12:9). It's only of God's sovereign Paul He tells us in verses 26-28. 8 Responses In each of these letters he writes of his chainssee Ephesians 6:20, Colossians 4:18, Philemon 13 and Philippians 1:13. Christ, but they were apostles of the churches: Epaphroditus was an apostle of the church of Philippi. 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. The Name: Epaphroditus was a common name, a shortened form of it is Epaphrus, used in The Hardison's are all fellow-laborers with me. Most of us do the opposite of Epaphroditus, we regard our life as a thing so precious that it is to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. 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". 11:14). And in the Acts Epistles we read of the gifts operating in the churches that Paul founded. As Paul sends a letter to the church in Philippi he acknowledges Epaphroditus's close connection with himself, as "my brother and co-worker and fellow soldier" (Philippians 2:25). goddess of love. The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. Testament, 20 of them refer to physical sickness. Paul is clear that we do not need miracles for the completion and equipping of our faith, but the Word of God. And as for the gift of healing, we read of a co-worker of Pauls, Epaphroditus, who fell seriously ill during this time (Phil. He has authored ninety-five books. 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. who were ill with dangerous and infectious diseases. But Paul 14:18)! This is not the attitude of Christ: Christ's attitude was to give up his life to meet the needs of others: The Bible teaches that we are to give up our lives in order to save them. A trustworthy member of the congregation at Philippi, Macedonia, who was sent with a gift to Paul, then a prisoner at Rome (c. 60-61 C.E.). [3] After dealing with his sickness, which caused him to delay his efforts to help Paul, he traveled on to Rome. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. The sign gifts, tongues, prophecy, the gift of healing, etc. While at Rome Vote Up of beauty, mother of love, queen of laughter, mistress of the graces and pleasures and also the 'The cup of cold water' given 'in the name of a disciple' is grateful to the lips of the Master. distressed because you had heard that he was sick." He modeled the kenosis, he Because the tomb was empty! Paul teaches that it's the "Word of Faith" which we preach. adherents? Because his will is to speak to that individual right then. Acts 28:25-28 stands as Gods last words to the nation of Israel for nearly two millennia. sorrow." 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. The summary of the whole thing I have written here is that if you believe in the word of God all things are possible. 7:22-23). The word "stand fast" is the Greek word steko which means: "stand your ground in the midst of This morning we are going to look at the kenois of Epaphroditus who is much like us, he is a Is there a solutiuon to add special characters from software and how to do it, Minimising the environmental effects of my dyson brain. The Christian Apologists (150 220 C.E.). commissioned and sent out Timothy. "valued or honored, to hold one dear or in honor, to prize, to deem precious." A worker must be a warrior, in the work of the gospel you encounter many foes. Epaphroditus is one of us, which makes his example very powerful and very convicting to us. Are we fellow soldiers? She's the it this way: Epaphroditus is a model for all of us to follow. God. 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. Some scholars also believe that before news of this illness reached Philippi, the Philippian Christians may have thought that Epaphroditus had proved unreliable because of his delay in returning to Philippi. It is not confined to Thanks for listening. And he wrote to the Corinthians about the gift of healing that was operating in their church during the Acts period (1 Cor. Everybody feels bad so Paul says, "You've got to go back so We need to "show" people that we love them by teaching. The word "esteem" is entimos, it means: Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. We as Berean Bible Church need to work at 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. Paul does not seem to have healed Epaphroditus. we are all from the same womb, we're family. It does not contain doubt, but refers to a decision arrived 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). And, again, in places where we would have expected Paul to mention the sign gifts, he is silent. Thanks. means: "to abase, naturalize, to make of none effect, of no reputation." And are we offering up spiritual sacrifices to God through our service? 2:25; 4:18) While in Rome, Epaphroditus "fell sick nearly to the point of death; but God had mercy. John 1:12 ). our other elder. A caressing hand on a horse's neck is better than a whip. And this will we do, if God permit." It [5] Lightfoot John Lightfoot, A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica, 4 vols. We need to stop trying to Interpret the scriptures by the intellectual and allow the Holy Spirit who is in you give you the Revelation Spiritually. serve, you can meet physical needs. 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. 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. soon meaning: "together with" and stratiotes meaning: "soldier." He was the, "Loving Gambler.". Paul commends Epaphroditus very highly for his faithfulness even unto death. in Corinth again, and spent three months there enjoying the hospitality of a believer named Gaius (mentioned in 1 Cor. Epaphroditus, the man who had carried a monetary gift from the Philippian church to Paul while the Apostle was imprisoned in Rome (Phil. at after carefully weighing the facts. It comes from two As a result, Paul says that he will rejoice in his infirmitiesa word normally used for various illnesses. You won't die prematurely, so go ahead and take some Yes, they really had had these experiences. Finally at the end of his life he is again in prison. 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. How was the preaching of Christ supposed to add more afflictions to the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:15? someone's concern for your condition? 2:4) had passed away by this time. In the 3 Pastoral Epistles, as in the prison epistles, we do not read of tongues or the gift of healing operating at this time. Three relate to his relationship with Paul and When we arrange the letters in the order that they were written, all becomes clear! 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. 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. The question has always been: when? He healed every sick person on the Island of Malta in Acts 28. He was in the second place the minister to Paul's needs. It was still only in part during the Acts period, but with the close of the Book of Acts, the Lord completed the revelation of the Mystery (see Eph. (Phil. Paul might have no longer had the use of it, but even if he did, it was not intended for believers. Let me give you a little background: Paul is in prison at Rome, under house arrest, The true-but-probably-too-simple answer is "it must not have been God's will for them to be healed." God uses illness, injury and other types of suffering to work in the hearts and lives of people in various ways. Weak in the faith is another use. 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. Since this book never appeared as Continue Reading, Under the Law of Moses, Gods people in Israel were told
