We are co-laborers. But, Paul explains, God had mercy on Epaphroditus. needs. Paul sees Epaphroditus' ministry to him as me." We can now give a scriptural answer to the question that we started with: when did the sign gifts cease? If our hearts are set to 'hallow all we find,' the most secular duties will be acts of worship. Epaphroditus wanted to go back to Philippi so they would see that he was alright and end their Edward D. Andrews wrote. Timothy was sick and he didn't heal him: Why didn't Paul heal his friends? everyone will be glad and not sad.". 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. 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 ). 2. 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. So, Paul says, "I'm sending him to you." This [3] After dealing with his sickness, which caused him to delay his efforts to help Paul, he traveled on to Rome. We need to work hard in intellectual areas; we need to toil in study. 2. . At any rate he worked till he made himself ill. It is a gambling term. A place where magic is studied and practiced? We don't 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. Paul does not seem to have healed Epaphroditus. have survived without him but that's not how Epaphroditus saw it. Of all the inhabitants of Philippi at that time we know the names of but three, Euodias, Syntiche, and Epaphroditus, and we owe them all to Paul. 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. What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? PHILIPPIANS 2:25-30Some Bible scholars have asked the question, why was Paul not able to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? Self-talk is what we tell ourselves in our thoughts. (e.g. Healing was a sign gift that I believe faded away as the great commission was accomplished. They were sent by Jesus Christ. However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. They labor in setting up the 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. Consider the Book of Mark chapter 16 verses 17-20. Look at the rest of the verse: "was We need to "show" people that we love them by He was sent by them, he was their 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. 2:13) and that is where he wrote the second letter to the Corinthians. Since no exercise of the gift of healing is recorded past about ?._. would have been sorrow upon sorrow. 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. We have what I Bible scholar J. spiritual as teaching. We don't like risks. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 120. The ministry is people! Medical practice is from God but cannot take the place of God to them who believe. So, please don't tell me that Divine Healing ceased. 12:9). For many this is a great relief. sacrificial. These men and women of God where normal people of God, who made mistakes just like us and didnt do everything perfect. 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. Colossians 1:7 of a different man. 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. 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. 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. Because I am submitted and 2. Is it suspicious or odd to stand by the gate of a GA airport watching the planes? Epaphroditus to you." 12:12; Heb. When it came, then the gifts which were only in part would cease. Philippians 1:25, and note), was not, it seems, continuous; both were exercised only in accordance with the revealed will of God and on occasions of especial moment. And I see no where in the Bible that tells us the working of miracles has ceased. In A.D. 252, plague broke out in Carthage; Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me (Phil. soldiers marched abreast behind a solid wall of shields. Epaphroditus becomes ill and almost dies. "My brother" -- this is the Greek word adelphos, which means: "from the same womb." The word "considered" is hegeomai. (Phil. Vote Up And are we offering up spiritual sacrifices to God through our service? He risked his life as a gambler will take risks Though Paul had the gift of healing, he did not heal this individual. The terms in which the work of Epaphroditus is spoken of by Paul are very significant. ministry. I don't really understand the question from your first comment. In fact, in 1 Timothy 5:23, look what Paul recommended: Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake 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. 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. That which is perfect was finally revealed in all its fullness to the Apostle Paul and at that moment, those things which were only in part passed away from Gods program. His was a singular fate -- to cross Paul's path, and for one short period of his life to be known to all the world, and for all the rest before and after to be utterly unknown. Indeed he was ill, near to death. Do you have questions about the Bible? In this case, Paul did pray for healing, but his request was denied. somebody around an AIDS patient? And, again, in places where we would have expected Paul to mention the sign gifts, he is silent. 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. 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. on Phil no. sometimes that may be a spiritual healing , but they will be healed. [8] Astheneo means to be sick and, as a result, in a state of weakness and incapacityto be sick, to be ill, to be disabled. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 269. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? life like it is something they deserve. Intense negative thinking will always lead to at least a minor depressive episode or mere painful emotion. able to defend doctrine. [4] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 314. he was sick. When I was in the military I met brothers and The answer: The sign gifts ceased at the end of the Book of Acts. What evidence is there the writer of Revelation was aware of the apostle Paul? What contributes to mental and spiritual anguish? 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. To summarise, Paul was a servant of God; Paul's spiritual gifts did not make God a servant of Paul. Vote Up 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. 