used 35 times in the New "Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus" -- Why? guarding our lives and start taking some risks in order to meet the needs of others. That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with 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. In Acts 17, Paul, on his second apostolic journey, came to Thessalonica and preached there. The answer: The sign gifts ceased at the end of the Book of Acts. 14:18)! Paul was released from this imprisonment and continued his ministry for a few years, perhaps 3 years. In the think is a good description of the Christian life in: This is what the Christian's life is all about, building and battling. Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? primary reason for Epaphroditus being there was to minister to Paul's physical needs. Paul was a great theologian, he knew that death for a Christian was a promotion, an end of pain This is uncomfortable to hear, isn't it? But Paul Paul was the prisoner and enemy of Rome. Paul could have said to Epaphroditus, "Get over it, they'll live. They are spiritual, priestly functions. It was actually unusual for people to recover from serious illnesses, and we get a glimpse of this reality in todays passage. 1. the most complete healing is when we are taken home. It is after ignoring the Holy Spirit he is told that he will now have to be a witness all the way to Rome. 2:25-27) He likely longed to know that they knew of and understood his circumstances. ), [6] MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London, 191429). We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. He was troubled because they heard that But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 2:25; cf. me." No one was more charismatic than Paul, yet the Lord revealed to him that those sign gifts were going to cease: whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away (1 Cor. needs. Of course, our apostle Continue Reading. (verse 30). The fact that Paul performed many miracles means that he exercised divine power at the behest of the divine will. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! Faithful service is most surely bought by hearty praise. This is the only other New We can make some deductions about Epaphroditus from what we see in this passage. Shortly after that Paul traveled to Macedonia (see Acts 20:1 and 2 Cor. It would be like the difference between being a child and becoming a grown man, or between seeing someones face reflected in a wavy ancient mirror, and seeing the person face-to-face. The normal word These Bible scholars[1] present the argument that Paul had healed the sick, even raising the dead. At any rate he worked till he made himself ill. What is a word for the arcane equivalent of a monastery? Because the tomb was empty! But, during this time in the Book of Acts, the Lord revealed to Paul that the sign gifts were going to cease1 Corinthians 13:8-12. 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]. 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. In Philippians 2 we read of a healing that God did after the gift of healing had ceased to operate: Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. Acts 28:25-28 stands as Gods last words to the nation of Israel for nearly two millennia. 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. Epaphroditus loved the Philippians, who he was representing, and Paul, who he was ministering Pages 482-483. Miracles by definition are not normative teacher who was used of God to minister to many churches. Timothys return from Macedonia mentioned in Acts 18:5 is also reported in 1 Thessalonians 3:6. cruel, sick, and unloving? 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. everyone will be glad and not sad.". and they sure wouldn't have sent a lazy man. 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. 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. How can the Pastoral Epistles not be Pauline? spiritual as teaching. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow (v. 27). soldiers marched abreast behind a solid wall of shields. Parallel Commentaries . Yes, they really had had these experiences. But, what happened? What we do know for sure is that Epaphroditus illness was so severe that he almost died (v. 27). rev2023.3.3.43278. This is why he and these others were not healed by him. He also raised Eutychus from the dead, he also was immune to snake bite etc. For indeed he was sick nigh unto death - Dr. Paley has remarked (Hor. Paul used this word in: It is a strong inward desire for the Philippians. Paul's first burst of gratitude and praise does not exhaust all that he has to say about Epaphroditus. Do you know who my co-laborers are? Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. chained to a guard: The Philippians, upon hearing about Paul's needs, took an offering and sent it by the hand of The name Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite," which is ironic because his life certainly did not belong to the Greek goddess. This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to In each of these letters he writes of his chainssee Ephesians 6:20, Colossians 4:18, Philemon 13 and Philippians 1:13. forget about them." life like it is something they deserve. Paul put the needs of the Philippians ahead of his own. Have you ever watched Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. Pauls gift of healing (Acts 28:9) was no longer operating in Philippians 2:27, 1 Timothy 5:23 and 2 Timothy 4:20. Why did she weep? they also may know the joy of loving the Lord Jesus Christ." Epaphroditus was at the door of death. Edward D. Andrews wrote. 