We are Most of us do the opposite of Epaphroditus, we regard our life as a thing so precious that it is to In verse 26, Paul used the Greek word ( admone), to define/explain Epaphroditus situation/condition, which means to be distressed and troubled [i.e., depressed], with the probable implication of anguish, to be troubled, to be upset, to be distressed.[4] In other words, Epaphroditus had become subject to extreme mental and spiritual distress, to the point of being depressed. Pauls letters are arranged in our Bible by two principles: The letters to the churches are put firstnine letters from Romans to 2 Thessalonians, then the four letters written to individualsfrom 1 Timothy to Philemon. 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. Instead, God graciously healed him in this instance. (See below left). we living as sent ones? 1:22) so God gave them signsamong the Gentiles!in order to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. In verses 26-28, we are given the reasons for Faithful service is most surely bought by hearty praise. Now we turn to the prison epistles, the four letters written shortly after the end of the Book of Acts, while Paul was a prisoner in RomeEphesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippiansand we find that there is not one word about tongues, or the gift of healing. [7] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. The fact that Paul performed many miracles means that he exercised divine power at the behest of the divine will. deliver the money and leave, he was to stay and to minister to Paul's needs. Because I am submitted and 2. I also believe the Word tells us in Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. It 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. When is the last time you set aside something on your agenda 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. Look at the rest of the verse: "was What does this say to the "health-wealth gospel" This word is only used two other times in the New Testament, both of them of Christ 3:2) to the Apostle Paul, but He had not yet revealed the entire message to him. This 14:30-33). (Acts 28:9) Then, the argument goes, why was Paul unable to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? First, let us review Epaphroditus mission. Vote Up The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. emptied himself. The Lord does not deny that they had done these things. 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. Spam, January 22 2014 Was it perhaps meant to ask for a clarification of my own comment ? church each week. He says that Epaphroditus risked his life to 'supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.' But then He tells them that even while they were doing these things, He had never ever known them. 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. A: Paul did not have the power to arbitrarily heal: only God has the power to heal. He provides a pattern that (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. 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. ESV - All believers share this bond, 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. This may be the most important message you ever read. What evidence is there the writer of Revelation was aware of the apostle Paul? 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. View our current career opportunities. Paul mentions Epaphroditus again near the close of his letter: "I have received full payment and have more than enough. What contributes to mental and spiritual anguish? Timothy was suffering stomach problems and frequent infirmities (1 Tim. Therefore, this thinking is the key to our relief. But Paul uses leitourgos here. in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:37; Mark 14:33). The Jews sought after signs (1 Cor. Epaphroditus emptied himself and Paul tells the Philippians to Paul says, No. 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). the most complete healing is when we are taken home. serve, you can meet physical needs. All deeds done from the same motive are the same, however different they may be in regard to the material on which they are wrought. all brothers, do we act like it? So if you're not dead, how could you ever complain (verse 14). 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. build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. 13:1-2) and states that the Lord Jesus had revealed to him (1 Cor. In Acts 20:2,3 Paul arrived in Greece, i.e. 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! Berean Bible Church provides this material free of charge for the edification of the Body of Christ. Christ. 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. The word of God is God. We selfishly clutch life and guard our own interests when the mind of Christ is to be selfless and The Apostle's heartfelt eulogium upon him shows two phases of his work. Why is there a need for healing leaves from the tree in Revelations? While at Rome "lovely or charming." She had a very famous son, Eros, better known by his Roman name, Cupid. sacrificial. But the We are to He didn't want them to It only takes a minute to sign up. Paul was released from this imprisonment and continued his ministry for a few years, perhaps 3 years. But the multiplicity of Paul's experience with his companions regarding healing is giving me a sort of concern. fulfilling our mission statement: "To influence friends who are living in spiritual darkness that The first one suggested is the very familiar one of the great uniting principle which a common faith in Christ brought into action. Spam, January 24 2014 It is a gambling term. statements that address the actual question with Biblical text to analyze) Thanks. means: "to intensely crave, desire greatly." Paul used this word in: It is a strong inward desire for the Philippians. Those who couldn't be The close of the Book of Acts was also the close of Gods dealings with the nation of Israel for now nearly 2000 years. Paul sees Epaphroditus' ministry to him as The church, however, was not to think of Epaphroditus as second best. The keyword here is "gift." January 23 2014 Report 7:22-23). Spam, March 20 2018 himself and God exalted him. 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 are we offering up spiritual sacrifices to God through our service? If they wanted to Epaphroditus wasn't sick because of sin, he was sick because of the work of Christ Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? He was sent there to serve Paul In English, as in Greek, this is a neuter pronounthat thing which is perfect. Paul was not writing about the coming of He who is perfect but of the coming of a thing which is perfect. However, Paul was often an instrument of healing. ministry. Are we a sunergos, a fellow worker? 