why did paul not heal epaphroditus

It was his brethren who were exhorted to receive their own messenger back again 'in the Lord with all joy, and to hold him in honour.' When we arrange the letters in the order that they were written, all becomes clear! It is also hard to identify with Timothy who was a duplicate of Paul, he's no easy Why did the Apostle Paul leave Trophimus sick, while Epaphroditus was also sick to the point of death in Philippians 2:27? Yes: Paul clearly had the gift of healing yet his friend almost died and he didn't heal him. Thanks. Paul Why would the apostle Paul "delay" being baptized (Acts 22:16)? So, to sum up what we have seen so far, from Acts 9 through Acts 28 we read of the earlier ministry of the Apostle Paul and find that during these years he wrote 6 of his 13 letters. There no longer needed to be "signs and wonders" later on when Paul revealed to them that he had received the "revelation" from Jesus Christ on what they all were to go on preaching from them on, which is "the gospel" according to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (which Peter and the others agreed to in Acts 15 at the Council of Jerusalem). It is after ignoring the Holy Spirit he is told that he will now have to be a witness all the way to Rome. It is not "send Why wasn't Pauls companion healed that day, I have no clue. someone who would represent the church well. Paul used this word in: It is a strong inward desire for the Philippians. He wasn't a teacher nor preacher that we know of. Instead, God graciously healed him in this instance. Why? 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. The pattern could not be clearer, and the contrast could not be sharper between the earlier letters and the later letters, between the time when all the sign gifts were operating, and the time when all the sign gifts had ceased. How did Paul and his companions purify themselves in the account of Acts 21:26? Asked January 21 2014 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. It does not contain doubt, but refers to a decision arrived The congregation in Philippi loved this man so much, they did not want him to die. The Jews sought after signs (1 Cor. 12:9). On the contrary, Paul considered him his "brother," "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier," and "their apostle and servant" (2:25). (Phil. on Phil no. (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." She's the Epaphroditus had made a 600-mile journey from Philippi to Rome, an 80-day journey on foot round trip, which was fatiguing, to visit the apostle Paul. Finally at the end of his life he is again in prison. Lightfoot[5] says of this word, It describes the confused, restless, half-distracted state, which is produced by physical derangement, or by mental distress, as grief, shame, disappointment, etc. (Saint Pauls Epistle to the Philippians [London, 1908], p. 123). Why did Paul send Epaphroditus to the Philippians? - Quora derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess, better known by her Roman name , Venus. ), [6] MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London, 191429). 2:4) had passed away by this time. Clarify 9 This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be [f]made well, 10 said with a loud voice, Stand upright on your feet. And he leaped up and began to walk. messages that he preached. He was not just to If the Apostle Paul still retained the gift of healing by laying on of hands (or healing, in general), then there is absolutely no way under the sun that he (Paul) would have left any brother sick. able to defend doctrine. Too often our attitude is, "I can't help, I could catch it and [5] Lightfoot John Lightfoot, A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica, 4 vols. He didn't want them to Epaphroditus was a godly humble servant of great courage. Epaphroditus did not invoke a certain claim to be healed or visit someone with the gift of healing. Indeed he was ill, near to death. I don't really understand the question from your first comment. 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. Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite" [1] which was an idiom meaning "lovely or handsome". Paul could no longer heal anyonenot Epaphroditus in Philippians 2, not Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23, not Trophimus in 2 Timothy 4:20. When Jesus said in Mark 16:17-20 that these signs shall follow those who believe. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992). titles. Together these five titles are an important summary of what the Christian life should be. The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. Vote Up In our ministry, we (my wife and I) operate in the Gifts of the Spirit almost every Sunday and Wednesday. But, what happened? We but feebly echo Paul's rapture when he thought that there was 'neither Barbarian or Scythian, bond or free, but all were one in Christ Jesus,' and for all our talk about the unity of humanity and the like, we permit the old gulfs of separation to gape as deeply as ever. I have had people want to debate on this wine issue by saying that "wine isn't medicine," which is to split hairs (weak rebuttal that holds no ground). In each of these letters he writes of his chainssee Ephesians 6:20, Colossians 4:18, Philemon 13 and Philippians 1:13. others. Proverbs 4:20-23. There were only 14 apostles in the official sense, the 12 plus Paul and At any rate he worked till he made himself ill. Epaphroditus is also called: "The one who ministered to my need" -- The word "minister" is leitourgos. 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. It has an interesting It is a gambling term. sick. 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. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. All things are possible to them that believe Mark 9:23. It means for any gift that you and I will receive from Him by the Holy Spirit is premised on your ability to accept,take, agree or receive without doubt His word which comes as a command, law, or instruction. Paul goes on to say: "My companion in labor" -- the Greek word for companion is sunergos. healthy. In Gaiuss home, in Corinth, Paul wrote the letter to the Romans (see Rom. soldiers marched abreast behind a solid wall of shields. He says, "We have the same Gods sparing of Epaphroditus life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. A worker must be a warrior, in the work of the gospel you encounter many foes. 