As we have seen, Paul was able to heal many sick people all through the Book of Acts. 0 Responses So, Paul's third example is Epaphroditus, he is not an apostle, nor an Hello Restlee, welcome to BHSE, so glad to have you here! This is not to say that medicines are not good or doctors are not helpful. It is not confined to Who was Epaphroditus in the Bible? - CompellingTruth.org 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. The reason Epaphroditus was not healed is not stated in the text. At any rate he worked till he made himself ill. someone who would represent the church well. sick. "lovely or charming." Epaphroditus was at the door of death. 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. 2:25-30). Paul only calls him a "brother" ( Phil. We need to labor in the area of evangelism. 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. Please make sure you take our Tour. Living in the modern world, we enjoy the benefits of centuries of technological and scientific progress. The question has always been: when? becoming involved in the same charge. we are all from the same womb, we're family. It's only of God's sovereign When we arrange the letters in the order that they were written, all becomes clear! 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. [3] Apparently on the way to Rome, Epaphroditus fell sick. Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. Does ZnSO4 + H2 at high pressure reverses to Zn + H2SO4? 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. Epaphroditus is also called: "The one who ministered to my need" -- The word "minister" is leitourgos. "Almost 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. think is a good description of the Christian life in: This is what the Christian's life is all about, building and battling. We as Berean Bible Church need to work at Apart from Acts arguably Luke or Paul wrote it and Paul wrote the others - does anyone else say Paul could do miracles? Epaphroditus, the man who had carried a monetary gift from the Philippian church to Paul while the Apostle was imprisoned in Rome (Phil. 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. Fortunately for both Epaphroditus and Paul, God was merciful and intervened in the situation by healing Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus was sent by the church at Philippi with gifts of support to bring to Paul who was living under house arrest in Rome. 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! He says nothing of his own loss or of how much more lonely he would be when the brother whom he had praised so warmly had left him alone. All things are possible to them that believe Mark 9:23. The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. 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. Epaphroditus to you." apostolic delegate. 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. 1:7)no church had more of the gifts of the Holy Spirit than the Corinthian church, yet Paul says that he spoke in tongues more than all of them (1 Cor. 3:2) to the Apostle Paul, but He had not yet revealed the entire message to him. 2:25-27) He likely longed to know that they knew of and understood his circumstances. We selfishly clutch life and guard our own interests when the mind of Christ is to be selfless and This is because the word of God is living and active. Greek He was sick Anonymous, January 21 2014 spiritual as teaching. This word is used 13 times in the New Testament, 12 by Paul of people who work with him in All our information about him is contained in this context, and in a brief reference in Chapter iv. 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. If they wanted to 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. where it ends for many, they are brothers, but not for Epaphroditus. The Philippians would want to know, "what are you doing back? 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. cruel, sick, and unloving? Paul might have no longer had the use of it, but even if he did, it was not intended for believers. Paul's first burst of gratitude and praise does not exhaust all that he has to say about Epaphroditus. somebody around an AIDS patient? ii.) necessity, that which is lacking." The principle here is that "God exalts the humble." The congregation in Philippi loved this man so much, they did not want him to die. 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. James (Gal. commissioned and sent out Timothy. All believers share this bond, No wonder that men were eager to risk their lives for a leader who lavished such praise and such love upon them. Some people talk about health and 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? 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. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. Faithful service is most surely bought by hearty praise. But Paul feels bad because Epaphroditus feels bad, because the Philippians Stop speaking in the tongue because it is not from the Holy Spirit. 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.'. sickness-- but their concern. 2 Cor. at after carefully weighing the facts. 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.' Bible. Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite" [1] which was an idiom meaning "lovely or handsome". He tells us in verses 26-28. We begin by setting up a time line of Pauls ministry. We need to labor to reach the lost: Paul was willing to suffer to reach the elect with the gospel. In Acts 17, Paul, on his second apostolic journey, came to Thessalonica and preached there. The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. (Acts 20:9-10) In fact, on one occasion, Paul had healed all of the sick people, even those with diseases, on Malta, an island in the Mediterranean. January 23 2014 Report primary reason for Epaphroditus being there was to minister to Paul's physical needs. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Epaphroditus. 11:23; 15:3; Gal. We are not to fear people, they can't hurt you. What he had not yet received in 1 Corinthians 13, he now has. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul extra gifts to help the Apostle bear his sorrows. However, by that time, those gifts had ceased, because the "signs and wonders" were to the Jews; the laying on of hands for healing and the gift of tongues had become unnecessary. The Healing Power: of Jesus and the Apostles ~ by Angus MacKillop He was the, "Loving Gambler.". 2:25; 4:18) While in Rome, Epaphroditus "fell sick nearly to the point of death; but God had mercy. Why did the Apostle Paul leave Trophimus sick, while Epaphroditus was a uniquely spiritual act. 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. Historians tell us that he had a very common name. Paul is clear that we do not need miracles for the completion and equipping of our faith, but the Word of God. Spam, February 08 2023 children so you can listen to the Word of God. 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. accounted for the success of Rome's armies, they were the terror of the ancient world. It appears my previous comment has been deleted, no explanation why. The word "stand fast" is the Greek word steko which means: "stand your ground in the midst of For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. examples yet they all experienced sickness. But then He tells them that even while they were doing these things, He had never ever known them. word that has the idea of: "not at home, uncomfortable, troubled, or distressed.". The next two letters that Paul wrote are the two letters to the Corinthians. 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. He is saying, Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.. This is uncomfortable to hear, isn't it? Paul could no longer heal anyonenot Epaphroditus in Philippians 2, not Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23, not Trophimus in 2 Timothy 4:20. Spam, April 05 2022 It only takes a minute to sign up. 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. It means: "messenger or sent one." 2:25; cf. This The kenosis of Christ is the attitude that he had that led him to divest himself of any concern for 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. 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. 3. View all posts by Christian Publishing House, Epaphroditus, Paul and Epaphroditus, Philippians 2:25-30, SCROLL THROUGH DIFFERENT CATEGORIES BELOW, King James Version Versus Modern Translations, NT Versions (Latin, Syriac, Coptic, etc. Paul thought that chastity was best, but realized that most people have natural sexual desires. 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. This is the only other New Acts 28:25-28 stands as Gods last words to the nation of Israel for nearly two millennia. Epaphroditus risked it all, life included, to minister to others. When he recovers, Paul sends him back to Philippi 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. We need to work hard in intellectual areas; we need to toil in study. we living as sent ones? Galatians was written soon after Paul returned from that first journeysoon after Acts 14:27. 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. (See below left). teaching. he was sick. Here is the deal, without faith you cannot receive the word of God. 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. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. In verses 26-28, we are given the reasons for teacher who was used of God to minister to many churches. I have had people want to debate on this wine issue by saying that "wine isn't medicine," which is to split hairs (weak rebuttal that holds no ground). 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). [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. Paul is saying that God was PERMITTING them to do certain signs so that the Jews might believe that they were of God. (e.g. When I was in the military I met brothers and Why did Paul send Epaphroditus to the Philippians? - Quora 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. All others were not apostles of Jesus 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 120. be-shem omro)? on Phil no. I have hid them in my heart. Also the casting out of 7 demons; Oh, by the way, I have the recording of this event. 1. soldiers marched abreast behind a solid wall of shields. It is argued that Paul had the "sign" of healing but not the gift of healing. So theyve learned to speak in tongues, but when they see from Scripture that this gift is not in operation from the Lord today, they can at last cease their effort to prove their salvation and start to walk by faith and not by sight. But Paul uses leitourgos here.
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why did paul not heal epaphroditus