Many were saved, but Paul was driven out of town. parabolani, the gamblers. For he longed after you all and was full of heaviness, because you had heard that he had been sick. Even where we might have expected Paul to write of tongues in the passage about being filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5:17, he has nothing to say about tongues. Likewise in 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul has to leave behind his co-worker Trophimus who had fallen sick on the last journey. be-shem omro)? we are all from the same womb, we're family. Epaphroditus was one with Paul in sympathy, one with him in work, and one with him in danger. Does ZnSO4 + H2 at high pressure reverses to Zn + H2SO4? In other words, he is suggesting to use "medicine." Finally at the end of his life he is again in prison. 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. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. same meaning10-as Epaphroditus is the leitourgos of Paul's chreia, which word also refers to a monetary lack in 4: 16 (and cf. sadness. Do you have questions about the Bible? Epaphroditus to you." The Lord warned that experiences can be deceiving: Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Paul thought that chastity was best, but realized that most people have natural sexual desires. In Acts 17, Paul, on his second apostolic journey, came to Thessalonica and preached there. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. The answer: The sign gifts ceased at the end of the Book of Acts. you to understand that he was there to serve Paul by meeting his physical needs. The gift of tongues, prophecy and knowledge during the Acts period were only in partthey were incomplete, they did not communicate the full knowledge that the Lord had to reveal. two to his relationship with the Philippian church. Jesus said the greatest honor among his followers belongs to the one who renders the The next letters Paul wrote are the two letters to the Thessalonians. back" but "send." 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. It is used in extra-biblical Greek to honor a solider. And as for the gift of healing, we read of a co-worker of Pauls, Epaphroditus, who fell seriously ill during this time (Phil. life like it is something they deserve. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Gospels mercy is connected with healing, because we deserve death. That will tell you what an answer is. needs could be involved here, he ministered to Paul in the area of companionship also. That wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills? "distressed"ademoneo, it means: "to be depressed or rejected, be troubled, full of anguish or 2 Responses [7] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Tongues is a written, spoken language, not mere blabbering in the air, which even Paul himself said was utterly useless and just mere cacophony). God healed me completely and perfectly today. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 1:1, 15-19). 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. Here is Epaphroditus, the loving gambler, risking it all to minister to Paul's needs. This is It's nice to know that there are some people in the ministry compelled by relationships and not soldiers marched abreast behind a solid wall of shields. who were ill with dangerous and infectious diseases. 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. Thanks. But when Epaphroditus fell sicknear to deathPaul was no longer able to heal him because the gift of healing had ceased to operate. It is not "send He risked his life as a gambler will take risks 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. Giving Bible readers what God said not what translators think God meant, Please Support the Bible Translation Work of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV). The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. 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. that Paul didn't heal. Which apostles did Paul see while he was in Jerusalem after his conversion? Berean Bible Church provides this material free of charge for the edification of the Body of Christ. Epaphroditus wanted to go back to Philippi so they would see that he was alright and end their In each of these letters he writes of his chainssee Ephesians 6:20, Colossians 4:18, Philemon 13 and Philippians 1:13. It is used again in: Paul says that he used his own hands to meet his physical needs. The keyword here is "gift." Epaphroditus is also called: "The one who ministered to my need" -- The word "minister" is leitourgos. The gift of tongues and the gift of healing has ceased. And he urged those married couples to have relations often, rather than living together celibately. 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. Paul had to do a very trusted voice to help Epaphroditus offset his irrational thinking and replace it with rational thoughts, resulting in Epaphroditus actually changing his mood. of the church. 1:22) so God gave them signsamong the Gentiles!in order to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. someone's concern for your condition? Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. where it ends for many, they are brothers, but not for Epaphroditus. That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. John uses this word also in: This word is used of meeting physical needs. James (Gal. sick. esteem him in: The word "work" is ergon meaning: "toil, effort, work. chained to a guard: The Philippians, upon hearing about Paul's needs, took an offering and sent it by the hand of He never allows us to suffer something that He doesnt give us the strength to live through. 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. ii.) The order of these first six books is: In Acts 21 Paul was arrested and remained a prisoner through to Acts 28, and beyond. All we can do is guess. Spam, November 06 2014 Why does the Apostle Paul use the verb twice in Philippians 4:2? For some, Pauls instructions to the prophets at Corinth will be pertinent: If anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. He tells us in verses 26-28. Vote Up Events, what people say, and circumstances do not cause mental distress, anxiety, or depression. The Hardison's are all fellow-laborers with me. No, the answer is that God's program had changed. Epaphroditus felt extreme guilt as though he had failed in his mission from the Philippian congregation, having to let them down, so he grew depressed. In this verse, Paul gives five titles to Epaphroditus. Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? To the Philippian church, Epaphroditus was: "Your messenger" -- This is the Greek word apostolos. What he could do in Acts 28, he could no longer do in Philippians, or in 1 and 2 Timothy. healthy. 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. On the contrary, Paul considered him his "brother," "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier," and "their apostle and servant" (2:25). We are to be working to Paul only calls him a "brother" ( Phil. In this case, Paul did pray for healing, but his request was denied. What does this say to the "health-wealth gospel" We are Epaphroditus means: "belonging to or devoted to Aphrodite." All others were not apostles of Jesus commissioned and sent out Timothy. It is used 35 times in the New 3. We are to labor in calling men to be reconciled to God. Epaphrodtus. Epaphroditus wasn't the only friend Having seen the pattern of truth regarding the gifts, we need to ask, why did the gifts cease at this time? Ministering to others' physical needs is a spiritual priestly It appears my previous comment has been deleted, no explanation why. 