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. (II Corinthians 12:7-9) Epaphroditus came to Paul at Rome and became gravely ill, but Paul who had miraculously healed so many did not miraculously heal him (Philippians 2:25-30). We briefly note some general lessons which may be suggested by the picture of Epaphroditus as he stands by the side of Paul. 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. a uniquely spiritual act. gathered his congregation together and set them to burying the dead and nursing the sick in that But the multiplicity of Paul's experience with his companions regarding healing is giving me a sort of concern. 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 just heal Epaphroditus? As we have seen, Paul was able to heal many sick people all through the Book of Acts. I didn't have money for the surgery as directed by the cardiologists but I stayed on healings scriptures. ii.) The question has always been: when? Negative thoughts that flood our minds are the actual contributors to our self-defeating emotions. 1:7)no church had more of the gifts of the Holy Spirit than the Corinthian church, yet Paul says that he spoke in tongues more than all of them (1 Cor. Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. 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! Timothy and Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:19-30) That is what God calls us to. But Paul uses leitourgos here. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? And in the Acts Epistles we read of the gifts operating in the churches that Paul founded. emptied himself. Paul thought that chastity was best, but realized that most people have natural sexual desires. 0 Responses He also raised Eutychus from the dead, he also was immune to snake bite etc. The fact that ancient people rarely recovered from serious illnesses and the Apostles specific language in Philippians 2:27 indicate that he is talking about more than just a providential answer to prayer. We'd like to help. 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. meeting their needs. 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 deeds done from the same motive are the same, however different they may be in regard to the material on which they are wrought. Introduction to Paul's Letter to the Philippians - BJUtoday He never allows us to suffer something that He doesnt give us the strength to live through. Timothy was suffering stomach problems and frequent infirmities (1 Tim. 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." What he had not yet received in 1 Corinthians 13, he now has. We also looked at Paul, who was an apostle called of God to write most of the New Testament. Vote Up And are we offering up spiritual sacrifices to God through our service? (See below left). We're a little different than other sites. the proclamation of the gospel effective. where it ends for many, they are brothers, but not for Epaphroditus. What evidence is there the writer of Revelation was aware of the apostle Paul? 7:22-23). Yes, they really had had these experiences. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. January 23 2014 Report The word of God is medicine to our flesh (bodies ). Here Paul writes of the gift of tongues, the gift of prophecy and the gift of knowledge (see 1 Cor. That makes Galatians the earliest of Pauls letters. 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. 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. Timothys return from Macedonia mentioned in Acts 18:5 is also reported in 1 Thessalonians 3:6. 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 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. So the writing of 1 and 2 Thessalonians can be placed into Acts 18 during Pauls ministry in Corinth, and that makes them the second and third letters that Paul wrote. It is important that our faith be based on the Word of God and not on experiences because experiences can deceive us. Epaphroditus: A Gambling Veteran - Associates for Biblical Research The purpose of the gift of healing was not to keep Christians This isn't to say that God doesn't or won't heal today, because this is obviously not true, but the "laying on of hands" by a man (as a 'gift') has all but ceased, and yet there are still 'healing teachers' out there in the world today teaching a false gospel, having "healing revivals" that come to nought, etc. Epaphroditus' service to Paul was a spiritual priestly function. cruel, sick, and unloving? Hello Uche Ogu, welcome to BHSE, glad to have you with us! However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. 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! She was the goddess It is possible for us in the ordering of our own lives to fulfil the great prophecy with which Zechariah crowned his vision of the Future, 'In that day shall there be on the bells of the horses Holiness unto the Lord'; and the 'pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.'. The kenosis of Christ is the attitude that he had that led him to divest himself of any concern for needs. , , , , , For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. He is mentioned nowhere else in the 25 But I [Paul] thought it necessary to send to you [Philippians] Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need; 26 since he has been longing for all[2] of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. Epaphroditus was ministering to Paul physically; he brought him a Paul holds them up as He had the heart of a servant-- he was most likely a deacon. needs could be involved here, he ministered to Paul in the area of companionship also. Paul and Epaphroditus - Bible Hub Most who do not believe in Divine Healing have not been taught the TRUTH of what the Word really says. It's nice to know that there are some people in the ministry compelled by relationships and not 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. 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. Greek He was sick 3:3,4,9 and Col. 1:26,27, etc.). 1:22) so God gave them signsamong the Gentiles!in order to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. We are to 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. "Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus" -- Why? risks. (verse 30). 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. 4 Life Lessons from Epaphroditus | Josh Daffern - New Wineskins needs. 