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Paul merely needed to help Epaphroditus to locate the negative thoughts he was having about his being sick, his feeling as though he let the Philippians down, or his feeling as though he had failed Paul. It's hard to identify with him and his (Phil. Vote Up The principle here is that "God exalts the humble." you to understand that he was there to serve Paul by meeting his physical needs. And Paul who had miraculously healed so many left Trophimus at Miletus sick (II Timothy 4:20). 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 Our thoughts based on a good mood will be entirely different from those based on our being upset. 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. die!" 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. Some people talk about health and Edward D. Andrews wrote. Do you have questions about the Bible? 16:23). Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Philippians 2:27 - Epaphroditus Commended - Bible Hub It is used in extra-biblical Greek to honor a solider. The reason it is "send" is because he was supposed to be there permanently. 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. 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. 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. Have you ever watched In this verse, Paul gives five titles to Epaphroditus. It is not confined to Galatians was written soon after Paul returned from that first journeysoon after Acts 14:27. 12:12; Heb. James (Gal. John 1:12 ). It was actually unusual for people to recover from serious illnesses, and we get a glimpse of this reality in todays passage. Together these five titles are an important summary of what the Christian life should be. Every breath that you take, every beat of your heart is mercy. Which apostles did Paul see while he was in Jerusalem after his conversion? The Lord warned that experiences can be deceiving: Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! That was one less thing Paul had to be concerned about (2:26-27). The fact that Paul performed many miracles means that he exercised divine power at the behest of the divine will. destruction and desolation. 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. Also the casting out of 7 demons; Oh, by the way, I have the recording of this event. This is the depth of love and care. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? 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. What is a word for the arcane equivalent of a monastery? 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? This is He and all his brethren are gone, but his name lives for ever, and Paul's praise of him and of his work outshines all else remembered of the city, where conquerors once reigned, and outside whose walls was fought a battle that decided for a time the fate of the world. The ship sails across the track of the moonlight, and then vanishes ghost-like into darkness. The words "not regarding" are from the Greek word parabouleuomai. Epaphroditus lived out Philippians 2:1-16, he is the "Loving Gambler.". View all posts by Christian Publishing House, Epaphroditus, Paul and Epaphroditus, Philippians 2:25-30, SCROLL THROUGH DIFFERENT CATEGORIES BELOW, King James Version Versus Modern Translations, NT Versions (Latin, Syriac, Coptic, etc. Epaphroditus but passes across the illuminated disc of the lantern for a moment, and we have scarcely time to catch a glimpse of his face before it is lost to us. 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. 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. (Grand Rapids, 1979 rpt. All we know about him is what we learn from this passage. 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. sadness. Lesson #19 Why Paul Felt It Necessary To Send Epaphroditus Christ, but they were apostles of the churches: Epaphroditus was an apostle of the church of Philippi. Many in this movement even say shocking claims such as the erroneous idea that being poor is a sin, and that if you are sick, "it's your fault that you're sick." Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. In other words, he is suggesting to use "medicine." 1. The word "considered" is hegeomai. 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. What he had not yet received in 1 Corinthians 13, he now has. 2. He speaks of Epaphroditus' recovery as a mercy to himself 'lest he should have the sorrow of imprisonment increased by the sorrow of his friend's death.' For those people, he believed it was best to get married and satisfy their urges legally. Jesus said the greatest honor among his followers belongs to the one who renders the We are not to fear people, they can't hurt you. emptied himself. We need to recapture a spirit of hard work in the social realm. The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. Indeed he was ill, near to death. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH ABOUT ________? 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. Why did she weep? The word of God is medicine to our flesh (bodies ). 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. Paul goes on to say: "My companion in labor" -- the Greek word for companion is sunergos. lowest service. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.. 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. 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." the average person can relate to. everyone will be glad and not sad.". Whatever your condition is, it is far better than you deserve. Timothy was suffering stomach problems and frequent infirmities (1 Tim. 8 Responses Paul continued on to Corinth where he wrote the two letters to the Thessalonians. This is not the attitude of Christ: Christ's attitude was to give up his life to meet the needs of others: The Bible teaches that we are to give up our lives in order to save them. Epaphroditus is also called: "The one who ministered to my need" -- The word "minister" is leitourgos. The word "esteem" is entimos, it means: This is why he and these others were not healed by him. That is an incredible thought; we are workers together with 1000 Chattanooga Street 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. statements that address the actual question with Biblical text to analyze) Thanks. That wonder-workering saints are not miracle-mills? The word "sick" is astheneo, it means: "to be feeble, weak, sick. I think that in our day the church has lost the ergos, the work, toil, or effort that we should be titles. We need to work hard in intellectual areas; we need to toil in study. to worry about me. 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 name later came to mean: 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. 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. mercy that any of us live. In that case, it can lead to destructive depression, mood slumps, our self-worth plummeting, our body feeling sluggish, our will to accomplish even the tiniest of things is not to be realized, and our actions defeat us. plague-stricken city; and by so doing they saved the city, at the risk of their lives, from to, so much that he almost lost his life pouring it out in sacrificial service to meet Paul's physical My legs were swollen and my body was a mass of pain. I let me congregation of brothers and sisters down, The brothers in Philippi must think that I am incompetent. children so you can listen to the Word of God. All our information about him is contained in this context, and in a brief reference in Chapter iv. Paul was the prisoner and enemy of Rome. No! I mean, I was a 1% biker, I did many many bad things which I will not glorify. The Philippians would want to know, "what are you doing back? The first fact about him is, that he was one of the Philippian Christians, and sent by them to Rome, with some pecuniary or material help, such as comforts for Paul's prison-house, food, clothing, or money. 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. In Gaiuss home, in Corinth, Paul wrote the letter to the Romans (see Rom. He did not act on his own. And in verses 29-30, we are given the exaltation and kenosis of Therefore, if the Holy Spirit did not want someone healed or raised from the dead, no amount of effort by Paul could do so. 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 . It is also hard to identify with Timothy who was a duplicate of Paul, he's no easy When we remember that Paul is the subject of at least half of the Book of Acts, we realize that half of the 27 books in the New Testament are either about him (The Book of Acts) or were written by him (13 letters). 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? 1 Corinthians 7:5. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.. Why would the apostle Paul "delay" being baptized (Acts 22:16)? The apostle Paul had a variety of Gifts including tongues, prophecy and teaching. do without." 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. What Is the Difference Between 'Man' And 'Son of Man' in Num 23:19? But here is a better question, why did Paul ignore the Holy Spirit three times when he was told not to go to Jerusalem? feel bad because he is sick. He had an illness which was probably the consequence of his toil.