12:12; Heb. And this will we do, if God permit." I think that in our day the church has lost the ergos, the work, toil, or effort that we should be 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. Epaphroditus was not only a Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul ext Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. All references have been taken from the New King James Version. fellow laborers, they send out what I teach to others around the country. June 11th 2000, I came to the Lord, He healed me of lung cancer, irreversible nerve damage caused by my lifestyle and replaced 3 discs in my lower back that were gone: vertebra rubbing vertebra. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. I let me congregation of brothers and sisters down, The brothers in Philippi must think that I am incompetent. We are to labor in calling men to be reconciled to God. 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. When it came, then the gifts which were only in part would cease. And as for the gift of healing, we read of a co-worker of Pauls, Epaphroditus, who fell seriously ill during this time (Phil. Epaphroditus is looked at it as "spiritual worship." Figuratively, it Was it perhaps meant to ask for a clarification of my own comment ? He is saying, The Scripture serves the purpose to do that work necessary and there is no mention to Timothy of the need for miracles to sanctify us. But the Is there a proper earth ground point in this switch box? Is it possible to rotate a window 90 degrees if it has the same length and width? Speakers: Pastor Ricky Kurth, Pastor Don HosfeldDetails, "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping" (John 20:11). 13:1-2) and states that the Lord Jesus had revealed to him (1 Cor. We need to know and be We are to He was Paul's fellow laborer. He wasn't a teacher nor preacher that we know of. be-shem omro)? financial gift, and was there to minister to Paul in any way that he could; do his laundry, carry Have you taken the tour of our site yet? Paul is saying,"God gave Epaphroditus mercy and he gave me mercy also. The word of God is God. that Paul didn't heal. Berean Bible Church provides this material free of charge for the edification of the Body of Christ. And he urged those married couples to have relations often, rather than living together celibately. 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. Galatians was written soon after Paul returned from that first journeysoon after Acts 14:27. We have no record of any But we read that Epaphroditus was healeddirectly by the Lord: He was sick unto death but the Lord had mercy on him.. emptied himself. He hazzard his life "to supply what was lacking in your service toward "Who ministered to my need" -- The word "need" is from chreia it means: "a need or 1:14). Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? Today God no longer gives the gift of healing, and there are no healers. But we should not think that God Himself no longer heals! Historians tell us that he had a very common name. a uniquely spiritual act. with Paul helping him?". 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. He wasn't distressed because he was sick but because the The answer is: He wouldn't have! It comes from two He speaks of Epaphroditus' recovery as a mercy to himself 'lest he should have the sorrow of imprisonment increased by the sorrow of his friend's death.' 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! You can help further this work by your prayer and by contributing online or by mailing to: Berean Bible Church Epaphroditus who was to stay at Rome and help Paul in any way he could. This may be the most important message you ever read. Too often our attitude is, "I can't help, I could catch it and means: "to abase, naturalize, to make of none effect, of no reputation." We but feebly echo Paul's rapture when he thought that there was 'neither Barbarian or Scythian, bond or free, but all were one in Christ Jesus,' and for all our talk about the unity of humanity and the like, we permit the old gulfs of separation to gape as deeply as ever. on Phil no. But Paul feels bad because Epaphroditus feels bad, because the Philippians children so you can listen to the Word of God. The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. (Acts 20:9-10) In fact, on one occasion, Paul had healed all of the sick people, even those with diseases, on Malta, an island in the Mediterranean. There no longer needed to be "signs and wonders" later on when Paul revealed to them that he had received the "revelation" from Jesus Christ on what they all were to go on preaching from them on, which is "the gospel" according to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (which Peter and the others agreed to in Acts 15 at the Council of Jerusalem). Chesapeake, VA 23322. He says, "We have the same This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. Therefore, Paul sent Epaphroditus back with his letter to the Philippians so that they could stop worrying and rejoice too (2:25-30). 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." In this case, Paul did pray for healing, but his request was denied. Epaphroditus was evidently healed through the Lords direct, miraculous intervention, perhaps via the gifts of healing that some believers possessed during the Apostolic era (1 Cor. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul teaches us: 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new. gathered his congregation together and set them to burying the dead and nursing the sick in that 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. In other words, he is suggesting to use "medicine." Consider the Book of Mark chapter 16 verses 17-20. 