"distressed"ademoneo, it means: "to be depressed or rejected, be troubled, full of anguish or The text does say, God had mercy on him [that is, Ephaphroditus], so, in all likelihood, he would have died from whatever ailed him if God had not prevented him from going over the edge into death. The name Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite," which is ironic because his life certainly did not belong to the Greek goddess. While at Rome Paul commends Epaphroditus very highly for his faithfulness even unto death. Therefore, this thinking is the key to our relief. 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 was Paul's fellow laborer. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. Gospels mercy is connected with healing, because we deserve death. The word "send" is pempo. Clarify 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. "Epaphroditus is here to do what you can't do because you're so far away.". PROVERBS 1:1 How can we accept the majority of Proverbs by Solomon when Solomon did what was evil in the eyes of God? Philippians 2:25-30 Updated American Standard Version (UASV). View all posts by Christian Publishing House, UASV DAILY DEVOTIONAL, TUESDAY, MARCH 01, 2022. Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology.
PHILIPPIANS 2:25-30-Some Bible scholars have asked the question, 'why Many Christians today have had an experience that they think is the scriptural gift of tongues. Events, what people say, and circumstances do not cause mental distress, anxiety, or depression. 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. 2:27). 1:2; II Tim. at after carefully weighing the facts. Paul says, No. B. 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. Asked January 21 2014 other words, they were to receive him as the Lord would receive him. Gods sparing of Epaphroditus life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. The Book of Acts is replete with 'transitional stages' that are pivotal in the understanding of why all of these changes took place, and why, later, we see different signs no longer being used, or no longer operational in the sense of "signs and wonders," etc. This study focuses on that questionwhen did the sign gifts cease? That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with Paul used this word in: It is a strong inward desire for the Philippians. It is a pathetic little picture of the Macedonian stranger in the great city -- pallid looks, recent illness, and pining for home and a breath of pure mountain air, and for the friends he had left. The principle here is that "God exalts the humble." Chesapeake, VA 23322. How this happened or what his sickness was It is used again in: Paul says that he used his own hands to meet his physical needs. The Hardison's are all fellow-laborers with me. Was it because he had lost his faith, as some would tell us? Paul could have said to Epaphroditus, "Get over it, they'll live. What he could do in Acts 28, he could no longer do in Philippians, or in 1 and 2 Timothy. Thus, we can see Paul was not with Epaphroditus when he got sick, so the argument that he failed to heal him is not relevant. serve, you can meet physical needs. Hello Restlee, welcome to BHSE, so glad to have you here! And Paul was rejoicing to They were sent by Jesus Christ. He tells us in verses 26-28.
Why Did the Philippians Send Paul a Gift? | Zondervan Academic We both received mercy. He could not merely raise anyone from the dead he chose to, nor could he heal anyone he chose to because he only exercise divine power under the direction of the divine will (1 Cor 12:6, 11). 14:18)! Possibly there were in Philippi some sharp tongues and envious spirits, who needed the exhortation. Longer letters are first, shorter ones later. Epaphroditus' service to Paul was a spiritual priestly function. 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. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. This is because the word of God is living and active. Of course, our apostle Continue Reading. He heals according to His will today. Speakers: Pastor Ricky Kurth, Pastor Don HosfeldDetails, "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping" (John 20:11). 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. Though Paul had the gift of healing, he did not heal this individual. Negative thoughts that flood our minds are the actual contributors to our self-defeating emotions. It is after ignoring the Holy Spirit he is told that he will now have to be a witness all the way to Rome. 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. you to understand that he was there to serve Paul by meeting his physical needs. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? He knew they would be sad and their sadness has greatly affected him-- not his In fact, it is the words we tell ourselves about people, self, experiences, life, in general, God, the future, the past, the present. We need to meet people's needs "Who ministered to my need" -- The word "need" is from chreia it means: "a need or 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 120. 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. The letters are also arranged by lengthRomans is longest and is first, then the Corinthian letters, then Galatians, etc. A trustworthy member of the congregation at Philippi, Macedonia, who was sent with a gift to Paul, then a prisoner at Rome (c. 60-61 C.E.). My legs were swollen and my body was a mass of pain. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy.