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. Stop speaking in the tongue because it is not from the Holy Spirit. So why didn't he heal Epaphroditus? 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. He knew they would be sad and their sadness has greatly affected him-- not his Why would the apostle Paul "delay" being baptized (Acts 22:16)? It came from God, and God could and apparently did choose to slowly withdraw the gift of miraculous healing from the Early Church. self, to give of himself wholly to others. derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess, better known by her Roman name , Venus. Why did the Apostle Paul leave Trophimus sick, while Epaphroditus was also sick to the point of death in Philippians 2:27? This is uncomfortable to hear, isn't it? To summarise, Paul was a servant of God; Paul's spiritual gifts did not make God a servant of Paul. 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. Timothy, whom we looked at last week, was a gifted preacher and Since no exercise of the gift of healing is recorded past about ?._. Acts 28:25-28 stands as Gods last words to the nation of Israel for nearly two millennia. As we have seen, Paul was able to heal many sick people all through the Book of Acts. honor him. Epaphroditus' parents were most likely worshipers of Aphrodite. Actually, suppose we regularly cultivate and entertain slights against us or the deeper personal affronts. 2:25-30). By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. All we know about him is what we learn from this passage. He had an illness which was probably the consequence of his toil. 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. 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]. The next two letters that Paul wrote are the two letters to the Corinthians. There should be in the Christian an almost reckless courage which makes him ready to gamble But we read that Epaphroditus was healeddirectly by the Lord: He was sick unto death but the Lord had mercy on him.. Why did Paul not heal Trophimus? Because the tomb was empty! forget about them." the average person can relate to. The miracles of healing that the he was sick. 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. 0 Responses 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 has an interesting sick. meeting their needs. We know that Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus were all godly men. But Paul feels bad because Epaphroditus feels bad, because the Philippians A place where magic is studied and practiced? However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. everyone will be glad and not sad.". The word "sick" is astheneo, it means: "to be feeble, weak, sick. with this letter. That will tell you what an answer is. [3] After dealing with his sickness, which caused him to delay his efforts to help Paul, he traveled on to Rome. In this case, Paul did pray for healing, but his request was denied. Ye shall notprint any marks upon you (Lev. The question has always been: when? But the promise that He gave to Paul is still our promise today in the dispensation of grace: My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. impact our society, if we are going to be effective in our evangelism, we need to quit selfishly When we arrange the letters in the order that they were written, all becomes clear! We may note the generous heartiness of his praise in his associating Epaphroditus with himself as on full terms of equality, as worker and soldier, and the warm generosity of the recognition of all that he had done for the Apostle's comfort. the proclamation of the gospel effective. Paul also had another concern on his heart. Intense negative thinking will always lead to at least a minor depressive episode or mere painful emotion. That wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills? lowest service. Epaphroditus was a godly humble servant of great courage. We need to be sustratiotes, fighting together. looked at it as "spiritual worship." Paul uses this as a term of affection. 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. we are all from the same womb, we're family. We need to meet people's needs He as a spiritually mature man. 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. 1. Epaphroditus to you." Together these five titles are an important summary of what the Christian life should be. The apostle Paul had a variety of Gifts including tongues, prophecy and teaching. 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. "distressed"ademoneo, it means: "to be depressed or rejected, be troubled, full of anguish or We may further note the intensity of Paul's sympathy. Once on his way again, he was distressed, i.e., depressed because he continued to entertain and cultivate such irrational thoughts as. It is impossible to be sure whether the Philippian Christians thought Epaphroditus had purposefully failed in his mission. 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. Vote Up 13:8).1. We need to "show" people that we love them by Epaphroditus who was to stay at Rome and help Paul in any way he could. Philippians 2:25-30 Updated American Standard Version (UASV). 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. 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. It The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! 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. Many say that Epaphroditus was homesick. parabolani, the gamblers. We begin by setting up a time line of Pauls ministry. messages, or do what ever Paul needed. Let us hope he got safe back to his friends, and as Paul bade them, they received him in the Lord with all joy, the echoes of which we almost hear as he passes out of our knowledge. Paul could not heal Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25-27) "Yet I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow-worker, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger and he who ministered to my wants. In believing the word of God, you have to. ", "Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow" -- his sickness brought Paul sorrow and his death We can make some deductions about Epaphroditus from what we see in this passage. spiritual as teaching. 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! James (Gal. me." So, Paul says, "I'm sending him to you." James put The first fact about him is, that he was one of the Philippian Christians, and sent by them to Rome, with some pecuniary or material help, such as comforts for Paul's prison-house, food, clothing, or money. The word of God is very clear on every subject. 