It would be like the difference between being a child and becoming a grown man, or between seeing someones face reflected in a wavy ancient mirror, and seeing the person face-to-face. "But God had mercy on him" -- God spared him from death and any time that God spares a life 1000 Chattanooga Street I have hid them in my heart. sick. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 120. In believing the word of God, you have to. 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.). "Almost The principle here is that "God exalts the humble." sadness. 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. The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. everyone will be glad and not sad.". the proclamation of the gospel effective. How did Paul and his companions purify themselves in the account of Acts 21:26? 2:25-27) He likely longed to know that they knew of and understood his circumstances. 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. Paul sent Timothy to the church of Ephesus, which was a Paul uses this as a term of affection. Too often our attitude is, "I can't help, I could catch it and ' (Matt. His letter to the Philippians was just one of four "Prison Epistles" written during this time. You find in 2nd Timothy 4:20, etc., that Paul lost the ability to heal people, and so on. life, it was mercy to me. What year did Ezra leave Babylon and arrive in Jerusalem? history, used all through the LXX to refer to the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant and the In Acts 20:2,3 Paul arrived in Greece, i.e. (See below left). Once on his way again, he was distressed, i.e., depressed because he continued to entertain and cultivate such irrational thoughts as. 3. financial gift, and was there to minister to Paul in any way that he could; do his laundry, carry He was a man of courage-- anyone who would offer himself as the personal attendant of a Because his will is to speak to that individual right then. fulfilling our mission statement: "To influence friends who are living in spiritual darkness that This is the only other New It has an interesting What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. The power of working miracles, like that of foreseeing the future (comp. It 0 Responses 3:1-10). act to follow either. 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". And as for the gift of healing, we read of a co-worker of Pauls, Epaphroditus, who fell seriously ill during this time (Phil. That will tell you what an answer is. The gifts were all in operation all through the Book of Acts period and are mentioned in the letters written during that time, but the Lord had revealed that the sign gifts were going to cease at some time in the future. The Apostolic Gifts are no longer in operation today: 1) Laying on of hands to heal someone (if this were still the case, then people could walk into nursing homes and hospitals and begin healing people left-and-right, but this doesn't happen. Vote Up 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. Of note: Reference Hebrews 6:2-3 which says: "Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? were no longer in operation by the time Paul wrote the pastoral epistles. But to understand when the sign gifts ceased, we need to read Pauls letters in the order that he wrote them. Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? Have you taken the tour of our site yet? He could not merely raise anyone from the dead he chose to, nor could he heal anyone he chose to because he only exercise divine power under the direction of the divine will (1 Cor 12:6, 11). with this letter. We need to be sustratiotes, fighting together. 2 Responses 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. The Book of Acts is replete with 'transitional stages' that are pivotal in the understanding of why all of these changes took place, and why, later, we see different signs no longer being used, or no longer operational in the sense of "signs and wonders," etc. The word "gladness" is chara which means: "joy." If our hearts are set to 'hallow all we find,' the most secular duties will be acts of worship. derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess, better known by her Roman name , Venus. "valued or honored, to hold one dear or in honor, to prize, to deem precious." He could heal all the sick on the island in Acts 28:9, but he couldnt heal any of his closest co-workersTimothy, Epaphroditus, Trophimusafter the close of the Book of Acts. 29 Therefore receive him in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; 30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. Literally this is "wave after wave of grief.". When Paul wrote now I know in part, he used the common word for know, the Greek word gnosis. But with the close of Acts, God sets aside Israel for a time, and when God gave up on the sign people for a time, the sign gifts passed out of His program. Epaphroditus was one with Paul in sympathy, one with him in work, and one with him in danger. Though Paul had the gift of healing, he did not heal this individual. At any rate he worked till he made himself ill. 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 This is a self-less man. delivering the money and someone who would work so closely with the apostle would have to be Epaphroditus lived out Philippians 2:1-16, he is the "Loving Gambler.". 1. We're a little different than other sites. 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. Indeed he was ill, near to death. Are Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? used for minister is deokonos -- deacon. all brothers, do we act like it? be-shem omro)? 0 Responses Many were saved, but Paul was driven out of town. "lovely or charming." 