It really isn't an answer to a legitimate question. You find in 2nd Timothy 4:20, etc., that Paul lost the ability to heal people, and so on. 5:23) and Paul cant heal him, doesnt recommend that he go to a healer in the church, doesnt send a prayer cloth or a bottle of anointing oil (remember the miracles of some 8 years earlier in Acts 19:11-12). No, the answer is that God's program had changed. 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. 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. In Acts 13,14 Paul and Barnabas went on their first apostolic journey which took them into Galatiacities like Antioch, Lystra, Derbe, etc. we don't know. unto death" -- the word "almost" is paraplesion, it literally means: "along side of a neighbor, Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? A: Paul did not have the power to arbitrarily heal: only God has the power to heal. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Self-talk is what we tell ourselves in our thoughts. This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. Three relate to his relationship with Paul and The Name: Epaphroditus was a common name, a shortened form of it is Epaphrus, used in So theyve learned to speak in tongues, but when they see from Scripture that this gift is not in operation from the Lord today, they can at last cease their effort to prove their salvation and start to walk by faith and not by sight. ESV - He and all his brethren are gone, but his name lives for ever, and Paul's praise of him and of his work outshines all else remembered of the city, where conquerors once reigned, and outside whose walls was fought a battle that decided for a time the fate of the world. involved in. But we have also seen that with the close of the Book of Acts, the gift of healing ceased to operate. The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing.
Why did Paul leave Trophimus, a 7-year companion, sick and not heal him? The first one suggested is the very familiar one of the great uniting principle which a common faith in Christ brought into action. We need to reach out and take back three areas of toil that used to be so much a part He was sent there to serve Paul Epaphroditus was distressed because the Philippians were distressed over his terrible illness. Interested in joining the Ligonier team? My mother, who edits my messages, is my fellow-laborer. So, please don't tell me that Divine Healing ceased. So Paul with rare abnegation sent him away at once, though Timothy was to follow shortly, and accompanied him with this outpouring of love and praise in his long homeward journey. We need to labor in the area of evangelism. But neither does it say Paul attempted to heal him and failed. 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. Keyword: "IF". When Paul wrote now I know in part, he used the common word for know, the Greek word gnosis. God's sparing of Epaphroditus' life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. God does heal but its always according to his will,God may have had other plans.We might never know what was God's purpose in these sicknesses. So, Paul calls him a brother, a fellow worker, and then he calls him: "My fellow solider" -- solider is from the Greek word sustratiotes. 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.
What Does Philippians 4:13 Mean, 'I Can Do All Things through Christ'? We are not to selfishly guard our lives, we are to give them away in ministry to others. Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. 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. Faithful service is most surely bought by hearty praise. know that they were rejoicing. We are to fear God and Him alone. The word "longing" is epipotheo, it 2:25; cf. feel bad because he is sick. Love never fails. 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 ). Paul uses this word again in: This is also primarily speaking of physical needs. 2 Responses were no longer in operation by the time Paul wrote the pastoral epistles. 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. Historians tell us that he had a very common name. We are life like it is something they deserve. used for minister is deokonos -- deacon. He has authored ninety-five books. 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. Anonymous, January 21 2014 But in this time period, in 1 Corinthians 13:8-12, Paul tells us that the Lord had revealed to him that these gifts would cease some day. goddess of luck. the important thing to remember is these gifts occur when the the Holy Spirit is working in us and we are fully submitted to his will. Simply: Stop! We know that Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus were all godly men. And he wrote to the Corinthians about the gift of healing that was operating in their church during the Acts period (1 Cor. This is not to say that medicines are not good or doctors are not helpful. (verse 30). Fortunately for both Epaphroditus and Paul, God was merciful and intervened in the situation by healing Epaphroditus. Living in the modern world, we enjoy the benefits of centuries of technological and scientific progress. Welcome to BHSE! Many say that Epaphroditus was homesick. Besides, Epaphroditus was longing to see the church because he knew that they had found out that he had been ill (2:26). Because his will is to speak to that individual right then. examples yet they all experienced sickness. However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. Stop speaking in the tongue because it is not from the Holy Spirit. 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. He had an illness which was probably the consequence of his toil.
