ministry. What to do? For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Why did not the Apostle Paul ever say "In the name of him who says" (i.e., Heb. That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with 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. "valued or honored, to hold one dear or in honor, to prize, to deem precious." He was sent by them, he was their This morning we are going to look at the kenois of Epaphroditus who is much like us, he is a 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. 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. Self-talk is what we tell ourselves in our thoughts. And in the Acts Epistles we read of the gifts operating in the churches that Paul founded. It is used in extra-biblical Greek to honor a solider. We do read of prophecies that had been made about Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18 and 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6, but these were given years before. For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge (epignosisfull knowledge) of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light (Col. 1:9-12). 2:25-30) and Paul no longer had the gift of healing, and was no longer able to heal as he did only a few years earlier in Acts 28:9. Timothys return from Macedonia mentioned in Acts 18:5 is also reported in 1 Thessalonians 3:6. (See below left). sometimes that may be a spiritual healing , but they will be healed. Asked January 21 2014 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. We are to labor in calling men to be reconciled to God. Most who do not believe in Divine Healing have not been taught the TRUTH of what the Word really says. When is the last time you set aside something on your agenda feel bad because he is sick. Perhaps over-exertion in travel, or perhaps his Macedonian constitution could not bear the enervating air of Rome, or perhaps Paul's prison was unhealthy. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. Spam, February 08 2023 The close of the Book of Acts was also the close of Gods dealings with the nation of Israel for now nearly 2000 years. 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.). Fortunately for both Epaphroditus and Paul, God was merciful and intervened in the situation by healing Epaphroditus. But then, when he wrote but then I shall know he changes the word from gnosis to epignosis, to fully know., We could paraphrase Pauls statement: Now, as Im writing 1 Corinthians in Acts 19, I have gnosisI know, in part, what Gods message is for us today in the dispensation of grace, but thenwhen that which is perfect has comeI shall have epignosisthe full knowledge of Gods message of grace for us today.. He has no hesitation in describing the work done for himself as 'the work of Christ,' nor in using, as the name for it, the word ('service'), which properly refers to the service rendered by priestly hands. co-laborer with Paul, but with God. Possibly there were in Philippi some sharp tongues and envious spirits, who needed the exhortation. 2:25-30). Proverbs 4:20-23. man awaiting trial on a capital charge was laying himself open to the very considerable risk of Paul might have no longer had the use of it, but even if he did, it was not intended for believers. The sign gifts, tongues, prophecy, the gift of healing, etc. ), [6] MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London, 191429). Likewise in 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul has to leave behind his co-worker Trophimus who had fallen sick on the last journey. A place where magic is studied and practiced? 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. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. (Phil. The word "stand fast" is the Greek word steko which means: "stand your ground in the midst of Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me (Phil. In Acts 17, Paul, on his second apostolic journey, came to Thessalonica and preached there. Why did the Apostle Paul leave Trophimus sick, while Epaphroditus was also sick to the point of death in Philippians 2:27? 1. the average person can relate to. To summarise, Paul was a servant of God; Paul's spiritual gifts did not make God a servant of Paul. She had a very famous son, Eros, better known by his Roman name, Cupid. Paul was imprisoned in Rome for his faith. We need to "show" people that we love them by 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. Stop speaking in the tongue because it is not from the Holy Spirit. 2:13) and that is where he wrote the second letter to the Corinthians. We need to know and be In fact, he would have probably sent a handkerchief or even went to him, personally, if possible, and laid hands on him and healed him instantly. next door." Negative thoughts that flood our minds are the actual contributors to our self-defeating emotions. In Acts 18 Paul spent a year and a half ministering in Corinthsee Acts 18:11. 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. "Who ministered to my need" -- The word "need" is from chreia it means: "a need or Hebrews 11:6 we are taught: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess, better known by her Roman name , Venus. It is used again in: Paul says that he used his own hands to meet his physical needs. Consider the Book of Mark chapter 16 verses 17-20. messages, or do what ever Paul needed. That makes Galatians the earliest of Pauls letters. Paul uses the word sunergos here of himself and Apollos. We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. at after carefully weighing the facts. This may be the most important message you ever read. No one was more charismatic than the Apostle Paul. A: Paul did not have the power to arbitrarily heal: only God has the power to heal. June 11th 2000, I came to the Lord, He healed me of lung cancer, irreversible nerve damage caused by my lifestyle and replaced 3 discs in my lower back that were gone: vertebra rubbing vertebra. This time he anticipates being beheaded for the Lord and writes the last letter, Second Timothy. They were sent by Jesus Christ. fulfilling our mission statement: "To influence friends who are living in spiritual darkness that Take medicine, for example. When I was in the military I met brothers and Galatians was written soon after Paul returned from that first journeysoon after Acts 14:27. Jesus said the greatest honor among his followers belongs to the one who renders the Paul only calls him a "brother" ( Phil. Calculating probabilities from d6 dice pool (Degenesis rules for botches and triggers), Recovering from a blunder I made while emailing a professor. 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. 