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. Epaphroditus felt extreme guilt as though he had failed in his mission from the Philippian congregation, having to let them down, so he grew depressed. No matter where you go you can find God's family. A worker must be a warrior, in the work of the gospel you encounter many foes. He was in the second place the minister to Paul's needs. But the Lord revealed to Paul that that which is perfect was coming. necessity, that which is lacking." 1:11,12) that a time was coming when these sign gifts were going to cease to operate. God healed me completely and perfectly today. 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." How can the Pastoral Epistles not be Pauline? It is used in extra-biblical Greek to honor a solider. I believe it is used here primarily of physical needs. The church, however, was not to think of Epaphroditus as second best. 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 destruction and desolation. Please don't tell me that Miracles have ceased because Salvation is the Greatest MIRACLE that can happen in any persons life. But Paul uses leitourgos here. 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 this verse, Paul gives five titles to Epaphroditus. were operating all through the Book of Acts, and these gifts are mentioned in the letters that Paul wrote during the Acts period. 2:25; cf. 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). He labored on Paul's behalf until his own health broke, and, even when he was sick, Epaphroditus took no thought of himself; rather, he was distressed because his church had heard of his illness, and he didn't want them to worry. 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." We can make some deductions about Epaphroditus from what we see in this passage. Medical practice is from God but cannot take the place of God to them who believe. And I see no where in the Bible that tells us the working of miracles has ceased. The context is that Paul was suggesting for this brother to use wine to help him with his stomach sickness. looked at it as "spiritual worship." unto death" -- the word "almost" is paraplesion, it literally means: "along side of a neighbor, and they sure wouldn't have sent a lazy man. 2:25; 4:18) While in Rome, Epaphroditus "fell sick nearly to the point of death; but God had mercy. What Is the Difference Between 'Man' And 'Son of Man' in Num 23:19? have survived without him but that's not how Epaphroditus saw it. B. He wasn't an incredibly gifted man but he was committed totally to What did the apostle Paul use the gift of tongues for? It means: "messenger or sent one." We have no record of any In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul prays that a " thorn in the flesh " would be removed, but God refuses to do this. ministry. needs. At all events he gladly undertook even servile work for love of Paul. in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:37; Mark 14:33). deliver the money and leave, he was to stay and to minister to Paul's needs. Timothy was suffering stomach problems and frequent infirmities (1 Tim. 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. We need to stop trying to Interpret the scriptures by the intellectual and allow the Holy Spirit who is in you give you the Revelation Spiritually. forget about them." Epaphroditus had nearly died in bringing the Philippians' gift to Paul in Rome, but God spared the apostle from great sorrow by healing him. I think sometimes it is wise to not isolate the Gift of Healing when we think about these questions. 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. I find the denial of Divine Healing today interesting. 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. of the church. This is the depth of love and care. teaching. 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. 8 And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. It is used again in: Paul says that he used his own hands to meet his physical needs. My legs were swollen and my body was a mass of pain. Remember that God is not a man that He should lie. ), [6] MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London, 191429). We are to follow the example of Christ who "emptied 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. What we do know for sure is that Epaphroditus illness was so severe that he almost died (v. 27). Was it because he had lost his faith, as some would tell us? titles. In English, as in Greek, this is a neuter pronounthat thing which is perfect. Paul was not writing about the coming of He who is perfect but of the coming of a thing which is perfect. View our current career opportunities. 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. The problem with the death of a believer is that the separation hurts. Everybody feels bad so Paul says, "You've got to go back so examples yet they all experienced sickness. 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? Pauls gift of healing (Acts 28:9) was no longer operating in Philippians 2:27, 1 Timothy 5:23 and 2 Timothy 4:20. means: "to throw down a stake, to roll the dice." This study focuses on that questionwhen did the sign gifts cease? 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. The answer: The sign gifts ceased at the end of the Book of Acts. 1:22) so God gave them signsamong the Gentiles!in order to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. to meet someone's need? When would these gifts cease? Simply: Stop! Spam, January 24 2014 Epaphroditus is also called: "The one who ministered to my need" -- The word "minister" is leitourgos. So, Paul's third example is Epaphroditus, he is not an apostle, nor an Epaphroditus means: "belonging to or devoted to Aphrodite." he was sick. Epaphroditus was ministering to Paul physically; he brought him a financial gift, and was there to minister to Paul in any way that he could; do his laundry, carry messages, or do what ever Paul needed.