The Example of Epaphras
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.
Colossians 4:12-13
Many pastors mention their love for reading Christian biographies (see John Piper). I can honestly say that I am no different and I love to sit down with a good Christian biography and digest the life of a hero of the faith. I especially enjoy missionary biographies, but some of my non-missionary favorites have been Eric Metaxas’ Bonhoeffer and George Muller by Roger Steer. One of my absolute favorites is To the Golden Shore (Courtney Anderson), which documents the life of Adoniram Judson. In that book, Anderson documents the life and ministry of the famous missionary and his work to evangelize parts of Asia and translate the Bible into the native language. One of the parts of Judson’s life that made a deep impression on me was the amount of work that he would get done on a daily basis for the kingdom of God. Judson did not waste any time in his daily routine and was committed to translation, social work, and evangelism.
I feel small when I complain of my busy schedule as I compare myself to Judson, but I recognize that God uses me in different ways. This concept is just one example of the impact of reading a biography and seeing the way that God works through His people. Each story is different, but the effect is generally the same: every Christian biography that I have read has made me desire to be like that man or woman. The value of Christian biographies is far-reaching, but one does not have to be an avid reader to see the example of a godly life. In fact, you only have to read one verse.
At the end of Colossians 4, Paul gives his standard final greetings where he lists names that we cannot pronounce of people we do not know. However, this final greeting contains an important piece of information concerning one of Paul’s partners in the ministry. Epaphras who is only mentioned three times in the New Testament, is here noted as one who is “one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus…always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” (Colossians 4:12). Tucked into the middle of the roll call at the end the letter, Paul reminds the Colossians of the servant that they have there in their church community.
It is important to note that Paul includes a description of the work of Epaphras, but it is also important to note what Paul says about his partner in ministry. Paul writes that Epaphras is “one of you” (a Colossian) and “a servant of Christ Jesus.” Epaphras is serving outside of the church community from which he came and is likely one of their members who had been sent out. His standing and place in their community gives validation to his credibility among their church. Once Paul has established Epaphras’ place in their church, he moves to his commendation of the servant. It is here where we can see the example of his faith and the model of prayer for our current time.
We see from this verse that Epaphras is struggling, or wrestling, in prayer for the Colossians. The term “struggling” is not necessarily in the sense that Epaphras is having a hard time praying for the Colossians, but that he is praying hard for their maturity. Think of the example of training for a marathon (I apologize to you non-runners for an unrelatable analogy). With a marathon, it is important to train and exert effort in order to finish the marathon and achieve the goal. Epaphras is putting in the hard work and long hours of prayer for the spiritual growth of the church. What a phrase to describe someone in ministry – that they struggle in prayer for the growth of believers.
Notice one more thing as we look at this short verse in Colossians. Epaphras has two goals in his prayers – that the Colossians “stand mature” and that they are “fully assured in all the will of God.” This servant of the Lord desires that the Colossians be confident in their faith and that they grow into maturity. I hope and pray that we would have the same goals in our prayers as we seek the kingdom of God.
So how does Paul’s commendation of Epaphras apply to us in our modern setting? Following his example, could the same be said about our prayer life? When was the last time we struggled in our prayers on the behalf of someone else? When was the last time we spent considerable time praying for the maturity and growth of the members in our church? Be careful not to treat the church and its members as just another activity to do or a club to join. We have not only the responsibility, but the joy of going before the Lord and lifting up our brothers and sisters. Take care not to waste this privilege and follow the example of this short New Testament biography of this “servant of Christ Jesus.”