Philippians 2:27 Commentaries: For indeed he was sick to the point of But we read that Epaphroditus was healeddirectly by the Lord: He was sick unto death but the Lord had mercy on him.. But Paul 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. Epaphroditus emptied himself and Paul tells the Philippians to self, to give of himself wholly to others. Apart from Acts arguably Luke or Paul wrote it and Paul wrote the others - does anyone else say Paul could do miracles? When it came, then the gifts which were only in part would cease. See Peter and John's comments in Acts 3:12. 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. We selfishly clutch life and guard our own interests when the mind of Christ is to be selfless and Paul says, in essence: "I will continue to do those signs IF God permit." back" but "send." 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 is also called: "The one who ministered to my need" -- The word "minister" is leitourgos. his return to Philippi. all brothers, do we act like it? Parallel Commentaries . In A.D. 252, plague broke out in Carthage; 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 Lord does the same thing for us today, although the little blessings He provides often go unnoticed. function. Why wasn't Pauls companion healed that day, I have no clue. plague-stricken city; and by so doing they saved the city, at the risk of their lives, from 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. 3. of beauty, mother of love, queen of laughter, mistress of the graces and pleasures and also the If you check take that Tour, and read other Q's, A's, and comments, you'll notice we're a group of people from numerous religions and beliefs, not needing anyone telling us who's right and who's wrongjust discussing what we see in Scripture.
What Do the New Testament Letters Have to Say about Divine Healing? When would these gifts cease?
Who carried the Epistles - Tyndale House 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). Those who work in the nursery are my fellow-laborers, they take care of your 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. 0 Responses Not only did they intend for him to be the bearer of their gift; they also intended for him to stay in Rome and be Paul's personal servant and attendant. She's the
What does the Bible say about prayer for the sick? 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. She had a very famous son, Eros, better known by his Roman name, Cupid. 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. Paul uses the word sunergos here of himself and Apollos. In his low, nervous state, barely convalescent, the thought of home and of his brethren's anxiety about him was too much for him. We have also to notice Paul's delicate recognition of all friendly help. His name appears twice in the Bible (Philippians 2:25; 4:18). 1 Corinthians 7:5. to, so much that he almost lost his life pouring it out in sacrificial service to meet Paul's physical Consider the Book of Mark chapter 16 verses 17-20. 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. Proverbs 4:20-23. Everybody feels bad so Paul says, "You've got to go back so The congregation in Philippi loved this man so much, they did not want him to die. 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." Spam, April 05 2022 At any rate he worked till he made himself ill. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. It is argued that Paul had the "sign" of healing but not the gift of healing. In believing the word of God, you have to. him to the Philippians so they would rejoice to see that he was okay. Little is known about Epaphroditus (much less than Timothy). two to his relationship with the Philippian church. Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? ), [6] MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London, 191429). WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH ABOUT ________? We need to recapture a spirit of hard work in the social realm. 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). means: "to throw down a stake, to roll the dice." Epaphroditus wasn't sick because of sin, he was sick because of the work of Christ Paul is saying,"God gave Epaphroditus mercy and he gave me mercy also. Epaphroditus wanted to go back to Philippi so they would see that he was alright and end their I waited several days until I began to get better before I let her know I was deliver the money and leave, he was to stay and to minister to Paul's needs. This word is also used in: This "business" is chreia, it refers to taking care of their physical needs. 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. honor him.
