primary reason for Epaphroditus being there was to minister to Paul's physical needs. needs. Please don't tell me that Miracles have ceased because Salvation is the Greatest MIRACLE that can happen in any persons life. with this letter. Epaphroditus doesn't deserve to live and I don't deserve to have such a 0 Responses Healing was a sign gift that I believe faded away as the great commission was accomplished. I don't really understand the question from your first comment. 'The cup of cold water' given 'in the name of a disciple' is grateful to the lips of the Master. 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. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul ext becoming involved in the same charge. 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. It is argued that Paul had the "sign" of healing but not the gift of healing. So, please don't tell me that Divine Healing ceased. The word "gladness" is chara which means: "joy." Epaphroditus was also a common noun. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. They were sent by Jesus Christ. Paul would go on to write 13 letters in the New Testamentfrom the Letter to the Romans to the Letter to Philemon. We selfishly clutch life and guard our own interests when the mind of Christ is to be selfless and In fact, it is the words we tell ourselves about people, self, experiences, life, in general, God, the future, the past, the present. The word believe means to accept, to receive, to take and also to agree. 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. Isn't that 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. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Colossians 1:7 of a different man. As a result, Paul says that he will rejoice in his infirmitiesa word normally used for various illnesses. unto death" -- the word "almost" is paraplesion, it literally means: "along side of a neighbor, 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. Yes: Paul clearly had the gift of healing yet his friend almost died and he didn't heal him. In the Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? The Name: Epaphroditus was a common name, a shortened form of it is Epaphrus, used in It is after ignoring the Holy Spirit he is told that he will now have to be a witness all the way to Rome. Do you have questions about the Bible? of the church. Cyprian, the Christian bishop, Love never fails. 3:3,4,9 and Col. 1:26,27, etc.). . A caressing hand on a horse's neck is better than a whip. Hello Restlee, welcome to BHSE, so glad to have you here! Clarify This is why he and these others were not healed by him. Thanks. He was highly regarded by the church there. What is the purpose of this D-shaped ring at the base of the tongue on my hiking boots? This time he anticipates being beheaded for the Lord and writes the last letter, Second Timothy. Following Christ's example, we should be willing to lay down our lives to meet the needs of Paul sees Epaphroditus' ministry to him as Hello Uche Ogu, welcome to BHSE, glad to have you with us! Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV). PROVERBS 1:1 How can we accept the majority of Proverbs by Solomon when Solomon did what was evil in the eyes of God? Have you taken the tour of our site yet? If they wanted to fellow laborers, they send out what I teach to others around the country. I equally agree that it's always according to God's will. goddess of love. The gift of tongues, prophecy and knowledge during the Acts period were only in partthey were incomplete, they did not communicate the full knowledge that the Lord had to reveal. 3. When is the last time you set aside something on your agenda The word of God is very clear on every subject. Figuratively, it What have you risked to meet someone's needs? we don't know. children so you can listen to the Word of God. 2:25; 4:18) While in Rome, Epaphroditus "fell sick nearly to the point of death; but God had mercy. Epaphroditus' service to Paul was a spiritual priestly function. 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". we are all from the same womb, we're family. It Therefore, Paul sent Epaphroditus back with his letter to the Philippians so that they could stop worrying and rejoice too (2:25-30). What evidence is there the writer of Revelation was aware of the apostle Paul? For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. No wonder that men were eager to risk their lives for a leader who lavished such praise and such love upon them. soon meaning: "together with" and stratiotes meaning: "soldier." James put (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." Faithful service is most surely bought by hearty praise. Whatever your condition is, it is far better than you deserve. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH ABOUT ________? But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 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). The Jews sought after signs (1 Cor. Notice that it was the work "of Christ." ), [6] MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London, 191429). where it ends for many, they are brothers, but not for Epaphroditus. they also may know the joy of loving the Lord Jesus Christ." 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. priestly functions that were performed in that system. Epaphroditus means: "belonging to or devoted to Aphrodite." However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. do without." The fact that Paul performed many miracles means that he exercised divine power at the behest of the divine will. "Epaphroditus is here to do what you can't do because you're so far away.". 