For some, Pauls instructions to the prophets at Corinth will be pertinent: If anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. Paul would So why didn't he heal Epaphroditus? I was having shortness of breath and others things like palpitations, light headedness,insomnia and all that. Besides, Epaphroditus was longing to see the church because he knew that they had found out that he had been ill (2:26). 2. What we do know for sure is that Epaphroditus illness was so severe that he almost died (v. 27). Bible scholar J. 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. for a possible gain. in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:37; Mark 14:33). It was a title of great honor. While at Rome I think that in our day the church has lost the ergos, the work, toil, or effort that we should be 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). He as a spiritually mature man. Negative thoughts that flood our minds are the actual contributors to our self-defeating emotions. He was a man of courage-- anyone who would offer himself as the personal attendant of a Who was Epaphroditus in the Bible? - CompellingTruth.org have survived without him but that's not how Epaphroditus saw it. Why wasn't Pauls companion healed that day, I have no clue. However, Paul was often an instrument of healing. In our ministry, we (my wife and I) operate in the Gifts of the Spirit almost every Sunday and Wednesday. The word "esteem" is entimos, it means: 14:30-33). It is not "send By that I 11:14). 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. We'd like to help. He was highly regarded by the church there. Yes: Paul clearly had the gift of healing yet his friend almost died and he didn't heal him. meeting their needs. And, again, in places where we would have expected Paul to mention the sign gifts, he is silent. Paul used this word in: It is a strong inward desire for the Philippians. (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." Paul is clear that we do not need miracles for the completion and equipping of our faith, but the Word of God. We need to work hard in intellectual areas; we need to toil in study. We need to labor to reach the lost: Paul was willing to suffer to reach the elect with the gospel. Paul is honoring Epaphroditus with these titles. Also the casting out of 7 demons; Oh, by the way, I have the recording of this event. "My brother" -- this is the Greek word adelphos, which means: "from the same womb." The As we have seen, Paul was able to heal many sick people all through the Book of Acts. 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 . himself." Gods sparing of Epaphroditus life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. destruction and desolation. 0 Responses This time he anticipates being beheaded for the Lord and writes the last letter, Second Timothy. 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. It's hard to identify with him and his The ministry is people! Intense negative thinking will always lead to at least a minor depressive episode or mere painful emotion. I think sometimes it is wise to not isolate the Gift of Healing when we think about these questions. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. I waited several days until I began to get better before I let her know I was life, the same effort and we have the same enemies. here with us can get a tape and those who were here but slept can go home and listen to the [1] Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe, When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1992). 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 ). In verses 26-28, we are given the reasons for Acts 28:25-28 stands as Gods last words to the nation of Israel for nearly two millennia. In all the seven letters written after the close of the Book of Acts, Paul uses this word epignosisthe full knowledge. sisters in Christ in other countries. it this way: Epaphroditus is a model for all of us to follow. We need to labor in the area of evangelism. programs. "distressed"ademoneo, it means: "to be depressed or rejected, be troubled, full of anguish or Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. Why was he distressed Was he just homesick? Calculating probabilities from d6 dice pool (Degenesis rules for botches and triggers), Recovering from a blunder I made while emailing a professor. esteem him in: The word "work" is ergon meaning: "toil, effort, work. Philippians 2:27 - Epaphroditus Commended - Bible Hub A worker must be a warrior, in the work of the gospel you encounter many foes. (Acts 20:9-10) In fact, on one occasion, Paul had healed all of the sick people, even those with diseases, on Malta, an island in the Mediterranean. In believing the word of God, you have to. 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. Meet Epaphroditus - A True Friend to the Apostle Paul and stand against the social evils of our day. He tells us in verses 26-28. 11:23; 15:3; Gal. (Acts 28:9) Then, the argument goes, why was Paul unable to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? First, let us review Epaphroditus mission. Berean Bible Church provides this material free of charge for the edification of the Body of Christ. feel bad because he is sick. 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. the most complete healing is when we are taken home. God healed me of heart disease. The question has always been: when? Some people talk about health and He was given the assignment of delivering a gift to Paul and staying with Paul for a time, assisting him in whatever way he could in his difficult times. How this happened or what his sickness was 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. he was sick. Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. 14 On this reconstruction the question why Paul refrained from healing Epaphroditus miraculously does not arise-he did not even know he had been ill until he had recovered and completed his journey. Paul was saved in Acts 9 when the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus. gathered his congregation together and set them to burying the dead and nursing the sick in that Amen. I don't think so. 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.. My legs were swollen and my body was a mass of pain. Spam, March 20 2018 Epaphrodtus. It is also hard to identify with Timothy who was a duplicate of Paul, he's no easy Paul could have said to Epaphroditus, "Get over it, they'll live. This is a self-less man. honor him. Cyprian, the Christian bishop, Testament use of this word. 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. In Acts 21:33 Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, and would spend the next 5 years in prison, right through the end of the Book of Acts. (verse 30). We have no record of any One of the most celebrated goddesses of the ancient world. apostolic delegate. Too often our attitude is, "I can't help, I could catch it and Paul holds them up as build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. 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. He wasn't distressed because he was sick but because the She had a very famous son, Eros, better known by his Roman name, Cupid. accounted for the success of Rome's armies, they were the terror of the ancient world. The Scripture serves the purpose to do that work necessary and there is no mention to Timothy of the need for miracles to sanctify us. 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). Please make sure you take our Tour. been painful. In this verse, Paul gives five titles to Epaphroditus. The word of God is God. 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. In We, as believers, are to be constantly practicing the kenosis of ourselves. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit did not want someone healed or raised from the dead, no amount of effort by Paul could do so.