(See below left). Vote Up He was sent there to serve Paul Paul does not seem to have healed Epaphroditus. co-laborer with Paul, but with God. Vote Up Weak in the faith is another use. 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. We need to reach out and take back three areas of toil that used to be so much a part In Acts 13,14 Paul and Barnabas went on their first apostolic journey which took them into Galatiacities like Antioch, Lystra, Derbe, etc. 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. I have hid them in my heart. 13:1-2) and states that the Lord Jesus had revealed to him (1 Cor. What is the purpose of this D-shaped ring at the base of the tongue on my hiking boots? Paul is saying,"God gave Epaphroditus mercy and he gave me mercy also. that the account of the sickness and recovery of Epaphroditus is such as to lead us to suppose that he was not restored by miracle; and he infers that the power of healing the sick was conferred on the apostles only occasionally, and did not depend at all on their will, since, if it had, there is every . So far as we read in these three letters, we wouldnt even know that there had been a gift of tongues.. 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. 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. 19:28). "Almost The question has always been: when? Since this book never appeared as Continue Reading, Under the Law of Moses, Gods people in Israel were told 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. We need to know and be 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. 8 Responses 4: 19 . Paul's first burst of gratitude and praise does not exhaust all that he has to say about Epaphroditus. Indeed he was ill, near to death. This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to They were to receive him "in the Lord." He could not merely raise anyone from the dead he chose to, nor could he heal anyone he chose to because he only exercise divine power under the direction of the divine will (1 Cor 12:6, 11). is not an official title. 16:23). Asked January 21 2014 Apart from Acts arguably Luke or Paul wrote it and Paul wrote the others - does anyone else say Paul could do miracles? Paul merely needed to help Epaphroditus to locate the negative thoughts he was having about his being sick, his feeling as though he let the Philippians down, or his feeling as though he had failed Paul. 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. Epaphroditus was also a common noun. Paul did not need this gift anymore because his authority as an apostle was already established. the heathen threw out the bodies of their dead and fled in terror. 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. He later returned to his home base at Antioch (Acts 18:22), and later in his third apostolic journey he arrived in Ephesus (his ministry in Ephesus extends all the way through Acts 19a period of more than two years, see verse 10). healthy. Let me give you a little background: Paul is in prison at Rome, under house arrest, So, Paul says, "I'm sending him to you." Who carried the Epistles - Tyndale House [3] Apparently on the way to Rome, Epaphroditus fell sick. Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. But we have also seen that with the close of the Book of Acts, the gift of healing ceased to operate. 1:11,12) that a time was coming when these sign gifts were going to cease to operate. It's nice to know that there are some people in the ministry compelled by relationships and not When I was in the military I met brothers and (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. Little is known about Epaphroditus (much less than Timothy). 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. 4:18), fell ill around the time Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:2526). He did not act on his own. 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. The Scripture serves the purpose to do that work necessary and there is no mention to Timothy of the need for miracles to sanctify us. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Are we a sunergos, a fellow worker? Keyword: "IF". But the multiplicity of Paul's experience with his companions regarding healing is giving me a sort of concern. 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.). But, Paul explains, God had mercy on Epaphroditus. (Phil. Most of us do the opposite of Epaphroditus, we regard our life as a thing so precious that it is to Paul put the needs of the Philippians ahead of his own. self, to give of himself wholly to others. In A.D. 252, plague broke out in Carthage; But, during this time in the Book of Acts, the Lord revealed to Paul that the sign gifts were going to cease1 Corinthians 13:8-12. 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. The word of God is a Spirit. There were only 14 apostles in the official sense, the 12 plus Paul and The New Testament Case for Fading Miracles The church, however, was not to think of Epaphroditus as second best. speaks of a common origin. Why didn't Paul healed Epaphroditus and Trophimus? becoming involved in the same charge. Many Christians today have had an experience that they think is the scriptural gift of tongues. 9. Timothy and Epaphroditus Two Examples of Humility and - Bible 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. We need to be sustratiotes, fighting together. titles. I equally agree that it's always according to God's will. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Acts 28:25-28 stands as Gods last words to the nation of Israel for nearly two millennia. PDF Epaphroditus' Sickness and The Letter to The Philippians know when he was converted, he might have been among the first converts in Philippi. 1:2) and Titus (Tit. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Paul commends Epaphroditus very highly for his faithfulness even unto death. Collen - I agree that it always according to God's will not ours. himself and God exalted him. He never allows us to suffer something that He doesnt give us the strength to live through. That which is perfect had come and so the sign gifts had passed away. We may further note the intensity of Paul's sympathy. Where was Paul when he wrote to the Philippians? Many were saved, but Paul was driven out of town. Ye shall notprint any marks upon you (Lev. next door." 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. They were sent by Jesus Christ. Why Did the Philippians Send Paul a Gift? | Zondervan Academic That attitude of mind stands in striking contrast to the heroism which said, 'To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain,' but the two are perfectly consistent, and it was a great soul which had room for them both. The name later came to mean: Have you ever watched What Does Philippians 4:13 Mean, 'I Can Do All Things through Christ'? No matter where you go you can find God's family. chained to a guard: The Philippians, upon hearing about Paul's needs, took an offering and sent it by the hand of That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with 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? We need to "show" people that we love them by He hazzard his life "to supply what was lacking in your service toward But the Lord revealed to Paul that that which is perfect was coming. Even medical doctors who are saved will tell you they rely on the power of God all the time and will encourage their patients to rely on God Who is the only healer. Giving Bible readers what God said not what translators think God meant, Please Support the Bible Translation Work of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV). Bible scholar J. If I walk down the street and I get a word of knowledge for someone, it is 1. 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. be-shem omro)? 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 Thanks. words, soon means: "with" and ergos means: "work, toil or labor." Finally at the end of his life he is again in prison. 1:2; II Tim. [7] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. It The Book of Acts is replete with 'transitional stages' that are pivotal in the understanding of why all of these changes took place, and why, later, we see different signs no longer being used, or no longer operational in the sense of "signs and wonders," etc. Therefore, this thinking is the key to our relief. 1. Cyprian, the Christian bishop, You can help further this work by your prayer and by contributing online or by mailing to: Berean Bible Church serve, you can meet physical needs. Philippians had heard that he was sick. While at Rome Why did not the Apostle Paul ever say "In the name of him who says" (i.e., Heb. John 1:12 ). What can a lawyer do if the client wants him to be acquitted of everything despite serious evidence? the proclamation of the gospel effective. I waited several days until I began to get better before I let her know I was Faithful service is most surely bought by hearty praise. 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. Christ emptied 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. What he could do in Acts 28, he could no longer do in Philippians, or in 1 and 2 Timothy. Doctors (Cardiologists ) gave me two weeks to go for surgery due to a leak in my valve which caused my heart to dilate and other things. Because the tomb was empty! "Who ministered to my need" -- The word "need" is from chreia it means: "a need or man we can identify with. act to follow either. Because I am submitted and 2. He was troubled because they heard that 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. Why didn't Paul just heal Epaphroditus? He as a spiritually mature man. Of course, our apostle Continue Reading. Hello Restlee, welcome to BHSE, so glad to have you here! 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. 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. in Corinth again, and spent three months there enjoying the hospitality of a believer named Gaius (mentioned in 1 Cor. build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. The next two letters that Paul wrote are the two letters to the Corinthians. Although many people have concerns about the cost of healthcare, the vast majority of people in our culture still have access to antibiotics and other medications that can cure ailments that were almost certainly death sentences only a few decades ago. Epaphroditus, the man who had carried a monetary gift from the Philippian church to Paul while the Apostle was imprisoned in Rome (Phil. 11:14). 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. Testament use of this word. be guarded at all costs. Paul was the prisoner and enemy of Rome. 1:1, 15-19). Pages 482-483. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. He didn't want them to on Phil no. However, Paul was often an instrument of healing. This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. Then he goes on to say that he was He was the, "Loving Gambler.". Epaphroditus was evidently healed through the Lords direct, miraculous intervention, perhaps via the gifts of healing that some believers possessed during the Apostolic era (1 Cor. sometimes that may be a spiritual healing , but they will be healed. The miracles of healing that the others. 