EPAPHRAS: THE MAN, THE LEGEND, THE...

There’s a man who went by the name of Epaphras. Yap. I know you maybe know no one by that name.


He’s mentioned three times in the New Testament. The first time as a fellowship starter, the second time as a fervent prayer warrior, and the third time as a fellow prisoner — free even in prison. All three mentions are by Paul, as he pens(it was a feather though) his letters to the church in Colossae and to our brother Philemon.


His journey is believed to have started in Ephesus. In Acts 19, we read that Paul spent two to three years there, teaching about the baptism of Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Paul became a lecturer there and had some students under him. It’s believed Epaphras was one of those who heard the gospel then and when he travelled back home to Colossae, he simply preached what he had experienced and learned.


As a result, a fellowship was started. (bursts in song: ainuliwe Bwana wa ma bwana, ainuliwe ametenda mema...)


What catches my eye is the casualness with which he is mentioned. Even though he is an apostle — a sent one — he is simply Epaphras. Even though he evangelized his whole community, he is simply Epaphras. Even though he supported the ministry so prayerfully that it became known across churches, he is just Epaphras. Even in prison for the sake of the gospel, he is still just Epaphras.


Here are the three mentions:

Colossians 1:7 — “You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf.”


Colossians 4:12 — “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”


Philemon 1:23 — “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings.”


That word wrestling in Colossians 4:12 is agonizomai in Greek. It’s not a gentle prayer. It’s the word for an athlete straining, a soldier fighting, a man in agony. It’s labor. Epaphras agonized in prayer for the saints to stand firm, mature, and fully assured.


As I write this, the Lord reminds me that the name Epaphras is so special to Him because there was a day He wrote it down in the Book of Life and because of that one name, a few other names were also written. Because of what that brother did.


What did he do?

1. He hurried back home.

2. He loved the lost.

3. He supplicated for the saints.


Epaphras from Ephesus or is it Epaphras for Colossae?

What a brother!

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