This word is only used two other times in the New Testament, both of them of Christ Epaphroditus loved the Philippians, who he was representing, and Paul, who he was ministering Paul was quick to send Stop speaking in the tongue because it is not from the Holy Spirit. 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. 3. means: "to intensely crave, desire greatly." And in 2 Thessalonians 2:5 Paul reminds the Thessalonians of his teaching, as if it had not been very long since he had been with them. This gives us the manner in which the Philippians should receive him and why. Epaphroditus wasn't sick because of sin, he was sick because of the work of Christ Paul might have no longer had the use of it, but even if he did, it was not intended for believers. He is a co-worker, it's speaking of common effort, diligence. 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)? He also raised Eutychus from the dead, he also was immune to snake bite etc. He is saying, 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 ministry is people! Epaphroditus did not invoke a certain claim to be healed or visit someone with the gift of healing. Why did not the Apostle Paul ever say "In the name of him who says" (i.e., Heb. and thine often infirmities. We are to follow the example of Christ who "emptied Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? good friend. 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.. mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. 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. Tongues is a written, spoken language, not mere blabbering in the air, which even Paul himself said was utterly useless and just mere cacophony). We are We are co-laborers. 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). We need to meet people's needs ), [6] MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London, 191429). The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. The word "longing" is epipotheo, it The Lord does not deny that they had done these things. 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. Ministering to others' physical needs is a spiritual priestly 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. 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. someone who would represent the church well. [3] Apparently on the way to Rome, Epaphroditus fell sick. Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. Epaphroditus was sent by the church at Philippi with gifts of support to bring to Paul who was living under house arrest in Rome. And I see no where in the Bible that tells us the working of miracles has ceased. Historians tell us that he had a very common name. Timothy was suffering stomach problems and frequent infirmities (1 Tim. sick. 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. He wasn't a teacher nor preacher that we know of. 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. 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! Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul extra gifts to help the Apostle bear his sorrows. Thanks. Paul is saying that God was PERMITTING them to do certain signs so that the Jews might believe that they were of God. Philippians 2:25-30 Updated American Standard Version (UASV). Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Paul would go on to write 13 letters in the New Testamentfrom the Letter to the Romans to the Letter to Philemon. But the Lord revealed to Paul that that which is perfect was coming. Which apostles did Paul see while he was in Jerusalem after his conversion? This The first one suggested is the very familiar one of the great uniting principle which a common faith in Christ brought into action. Spam, November 06 2014 We have also to notice Paul's delicate recognition of all friendly help. Why did Paul leave Trophimus, a 7-year companion, sick and not heal him? Philippians 2:27 Commentaries: For indeed he was sick to the point of meeting their needs. Romans 10:8-10 tells us: 8 But what saith it? Paul uses the word sunergos here of himself and Apollos. 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). Fortunately for both Epaphroditus and Paul, God was merciful and intervened in the situation by healing Epaphroditus. Spam, January 22 2014 Are we fellow soldiers? 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. other words, they were to receive him as the Lord would receive him. Paul says, No. Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV). Epaphroditus was distressed because the Philippians were distressed over his terrible illness. 12:9). Shortly after that Paul traveled to Macedonia (see Acts 20:1 and 2 Cor. And in the Acts Epistles we read of the gifts operating in the churches that Paul founded. 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. That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with children so you can listen to the Word of God. And they did, because in the letters written after the Book of Acts, the sign gifts had ceased, just as the Lord said that they would. destruction and desolation. (verse 30). on Phil no. Paul used this word in: It is a strong inward desire for the Philippians. The next two letters that Paul wrote are the two letters to the Corinthians. In each of these letters he writes of his chainssee Ephesians 6:20, Colossians 4:18, Philemon 13 and Philippians 1:13. Why does the Apostle Paul use the verb twice in Philippians 4:2? Theyve been taught that a person has to speak in tongues to prove that he is really saved, or that he really has the Holy Spirit dwelling within. So, Paul calls him a brother, a fellow worker, and then he calls him: "My fellow solider" -- solider is from the Greek word sustratiotes. It is argued that Paul had the "sign" of healing but not the gift of healing. Asked January 21 2014 Epaphroditus who was to stay at Rome and help Paul in any way he could. He hazzard his life "to supply what was lacking in your service toward Epaphroditus was evidently healed through the Lords direct, miraculous intervention, perhaps via the gifts of healing that some believers possessed during the Apostolic era (1 Cor. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow (v. 27). Simply: Stop! 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. What evidence is there the writer of Revelation was aware of the apostle Paul? act to follow either. Some scholars also believe that before news of this illness reached Philippi, the Philippian Christians may have thought that Epaphroditus had proved unreliable because of his delay in returning to Philippi. 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. 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. 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 Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. When Paul wrote now I know in part, he used the common word for know, the Greek word gnosis. 2:25; cf. Who was Epaphroditus in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org It's hard to identify with him and his The power of working miracles, like that of foreseeing the future (comp. Vote Up Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Epaphroditus means: "belonging to or devoted to Aphrodite." However, by that time, those gifts had ceased, because the "signs and wonders" were to the Jews; the laying on of hands for healing and the gift of tongues had become unnecessary. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit did not want someone healed or raised from the dead, no amount of effort by Paul could do so. 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. (Grand Rapids, 1979 rpt. The terms in which the work of Epaphroditus is spoken of by Paul are very significant. to meet someone's need? The normal word Perhaps Paul said this precisely because the Philippians might be tempted to judge Epaphroditus for being ill, concluding that he was being chastised by God for some secret or even scandalous sin. Remember that God is not a man that He should lie. 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. 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. It was actually unusual for people to recover from serious illnesses, and we get a glimpse of this reality in todays passage. Philippians 1:25, and note), was not, it seems, continuous; both were exercised only in accordance with the revealed will of God and on occasions of especial moment. 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. However, Paul was often an instrument of healing.