Epaphroditus' service to Paul was a spiritual priestly function. (Phil. 13:8).1. impact our society, if we are going to be effective in our evangelism, we need to quit selfishly Those who work in the nursery are my fellow-laborers, they take care of your Epaphroditus loved the Philippians, who he was representing, and Paul, who he was ministering Epaphroditus risked it all, life included, to minister to others. in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:37; Mark 14:33). This is the last letter written during the Book of Acts. January 23 2014 Report The next letters Paul wrote are the two letters to the Thessalonians. Why did the Apostle Paul leave Trophimus sick, while Epaphroditus was also sick to the point of death in Philippians 2:27? Why would he not heal his friend?
Is there a Bible contradiction in Philippians 2:25? - Defending Inerrancy 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. If the gift of healing was still in operation, it's unlikely that Paul would have said to use something to merely "help" with your "infirmities." He's probably one of the greatest Christians that ever lived. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. know that they were rejoicing. No, the answer is that God's program had changed. He had an illness which was probably the consequence of his toil. And are we offering up spiritual sacrifices to God through our service? "Epaphroditus is here to do what you can't do because you're so far away.". Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. The normal word The Philippian church would not have trusted a novice with So, please don't tell me that Divine Healing ceased. 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 . We both received mercy. Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? Little is known about Epaphroditus (much less than Timothy). 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 Philippians would want to know, "what are you doing back? Paul could have said to Epaphroditus, "Get over it, they'll live. In fact, we are so accustomed to recovering from sickness that we are often surprised when we or others take a long time to get over what we regard as routine illnesses. Soon after Paul returned from this journey he wrote the letter to the Galatians (see Galatians 1:6 where Paul writes to the Galatians and says, you are so quickly turned.). [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. I mean, I was a 1% biker, I did many many bad things which I will not glorify. So if you're not dead, how could you ever complain (verse 14). Proverbs 4:20-23. his return to Philippi. Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. In Philippians 2 we read of a healing that God did after the gift of healing had ceased to operate: Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. Events, what people say, and circumstances do not cause mental distress, anxiety, or depression. 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. honor a solider, they would give him the title -- Sustratiotes. The ministry is people! been painful. 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. 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. PHILIPPIANS 2:25-30Some Bible scholars have asked the question, why was Paul not able to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? All references have been taken from the New King James Version. If I walk down the street and I get a word of knowledge for someone, it is 1.
Meet Epaphroditus - A True Friend to the Apostle Paul How about the Gift of Faith, do we not all have Faith, so how does this work when a person has a Gift of Faith? We are to follow the example of Christ who "emptied That implies that all which the Philippians' ministration lacked was their personal presence, and that Epaphroditus, in supplying that, made his work in a real sense theirs. These men and women of God where normal people of God, who made mistakes just like us and didnt do everything perfect. 0 Responses In fact, it is the words we tell ourselves about people, self, experiences, life, in general, God, the future, the past, the present. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? Vote Up [7] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. 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. He healed every sick person on the Island of Malta in Acts 28. And in verses 29-30, we are given the exaltation and kenosis of Every breath that you take, every beat of your heart is mercy. Simply: Stop! 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. It has an interesting Spam, March 20 2018 However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. His level of sacrificial service becomes very instructive to us. This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 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. They labor in setting up the 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 . 12:9). "distressed"ademoneo, it means: "to be depressed or rejected, be troubled, full of anguish or For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge (epignosisfull knowledge) of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light (Col. 1:9-12). We don't