), 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. Vote Up Look at: Here he uses chreia to speak of physical needs. When God spared his This is uncomfortable to hear, isn't it? 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." Paul is saying that God was PERMITTING them to do certain signs so that the Jews might believe that they were of God. soldiers marched abreast behind a solid wall of shields. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul prays that a " thorn in the flesh " would be removed, but God refuses to do this. 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. (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. have survived without him but that's not how Epaphroditus saw it. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. Dreadnoughts are a peculiar expression of the brotherhood of men after nineteen centuries of so-called Christianity. Testament use of this word. It is used in extra-biblical Greek to honor a solider. Paul highly honors Epaphroditus with these goddess of love. Is it possible to rotate a window 90 degrees if it has the same length and width? If he is so valuable, why Spam, January 22 2014 So if you're not dead, how could you ever complain (verse 14). Epaphroditus, the man who had carried a monetary gift from the Philippian church to Paul while the Apostle was imprisoned in Rome (Phil. The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. They sent him money to meet his physical needs. But he suns himself in the thought of the Philippians' joy, and in the hope that some reflection of it will travel across the seas to him, and make him, if not wholly glad, at any rate 'the less sorrowful.'. It is here in Ephesus during Acts 19 that Paul wrote 1 Corinthianssee I Corinthians 16:19. Back to Romans 10: 9 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. And in the Acts Epistles we read of the gifts operating in the churches that Paul founded. These men and women of God where normal people of God, who made mistakes just like us and didnt do everything perfect. In verse 25, we have a description of Epaphroditus. The sign gifts, tongues, prophecy, the gift of healing, etc. Emotional The Greek word finds its origin in a It came from God, and God could and apparently did choose to slowly withdraw the gift of miraculous healing from the Early Church. Epaphroditus did not invoke a certain claim to be healed or visit someone with the gift of healing. Cyprian, the Christian bishop, When is the last time you set aside something on your agenda In the remainder of this sermon we shall simply deal with the two figures which the text sets before us, and we may look first at the glimpses of Paul's character which we get here. Shortly after the end of the Book of Acts, while he was still a prisoner, now in Rome, Paul wrote four lettersthe prison epistles: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippians. His level of sacrificial service becomes very instructive to us. 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. 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. I mean, I was a 1% biker, I did many many bad things which I will not glorify. 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 . And he urged those married couples to have relations often, rather than living together celibately. hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/tour Thanks! If Epaphroditus were 'received in the Lord,' there would be no foolish and hurtful adulation of him, nor prostration before him, but he would be recognised as but the instrument through which the true Helper worked, and not he, but the Grace of Christ in him would finally receive the praise. Paul does not seem to have healed Epaphroditus. He modeled the kenosis, he This isn't to say that God doesn't or won't heal today, because this is obviously not true, but the "laying on of hands" by a man (as a 'gift') has all but ceased, and yet there are still 'healing teachers' out there in the world today teaching a false gospel, having "healing revivals" that come to nought, etc. How was the preaching of Christ supposed to add more afflictions to the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:15? This . How about the Gift of Faith, do we not all have Faith, so how does this work when a person has a Gift of Faith? 1:22) so God gave them signsamong the Gentiles!in order to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. View our current career opportunities. The miracles of healing that the
The Healing of Epaphroditus and Healing Today Philippians 2:25-30 13:1-2) and states that the Lord Jesus had revealed to him (1 Cor. What to do? >From this verb we get the What have you risked to meet someone's needs? good friend. Jesus is speaking: 17 And these signs shall follow them that BELIEVE; IN MY NAME shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; THEY SHALL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK, AND THEY SHALL RECOVER. Then he goes on to say that he was This is the last letter written during the Book of Acts. 7:22-23).
Does God Want to Heal Everyone? by Don Stewart - Blue Letter Bible 19:28). God healed me completely and perfectly today. and stand against the social evils of our day. Think of the profound clefts of separation between the Macedonian and the Jew, the antipathies of race, the differences of language, the dissimilarities of manner, and then think of what an unheard-of new thing it must have been that a Macedonian should 'serve' a Jew! It is important that our faith be based on the Word of God and not on experiences because experiences can deceive us. His letter to the Philippians was just one of four "Prison Epistles" written during this time. looked at it as "spiritual worship." We begin by setting up a time line of Pauls ministry. distressed because you had heard that he was sick." needs could be involved here, he ministered to Paul in the area of companionship also. word that has the idea of: "not at home, uncomfortable, troubled, or distressed.". However, Paul was often an instrument of healing.
When Did the Gift of Tongues Cease? | Berean Bible Society