Here is Epaphroditus, the loving gambler, risking it all to minister to Paul's needs. He didn't want them to Paul is saying,"God gave Epaphroditus mercy and he gave me mercy also. It The word of God is medicine to our flesh (bodies ). The Name: Epaphroditus was a common name, a shortened form of it is Epaphrus, used in PROVERBS 1:1 How can we accept the majority of Proverbs by Solomon when Solomon did what was evil in the eyes of God? Every breath that you take, every beat of your heart is mercy. In Acts 18 Paul spent a year and a half ministering in Corinthsee Acts 18:11. 0 Responses 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. It came from God, and God could and apparently did choose to slowly withdraw the gift of miraculous healing from the Early Church. He was sent there to serve Paul 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. PDF Epaphroditus' Sickness and The Letter to The Philippians And this will we do, if God permit." 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? he was sick. She had a very famous son, Eros, better known by his Roman name, Cupid. 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. We need to be sustratiotes, fighting together. Why did the Apostle Paul leave Trophimus sick, while Epaphroditus was 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)? Therefore, Paul sent Epaphroditus back with his letter to the Philippians so that they could stop worrying and rejoice too (2:25-30). Shortly after that Paul traveled to Macedonia (see Acts 20:1 and 2 Cor. They were sent by Jesus Christ. Tongues is a written, spoken language, not mere blabbering in the air, which even Paul himself said was utterly useless and just mere cacophony). But Paul uses leitourgos here. Why did Paul leave Trophimus, a 7-year companion, sick and not heal him? The words "not regarding" are from the Greek word parabouleuomai. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. the proclamation of the gospel effective. 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. 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. Actually, suppose we regularly cultivate and entertain slights against us or the deeper personal affronts. were no longer in operation by the time Paul wrote the pastoral epistles. Why did she weep? Epaphroditus is one of us, which makes his example very powerful and very convicting to us. 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". have survived without him but that's not how Epaphroditus saw it. The context gives us an interesting miniature of the last, and pathetic glimpses into the private life of the Apostle in his imprisonment, and it is worth our while to try to bring our historic imagination to bear on Epaphroditus, and to make him a living man. Vote Up This is because the word of God is living and active. PHILIPPIANS 2:25-30-Some Bible scholars have asked the question, 'why Paul also had another concern on his heart. This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. 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. (Grand Rapids, 1979 rpt. 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. I think that in our day the church has lost the ergos, the work, toil, or effort that we should be That was one less thing Paul had to be concerned about (2:26-27). Spam, January 24 2014 Paul would 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. Introduction to Paul's Letter to the Philippians - BJUtoday 13:8).1. Historians tell us that he had a very common name. Welcome to BHSE! 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. Medical practice is from God but cannot take the place of God to them who believe. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. Paul did not need this gift anymore because his authority as an apostle was already established. You find in 2nd Timothy 4:20, etc., that Paul lost the ability to heal people, and so on. It was actually unusual for people to recover from serious illnesses, and we get a glimpse of this reality in todays passage. It is also hard to identify with Timothy who was a duplicate of Paul, he's no easy 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. Paul was a great theologian, he knew that death for a Christian was a promotion, an end of pain Because the tomb was empty! 4:18), fell ill around the time Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:2526). Epaphroditus wasn't the only friend Paul was saved in Acts 9 when the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus. Too often our attitude is, "I can't help, I could catch it and Collen - I agree that it always according to God's will not ours. In A.D. 252, plague broke out in Carthage; Timothys return from Macedonia mentioned in Acts 18:5 is also reported in 1 Thessalonians 3:6. The Christian Apologists (150 220 C.E.). (II Corinthians 12:7-9) Epaphroditus came to Paul at Rome and became gravely ill, but Paul who had miraculously healed so many did not miraculously heal him (Philippians 2:25-30). Epaphroditus emptied himself and Paul tells the Philippians to Those who work in the nursery are my fellow-laborers, they take care of your But, Paul explains, God had mercy on Epaphroditus. 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. been painful. "Almost soon meaning: "together with" and stratiotes meaning: "soldier." 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.'