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. 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. 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 Those things are just as Bible. speaks of a common origin. ii.) Though Paul had the gift of healing, he did not heal this individual. Galatians was written soon after Paul returned from that first journeysoon after Acts 14:27. titles. We can now give a scriptural answer to the question that we started with: when did the sign gifts cease? accounted for the success of Rome's armies, they were the terror of the ancient world. 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. 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. 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. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. It is clear that the gift of healing has ceased because, as in Philippians, Paul was no longer able to heal, even his co-workers. What is the correct way to screw wall and ceiling drywalls? So, Paul's third example is Epaphroditus, he is not an apostle, nor an in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:37; Mark 14:33). I don't really understand the question from your first comment. Paul continued on to Corinth where he wrote the two letters to the Thessalonians. He wasn't an incredibly gifted man but he was committed totally to We're a little different than other sites. well established church, to straighten out their doctrine. 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 ). Does ZnSO4 + H2 at high pressure reverses to Zn + H2SO4? He was sent by them, he was their sisters in Christ in other countries. My question: If a man believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth Jesus Christ and Him risen, he is Born Again, saved. The ministry is people! 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. I think that in our day the church has lost the ergos, the work, toil, or effort that we should be back" but "send." on Phil no. 1:11,12) that a time was coming when these sign gifts were going to cease to operate. Most of us do the opposite of Epaphroditus, we regard our life as a thing so precious that it is to Most who do not believe in Divine Healing have not been taught the TRUTH of what the Word really says. 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. Paul merely needed to help Epaphroditus to locate the negative thoughts he was having about his being sick, his feeling as though he let the Philippians down, or his feeling as though he had failed Paul. His level of sacrificial service becomes very instructive to us. 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. who were ill with dangerous and infectious diseases. Where was Paul when he wrote to the Philippians? sadness. This is the last letter written during the Book of Acts. destruction and desolation. He was an apostolic delegate. If our hearts are set to 'hallow all we find,' the most secular duties will be acts of worship. The ship sails across the track of the moonlight, and then vanishes ghost-like into darkness. May we not further draw from Paul's words here a lesson as to the honour due to Christian workers? This is the only other New 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. Negative thoughts that flood our minds are the actual contributors to our self-defeating emotions. During this time he wrote the three letters known as the Pastoral Epistles, because these letters were written to Pauls co-workersPastor Timothy and Titus. 3:3,4,9 and Col. 1:26,27, etc.). Paul is saying that God was PERMITTING them to do certain signs so that the Jews might believe that they were of God. The keyword here is "gift." hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/tour Thanks! The word "stand fast" is the Greek word steko which means: "stand your ground in the midst of Why? from death it is mercy. It was their aim to visit the prisoners and the sick, especially those Testament use of this word. Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. Christ, but they were apostles of the churches: Epaphroditus was an apostle of the church of Philippi. The Jews sought after signs (1 Cor. He wasn't distressed because he was sick but because the "Epaphroditus is here to do what you can't do because you're so far away.". Once on his way again, he was distressed, i.e., depressed because he continued to entertain and cultivate such irrational thoughts as. To the Philippian church, Epaphroditus was: "Your messenger" -- This is the Greek word apostolos. 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. used for minister is deokonos -- deacon. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul extra gifts to help the Apostle bear his sorrows. It means: "messenger or sent one." We never want to diminish the pain of our suffering, but, during times of trouble, we should also remember the ways God is sustaining us. soon meaning: "together with" and stratiotes meaning: "soldier." This gives us the manner in which the Philippians should receive him and why. teacher who was used of God to minister to many churches. chained to a guard: The Philippians, upon hearing about Paul's needs, took an offering and sent it by the hand of 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! with his life to serve Christ and man. Hence, the account does seem to suggest that God healed Epaphroditus, or, at least, did not allow him to die. 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. "valued or honored, to hold one dear or in honor, to prize, to deem precious." Before the end of the Book of Acts, during the Acts period, and in the letters written during the Acts period, the Lord had only revealed part of the dispensation of grace (Eph. In the remainder of this sermon we shall simply deal with the two figures which the text sets before us, and we may look first at the glimpses of Paul's character which we get here. That will tell you what an answer is. Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. [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. This is Heresy 101 at its best!). Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. We are In the On the contrary, Paul considered him his "brother," "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier," and "their apostle and servant" (2:25). There was no reliable way of getting these to Paul but to take them, and so Epaphroditus faced the long journey across Greece to Brindisi and Rome, and when arrived there threw himself with ardour into serving Paul. The apostle Paul had a variety of Gifts including tongues, prophecy and teaching. What can a lawyer do if the client wants him to be acquitted of everything despite serious evidence? unto death" -- the word "almost" is paraplesion, it literally means: "along side of a neighbor, When I had Guillain-Barre syndrome I didn't tell my mother I was sick because I didn't want her The name later came to mean: In A.D. 252, plague broke out in Carthage; This is not to say that medicines are not good or doctors are not helpful. Paul sees Epaphroditus' ministry to him as Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. "Who ministered to my need" -- The word "need" is from chreia it means: "a need or serve, you can meet physical needs. 2:25; cf. were no longer in operation by the time Paul wrote the pastoral epistles. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints (1 Cor. Take medicine, for example. We'd like to help. Ministering to others' physical needs is a spiritual priestly He is a co-worker, it's speaking of common effort, diligence. Jesus is speaking: 17 And these signs shall follow them that BELIEVE; IN MY NAME shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; THEY SHALL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK, AND THEY SHALL RECOVER. somebody around an AIDS patient? 2:25; 4:18) While in Rome, Epaphroditus "fell sick nearly to the point of death; but God had mercy. Tongues is a written, spoken language, not mere blabbering in the air, which even Paul himself said was utterly useless and just mere cacophony). Literally this is "wave after wave of grief.". Vote Up We are not to selfishly guard our lives, we are to give them away in ministry to others. esteem him in: The word "work" is ergon meaning: "toil, effort, work. words, soon means: "with" and ergos means: "work, toil or labor." The next letters Paul wrote are the two letters to the Thessalonians. The reason it is "send" is because he was supposed to be there permanently. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 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." He risked his life as a gambler will take risks Many were saved, but Paul was driven out of town. But when we turn to the letters written after the Book of Actsthe 4 Prison Epistles, and the 3 Pastoral Epistles, we find that the sign gifts either arent mentioned at all or we seeas with the gift of healingthat they were no longer operating in Pauls life. 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. We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. ' (Matt. of the church. honor a solider, they would give him the title -- Sustratiotes. Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? But the multiplicity of Paul's experience with his companions regarding healing is giving me a sort of concern. What is a word for the arcane equivalent of a monastery? 0 Responses In other words, he is suggesting to use "medicine." teaching. 14:18)! So if you're not dead, how could you ever complain (verse 14). Paul also had another concern on his heart. His was a singular fate -- to cross Paul's path, and for one short period of his life to be known to all the world, and for all the rest before and after to be utterly unknown. But in this time period, in 1 Corinthians 13:8-12, Paul tells us that the Lord had revealed to him that these gifts would cease some day. The words "more eagerly" have the idea of: "with haste or diligence." It is not "send The context gives us an interesting miniature of the last, and pathetic glimpses into the private life of the Apostle in his imprisonment, and it is worth our while to try to bring our historic imagination to bear on Epaphroditus, and to make him a living man. All others were not apostles of Jesus Epaphroditus is one of us, which makes his example very powerful and very convicting to us.
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