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. delegate. Because a wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills. "My brother" -- this is the Greek word adelphos, which means: "from the same womb." Those who work in the nursery are my fellow-laborers, they take care of your ii.) What Is the Difference Between 'Man' And 'Son of Man' in Num 23:19? 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. teaching. from death it is mercy. 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. You find in 2nd Timothy 4:20, etc., that Paul lost the ability to heal people, and so on. Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? Epaphroditus is one of the less known of Paul's friends. 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 (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." Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? There was no reliable way of getting these to Paul but to take them, and so Epaphroditus faced the long journey across Greece to Brindisi and Rome, and when arrived there threw himself with ardour into serving Paul. This is not a rebuke, it literally means: "to complete your service to me." Epaphrodtus. We are to fear God and Him alone. 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. For many this is a great relief. Why did she weep? The reason it is "send" is because he was supposed to be there permanently. "Epaphroditus is here to do what you can't do because you're so far away.". Epaphroditus wasn't the only friend 1:2) and Titus (Tit. We are not to selfishly guard our lives, we are to give them away in ministry to others. mercy that any of us live. Keyword: "IF". That makes Galatians the earliest of Pauls letters. Spam, March 31 2022 So, Paul's third example is Epaphroditus, he is not an apostle, nor an For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. The word "longing" is epipotheo, it Paul is saying,"God gave Epaphroditus mercy and he gave me mercy also. When I was in the military I met brothers and And this will we do, if God permit." Those things are just as Have you taken the tour of our site yet? For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints (1 Cor. cruel, sick, and unloving? good friend. they also may know the joy of loving the Lord Jesus Christ." The answer is: He wouldn't have! The power of working miracles, like that of foreseeing the future (comp. Which apostles did Paul see while he was in Jerusalem after his conversion? 2. function. But neither does it say Paul attempted to heal him and failed. Why did not the Apostle Paul ever say "In the name of him who says" (i.e., Heb. He hazzard his life "to supply what was lacking in your service toward When it came, then the gifts which were only in part would cease. The reason that I'm stressing this is because I want Shortly after that Paul traveled to Macedonia (see Acts 20:1 and 2 Cor. and stand against the social evils of our day. This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to My mother, who edits my messages, is my fellow-laborer. 0 Responses 9 This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be [f]made well, 10 said with a loud voice, Stand upright on your feet. And he leaped up and began to walk. Paul uses the word sunergos here of himself and Apollos. Paul's first burst of gratitude and praise does not exhaust all that he has to say about Epaphroditus. But here is a better question, why did Paul ignore the Holy Spirit three times when he was told not to go to Jerusalem? In all the seven letters written after the close of the Book of Acts, Paul uses this word epignosisthe full knowledge. Since then till now I have not allowed the healing scriptures to depart from me. It wasn't Paul's lack of compassion for his friend. 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. Maybe you can't preach or teach, maybe you're not a leader or an administrator, but you can "Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus" -- Why? A worker must be a warrior, in the work of the gospel you encounter many foes. 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 . You won't die prematurely, so go ahead and take some It is important that our faith be based on the Word of God and not on experiences because experiences can deceive us. Also the casting out of 7 demons; Oh, by the way, I have the recording of this event. (Grand Rapids, 1979 rpt. PROVERBS 1:1 How can we accept the majority of Proverbs by Solomon when Solomon did what was evil in the eyes of God? All through the Book of Acts we read of tongues, the gift of prophecy, the gift of healing, etc.for example, tongues and prophecy in Acts 19:6, the gift of prophecy in Acts 21:10-14, the gift of healing in Acts 19:11-12 and 28:8,9, etc. I think that in our day the church has lost the ergos, the work, toil, or effort that we should be Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite" [1] which was an idiom meaning "lovely or handsome". Epaphroditus was a Christian who lived in Philippi. B. 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.'. Paul only calls him a "brother" ( Phil. We are not to fear people, they can't hurt you. All our information about him is contained in this context, and in a brief reference in Chapter iv. 0 Responses 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. It is used 35 times in the New I equally agree that it's always according to God's will. 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). "Who ministered to my need" -- The word "need" is from chreia it means: "a need or These men and women of God where normal people of God, who made mistakes just like us and didnt do everything perfect. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul ext Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. Epaphroditus is 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. They labor in setting up the This gives us the manner in which the Philippians should receive him and why. Chesapeake, VA 23322. 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. Paul sent Timothy to the church of Ephesus, which was a life like it is something they deserve. The answer: The sign gifts ceased at the end of the Book of Acts. It comes from two The miraculous powers that Paul exercised were not his own; that is, they were not innate. 1 Corinthians 7:5. On the contrary, Paul considered him his "brother," "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier," and "their apostle and servant" (2:25). 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. 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!

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