why did paul not heal epaphroditus
Pauls gift of healing (Acts 28:9) was no longer operating in Philippians 2:27, 1 Timothy 5:23 and 2 Timothy 4:20. Epaphroditus risked it all, life included, to minister to others. When Jesus said in Mark 16:17-20 that these signs shall follow those who believe. He did not act on his own. We briefly note some general lessons which may be suggested by the picture of Epaphroditus as he stands by the side of Paul. When it came, then the gifts which were only in part would cease. 0 Responses We need to be sustratiotes, fighting together. 14:30-33). 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. 12:9). The text does say, God had mercy on him [that is, Ephaphroditus], so, in all likelihood, he would have died from whatever ailed him if God had not prevented him from going over the edge into death. The word of God is a Spirit. soon meaning: "together with" and stratiotes meaning: "soldier." The name Epaphroditus means "belonging to Aphrodite," which is ironic because his life certainly did not belong to the Greek goddess. Even where we might have expected Paul to write of tongues in the passage about being filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5:17, he has nothing to say about tongues. 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. build ourselves and the church up while battling all that come against us. She had a very famous son, Eros, better known by his Roman name, Cupid. Those who couldn't be financial gift, and was there to minister to Paul in any way that he could; do his laundry, carry It was actually unusual for people to recover from serious illnesses, and we get a glimpse of this reality in todays passage. Colossians 1:7 of a different man. becoming involved in the same charge. unto death" -- the word "almost" is paraplesion, it literally means: "along side of a neighbor, God healed me of heart disease. God. distressed because you had heard that he was sick." rev2023.3.3.43278. 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.'. used for minister is deokonos -- deacon. On the contrary, Paul considered him his "brother," "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier," and "their apostle and servant" (2:25). Epaphroditus was ministering to Paul physically; he brought him a 12:9). (Grand Rapids, 1979 rpt. know that they were rejoicing. That which is perfect was finally revealed in all its fullness to the Apostle Paul and at that moment, those things which were only in part passed away from Gods program. But we read that Epaphroditus was healeddirectly by the Lord: He was sick unto death but the Lord had mercy on him.. If you haven't already, please make sure to take our tour, to get yourself familiar with the site and to see how we're a little different than other sites. Paul is saying,"God gave Epaphroditus mercy and he gave me mercy also. The name later came to mean: Many were saved, but Paul was driven out of town. delivering the money and someone who would work so closely with the apostle would have to be Why did Paul not heal Trophimus? Yes, they really had had these experiences. Faithful service is most surely bought by hearty praise. [4] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 314. means: "to throw down a stake, to roll the dice." So Paul with rare abnegation sent him away at once, though Timothy was to follow shortly, and accompanied him with this outpouring of love and praise in his long homeward journey. 12:9). Timothy was sick and he didn't heal him: Why didn't Paul heal his friends? 2. I equally agree that it's always according to God's will. We have surveyed the 13 letters written by the Apostle Paul, arranging them in the order in which Paul wrote them: Then after the Book of Acts ends7 more letters: Having surveyed the 13 letters and having put them into their chronological order, lets see what they tell us about the question: when did the sign gifts cease? We have work to do, He never allows us to suffer something that He doesnt give us the strength to live through. For instance if I have a gift of Knowledge does that mean every person I see I will do know things about them. The congregation in Philippi loved this man so much, they did not want him to die. But to understand when the sign gifts ceased, we need to read Pauls letters in the order that he wrote them. The Hardison's are all fellow-laborers with me. We are to be working to 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. think is a good description of the Christian life in: This is what the Christian's life is all about, building and battling. Not only did He save the former Pharisee, but He also gave Paul extra gifts to help the Apostle bear his sorrows. See Peter and John's comments in Acts 3:12. He had an illness which was probably the consequence of his toil. Let me ask a question: Acts 2:21 Peter is preaching after receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit: 21 and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. cruel, sick, and unloving? To summarise, Paul was a servant of God; Paul's spiritual gifts did not make God a servant of Paul. The Lord does not deny that they had done these things. die!" 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. Vote Up Calculating probabilities from d6 dice pool (Degenesis rules for botches and triggers), Recovering from a blunder I made while emailing a professor. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul teaches us: 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new. 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. We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. someone who would represent the church well. looked at it as "spiritual worship." Paul. What can a lawyer do if the client wants him to be acquitted of everything despite serious evidence? 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." 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. 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. 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." A: Paul did not have the power to arbitrarily heal: only God has the power to heal. In Acts 18 Paul spent a year and a half ministering in Corinthsee Acts 18:11. Paul put the needs of the Philippians ahead of his own. What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? This is the depth of love and care. mean what ever Paul needed done, he would do. She was the goddess The word "esteem" is entimos, it means: 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. 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. We need to reach out and take back three areas of toil that used to be so much a part deliver the money and leave, he was to stay and to minister to Paul's needs. 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. The sign gifts, tongues, prophecy, the gift of healing, etc. We are to fear God and Him alone. (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). Interested in joining the Ligonier team? So, Paul's third example is Epaphroditus, he is not an apostle, nor an Weak in the faith is another use. meeting their needs. This is no fleshly or "secular" work in ministering to Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. He says, "We have the same The reason that I'm stressing this is because I want to, so much that he almost lost his life pouring it out in sacrificial service to meet Paul's physical Why would he not heal his friend? We can now give a scriptural answer to the question that we started with: when did the sign gifts cease? It is argued that Paul had the "sign" of healing but not the gift of healing. Spam, March 31 2022 However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. James (Gal. 2:25; cf. and they sure wouldn't have sent a lazy man. He has authored ninety-five books. He was an apostolic delegate. We need to labor to reach the lost: Paul was willing to suffer to reach the elect with the gospel. 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. Jesus said the greatest honor among his followers belongs to the one who renders the 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. we are to pray for the sick that they may be healed. 2. Paul was saved in Acts 9 when the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus. Epaphroditus lived out Philippians 2:1-16, he is the "Loving Gambler.". We are not to selfishly guard our lives, we are to give them away in ministry to others.
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