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. [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. Arranging Pauls letters in the order that he wrote them allows us to see the pattern of truth that is found in the Word of God: The sign gifts were operating in Acts and in all of the Acts Epistles: Galatians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians and Romans. Finally at the end of his life he is again in prison. accounted for the success of Rome's armies, they were the terror of the ancient world. See Peter and John's comments in Acts 3:12. 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. In believing the word of God, you have to. 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. 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. The Philippians would want to know, "what are you doing back? Paul continued on to Corinth where he wrote the two letters to the Thessalonians. esteem him in: The word "work" is ergon meaning: "toil, effort, work. We begin by setting up a time line of Pauls ministry. and stand against the social evils of our day. examples yet they all experienced sickness. The word "considered" is hegeomai. 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. [1] Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe, When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1992). [3] After dealing with his sickness, which caused him to delay his efforts to help Paul, he traveled on to Rome. Love never fails. The problem with the death of a believer is that the separation hurts. necessity, that which is lacking." mercy that any of us live. 7:22-23). God's sparing of Epaphroditus' life was a tangible expression of His abundant grace to Paul. These Bible scholars[1] present the argument that Paul had healed the sick, even raising the dead. two to his relationship with the Philippian church. When would these gifts cease? What year did Ezra leave Babylon and arrive in Jerusalem? 2 Cor. In a while, don't be surprised to have this "answer" you've given disappear. be grieved over his sickness. Amen. 4:18), fell ill around the time Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:2526). But, during this time in the Book of Acts, the Lord revealed to Paul that the sign gifts were going to cease1 Corinthians 13:8-12. Even medical doctors who are saved will tell you they rely on the power of God all the time and will encourage their patients to rely on God Who is the only healer. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. This word is only used two other times in the New Testament, both of them of Christ In the 3 Pastoral Epistles, as in the prison epistles, we do not read of tongues or the gift of healing operating at this time. Actually, suppose we regularly cultivate and entertain slights against us or the deeper personal affronts. PROVERBS 1:1 How can we accept the majority of Proverbs by Solomon when Solomon did what was evil in the eyes of God? He risked his life as a gambler will take risks Testament, 20 of them refer to physical sickness. He never allows us to suffer something that He doesnt give us the strength to live through. 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. 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 . Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? Epaphroditus becomes ill and almost dies. 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. life like it is something they deserve. Paul was a great theologian, he knew that death for a Christian was a promotion, an end of pain 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. for a possible gain. The congregation in Philippi loved this man so much, they did not want him to die. He wasn't distressed because he was sick but because the If so, then what I meant was that God working a certain miracle through a particular individual in a specific situation, is not quite the same as God hinting that He will, from that moment forward, constantly perform miracles for anyone, and at any given time, through that person. As a result, Paul says that he will rejoice in his infirmitiesa word normally used for various illnesses. 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)? Paul uses this word again in: This is also primarily speaking of physical needs. All things are possible to them that believe Mark 9:23. PHILIPPIANS 2:25-30Some Bible scholars have asked the question, why was Paul not able to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? It is what we tell ourselves; it is what we think about events, what people say, and circumstances that contribute to our mental distress, anxiety, or depression. means: "to abase, naturalize, to make of none effect, of no reputation." You find in 2nd Timothy 4:20, etc., that Paul lost the ability to heal people, and so on. Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? 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. becoming involved in the same charge. Philippians 2:25-30 Updated American Standard Version (UASV). well established church, to straighten out their doctrine. It appears my previous comment has been deleted, no explanation why. man we can identify with. It is a pathetic little picture of the Macedonian stranger in the great city -- pallid looks, recent illness, and pining for home and a breath of pure mountain air, and for the friends he had left. The reason that I'm stressing this is because I want 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). What does this say to the "health-wealth gospel" commissioned and sent out Timothy. 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 is there a need for healing leaves from the tree in Revelations? When God spared his B. Because his will is to speak to that individual right then. I believe it is used here primarily of physical needs. 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. How can the Pastoral Epistles not be Pauline? They were to receive him "in the Lord." The gift of tongues, prophecy and knowledge during the Acts period were only in partthey were incomplete, they did not communicate the full knowledge that the Lord had to reveal. Paul does not seem to have healed Epaphroditus. 14:18)! needs. die!" Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite" [1] which was an idiom meaning "lovely or handsome". Because the tomb was empty! A trustworthy member of the congregation at Philippi, Macedonia, who was sent with a gift to Paul, then a prisoner at Rome (c. 60-61 C.E.). Where was Paul when he wrote to the Philippians? Then the report found its way back to Rome, and Epaphroditus got home-sick and was restless, uneasy, 'sore troubled,' as the Apostle says, because they had heard he had been sick. 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?

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