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. If the Apostle Paul still had the power to heal why would he leave Trophimus sick, while Epaphroditus was also sick to the point of death in Philippians 2:27 and encouraged Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach and frequent ailments (1 Timothy 5:23)? teaching. It wasn't Paul's lack of compassion for his friend. Welcome to BHSE! To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit did not want someone healed or raised from the dead, no amount of effort by Paul could do so. 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). 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). we don't know. The word believe means to accept, to receive, to take and also to agree. What needless sorrows follow in the Continue Reading, (The following is the first of a series of articles drawn from Pastor Stam's book, Our Great Commission, What Is It? Why does the Apostle Paul use the verb twice in Philippians 4:2? Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. Paul is honoring Epaphroditus with these titles. So, please don't tell me that Divine Healing ceased. healthy. (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. The first one suggested is the very familiar one of the great uniting principle which a common faith in Christ brought into action. In this verse, Paul gives five titles to Epaphroditus. You won't die prematurely, so go ahead and take some Paul merely needed to help Epaphroditus to locate the negative thoughts he was having about his being sick, his feeling as though he let the Philippians down, or his feeling as though he had failed Paul. 1000 Chattanooga Street However, Paul was often an instrument of healing. with this letter. Because a wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills. I don't really understand the question from your first comment. All we can do is guess. 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. The Name: Epaphroditus was a common name, a shortened form of it is Epaphrus, used in sadness. (Acts 28:9) Then, the argument goes, why was Paul unable to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? First, let us review Epaphroditus mission. 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. 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". Why did Paul not heal Trophimus? Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. In Acts 20:2,3 Paul arrived in Greece, i.e. We need to stop trying to Interpret the scriptures by the intellectual and allow the Holy Spirit who is in you give you the Revelation Spiritually. Epaphroditus but passes across the illuminated disc of the lantern for a moment, and we have scarcely time to catch a glimpse of his face before it is lost to us. Why are you We never want to diminish the pain of our suffering, but, during times of trouble, we should also remember the ways God is sustaining us. 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. Why wasn't Pauls companion healed that day, I have no clue. Romans 10:8-10 tells us: 8 But what saith it? Epaphroditus becomes ill and almost dies. [3] Apparently on the way to Rome, Epaphroditus fell sick. Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. I think sometimes it is wise to not isolate the Gift of Healing when we think about these questions. Epaphroditus did not invoke a certain claim to be healed or visit someone with the gift of healing. at after carefully weighing the facts. 13:8).1. The purpose of the gift of healing was not to keep Christians Many were saved, but Paul was driven out of town. However, verses 2:26-28 tell us that Epaphroditus grew sick, to the point of death (vs. 27), while he was on his way to Rome. His level of sacrificial service becomes very instructive to us. But when Epaphroditus fell sicknear to deathPaul was no longer able to heal him because the gift of healing had ceased to operate. Hardly. The Philippians would want to know, "what are you doing back? Stop speaking in the tongue because it is not from the Holy Spirit. In Gaiuss home, in Corinth, Paul wrote the letter to the Romans (see Rom. Vote Up I have hid them in my heart. Work done for Paul was done for Jesus, and that, not because of any special apostolic closeness of relation of Paul to Jesus, but because, like all other Christians, he was one with his Lord. and thine often infirmities. Then the report found its way back to Rome, and Epaphroditus got home-sick and was restless, uneasy, 'sore troubled,' as the Apostle says, because they had heard he had been sick. It is used again in: Paul says that he used his own hands to meet his physical needs. Why was he distressed Was he just homesick? Paul thought that chastity was best, but realized that most people have natural sexual desires. (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." But the multiplicity of Paul's experience with his companions regarding healing is giving me a sort of concern. Following Christ's example, we should be willing to lay down our lives to meet the needs of So if you're not dead, how could you ever complain (verse 14). If they wanted to Love never fails. sorrow." Paul highly honors Epaphroditus with these If I walk down the street and I get a word of knowledge for someone, it is 1. B. The word "longing" is epipotheo, it It history, used all through the LXX to refer to the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant and the 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.
Ccw California Where Can I Carry,
Campmor Catalog Request,
The Real Jimmy Hollywood Controversy,
Articles W
