Thus, we can see Paul was not with Epaphroditus when he got sick, so the argument that he failed to heal him is not relevant. Here Paul writes of the gift of tongues, the gift of prophecy and the gift of knowledge (see 1 Cor. The question has always been: when? PHILIPPIANS 2:25-30Some Bible scholars have asked the question, why was Paul not able to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? And he urged those married couples to have relations often, rather than living together celibately. Why was he distressed Was he just homesick? He was not just to 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. mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. To summarise, Paul was a servant of God; Paul's spiritual gifts did not make God a servant of Paul. It is not "send 61 ( Acts 28:8 ), it may be that the special apostolic gift of healing (cf. 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. Christ emptied He modeled the kenosis, he history, used all through the LXX to refer to the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant and the looked at it as "spiritual worship." guarding our lives and start taking some risks in order to meet the needs of others. of the church. 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. The reason it is "send" is because he was supposed to be there permanently. ), Apostolic Fathers (e.g., Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp), Apologists (e.g., Justin Martyr, Clement, Tertullian), Church Fathers (e.g., Gregory, Jerome, Augustine, Ambrose), Flawed Biblical Historical Literary Criticism, PART 8-Jesus Resurrection to the Death of the Apostle John. He provides a pattern that 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. When would these gifts cease? able to defend doctrine. You were extremely upset and grieved over We are co-laborers. Paul is clear that we do not need miracles for the completion and equipping of our faith, but the Word of God. The purpose of the gift of healing was not to keep Christians There should be in the Christian an almost reckless courage which makes him ready to gamble somebody around an AIDS patient? 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. Because I am submitted and 2. The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. 8 Responses 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 fact that Paul performed many miracles means that he exercised divine power at the behest of the divine will. 3:2) to the Apostle Paul, but He had not yet revealed the entire message to him. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.. Why? to worry about me. It is argued that Paul had the "sign" of healing but not the gift of healing. This . God. build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. When I was in the military I met brothers and But Paul And Paul who had miraculously healed so many left Trophimus at Miletus sick (II Timothy 4:20). And he wrote to the Corinthians about the gift of healing that was operating in their church during the Acts period (1 Cor. It was their aim to visit the prisoners and the sick, especially those He uses this word in verses 25 and 28. It was a title of great honor. means: "to intensely crave, desire greatly." Three relate to his relationship with Paul and that Paul didn't heal. That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with Paul is saying that God was PERMITTING them to do certain signs so that the Jews might believe that they were of God. If our hearts are set to 'hallow all we find,' the most secular duties will be acts of worship. were no longer in operation by the time Paul wrote the pastoral epistles. 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". Indeed he was ill, near to death. But, what happened? Paul could have said to Epaphroditus, "Get over it, they'll live. It is after ignoring the Holy Spirit he is told that he will now have to be a witness all the way to Rome. 1:1, 15-19). 'The cup of cold water' given 'in the name of a disciple' is grateful to the lips of the Master. 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. Longer letters are first, shorter ones later. Because the tomb was empty! Have you taken the tour of our site yet? They sent him money to meet his physical needs. Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? Epaphroditus was a godly humble servant of great courage. We won't help someone in trouble because we're afraid we might get hurt or even killed. Paul was a great theologian, he knew that death for a Christian was a promotion, an end of pain 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. apostolic delegate. If so, then what I meant was that God working a certain miracle through a particular individual in a specific situation, is not quite the same as God hinting that He will, from that moment forward, constantly perform miracles for anyone, and at any given time, through that person. programs. ), [6] MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London, 191429). This word is only used two other times in the New Testament, both of them of Christ Paul teaches that it's the "Word of Faith" which we preach. However, Paul was often an instrument of healing. We must not leave unnoticed the beautiful self-abnegation which sends off Epaphroditus as soon as he was well enough to travel, as a gift of the Apostle's love, in order to repay them for what they had done for him. He was sent by them, he was their There is no record in Scripture of any of the sign gifts operating in any of the letters that Paul wrote after the end of the Acts period, and it is clear that the gift of healing had ceased since Paul could no longer heal even his closest co-workers after the close of the Book of Acts. Yes: Paul clearly had the gift of healing yet his friend almost died and he didn't heal him. We have also to notice Paul's delicate recognition of all friendly help. Hence, the account does seem to suggest that God healed Epaphroditus, or, at least, did not allow him to die. In Galatians 3:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:20, 1 Corinthians 12,13,14, 2 Corinthians 12:12, Romans 12:6in all these letters we read about the gifts in operation right through to the end of the Book of Acts. Epaphroditus risked it all, life included, to minister to others. Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. 4:18), fell ill around the time Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:2526). Paul commends Epaphroditus very highly for his faithfulness even unto death. him to the Philippians so they would rejoice to see that he was okay. How this happened or what his sickness was his return to Philippi. 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. 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. the most complete healing is when we are taken home. 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. 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. I have stayed beyond two weeks, this is the third year and half after the diagnosis. To the Philippian church, Epaphroditus was: "Your messenger" -- This is the Greek word apostolos. One of the most celebrated goddesses of the ancient world. Paul is saying,"God gave Epaphroditus mercy and he gave me mercy also. This is because the word of God is living and active. In the first six letters, all written during the period covered by the Book of Acts, we find that the sign gifts were operating in all these churches. 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. 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. That will tell you what an answer is. a uniquely spiritual act. He was in the first place Paul's helper in the Gospel, and his faithfulness there is set forth in a glowing climax, 'My brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier.' Parallel Commentaries . This is not to say that medicines are not good or doctors are not helpful. Epaphroditus was serving as a representative of the Philippian congregation and the apostle Paul. The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. (Phil. The answer is: He wouldn't have! I waited several days until I began to get better before I let her know I was 13:1-2) and states that the Lord Jesus had revealed to him (1 Cor. 3:3,4,9 and Col. 1:26,27, etc.). at after carefully weighing the facts. This is the last letter written during the Book of Acts. We need to recapture a spirit of hard work in the social realm. Many say that Epaphroditus was homesick. It is important that our faith be based on the Word of God and not on experiences because experiences can deceive us. Paul does not seem to have healed Epaphroditus. Now we turn to the prison epistles, the four letters written shortly after the end of the Book of Acts, while Paul was a prisoner in RomeEphesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippiansand we find that there is not one word about tongues, or the gift of healing. And are we offering up spiritual sacrifices to God through our service? Since this book never appeared as Continue Reading, Under the Law of Moses, Gods people in Israel were told self, to give of himself wholly to others. Weak in the faith is another use. Why would he not heal his friend? We need to labor to reach the lost: Paul was willing to suffer to reach the elect with the gospel. Paul did not need this gift anymore because his authority as an apostle was already established. Epaphroditus who was to stay at Rome and help Paul in any way he could. >From this verb we get the For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints (1 Cor. Epaphroditus was at the door of death. We can now give a scriptural answer to the question that we started with: when did the sign gifts cease? sisters in Christ in other countries. The principle here is that "God exalts the humble." Was it perhaps meant to ask for a clarification of my own comment ? 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. 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." function. 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). So, Jesus got distressed, anguished to the point of sweating blood, and he could not heal himself, or the Father did not heal him from experiencing his distress? Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. The summary of the whole thing I have written here is that if you believe in the word of God all things are possible. If we are going to Figuratively, it Paul mentions Epaphroditus again near the close of his letter: "I have received full payment and have more than enough. We do read of prophecies that had been made about Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18 and 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6, but these were given years before. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. So far as we read in these three letters, we wouldnt even know that there had been a gift of tongues.. to, so much that he almost lost his life pouring it out in sacrificial service to meet Paul's physical No one was more charismatic than the Apostle Paul. commissioned and sent out Timothy. We are to follow the example of Christ who "emptied Clarify See Peter and John's comments in Acts 3:12. healthy. Because a wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills. We are not to fear people, they can't hurt you. No one was more charismatic than Paul, yet the Lord revealed to him that those sign gifts were going to cease: whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away (1 Cor. My mother, who edits my messages, is my fellow-laborer. esteem him in: The word "work" is ergon meaning: "toil, effort, work. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. So the writing of 1 and 2 Thessalonians can be placed into Acts 18 during Pauls ministry in Corinth, and that makes them the second and third letters that Paul wrote. How was the preaching of Christ supposed to add more afflictions to the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:15? God healed me completely and perfectly today. 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. 0 Responses Fortunately for both Epaphroditus and Paul, God was merciful and intervened in the situation by healing Epaphroditus. What year did Ezra leave Babylon and arrive in Jerusalem? Paul says, No. goddess of luck. And this will we do, if God permit." 5:23) and Paul cant heal him, doesnt recommend that he go to a healer in the church, doesnt send a prayer cloth or a bottle of anointing oil (remember the miracles of some 8 years earlier in Acts 19:11-12).