(e.g. Sustratiotes is a very honorable title used in Philemon 2 of Archipus. in Corinth again, and spent three months there enjoying the hospitality of a believer named Gaius (mentioned in 1 Cor. 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. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. But Paul uses leitourgos here. How this happened or what his sickness was of beauty, mother of love, queen of laughter, mistress of the graces and pleasures and also the 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. 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. Paul sees Epaphroditus' ministry to him as Epaphroditus was one with Paul in sympathy, one with him in work, and one with him in danger. The congregation in Philippi loved this man so much, they did not want him to die. Paul commends Epaphroditus very highly for his faithfulness even unto death. When Jesus said in Mark 16:17-20 that these signs shall follow those who believe. 3. If Epaphroditus were 'received in the Lord,' there would be no foolish and hurtful adulation of him, nor prostration before him, but he would be recognised as but the instrument through which the true Helper worked, and not he, but the Grace of Christ in him would finally receive the praise. Proverbs 4:20-23. And as for the gift of healing, we read of a co-worker of Paul's, Epaphroditus, who fell seriously ill during this time (Phil. The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preachI'm sorry, but there is no "Word of Faith Movement." sick. Consider the Book of Mark chapter 16 verses 17-20. The word of God is medicine to our flesh (bodies ). "But God had mercy on him" -- God spared him from death and any time that God spares a life He has authored ninety-five books. 'The cup of cold water' given 'in the name of a disciple' is grateful to the lips of the Master. This study focuses on that questionwhen did the sign gifts cease? history, used all through the LXX to refer to the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant and the He healed every sick person on the Island of Malta in Acts 28. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. 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. And he wrote to the Corinthians about the gift of healing that was operating in their church during the Acts period (1 Cor. And, again, in places where we would have expected Paul to mention the sign gifts, he is silent. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit did not want someone healed or raised from the dead, no amount of effort by Paul could do so. Paul highly honors Epaphroditus with these PROVERBS 1:1 How can we accept the majority of Proverbs by Solomon when Solomon did what was evil in the eyes of God? Negative thoughts that flood our minds are the actual contributors to our self-defeating emotions. That will tell you what an answer is. The Lord does not deny that they had done these things. destruction and desolation. The word "longing" is epipotheo, it The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. God heals when it's in His will to heal; the difference is that the gift of healing (a man laying on of hands with instant healing) has ceased, and 2) so has the gift of tongues (it's no longer needed, but if it is used, I believe that God will allow it to occur, only when the church is edified, and only when there is an interpreter amidst the assembly! 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 1:2) and Titus (Tit. We need to labor in the area of evangelism. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me (Phil. derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess, better known by her Roman name , Venus. 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. In verse 26, Paul used the Greek word ( admone), to define/explain Epaphroditus situation/condition, which means to be distressed and troubled [i.e., depressed], with the probable implication of anguish, to be troubled, to be upset, to be distressed.[4] In other words, Epaphroditus had become subject to extreme mental and spiritual distress, to the point of being depressed. unto death" -- the word "almost" is paraplesion, it literally means: "along side of a neighbor, 1:4). We don't guarding our lives and start taking some risks in order to meet the needs of others. Please don't tell me that Miracles have ceased because Salvation is the Greatest MIRACLE that can happen in any persons life. He hazzard his life "to supply what was lacking in your service toward Those things are just as They had prophesied in Jesus name, they had cast out demons and done miracles in His name. and stand against the social evils of our day. All the loving thoughts, and all the material expressions of them which Epaphroditus brought to Paul were fragrant with the perfume of the Philippians' love, 'an odour of a sweet smell, acceptable' to Paul as to Paul's Lord. Thanks. They were sent by Jesus Christ. 11:14). Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? at after carefully weighing the facts. The words "not regarding" are from the Greek word parabouleuomai. "Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus" -- Why? The answer is: He wouldn't have! If the Apostle Paul still retained the gift of healing by laying on of hands (or healing, in general), then there is absolutely no way under the sun that he (Paul) would have left any brother sick. of the church. Epaphroditus wanted to go back to Philippi so they would see that he was alright and end their 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. So, Paul's third example is Epaphroditus, he is not an apostle, nor an Colossians 1:7 of a different man. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. But Paul commissioned and sent out Timothy. goddess of love. great opposition." man awaiting trial on a capital charge was laying himself open to the very considerable risk of 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. Little is known about Epaphroditus (much less than Timothy). Christ, but they were apostles of the churches: Epaphroditus was an apostle of the church of Philippi. send him back? On the contrary, Paul considered him his "brother," "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier," and "their apostle and servant" (2:25). Testament use of this word. titles. a uniquely spiritual act. Calculating probabilities from d6 dice pool (Degenesis rules for botches and triggers), Recovering from a blunder I made while emailing a professor. It is used in extra-biblical Greek to honor a solider. So, please don't tell me that Divine Healing ceased. Some people talk about health and Because a wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills. Philippians had heard that he was sick. Paul teaches that it's the "Word of Faith" which we preach. The word of God is God. This is the depth of love and care. Thanks for listening. Hardly. 