For many this is a great relief. It has an interesting Little is known about Epaphroditus (much less than Timothy). 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. The next two letters that Paul wrote are the two letters to the Corinthians. Are What he could do in Acts 28, he could no longer do in Philippians, or in 1 and 2 Timothy. Acts 28:25-28 stands as Gods last words to the nation of Israel for nearly two millennia. Welcome to BHSE! , , , , , For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. Simply: Stop! Sustratiotes is a very honorable title used in Philemon 2 of Archipus. 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. Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? We do read of prophecies that had been made about Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18 and 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6, but these were given years before. 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. >From this verb we get the word that has the idea of: "not at home, uncomfortable, troubled, or distressed.". In AD 60, Paul was imprisoned in Rome, and for the next two years, he lived under house arrest ( Acts 28:30-31 ), encouraging local churches via letters written from prison. 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. 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. for a possible gain. messages that he preached. This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.. 7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days. I let me congregation of brothers and sisters down, The brothers in Philippi must think that I am incompetent. (e.g. soon meaning: "together with" and stratiotes meaning: "soldier." The reason that I'm stressing this is because I want the average person can relate to. He is a co-worker, it's speaking of common effort, diligence. Yes, they really had had these experiences. They sent him money to meet his physical needs. All this was done in a church in Austin, Texas with an Evangelist from Virginia working through the Gifts of the Spirit, ie, Word of Knowledge, working of miracles, gifts of healing. the most complete healing is when we are taken home. The word "reputation" is the Greek word kenoo, it means: "to make empty." Timothy was suffering stomach problems and frequent infirmities (1 Tim. Calculating probabilities from d6 dice pool (Degenesis rules for botches and triggers), Recovering from a blunder I made while emailing a professor. It's hard to identify with him and his I don't think so. Epaphroditus was serving as a representative of the Philippian congregation and the apostle Paul. It is important that our faith be based on the Word of God and not on experiences because experiences can deceive us. Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. But to understand when the sign gifts ceased, we need to read Pauls letters in the order that he wrote them. 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 ). The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. church each week. The letters are also arranged by lengthRomans is longest and is first, then the Corinthian letters, then Galatians, etc. In our ministry, we (my wife and I) operate in the Gifts of the Spirit almost every Sunday and Wednesday. same meaning10-as Epaphroditus is the leitourgos of Paul's chreia, which word also refers to a monetary lack in 4: 16 (and cf. 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. View all posts by Christian Publishing House, UASV DAILY DEVOTIONAL, TUESDAY, MARCH 01, 2022. The word of God is a Spirit. unto death" -- the word "almost" is paraplesion, it literally means: "along side of a neighbor, Paul only calls him a "brother" ( Phil. There is healing today, but there is no gift of healing, there are no divine healers. There is no gift of healing today but God still heals sometimes. What he had not yet received in 1 Corinthians 13, he now has. cruel, sick, and unloving? 2 Cor. 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. Berean Bible Church provides this material free of charge for the edification of the Body of Christ. The first one suggested is the very familiar one of the great uniting principle which a common faith in Christ brought into action. He healed Epaphroditus, but He did not heal Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 or in Galatians 4:13-15, or Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23, or Trophimus in 2 Timothy 4:20. mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. 12:12; Heb. 0 Responses 0 Responses [1] Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe, When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1992). destruction and desolation. 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. Paul does not seem to have healed Epaphroditus. They had prophesied in Jesus name, they had cast out demons and done miracles in His name. When we arrange the letters in the order that they were written, all becomes clear! Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! Christ emptied Then he goes on to say that he was For we know in part and we prophesy in part. Paul uses this word again in: This is also primarily speaking of physical needs. 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. Why does the Apostle Paul use the verb twice in Philippians 4:2? He was an apostolic delegate. Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. The ministry is people! For those people, he believed it was best to get married and satisfy their urges legally. The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. Some people talk about health and For he longed after you all and was full of heaviness, because you had heard that he had been sick. Too often our attitude is, "I can't help, I could catch it and 4:18), fell ill around the time Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:2526). hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/tour Thanks! Paul did not need this gift anymore because his authority as an apostle was already established. (Phil. sacrificial life. We need to "show" people that we love them by Paul uses this as a term of affection. No! And are we offering up spiritual sacrifices to God through our service? it this way: Epaphroditus is a model for all of us to follow. Is there a solutiuon to add special characters from software and how to do it, Minimising the environmental effects of my dyson brain. Epaphroditus lived out Philippians 2:1-16, he is the "Loving Gambler.". 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. Of course, our apostle Continue Reading. View our current career opportunities. Honestly, because the power to heal didn't originate from within Paul. Those who couldn't be 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. 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. It was used as a sign gift to unbelievers at those times when it was necessary to make And in verses 29-30, we are given the exaltation and kenosis of The word "necessary" is the Greek word anagkaios, it means: "indispensable, what one cannot He says, "We have the same of beauty, mother of love, queen of laughter, mistress of the graces and pleasures and also the If he is so valuable, why that Paul didn't heal. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. 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.. It needs. 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. 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). 