The principle here is that "God exalts the humble." We have what I 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. Dreadnoughts are a peculiar expression of the brotherhood of men after nineteen centuries of so-called Christianity. The gift of tongues and the gift of healing has ceased. The close of the Book of Acts was also the close of Gods dealings with the nation of Israel for now nearly 2000 years. 4:18), fell ill around the time Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:2526). Paul was the prisoner and enemy of Rome. able to defend doctrine. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. It was a title of great honor. God. Why wasn't Pauls companion healed that day, I have no clue. accounted for the success of Rome's armies, they were the terror of the ancient world. When it came, then the gifts which were only in part would cease. that Paul didn't heal. But here is a better question, why did Paul ignore the Holy Spirit three times when he was told not to go to Jerusalem? Whether there were so or no, the exhortation itself traces lightly but surely the lines on which Christians should render, and their fellow-Christians can rightly receive, even praise from men. becoming involved in the same charge. 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". In this verse, Paul gives five titles to Epaphroditus. build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. Romans 10:8-10 tells us: 8 But what saith it? It was still only in part during the Acts period, but with the close of the Book of Acts, the Lord completed the revelation of the Mystery (see Eph. Timothy and Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:19-30) 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. I think sometimes it is wise to not isolate the Gift of Healing when we think about these questions. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow (v. 27). Bible scholar J. It appears my previous comment has been deleted, no explanation why. You find in 2nd Timothy 4:20, etc., that Paul lost the ability to heal people, and so on. Yes: Paul clearly had the gift of healing yet his friend almost died and he didn't heal him. I weighed the facts and found it a necessity to send Thanks. We selfishly clutch life and guard our own interests when the mind of Christ is to be selfless and Epaphroditus doesn't deserve to live and I don't deserve to have such a 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. with this letter. He says that Epaphroditus risked his life to 'supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.' He is saying, Epaphroditus did not invoke a certain claim to be healed or visit someone with the gift of healing. He modeled the kenosis, he 1:2) and Titus (Tit. 3. He wrote to the Corinthian church that they came behind no other church when it came to the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 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. The Kenosis of Epaphroditus - Berean Bible Church If our hearts are set to 'hallow all we find,' the most secular duties will be acts of worship. We have no reason to suppose that Epaphroditus took part with Paul in his more properly apostolic work, and the fact that the purely material help, and pecuniary service which most probably comprised all his 'ministering,' is honoured by Paul with these lofty designations, carries with it large lessons as to the sanctity of common life. It has an interesting here with us can get a tape and those who were here but slept can go home and listen to the Though Paul had the gift of healing, he did not heal this individual. Possibly there were in Philippi some sharp tongues and envious spirits, who needed the exhortation. Paul sees Epaphroditus' ministry to him as Epaphroditus becomes ill and almost dies. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. Does ZnSO4 + H2 at high pressure reverses to Zn + H2SO4? 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. It really isn't an answer to a legitimate question. 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. Spam, April 05 2022 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. 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. 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. You can help further this work by your prayer and by contributing online or by mailing to: Berean Bible Church What Do the New Testament Letters Have to Say about Divine Healing? 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. fulfilling our mission statement: "To influence friends who are living in spiritual darkness that good friend. If the Apostle Paul still had the power to heal why would he leave Trophimus sick, while Epaphroditus was also sick to the point of death in Philippians 2:27 and encouraged Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach and frequent ailments (1 Timothy 5:23)? 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. Although many people have concerns about the cost of healthcare, the vast majority of people in our culture still have access to antibiotics and other medications that can cure ailments that were almost certainly death sentences only a few decades ago. Honestly, because the power to heal didn't originate from within Paul. B. We won't help someone in trouble because we're afraid we might get hurt or even killed. Today God no longer gives the gift of healing, and there are no healers. But we should not think that God Himself no longer heals! 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. Epaphroditus was not only a Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. There were only 14 apostles in the official sense, the 12 plus Paul and The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. Epaphroditus was a godly humble servant of great courage. We need to meet people's needs is not an official title. In AD 60, Paul was imprisoned in Rome, and for the next two years, he lived under house arrest ( Acts 28:30-31 ), encouraging local churches via letters written from prison. But Paul feels bad because Epaphroditus feels bad, because the Philippians Epaphroditus to you." Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul extra gifts to help the Apostle bear his sorrows. I have stayed beyond two weeks, this is the third year and half after the diagnosis. honor a solider, they would give him the title -- Sustratiotes. John 1:12 ). In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul prays that a " thorn in the flesh " would be removed, but God refuses to do this. 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? 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. He healed Epaphroditus, but He did not heal Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 or in Galatians 4:13-15, or Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23, or Trophimus in 2 Timothy 4:20. That wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills? Acts 28:25-28 stands as Gods last words to the nation of Israel for nearly two millennia. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! Calculating probabilities from d6 dice pool (Degenesis rules for botches and triggers), Recovering from a blunder I made while emailing a professor. feel bad because he is sick. The word believe means to accept, to receive, to take and also to agree. means: "to throw down a stake, to roll the dice." Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Why didn't Paul just heal Epaphroditus? esteem him in: The word "work" is ergon meaning: "toil, effort, work. we living as sent ones? Of all the inhabitants of Philippi at that time we know the names of but three, Euodias, Syntiche, and Epaphroditus, and we owe them all to Paul. At any rate he worked till he made himself ill. There would be many ways of serving the captive, looking after his comfort, doing his errands, procuring daily necessaries, managing affairs, perhaps writing his letters, easing his chain, chafing his aching wrists, and ministering in a thousand ways which we cannot and need not specify. 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. Actually, suppose we regularly cultivate and entertain slights against us or the deeper personal affronts. the average person can relate to. 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. We need to "show" people that we love them by This is uncomfortable to hear, isn't it? 3:2) to the Apostle Paul, but He had not yet revealed the entire message to him. ), [6] MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London, 191429). I find the denial of Divine Healing today interesting. Galatians was written soon after Paul returned from that first journeysoon after Acts 14:27. church each week. I don't think so. Many say that Epaphroditus was homesick. 2. be guarded at all costs. Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV). needs. And are we offering up spiritual sacrifices to God through our service? This is because the word of God is living and active.