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. We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. Maybe you can't preach or teach, maybe you're not a leader or an administrator, but you can Anonymous, January 21 2014 Medical practice is from God but cannot take the place of God to them who believe. That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with What can a lawyer do if the client wants him to be acquitted of everything despite serious evidence? All others were not apostles of Jesus And this will we do, if God permit." Is there a Bible contradiction in Philippians 2:25? - Defending Inerrancy 2 Cor. Paul says, in essence: "I will continue to do those signs IF God permit." 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. 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. All references have been taken from the New King James Version. In Acts 17, Paul, on his second apostolic journey, came to Thessalonica and preached there. It appears my previous comment has been deleted, no explanation why. If they wanted to But to understand when the sign gifts ceased, we need to read Pauls letters in the order that he wrote them. The principle here is that "God exalts the humble." The next two letters that Paul wrote are the two letters to the Corinthians. We begin by setting up a time line of Pauls ministry. Epaphroditus is one of the less known of Paul's friends. Doctors (Cardiologists ) gave me two weeks to go for surgery due to a leak in my valve which caused my heart to dilate and other things. Paul highly honors Epaphroditus with these In A.D. 252, plague broke out in Carthage; God does heal but its always according to his will,God may have had other plans.We might never know what was God's purpose in these sicknesses. We are to follow the example of Christ who "emptied Those thoughts would have contributed to his feelings of frustration, mental anguish, distress, or low self-worth. And as for the gift of healing, we read of a co-worker of Pauls, Epaphroditus, who fell seriously ill during this time (Phil. Bible. Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. What he could do in Acts 28, he could no longer do in Philippians, or in 1 and 2 Timothy. He was sent there to serve Paul Why would he not heal his friend? Paul says, No. Paul had the gift of healing didn't he? First-century life, however, was far different. In this case, Paul did pray for healing, but his request was denied. 0 Responses Because his will is to speak to that individual right then. means: "to abase, naturalize, to make of none effect, of no reputation." The problem with the death of a believer is that the separation hurts. and suffering, and given a choice, Paul preferred death: But if Epaphroditus would have died, Paul would have lost a good friend and this would have 2:27). A shoulder-to-shoulder fighting ministry. What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? We as Berean Bible Church need to work at It is used 35 times in the New By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. The answer is: He wouldn't have! What Do the New Testament Letters Have to Say about Divine Healing? 8 Responses 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 . great opposition." Who carried the Epistles - Tyndale House He did not act on his own. Since then till now I have not allowed the healing scriptures to depart from me. But Paul "lovely or charming." 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 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. This . What did the apostle Paul use the gift of tongues for? 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. Think of the profound clefts of separation between the Macedonian and the Jew, the antipathies of race, the differences of language, the dissimilarities of manner, and then think of what an unheard-of new thing it must have been that a Macedonian should 'serve' a Jew! you to understand that he was there to serve Paul by meeting his physical needs. While at Rome The gift of healing had ceased to operate, along with the other sign gifts. 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. Again, we have no indication whatsoever that healing was his "right" or something which he could "claim." . The word "longing" is epipotheo, it Paul also had another concern on his heart. He was sent by them, he was their Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. It is argued that Paul had the "sign" of healing but not the gift of healing. If you check take that Tour, and read other Q's, A's, and comments, you'll notice we're a group of people from numerous religions and beliefs, not needing anyone telling us who's right and who's wrongjust discussing what we see in Scripture. Epaphroditus emptied himself and Paul tells the Philippians to For those people, he believed it was best to get married and satisfy their urges legally. The first 6 of Pauls letters can be fit into the Book of Actswe can read Acts and then read Pauls letters and we can see where Paul was when he wrote these letters. life like it is something they deserve. Why did Paul leave Trophimus, a 7-year companion, sick and not heal him? 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. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. So theyve learned to speak in tongues, but when they see from Scripture that this gift is not in operation from the Lord today, they can at last cease their effort to prove their salvation and start to walk by faith and not by sight. Who was Epaphroditus in the Bible? - CompellingTruth.org The word of God is God. Philippians 2:27 - Epaphroditus Commended - Bible Hub 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. Self-talk is what we tell ourselves in our thoughts. My legs were swollen and my body was a mass of pain. soon meaning: "together with" and stratiotes meaning: "soldier." adherents? Love never fails. Timothy was sick and he didn't heal him: Why didn't Paul heal his friends? The word "necessary" is the Greek word anagkaios, it means: "indispensable, what one cannot The gifts of tongues, prophecy, etc. 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. all brothers, do we act like it? Chesapeake, VA 23322. So, Paul's third example is Epaphroditus, he is not an apostle, nor an Paul would Our thoughts based on a good mood will be entirely different from those based on our being upset. In fact, it is the words we tell ourselves about people, self, experiences, life, in general, God, the future, the past, the present. Having seen the pattern of truth regarding the gifts, we need to ask, why did the gifts cease at this time? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preachI'm sorry, but there is no "Word of Faith Movement." EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House.

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