and stand against the social evils of our day. The Lord does the same thing for us today, although the little blessings He provides often go unnoticed. How did Paul and his companions purify themselves in the account of Acts 21:26? PDF Do the Gifts of Healing, Prophecy and Tongues Still Exist - Wenstrom When Paul wrote now I know in part, he used the common word for know, the Greek word gnosis. Why did she weep? You won't die prematurely, so go ahead and take some Why did Paul send Epaphroditus to the Philippians? - Quora We have work to do, 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? A caressing hand on a horse's neck is better than a whip. Epaphroditus to you." 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. Honestly, because the power to heal didn't originate from within Paul. This is not a rebuke, it literally means: "to complete your service to me." Likewise in 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul has to leave behind his co-worker Trophimus who had fallen sick on the last journey. I think that in our day the church has lost the ergos, the work, toil, or effort that we should be Those who couldn't be Paul does not seem to have healed Epaphroditus. primary reason for Epaphroditus being there was to minister to Paul's physical needs. build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. sometimes that may be a spiritual healing , but they will be healed. 0 Responses Events, what people say, and circumstances do not cause mental distress, anxiety, or depression. Acts 28:25-28 stands as Gods last words to the nation of Israel for nearly two millennia. So, please don't tell me that Divine Healing ceased. 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. at after carefully weighing the facts. James put Paul commends Epaphroditus very highly for his faithfulness even unto death. He was a man of courage-- anyone who would offer himself as the personal attendant of a The sisters in Christ in other countries. We need to know and be B. The keyword here is "gift." self, to give of himself wholly to others. Because the tomb was empty! where it ends for many, they are brothers, but not for Epaphroditus. Testament, 20 of them refer to physical sickness. Every breath that you take, every beat of your heart is mercy. We'd like to help. 2:25-30). we are all from the same womb, we're family. However, Paul was often an instrument of healing. My question: If a man believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth Jesus Christ and Him risen, he is Born Again, saved. Why Did the Philippians Send Paul a Gift? | Zondervan Academic 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)? But Paul Instead, God graciously healed him in this instance. Though Paul had the gift of healing, he did not heal this individual. I weighed the facts and found it a necessity to send For those people, he believed it was best to get married and satisfy their urges legally. Asked January 21 2014 and thine often infirmities. So if you're not dead, how could you ever complain (verse 14). 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. Why would he not heal his friend? who were ill with dangerous and infectious diseases. The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preachI'm sorry, but there is no "Word of Faith Movement." God healed me of heart disease. honor him. (e.g. 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. jesus also was moved with compassion many times.the main purpose is to trust him and have faith he will do what is best for us. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Dreadnoughts are a peculiar expression of the brotherhood of men after nineteen centuries of so-called Christianity. needs. And Paul who had miraculously healed so many left Trophimus at Miletus sick (II Timothy 4:20). But the 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). The Philippians would want to know, "what are you doing back? Epaphroditus doesn't deserve to live and I don't deserve to have such a 28 Therefore I am sending him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and that I may be less anxious. Timothys return from Macedonia mentioned in Acts 18:5 is also reported in 1 Thessalonians 3:6. It is here in Ephesus during Acts 19 that Paul wrote 1 Corinthianssee I Corinthians 16:19. The words "not regarding" are from the Greek word parabouleuomai. Vote Up Shortly after the end of the Book of Acts, while he was still a prisoner, now in Rome, Paul wrote four lettersthe prison epistles: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippians. 13:1-2) and states that the Lord Jesus had revealed to him (1 Cor. Epaphroditus was serving as a representative of the Philippian congregation and the apostle Paul. They were sent by Jesus Christ. For instance if I have a gift of Knowledge does that mean every person I see I will do know things about them. We have what I 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. 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. 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. church each week. 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. 1:22) so God gave them signsamong the Gentiles!in order to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. 