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. This is not to say that medicines are not good or doctors are not helpful. adherents? 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). Epaphroditus. 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? This is uncomfortable to hear, isn't it? next door." 'The cup of cold water' given 'in the name of a disciple' is grateful to the lips of the Master. 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. What is the purpose of this D-shaped ring at the base of the tongue on my hiking boots? 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.'. fellow laborers, they send out what I teach to others around the country. It has an interesting We as Berean Bible Church need to work at Timothy, whom we looked at last week, was a gifted preacher and No! lowest service. At any rate he worked till he made himself ill. 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. He did not act on his own. 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. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul ext God's sparing of Epaphroditus' life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. Isn't that For many this is a great relief. and thine often infirmities. I have stayed beyond two weeks, this is the third year and half after the diagnosis. Since no exercise of the gift of healing is recorded past about ?._. Paul also had another concern on his heart. While at Rome 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. 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. Why wasn't Pauls companion healed that day, I have no clue. Galatians was written soon after Paul returned from that first journeysoon after Acts 14:27. God heals when it's in His will to heal; the difference is that the gift of healing (a man laying on of hands with instant healing) has ceased, and 2) so has the gift of tongues (it's no longer needed, but if it is used, I believe that God will allow it to occur, only when the church is edified, and only when there is an interpreter amidst the assembly! He was in the first place Paul's helper in the Gospel, and his faithfulness there is set forth in a glowing climax, 'My brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier.' Maybe you can't preach or teach, maybe you're not a leader or an administrator, but you can When is the last time that this happened to you? Spam, January 24 2014 himself and God exalted him. Clarify B. 'The cup of cold water' given 'in the name of a disciple' is grateful to the lips of the Master. unto death" -- the word "almost" is paraplesion, it literally means: "along side of a neighbor, Look at the rest of the verse: "was This is because the word of God is living and active. Paul says, in essence: "I will continue to do those signs IF God permit." For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge (epignosisfull knowledge) of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light (Col. 1:9-12). Paul was saved in Acts 9 when the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus. Keyword: "IF". The ship sails across the track of the moonlight, and then vanishes ghost-like into darkness. 2:4) had passed away by this time. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? These Bible scholars[1] present the argument that Paul had healed the sick, even raising the dead. 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. We know that Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus were all godly men. 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. ESV - The word "send" is pempo. Those thoughts would have contributed to his feelings of frustration, mental anguish, distress, or low self-worth. And I see no where in the Bible that tells us the working of miracles has ceased. They labor in setting up the He provides a pattern that This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. 12:9). 1. He has authored ninety-five books. 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. to meet someone's need? For indeed he was sick nigh unto death - Dr. Paley has remarked (Hor. God's sparing of Epaphroditus' life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. In his low, nervous state, barely convalescent, the thought of home and of his brethren's anxiety about him was too much for him. This is Heresy 101 at its best!). Shortly after that Paul traveled to Macedonia (see Acts 20:1 and 2 Cor. Paul could have said to Epaphroditus, "Get over it, they'll live. However, Paul was often an instrument of healing. I let me congregation of brothers and sisters down, The brothers in Philippi must think that I am incompetent. He wrote to the Corinthian church that they came behind no other church when it came to the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. (verse 30). The question has always been: when? for a possible gain. 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! I equally agree that it's always according to God's will. It really isn't an answer to a legitimate question. history, used all through the LXX to refer to the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant and the But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. Please make sure you take our Tour. 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. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. everyone will be glad and not sad.". be grieved over his sickness. Dreadnoughts are a peculiar expression of the brotherhood of men after nineteen centuries of so-called Christianity. The word "gladness" is chara which means: "joy." 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. The answer is: He wouldn't have! 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)? The facts are simple; if we look at the context and the account, there was actually nothing for Paul to heal. We need to work hard in intellectual areas; we need to toil in study. This is the last letter written during the Book of Acts. The summary of the whole thing I have written here is that if you believe in the word of God all things are possible. What is the correct way to screw wall and ceiling drywalls? 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 Scripture serves the purpose to do that work necessary and there is no mention to Timothy of the need for miracles to sanctify us. 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. Why would the Apostle Paul insist that married couples have regular sex "except [for one reason only] by mutual consent and for a time (of prayer)" when there may be other factors such as sickness, busyness, or fatigue? God owes us nothing! Bible scholar J. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. In all the seven letters written after the close of the Book of Acts, Paul uses this word epignosisthe full knowledge. Hello Uche Ogu, welcome to BHSE, glad to have you with us! The difficulty of communication would sufficiently account for the partial intelligence. So if you're not dead, how could you ever complain (verse 14). The purpose of the gift of healing was not to keep Christians And are we offering up spiritual sacrifices to God through our service? When would these gifts cease? The word of God is medicine to our flesh (bodies ). Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. 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." all brothers, do we act like it? We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. 0 Responses The ministry is people! The next two letters that Paul wrote are the two letters to the Corinthians. We need to meet people's needs 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? ", "Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow" -- his sickness brought Paul sorrow and his death Too often our attitude is, "I can't help, I could catch it and Are we fellow soldiers? The word believe means to accept, to receive, to take and also to agree. See Peter and John's comments in Acts 3:12. 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. The For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. 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. What evidence is there the writer of Revelation was aware of the apostle Paul? Following Christ's example, we should be willing to lay down our lives to meet the needs of the most complete healing is when we are taken home. In fact, it is the words we tell ourselves about people, self, experiences, life, in general, God, the future, the past, the present. And they did, because in the letters written after the Book of Acts, the sign gifts had ceased, just as the Lord said that they would. Epaphroditus loved the Philippians, who he was representing, and Paul, who he was ministering That implies that all which the Philippians' ministration lacked was their personal presence, and that Epaphroditus, in supplying that, made his work in a real sense theirs. In verse 25, we have a description of Epaphroditus. But the Epaphroditus risked it all, life included, to minister to others. Paul continued on to Corinth where he wrote the two letters to the Thessalonians. She's the rev2023.3.3.43278. 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. All through the Book of Acts Paul had only gnosis, partial knowledge of the message of grace, but when we turn to the Prison Letters we suddenly find Paul using that word epignosishe had now received that full knowledge which he didnt have when he wrote to the Corinthians: For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge (epignosisfull knowledge) of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ (Col. 2:1-2). Whether there were so or no, the exhortation itself traces lightly but surely the lines on which Christians should render, and their fellow-Christians can rightly receive, even praise from men. Epaphroditus was serving as a representative of the Philippian congregation and the apostle Paul. Paul was the prisoner and enemy of Rome. mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. man awaiting trial on a capital charge was laying himself open to the very considerable risk of 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.). 3:2) to the Apostle Paul, but He had not yet revealed the entire message to him. 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. 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. him to the Philippians so they would rejoice to see that he was okay. 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. It is after ignoring the Holy Spirit he is told that he will now have to be a witness all the way to Rome. And Paul who had miraculously healed so many left Trophimus at Miletus sick (II Timothy 4:20). We have what I with his life to serve Christ and man. 12:9). 3. 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. 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. titles. In Acts 20:2,3 Paul arrived in Greece, i.e. Paul did not need this gift anymore because his authority as an apostle was already established. This is the depth of love and care. But, what happened? He says nothing of his own loss or of how much more lonely he would be when the brother whom he had praised so warmly had left him alone. His name appears twice in the Bible (Philippians 2:25; 4:18). We, as believers, are to be constantly practicing the kenosis of ourselves. good friend. He is mentioned nowhere else in the You were extremely upset and grieved over May we not further draw from Paul's words here a lesson as to the honour due to Christian workers? 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. 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 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 ). Greek He was sick 4:18), fell ill around the time Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:2526). God. Hardly. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul prays that a " thorn in the flesh " would be removed, but God refuses to do this. becoming involved in the same charge. Paul was quick to send 2:25-27) He likely longed to know that they knew of and understood his circumstances. 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. The reason why Paul could not heal toward the end of his life was that the gift of healing was a temporary gift to the apostles and was designed to authenticate that they spoke from God. James put (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. However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. risks. 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. Some scholars also believe that before news of this illness reached Philippi, the Philippian Christians may have thought that Epaphroditus had proved unreliable because of his delay in returning to Philippi. Speakers: Pastor Ricky Kurth, Pastor Don HosfeldDetails, "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping" (John 20:11). 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". This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to He was highly regarded by the church there. I have hid them in my heart. 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. mercy that any of us live. He was an apostolic delegate. Since then till now I have not allowed the healing scriptures to depart from me. to worry about me. He was sent by them, he was their All references have been taken from the New King James Version. We may further note the intensity of Paul's sympathy. We begin by setting up a time line of Pauls ministry. He as a spiritually mature man. Vote Up Those who couldn't be The reason Epaphroditus was not healed is not stated in the text. Epaphroditus was ministering to Paul physically; he brought him a Paul does not seem to have healed Epaphroditus. 19:28). Of course, our apostle Continue Reading. They were to receive him "in the Lord." "But God had mercy on him" -- God spared him from death and any time that God spares a life 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. 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? Instead, God graciously healed him in this instance. Answer (1 of 9): EPAPHRODITUS [handsome, charming]. Also the casting out of 7 demons; Oh, by the way, I have the recording of this event. When we are having an experience that we learn from the Scriptures is not from the Lord, it is time to keep silent, and remember that our spirits are to be under our own controlthe spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets..
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