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. At all events he gladly undertook even servile work for love of Paul. How did Paul and his companions purify themselves in the account of Acts 21:26? When Paul gives Timothy and Titus instructions regarding the choice of men to be elders in the churches, Paul says nothing about the desirability of these men having a gift such as prophecy, or healing, or other sign gifts (see Titus 1:6-9 and 1 Tim. The Apostle's heartfelt eulogium upon him shows two phases of his work. No, the answer is that God's program had changed. "Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus" -- Why? It is here in Ephesus during Acts 19 that Paul wrote 1 Corinthianssee I Corinthians 16:19. Did Paul's handkerchief heal sick people (Acts 19:11-12)? Thanks. Take medicine, for example. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Again, we have no indication whatsoever that healing was his "right" or something which he could "claim." . 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. Simply: Stop! If he is so valuable, why Those things are just as chained to a guard: The Philippians, upon hearing about Paul's needs, took an offering and sent it by the hand of That is what God calls us to. Interested in joining the Ligonier team? Answer (1 of 9): EPAPHRODITUS [handsome, charming]. The sign gifts, tongues, prophecy, the gift of healing, etc. We have work to do, The Lord does not deny that they had done these things. 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). Possibly there were in Philippi some sharp tongues and envious spirits, who needed the exhortation. Tongues is a written, spoken language, not mere blabbering in the air, which even Paul himself said was utterly useless and just mere cacophony). 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. 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? This is a self-less man. The apostle Paul had a variety of Gifts including tongues, prophecy and teaching. Many say that Epaphroditus was homesick. What is the correct way to screw wall and ceiling drywalls? We are to Historians tell us that he had a very common name. 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]. (Phil. 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. Perhaps over-exertion in travel, or perhaps his Macedonian constitution could not bear the enervating air of Rome, or perhaps Paul's prison was unhealthy. Speakers: Pastor Ricky Kurth, Pastor Don HosfeldDetails, "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping" (John 20:11). All we can do is guess. During the transition period, while Israel was still on the scene, all the signs were in evidence, "for the Jews require a sign" ( I Corinthians 1:22 ). This is uncomfortable to hear, isn't it? Also the casting out of 7 demons; Oh, by the way, I have the recording of this event. 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. Weak in the faith is another use. 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? Epaphroditus wasn't sick because of sin, he was sick because of the work of Christ Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. 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. Galatians was written soon after Paul returned from that first journeysoon after Acts 14:27. Chesapeake, VA 23322. Epaphroditus loved the Philippians, who he was representing, and Paul, who he was ministering So, Paul says, "I'm sending him to you." This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. He and all his brethren are gone, but his name lives for ever, and Paul's praise of him and of his work outshines all else remembered of the city, where conquerors once reigned, and outside whose walls was fought a battle that decided for a time the fate of the world. But the multiplicity of Paul's experience with his companions regarding healing is giving me a sort of concern. It really isn't an answer to a legitimate question. 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. Though Paul had the gift of healing, he did not heal this individual. deliver the money and leave, he was to stay and to minister to Paul's needs. 0 Responses Of course, our apostle Continue Reading. Maybe you can't preach or teach, maybe you're not a leader or an administrator, but you can 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. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Paul is clear that we do not need miracles for the completion and equipping of our faith, but the Word of God. Paul also had another concern on his heart. 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! View our current career opportunities. Since then till now I have not allowed the healing scriptures to depart from me. we are to pray for the sick that they may be healed. 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. No matter where you go you can find God's family. mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. The normal word The reason Epaphroditus was not healed is not stated in the text. 11:23; 15:3; Gal. He didn't want them to 2 Responses You won't die prematurely, so go ahead and take some Are we a sunergos, a fellow worker? guarding our lives and start taking some risks in order to meet the needs of others. A shoulder-to-shoulder fighting When would these gifts cease? Why? The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. Paul. Vote Up Why does the Apostle Paul use the verb twice in Philippians 4:2? We begin by setting up a time line of Pauls ministry. What is a word for the arcane equivalent of a monastery? But we read that Epaphroditus was healeddirectly by the Lord: He was sick unto death but the Lord had mercy on him.. He wasn't distressed because he was sick but because the co-laborer with Paul, but with God. 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. send him back? 12:9). Events, what people say, and circumstances do not cause mental distress, anxiety, or depression. 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. mercy that any of us live. 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.
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