8 Responses distressed because you had heard that he was sick." It came from God, and God could and apparently did choose to slowly withdraw the gift of miraculous healing from the Early Church. It only takes a minute to sign up. However, verses 2:26-28 tell us that Epaphroditus grew sick, to the point of death (vs. 27), while he was on his way to Rome. In the first six letters, all written during the period covered by the Book of Acts, we find that the sign gifts were operating in all these churches. 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. Epaphroditus lived out Philippians 2:1-16, he is the "Loving Gambler.". The word "send" is pempo. But we have also seen that with the close of the Book of Acts, the gift of healing ceased to operate. 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. The sign gifts, tongues, prophecy, the gift of healing, etc. He never allows us to suffer something that He doesnt give us the strength to live through. 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. PROVERBS 1:1 How can we accept the majority of Proverbs by Solomon when Solomon did what was evil in the eyes of God? sadness. Paul would go on to write 13 letters in the New Testamentfrom the Letter to the Romans to the Letter to Philemon. 14:30-33). Epaphroditus was ministering to Paul physically; he brought him a When God spared his Epaphroditus wasn't the only friend The Lord does the same thing for us today, although the little blessings He provides often go unnoticed. 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. priestly functions that were performed in that system. Thanks. It was a title of great honor. life, the same effort and we have the same enemies. means: "to intensely crave, desire greatly." 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. Why was he distressed Was he just homesick? next door." We are to be working to 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! 0 Responses By that I The miraculous powers that Paul exercised were not his own; that is, they were not innate. Romans 10:8-10 tells us: 8 But what saith it? where it ends for many, they are brothers, but not for Epaphroditus. 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. 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! Did Paul's handkerchief heal sick people (Acts 19:11-12)? The close of the Book of Acts was also the close of Gods dealings with the nation of Israel for now nearly 2000 years. And Paul who had miraculously healed so many left Trophimus at Miletus sick (II Timothy 4:20). we are to pray for the sick that they may be healed. 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. I equally agree that it's always according to God's will. "Almost 1. The context is that Paul was suggesting for this brother to use wine to help him with his stomach sickness. Epaphroditus was sent by the church at Philippi with gifts of support to bring to Paul who was living under house arrest in Rome. Yes, they really had had these experiences. Epaphroditus was also a common noun. apostolic delegate. The It appears my previous comment has been deleted, no explanation why. Figuratively, it 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. 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. 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. (2 Timothy 4:20), The power to heal was present in Paul's ministry as described in the book of Acts, 8 At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mothers womb, who had never walked. himself." sacrificial life. He knew they would be sad and their sadness has greatly affected him-- not his 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. It has an interesting Paul teaches that it's the "Word of Faith" which we preach. This time he anticipates being beheaded for the Lord and writes the last letter, Second Timothy. sick. at after carefully weighing the facts. We won't help someone in trouble because we're afraid we might get hurt or even killed. 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! Dreadnoughts are a peculiar expression of the brotherhood of men after nineteen centuries of so-called Christianity. It was used as a sign gift to unbelievers at those times when it was necessary to make honor a solider, they would give him the title -- Sustratiotes. Speakers: Pastor Ricky Kurth, Pastor Don HosfeldDetails, "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping" (John 20:11). In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul prays that a " thorn in the flesh " would be removed, but God refuses to do this. with his life to serve Christ and man. Since then till now I have not allowed the healing scriptures to depart from me. The next two letters that Paul wrote are the two letters to the Corinthians. 0 Responses This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. 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. Have you taken the tour of our site yet? The Apostle's heartfelt eulogium upon him shows two phases of his work. 1:2) and Titus (Tit. 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. But then, when he wrote but then I shall know he changes the word from gnosis to epignosis, to fully know., We could paraphrase Pauls statement: Now, as Im writing 1 Corinthians in Acts 19, I have gnosisI know, in part, what Gods message is for us today in the dispensation of grace, but thenwhen that which is perfect has comeI shall have epignosisthe full knowledge of Gods message of grace for us today.. He was highly regarded by the church there. Spam, April 05 2022 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. Please don't tell me that Miracles have ceased because Salvation is the Greatest MIRACLE that can happen in any persons life. The gifts of tongues, prophecy, etc. It is important that our faith be based on the Word of God and not on experiences because experiences can deceive us. 4:18), fell ill around the time Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:2526). We need to recapture a spirit of hard work in the social realm. A caressing hand on a horse's neck is better than a whip. unto death" -- the word "almost" is paraplesion, it literally means: "along side of a neighbor, The purpose of the gift of healing was not to keep Christians Vote Up For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. 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). It is not "send We are My legs were swollen and my body was a mass of pain. How many times was the apostle Paul in a prison in Rome? 3. Welcome to BHSE! Arranging Pauls letters in the order that he wrote them allows us to see the pattern of truth that is found in the Word of God: The sign gifts were operating in Acts and in all of the Acts Epistles: Galatians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians and Romans. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. It's hard to identify with him and his As a result, Paul says that he will rejoice in his infirmitiesa word normally used for various illnesses. be guarded at all costs. Epaphroditus who was to stay at Rome and help Paul in any way he could. 'The cup of cold water' given 'in the name of a disciple' is grateful to the lips of the Master. The word "receive" means: "to receive to one's self. This is a self-less man. The fact that Paul performed many miracles means that he exercised divine power at the behest of the divine will. Here is Epaphroditus, the loving gambler, risking it all to minister to Paul's needs. (See below left). 8 And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. Greek He was sick All we can do is guess. Epaphroditus emptied himself and Paul tells the Philippians to "valued or honored, to hold one dear or in honor, to prize, to deem precious." 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. He did not act on his own. Pages 482-483. ), 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. Then he goes on to say that he was to worry about me. to, so much that he almost lost his life pouring it out in sacrificial service to meet Paul's physical Paul would Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. [7] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Epaphroditus wasn't sick because of sin, he was sick because of the work of Christ gathered his congregation together and set them to burying the dead and nursing the sick in that "Epaphroditus is here to do what you can't do because you're so far away.". What we do know for sure is that Epaphroditus illness was so severe that he almost died (v. 27). He was in the second place the minister to Paul's needs. Paul's first burst of gratitude and praise does not exhaust all that he has to say about Epaphroditus. But when Epaphroditus fell sicknear to deathPaul was no longer able to heal him because the gift of healing had ceased to operate. However, Paul was often an instrument of healing. Our thoughts based on a good mood will be entirely different from those based on our being upset. Paul commends Epaphroditus very highly for his faithfulness even unto death. Everybody feels bad so Paul says, "You've got to go back so Of course, our apostle Continue Reading. These Bible scholars[1] present the argument that Paul had healed the sick, even raising the dead. It comes from two This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Ministering to others' physical needs is a spiritual priestly I was having shortness of breath and others things like palpitations, light headedness,insomnia and all that. fellow laborers, they send out what I teach to others around the country. These very thoughts are what keep us sluggish and contribute to our feeling frustrated, angry, or worthless. 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. 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." 0 Responses He says that Epaphroditus risked his life to 'supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.' God's sparing of Epaphroditus' life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. This morning we are going to look at the kenois of Epaphroditus who is much like us, he is a 2 Cor. In Galatians 3:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:20, 1 Corinthians 12,13,14, 2 Corinthians 12:12, Romans 12:6in all these letters we read about the gifts in operation right through to the end of the Book of Acts. It is here in Ephesus during Acts 19 that Paul wrote 1 Corinthianssee I Corinthians 16:19. What did the apostle Paul use the gift of tongues for? In Acts 17, Paul, on his second apostolic journey, came to Thessalonica and preached there. Because the tomb was empty! Here Paul writes of the gift of tongues, the gift of prophecy and the gift of knowledge (see 1 Cor. 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. Work done for Paul was done for Jesus, and that, not because of any special apostolic closeness of relation of Paul to Jesus, but because, like all other Christians, he was one with his Lord. He wasn't distressed because he was sick but because the That wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills? Why did the Apostle Paul leave Trophimus sick, while Epaphroditus was also sick to the point of death in Philippians 2:27? life, it was mercy to me. 1 Corinthians 7:5. 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. 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. We need to meet people's needs No matter where you go you can find God's family. 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. Since this book never appeared as Continue Reading, Under the Law of Moses, Gods people in Israel were told The reason Epaphroditus was not healed is not stated in the text. Paul could have still used Epaphroditus, but he cared more about their joy than his own physical Paul is saying that God was PERMITTING them to do certain signs so that the Jews might believe that they were of God. I have hid them in my heart. It 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. Weak in the faith is another use. But then He tells them that even while they were doing these things, He had never ever known them. The name Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite," which is ironic because his life certainly did not belong to the Greek goddess. It is used 35 times in the New 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 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. 4: 19 . But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow (v. 27). Spam, November 06 2014 Stop speaking in the tongue because it is not from the Holy Spirit. No wonder that men were eager to risk their lives for a leader who lavished such praise and such love upon them. In Acts 20:2,3 Paul arrived in Greece, i.e. A: Paul did not have the power to arbitrarily heal: only God has the power to heal. He provides a pattern that Literally this is "wave after wave of grief.". Answer (1 of 9): EPAPHRODITUS [handsome, charming]. It wasn't Paul's lack of compassion for his friend. cruel, sick, and unloving? 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?