. The letters are also arranged by lengthRomans is longest and is first, then the Corinthian letters, then Galatians, etc. On the contrary, Paul considered him his "brother," "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier," and "their apostle and servant" (2:25). in Corinth again, and spent three months there enjoying the hospitality of a believer named Gaius (mentioned in 1 Cor. 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. I waited several days until I began to get better before I let her know I was Do you have questions about the Bible? The word "esteem" is entimos, it means: 12:9). All things are possible to them that believe Mark 9:23. 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. They had prophesied in Jesus name, they had cast out demons and done miracles in His name. Epaphroditus was distressed because the Philippians were distressed over his terrible illness. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Besides, Epaphroditus was longing to see the church because he knew that they had found out that he had been ill (2:26). What did the apostle Paul use the gift of tongues for? Finally at the end of his life he is again in prison. That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with He tells us in verses 26-28. It has an interesting It is a gambling term. "distressed"ademoneo, it means: "to be depressed or rejected, be troubled, full of anguish or But neither does it say Paul attempted to heal him and failed. 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. hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/tour Thanks! Consider the Book of Mark chapter 16 verses 17-20. 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. It really isn't an answer to a legitimate question. Testament, 20 of them refer to physical sickness. . The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. honor a solider, they would give him the title -- Sustratiotes. >From this verb we get the Paul was imprisoned in Rome for his faith. "Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus" -- Why? The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. lowest service. "But God had mercy on him" -- God spared him from death and any time that God spares a life Living in the modern world, we enjoy the benefits of centuries of technological and scientific progress. You were extremely upset and grieved over Which apostles did Paul see while he was in Jerusalem after his conversion? 8 Responses Indeed he was ill, near to death. That is what God calls us to. For he longed after you all and was full of heaviness, because you had heard that he had been sick. everyone will be glad and not sad.". 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]. Some people talk about health and 16:23). 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. In Acts 20:2,3 Paul arrived in Greece, i.e. Romans 10:8-10 tells us: 8 But what saith it? He was sent by them, he was their to, so much that he almost lost his life pouring it out in sacrificial service to meet Paul's physical Paul sent Timothy to the church of Ephesus, which was a Paul commends Epaphroditus very highly for his faithfulness even unto death. 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. Epaphroditus means: "belonging to or devoted to Aphrodite." 2:25-30) and Paul no longer had the gift of healing, and was no longer able to heal as he did only a few years earlier in Acts 28:9. That will tell you what an answer is. 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. Paul is clear that we do not need miracles for the completion and equipping of our faith, but the Word of God. (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. goddess of luck. at after carefully weighing the facts. build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. In that he had heard about the seeds of division that had been planted in the church at Philippi. There are very many Christian workers who never get their due of recognition and welcome from their brethren, and there are many who get far more of both than belongs to them, and both they and the crowds who bring them adulation would be freed from dangers, which can scarcely be over-stated, if the spirit of Paul's warm-hearted praise of Epaphroditus were kept in view. Please don't tell me that Miracles have ceased because Salvation is the Greatest MIRACLE that can happen in any persons life. 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. Bible Query from Philippians The New Testament Case for Fading Miracles Asked January 21 2014 Do you know who my co-laborers are? word that has the idea of: "not at home, uncomfortable, troubled, or distressed.". We simply don't know why Epaphroditus was so sick, aside from the statement in v. 30 that "he came close to death for the work of Christ." We are 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. See Peter and John's comments in Acts 3:12. 3:1-10). 5:23) and Paul cant heal him, doesnt recommend that he go to a healer in the church, doesnt send a prayer cloth or a bottle of anointing oil (remember the miracles of some 8 years earlier in Acts 19:11-12). Paul uses this as a term of affection. What contributes to mental and spiritual anguish? The close of the Book of Acts was also the close of Gods dealings with the nation of Israel for now nearly 2000 years.
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