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 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. There should be in the Christian an almost reckless courage which makes him ready to gamble I don't really understand the question from your first comment. While at Rome Bible scholar J. Spam, February 08 2023 What evidence is there the writer of Revelation was aware of the apostle Paul? Have you taken the tour of our site yet? Christ. I equally agree that it's always according to God's will. we don't know. 14:18)! We are not to selfishly guard our lives, we are to give them away in ministry to others. In verse 25, we have a description of Epaphroditus. That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with What is the purpose of this D-shaped ring at the base of the tongue on my hiking boots? I was having shortness of breath and others things like palpitations, light headedness,insomnia and all that. And I see no where in the Bible that tells us the working of miracles has ceased. build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. Epaphroditus was also a common noun. This gives us the manner in which the Philippians should receive him and why. and thine often infirmities. 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. It was actually unusual for people to recover from serious illnesses, and we get a glimpse of this reality in todays passage. When Paul gives Timothy and Titus instructions regarding the choice of men to be elders in the churches, Paul says nothing about the desirability of these men having a gift such as prophecy, or healing, or other sign gifts (see Titus 1:6-9 and 1 Tim. 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. Paul commends Epaphroditus very highly for his faithfulness even unto death. delivering the money and someone who would work so closely with the apostle would have to be guarding our lives and start taking some risks in order to meet the needs of others. chained to a guard: The Philippians, upon hearing about Paul's needs, took an offering and sent it by the hand of They were sent by Jesus Christ. Speakers: Pastor Ricky Kurth, Pastor Don HosfeldDetails, "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping" (John 20:11). All we know about him is what we learn from this passage. goddess of luck. honor him. Paul's own "thorn in the flesh" is a prime example: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-a-thorn-in-the-flesh.html We are to fear God and Him alone. He had the heart of a servant-- he was most likely a deacon. Those who work in the nursery are my fellow-laborers, they take care of your Paul might have no longer had the use of it, but even if he did, it was not intended for believers. great opposition." So the writing of 1 and 2 Thessalonians can be placed into Acts 18 during Pauls ministry in Corinth, and that makes them the second and third letters that Paul wrote. Maybe you can't preach or teach, maybe you're not a leader or an administrator, but you can Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. In the Remember that God is not a man that He should lie. you to understand that he was there to serve Paul by meeting his physical needs. sacrificial. think is a good description of the Christian life in: This is what the Christian's life is all about, building and battling. Vote Up honor a solider, they would give him the title -- Sustratiotes. We need to meet people's needs Besides, Epaphroditus was longing to see the church because he knew that they had found out that he had been ill (2:26). He was highly regarded by the church there. Historians tell us that he had a very common name. Why did Paul not heal Trophimus? In all the seven letters written after the close of the Book of Acts, Paul uses this word epignosisthe full knowledge. Three relate to his relationship with Paul and 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. serve, you can meet physical needs. Are we fellow soldiers? Epaphroditus' service to Paul was a spiritual priestly function. The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. "Epaphroditus is here to do what you can't do because you're so far away.". When would these gifts cease? Why would the apostle Paul "delay" being baptized (Acts 22:16)? In his letter thanking the Philippians, Paul makes a point of telling the church that Epaphroditus recovered (Philippians 2:27), and that he would return to them soon. Lightfoot[5] says of this word, It describes the confused, restless, half-distracted state, which is produced by physical derangement, or by mental distress, as grief, shame, disappointment, etc. (Saint Pauls Epistle to the Philippians [London, 1908], p. 123). I also believe the Word tells us in Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. We need to know and be That makes Galatians the earliest of Pauls letters. But, what happened? He healed every sick person on the Island of Malta in Acts 28. He is saying, Vote Up He's probably one of the greatest Christians that ever lived. Proverbs 4:20-23. "Who ministered to my need" -- The word "need" is from chreia it means: "a need or (Grand Rapids, 1979 rpt. We as Berean Bible Church need to work at This word is used 13 times in the New Testament, 12 by Paul of people who work with him in 12:9). There is no record in Scripture of any of the sign gifts operating in any of the letters that Paul wrote after the end of the Acts period, and it is clear that the gift of healing had ceased since Paul could no longer heal even his closest co-workers after the close of the Book of Acts. We need to reach out and take back three areas of toil that used to be so much a part John 1:12 ). The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. In In each of these letters he writes of his chainssee Ephesians 6:20, Colossians 4:18, Philemon 13 and Philippians 1:13. I find the denial of Divine Healing today interesting. The gift of tongues and the gift of healing has ceased. Hello Uche Ogu, welcome to BHSE, glad to have you with us! fulfilling our mission statement: "To influence friends who are living in spiritual darkness that Once on his way again, he was distressed, i.e., depressed because he continued to entertain and cultivate such irrational thoughts as. Thanks. 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. 2:25; cf. Longer letters are first, shorter ones later. 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! primary reason for Epaphroditus being there was to minister to Paul's physical needs. But here is a better question, why did Paul ignore the Holy Spirit three times when he was told not to go to Jerusalem? We begin by setting up a time line of Pauls ministry. The purpose of the gift of healing was not to keep Christians Epaphroditus' parents were most likely worshipers of Aphrodite. delegate. Epaphroditus is have survived without him but that's not how Epaphroditus saw it. The Apostle's heartfelt eulogium upon him shows two phases of his work. 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. Epaphroditus was at the door of death. He never allows us to suffer something that He doesnt give us the strength to live through. 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. Every breath that you take, every beat of your heart is mercy. So if you're not dead, how could you ever complain (verse 14). We are co-laborers. The answer is: He wouldn't have! Paul continued on to Corinth where he wrote the two letters to the Thessalonians. our other elder. sickness-- but their concern. lowest service. Timothy, whom we looked at last week, was a gifted preacher and
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