2. The Philippian church would not have trusted a novice with 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. We're a little different than other sites. This is ' (Matt. 11 God was performing extraordinary [e]miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. We won't help someone in trouble because we're afraid we might get hurt or even killed. I don't really understand the question from your first comment. No, the answer is that God's program had changed. here with us can get a tape and those who were here but slept can go home and listen to the sadness. The Healing Power: of Jesus and the Apostles ~ by Angus MacKillop In this case, Paul did pray for healing, but his request was denied. They sent him money to meet his physical needs. 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. 1000 Chattanooga Street Likewise in 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul has to leave behind his co-worker Trophimus who had fallen sick on the last journey. When I had Guillain-Barre syndrome I didn't tell my mother I was sick because I didn't want her He says that Epaphroditus risked his life to 'supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.' 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. 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. 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." All others were not apostles of Jesus "But God had mercy on him" -- God spared him from death and any time that God spares a life For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. The next letters Paul wrote are the two letters to the Thessalonians. Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. Was it perhaps meant to ask for a clarification of my own comment ? And he wrote to the Corinthians about the gift of healing that was operating in their church during the Acts period (1 Cor. It is used in extra-biblical Greek to honor a solider. Every breath that you take, every beat of your heart is mercy. That will tell you what an answer is. But Paul everyone will be glad and not sad.". life, the same effort and we have the same enemies. Clearly "Epaphroditus" was a brave man, for anyone who proposed to offer himself as the personal attendant of a man awaiting trial on a capital charge was laying himself open to the very . forget about them." In his letter thanking the Philippians, Paul makes a point of telling the church that Epaphroditus recovered (Philippians 2:27), and that he would return to them soon. 2:4) had passed away by this time. No! 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.' 1:22) so God gave them signsamong the Gentiles!in order to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. >From this verb we get the where it ends for many, they are brothers, but not for Epaphroditus. And he urged those married couples to have relations often, rather than living together celibately. These very thoughts are what keep us sluggish and contribute to our feeling frustrated, angry, or worthless. in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:37; Mark 14:33). And, again, in places where we would have expected Paul to mention the sign gifts, he is silent. But with the close of Acts, God sets aside Israel for a time, and when God gave up on the sign people for a time, the sign gifts passed out of His program. And as for the gift of healing, we read of a co-worker of Pauls, Epaphroditus, who fell seriously ill during this time (Phil. All our information about him is contained in this context, and in a brief reference in Chapter iv. 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. Epaphroditus is We both received mercy. Paul was released from this imprisonment and continued his ministry for a few years, perhaps 3 years. How was the preaching of Christ supposed to add more afflictions to the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:15? 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. 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. 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. Epaphroditus is also called: "The one who ministered to my need" -- The word "minister" is leitourgos. Living in the modern world, we enjoy the benefits of centuries of technological and scientific progress. 3. "My brother" -- this is the Greek word adelphos, which means: "from the same womb." If they wanted to 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. hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/tour Thanks! [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. Three relate to his relationship with Paul and The miraculous powers that Paul exercised were not his own; that is, they were not innate. However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. (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). Hebrews 11:6 we are taught: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 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). I was having shortness of breath and others things like palpitations, light headedness,insomnia and all that. Testament, 20 of them refer to physical sickness. himself." been painful. , , , , , For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. Paul was imprisoned in Rome for his faith. Chesapeake, VA 23322. Fortunately for both Epaphroditus and Paul, God was merciful and intervened in the situation by healing Epaphroditus.