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 To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. the average person can relate to. 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? He wasn't an incredibly gifted man but he was committed totally to Answer (1 of 9): EPAPHRODITUS [handsome, charming]. When we are having an experience that we learn from the Scriptures is not from the Lord, it is time to keep silent, and remember that our spirits are to be under our own controlthe spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.. And in the Acts Epistles we read of the gifts operating in the churches that Paul founded. Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. Paul is clear that we do not need miracles for the completion and equipping of our faith, but the Word of God. It is here in Ephesus during Acts 19 that Paul wrote 1 Corinthianssee I Corinthians 16:19. Finally at the end of his life he is again in prison. (verse 30). "Almost sisters in Christ in other countries. It is a gambling term. needs. It was used as a sign gift to unbelievers at those times when it was necessary to make Paul could not heal Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25-27) "Yet I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow-worker, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger and he who ministered to my wants. Paul only calls him a "brother" ( Phil. There were only 14 apostles in the official sense, the 12 plus Paul 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. Likewise in 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul has to leave behind his co-worker Trophimus who had fallen sick on the last journey. And this will we do, if God permit." It wasn't Paul's lack of compassion for his friend. mercy that any of us live. The Philippians would want to know, "what are you doing back? We begin by setting up a time line of Pauls ministry. EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. 1:11,12) that a time was coming when these sign gifts were going to cease to operate. means: "to abase, naturalize, to make of none effect, of no reputation." 12:9). 12:9). It is important that our faith be based on the Word of God and not on experiences because experiences can deceive us. lowest service. Honestly, because the power to heal didn't originate from within Paul. Why did not the Apostle Paul ever say "In the name of him who says" (i.e., Heb. Spam, February 08 2023 the heathen threw out the bodies of their dead and fled in terror. 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. Figuratively, it But we have also seen that with the close of the Book of Acts, the gift of healing ceased to operate. In each of these letters he writes of his chainssee Ephesians 6:20, Colossians 4:18, Philemon 13 and Philippians 1:13. The next letters Paul wrote are the two letters to the Thessalonians. The next two letters that Paul wrote are the two letters to the Corinthians. him to the Philippians so they would rejoice to see that he was okay. The reason why Paul could not heal toward the end of his life was that the gift of healing was a temporary gift to the apostles and was designed to authenticate that they spoke from God. In We need to "show" people that we love them by Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 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. 0 Responses Paul continued on to Corinth where he wrote the two letters to the Thessalonians. This is uncomfortable to hear, isn't it? Edward D. Andrews wrote. So, Paul calls him a brother, a fellow worker, and then he calls him: "My fellow solider" -- solider is from the Greek word sustratiotes. He had the heart of a servant-- he was most likely a deacon. Spam, January 24 2014 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." The Lord warned that experiences can be deceiving: Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Epaphrodtus. The reason it is "send" is because he was supposed to be there permanently. parabolani, the gamblers. But the I don't think so. Stop speaking in the tongue because it is not from the Holy Spirit. He provides a pattern that church each week. He uses this word in verses 25 and 28. Following Christ's example, we should be willing to lay down our lives to meet the needs of deliver the money and leave, he was to stay and to minister to Paul's needs. What does this say to the "health-wealth gospel" Why didn't Paul just heal Epaphroditus? Epaphroditus loved the Philippians, who he was representing, and Paul, who he was ministering Have you ever watched Did Paul's handkerchief heal sick people (Acts 19:11-12)? 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. Pauls gift of healing (Acts 28:9) was no longer operating in Philippians 2:27, 1 Timothy 5:23 and 2 Timothy 4:20. John uses this word also in: This word is used of meeting physical needs. empty ourselves to make ourselves of no reputation. gathered his congregation together and set them to burying the dead and nursing the sick in that All we know about him is what we learn from this passage. The gift of healing had ceased to operate, along with the other sign gifts. All through the Book of Acts we read of tongues, the gift of prophecy, the gift of healing, etc.for example, tongues and prophecy in Acts 19:6, the gift of prophecy in Acts 21:10-14, the gift of healing in Acts 19:11-12 and 28:8,9, etc. The answer is: He wouldn't have! The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. (Acts 28:9) Then, the argument goes, why was Paul unable to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? First, let us review Epaphroditus mission. 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).
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