Who was Epaphroditus in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org on Phil no. He wasn't a teacher nor preacher that we know of. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 0 Responses It is a pathetic little picture of the Macedonian stranger in the great city -- pallid looks, recent illness, and pining for home and a breath of pure mountain air, and for the friends he had left. to meet someone's need? 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. (verse 30). Pages 482-483. Spam, November 06 2014 It is impossible to be sure whether the Philippian Christians thought Epaphroditus had purposefully failed in his mission. The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. teacher who was used of God to minister to many churches. Here Paul writes of the gift of tongues, the gift of prophecy and the gift of knowledge (see 1 Cor. Many say that Epaphroditus was homesick. Christ. When we remember that Paul is the subject of at least half of the Book of Acts, we realize that half of the 27 books in the New Testament are either about him (The Book of Acts) or were written by him (13 letters). a uniquely spiritual act. messages, or do what ever Paul needed. He was highly regarded by the church there. two to his relationship with the Philippian church. A caressing hand on a horse's neck is better than a whip. life, the same effort and we have the same enemies. Paul When is the last time you set aside something on your agenda For those people, he believed it was best to get married and satisfy their urges legally. The church, however, was not to think of Epaphroditus as second best. Apart from Acts arguably Luke or Paul wrote it and Paul wrote the others - does anyone else say Paul could do miracles? He knew they would be sad and their sadness has greatly affected him-- not his He says nothing of his own loss or of how much more lonely he would be when the brother whom he had praised so warmly had left him alone. The gift of healing by the laying on of hands, etc., was no longer needed, because that particular gift was a gift for a sign to the Jews! Where was Paul when he wrote to the Philippians? 2 Responses Then he goes on to say that he was of the church. In this case, Paul did pray for healing, but his request was denied. He has authored ninety-five books. John 1:12 ). Vote Up 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? Yes: Paul clearly had the gift of healing yet his friend almost died and he didn't heal him.
Philippians 2:27 Commentaries: For indeed he was sick to the point of statements that address the actual question with Biblical text to analyze) Thanks. B. The word "esteem" is entimos, it means: This is not to say that medicines are not good or doctors are not helpful. The gifts of tongues, prophecy, etc. Possibly there were in Philippi some sharp tongues and envious spirits, who needed the exhortation. ), 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. send him back? 0 Responses For we know in part and we prophesy in part. The gift of tongues and the gift of healing has ceased. Actually, suppose we regularly cultivate and entertain slights against us or the deeper personal affronts. He says, "We have the same Have you ever watched mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. Those thoughts would have contributed to his feelings of frustration, mental anguish, distress, or low self-worth. 61 ( Acts 28:8 ), it may be that the special apostolic gift of healing (cf. Philippians 1:25, and note), was not, it seems, continuous; both were exercised only in accordance with the revealed will of God and on occasions of especial moment. 12:9). forget about them." other words, they were to receive him as the Lord would receive him. He uses this word in verses 25 and 28. Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite" [1] which was an idiom meaning "lovely or handsome". At all events he gladly undertook even servile work for love of Paul. Berean Bible Church provides this material free of charge for the edification of the Body of Christ. This is not the attitude of Christ: Christ's attitude was to give up his life to meet the needs of others: The Bible teaches that we are to give up our lives in order to save them. Which apostles did Paul see while he was in Jerusalem after his conversion? That will tell you what an answer is. 11:14). The kenosis of Christ is the attitude that he had that led him to divest himself of any concern for Was it perhaps meant to ask for a clarification of my own comment ? [3] Apparently on the way to Rome, Epaphroditus fell sick. Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. Longer letters are first, shorter ones later. The word "considered" is hegeomai. While at Rome This gives us the manner in which the Philippians should receive him and why. Paul sent Timothy to the church of Ephesus, which was a 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. (Acts 28:9) Then, the argument goes, why was Paul unable to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? First, let us review Epaphroditus mission. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul teaches us: 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new. After studying Pauls letters and the scriptural teaching concerning the cessation of the gift of tongues, they ask, What should I do now? There are several possible explanations for the experienceit may be a psychological experience or even a spiritual experience, but clearly, from the Word of God, it is not the Spirits gift of tongues. But he suns himself in the thought of the Philippians' joy, and in the hope that some reflection of it will travel across the seas to him, and make him, if not wholly glad, at any rate 'the less sorrowful.'. 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?
Why didn't Paul healed Epaphroditus and Trophimus?