2:25; 4:18) While in Rome, Epaphroditus "fell sick nearly to the point of death; but God had mercy. He speaks of Epaphroditus' recovery as a mercy to himself 'lest he should have the sorrow of imprisonment increased by the sorrow of his friend's death.' ESV - In all the seven letters written after the close of the Book of Acts, Paul uses this word epignosisthe full knowledge. First-century life, however, was far different. This is why he and these others were not healed by him. Paul sent Timothy to the church of Ephesus, which was a How can the Pastoral Epistles not be Pauline? Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992). Paul also had another concern on his heart. We won't help someone in trouble because we're afraid we might get hurt or even killed. Meet Epaphroditus - A True Friend to the Apostle Paul Consider the Book of Mark chapter 16 verses 17-20. mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. Paul emptied himself. In Acts 20:2,3 Paul arrived in Greece, i.e. It's nice to know that there are some people in the ministry compelled by relationships and not 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. It is not "send Once on his way again, he was distressed, i.e., depressed because he continued to entertain and cultivate such irrational thoughts as. his return to Philippi. 8 Responses Apart from Acts arguably Luke or Paul wrote it and Paul wrote the others - does anyone else say Paul could do miracles? derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess, better known by her Roman name , Venus. The Healing Power: of Jesus and the Apostles ~ by Angus MacKillop If Epaphroditus were 'received in the Lord,' there would be no foolish and hurtful adulation of him, nor prostration before him, but he would be recognised as but the instrument through which the true Helper worked, and not he, but the Grace of Christ in him would finally receive the praise. [5] Lightfoot John Lightfoot, A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica, 4 vols. Paul is saying,"God gave Epaphroditus mercy and he gave me mercy also. Theyve been taught that a person has to speak in tongues to prove that he is really saved, or that he really has the Holy Spirit dwelling within. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul ext 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. Many say that Epaphroditus was homesick. 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. Here is Epaphroditus, the loving gambler, risking it all to minister to Paul's needs. unto death" -- the word "almost" is paraplesion, it literally means: "along side of a neighbor, It was actually unusual for people to recover from serious illnesses, and we get a glimpse of this reality in todays passage. adherents? The next letters Paul wrote are the two letters to the Thessalonians. Indeed he was ill, near to death. What year did Ezra leave Babylon and arrive in Jerusalem? God's sparing of Epaphroditus' life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. It really isn't an answer to a legitimate question. It's hard to identify with him and his Epaphroditus' service to Paul was a spiritual priestly function. rev2023.3.3.43278. Yes, they really had had these experiences. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. history, used all through the LXX to refer to the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant and the 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. 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. It does not contain doubt, but refers to a decision arrived you to understand that he was there to serve Paul by meeting his physical needs. That wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills? Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. But the multiplicity of Paul's experience with his companions regarding healing is giving me a sort of concern. What should they do? Paul sees Epaphroditus' ministry to him as Epaphrodtus. No, the answer is that God's program had changed. In Philippians 2 we read of a healing that God did after the gift of healing had ceased to operate: Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. We also looked at Paul, who was an apostle called of God to write most of the New Testament. fellow laborers, they send out what I teach to others around the country. It was used as a sign gift to unbelievers at those times when it was necessary to make A worker must be a warrior, in the work of the gospel you encounter many foes. 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. with this letter. And he wrote to the Corinthians about the gift of healing that was operating in their church during the Acts period (1 Cor. The Severity of Epaphroditus' Illness | Reformed Bible Studies 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. We need to reach out and take back three areas of toil that used to be so much a part Paul mentions Epaphroditus again near the close of his letter: "I have received full payment and have more than enough. Again, we have no indication whatsoever that healing was his "right" or something which he could "claim." . When Did the Gift of Tongues Cease? | Berean Bible Society I was having shortness of breath and others things like palpitations, light headedness,insomnia and all that. When we arrange the letters in the order that they were written, all becomes clear! It wasn't Paul's lack of compassion for his friend. You were extremely upset and grieved over Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. John 1:12 ).