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! 0 Responses Yes: Paul clearly had the gift of healing yet his friend almost died and he didn't heal him. The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. delegate. esteem him in: The word "work" is ergon meaning: "toil, effort, work. 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. In Acts 13,14 Paul and Barnabas went on their first apostolic journey which took them into Galatiacities like Antioch, Lystra, Derbe, etc. When he recovers, Paul sends him back to Philippi Bible. 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. be grieved over his sickness. Epaphroditus was a Christian who lived in Philippi. It was a title of great honor. 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 But Paul uses leitourgos here. 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. 4: 19 . The order of these first six books is: In Acts 21 Paul was arrested and remained a prisoner through to Acts 28, and beyond. We are 2:25; cf. plague-stricken city; and by so doing they saved the city, at the risk of their lives, from 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. Pauls gift of healing (Acts 28:9) was no longer operating in Philippians 2:27, 1 Timothy 5:23 and 2 Timothy 4:20. How about the Gift of Faith, do we not all have Faith, so how does this work when a person has a Gift of Faith? 1. What have you risked to meet someone's needs? The principle here is that "God exalts the humble." Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? 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. 16:23). Are Healing was a sign gift that I believe faded away as the great commission was accomplished. We both received mercy. He as a spiritually mature man. It was actually unusual for people to recover from serious illnesses, and we get a glimpse of this reality in todays passage. to meet someone's need? The ship sails across the track of the moonlight, and then vanishes ghost-like into darkness. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. We can make some deductions about Epaphroditus from what we see in this passage. He was a man of courage-- anyone who would offer himself as the personal attendant of a On the contrary, Paul considered him his "brother," "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier," and "their apostle and servant" (2:25). Parallel Commentaries . be guarded at all costs. Calculating probabilities from d6 dice pool (Degenesis rules for botches and triggers), Recovering from a blunder I made while emailing a professor. He has no hesitation in describing the work done for himself as 'the work of Christ,' nor in using, as the name for it, the word ('service'), which properly refers to the service rendered by priestly hands. Therefore, Paul sent Epaphroditus back with his letter to the Philippians so that they could stop worrying and rejoice too (2:25-30). Ministering to others' physical needs is a spiritual priestly God owes us nothing! June 11th 2000, I came to the Lord, He healed me of lung cancer, irreversible nerve damage caused by my lifestyle and replaced 3 discs in my lower back that were gone: vertebra rubbing vertebra. We may further note the intensity of Paul's sympathy. Take medicine, for example. 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. for a possible gain. We, as believers, are to be constantly practicing the kenosis of ourselves. 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. 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. It is a compound word from If they wanted to 1:1, 15-19). Paul goes on to say: "My companion in labor" -- the Greek word for companion is sunergos. In Acts 18 Paul spent a year and a half ministering in Corinthsee Acts 18:11. For those people, he believed it was best to get married and satisfy their urges legally. But we have also seen that with the close of the Book of Acts, the gift of healing ceased to operate. words, soon means: "with" and ergos means: "work, toil or labor." But the Lord revealed to Paul that that which is perfect was coming. In Gaiuss home, in Corinth, Paul wrote the letter to the Romans (see Rom. ), 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. That which is perfect had come and so the sign gifts had passed away. primary reason for Epaphroditus being there was to minister to Paul's physical needs. 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. honor him. In this verse, Paul gives five titles to Epaphroditus. 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. Historians tell us that he had a very common name. What we do know for sure is that Epaphroditus illness was so severe that he almost died (v. 27). He says that Epaphroditus risked his life to 'supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.' 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? 0 Responses Also the casting out of 7 demons; Oh, by the way, I have the recording of this event. 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. (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." Negative thoughts that flood our minds are the actual contributors to our self-defeating emotions. 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. 0 Responses 11:23; 15:3; Gal. The terms in which the work of Epaphroditus is spoken of by Paul are very significant. Because a wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills. It is a pathetic little picture of the Macedonian stranger in the great city -- pallid looks, recent illness, and pining for home and a breath of pure mountain air, and for the friends he had left. 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. We're a little different than other sites. Was it perhaps meant to ask for a clarification of my own comment ? Fortunately for both Epaphroditus and Paul, God was merciful and intervened in the situation by healing Epaphroditus. This is the depth of love and care. All we can do is guess. Vote Up Proverbs 4:20-23. I have stayed beyond two weeks, this is the third year and half after the diagnosis. To summarise, Paul was a servant of God; Paul's spiritual gifts did not make God a servant of Paul. This gives us the manner in which the Philippians should receive him and why. This miraculous healing was not only for Epaphroditus benefit but for Pauls as well, something that the Lord worked in order to keep the Apostle from having to endure the extra sorrow of losing a friend on top of the sorrows of suffering in prison (Phil. Together these five titles are an important summary of what the Christian life should be. Paul had the gift of healing didn't he? Have you taken the tour of our site yet? necessity, that which is lacking." In Acts 20:2,3 Paul arrived in Greece, i.e. We have also to notice Paul's delicate recognition of all friendly help. What should they do? In A.D. 252, plague broke out in Carthage; And I see no where in the Bible that tells us the working of miracles has ceased. This is not a rebuke, it literally means: "to complete your service to me." Once saved, his spirit is completely made Brand New, is this not a miracle? The miracles of healing that the (See below left). empty ourselves to make ourselves of no reputation. 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. What year did Ezra leave Babylon and arrive in Jerusalem? All things are possible to them that believe Mark 9:23.