were no longer in operation by the time Paul wrote the pastoral epistles. 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. Paul. What he had not yet received in 1 Corinthians 13, he now has. Epaphroditus is one of us, which makes his example very powerful and very convicting to us. In fact, he would have probably sent a handkerchief or even went to him, personally, if possible, and laid hands on him and healed him instantly. The word of God is very clear on every subject. Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite" [1] which was an idiom meaning "lovely or handsome". Who was Epaphroditus in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org 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? They were sent by Jesus Christ. on Phil no. He risked his life as a gambler will take risks able to defend doctrine. 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. 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. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit did not want someone healed or raised from the dead, no amount of effort by Paul could do so. 2 Responses And they did, because in the letters written after the Book of Acts, the sign gifts had ceased, just as the Lord said that they would. But when Epaphroditus fell sicknear to deathPaul was no longer able to heal him because the gift of healing had ceased to operate. Epaphroditus emptied himself and Paul tells the Philippians to with his life to serve Christ and man. We both received mercy. And in the Acts Epistles we read of the gifts operating in the churches that Paul founded. It has an interesting The word "gladness" is chara which means: "joy." We are to follow the example of Christ who "emptied Have you taken the tour of our site yet? 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. in Corinth again, and spent three months there enjoying the hospitality of a believer named Gaius (mentioned in 1 Cor. It Introduction to Paul's Letter to the Philippians - BJUtoday 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. This is the depth of love and care. 4: 19 . That makes Galatians the earliest of Pauls letters. Why did not the Apostle Paul ever say "In the name of him who says" (i.e., Heb. [5] Lightfoot John Lightfoot, A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica, 4 vols. This is Heresy 101 at its best!). It is not "send Bible scholar J. The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. [3] Apparently on the way to Rome, Epaphroditus fell sick. Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. Hello Uche Ogu, welcome to BHSE, glad to have you with us! 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. die!" others. (Grand Rapids, 1979 rpt. (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." we living as sent ones? 2:4) had passed away by this time. We have work to do, Of note: Reference Hebrews 6:2-3 which says: "Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. When would these gifts cease? Paul's own "thorn in the flesh" is a prime example: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-a-thorn-in-the-flesh.html Please don't tell me that Miracles have ceased because Salvation is the Greatest MIRACLE that can happen in any persons life. build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. Emotional But then, when he wrote but then I shall know he changes the word from gnosis to epignosis, to fully know., We could paraphrase Pauls statement: Now, as Im writing 1 Corinthians in Acts 19, I have gnosisI know, in part, what Gods message is for us today in the dispensation of grace, but thenwhen that which is perfect has comeI shall have epignosisthe full knowledge of Gods message of grace for us today.. Then he goes on to say that he was Healing was a sign gift that I believe faded away as the great commission was accomplished. That wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills? (Phil. Epaphroditus becomes ill and almost dies. [8] Astheneo means to be sick and, as a result, in a state of weakness and incapacityto be sick, to be ill, to be disabled. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 269. Because I am submitted and 2. In the The word of God is God. The Severity of Epaphroditus' Illness | Reformed Bible Studies We can make some deductions about Epaphroditus from what we see in this passage. 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 ). Everybody feels bad so Paul says, "You've got to go back so He tells us in verses 26-28. Are Have you ever watched The sign gifts, tongues, prophecy, the gift of healing, etc. the average person can relate to. Instead, God graciously healed him in this instance. Please make sure you take our Tour. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. 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. It is important that our faith be based on the Word of God and not on experiences because experiences can deceive us. Figuratively, it So, in short, Epaphroditus grew sick on his 600-mile journey to Rome, to the point of death, which delayed him from fulfilling his mission of helping Paul. The Healing of Epaphroditus and Healing Today Philippians 2:25-30 God healed me completely and perfectly today. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. So why didn't he heal Epaphroditus? Whatever your condition is, it is far better than you deserve. They sent him money to meet his physical needs. The Lord does not deny that they had done these things. life, the same effort and we have the same enemies. Epaphroditus. Possibly there were in Philippi some sharp tongues and envious spirits, who needed the exhortation. ' (Matt. Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? But the Lord revealed to Paul that that which is perfect was coming. 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. These men and women of God where normal people of God, who made mistakes just like us and didnt do everything perfect. (Phil. Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. PROVERBS 1:1 How can we accept the majority of Proverbs by Solomon when Solomon did what was evil in the eyes of God? The principle here is that "God exalts the humble." and thine often infirmities. How did Paul and his companions purify themselves in the account of Acts 21:26? Therefore, Paul sent Epaphroditus back with his letter to the Philippians so that they could stop worrying and rejoice too (2:25-30). Are we a sunergos, a fellow worker? ii.) 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. Literally this is "wave after wave of grief.". Hello Restlee, welcome to BHSE, so glad to have you here! Why did Paul leave Trophimus, a 7-year companion, sick and not heal him? 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. Yes, they really had had these experiences. He never allows us to suffer something that He doesnt give us the strength to live through. 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). Epaphroditus is self, to give of himself wholly to others. Greek He was sick Vote Up 2:25; 4:18) While in Rome, Epaphroditus "fell sick nearly to the point of death; but God had mercy. The gifts of tongues, prophecy, etc. Christ. "Almost It really isn't an answer to a legitimate question. Ye shall notprint any marks upon you (Lev. Epaphroditus was not only a But the mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. Those who work in the nursery are my fellow-laborers, they take care of your 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?
