I don’t know about you, but often when reading portions of Scripture where the writer lists peoples’ names, I tend to read them quickly and move on. God has been drawing that to my attention and urging me to slow down and process what is written about people. After all, God chose to mention them in His holy Scriptures for a reason.
One such person that God used to teach me a few valuable lessons was Epaphras.
“Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ,
sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers,
that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and
for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.”
~~Colossians 4:12-13~~
God posed a few questions to me after reading those two verses about Epaphras. See if any resonate with you as they did with me.
WHO’S IN YOUR “TRIBE”?
This question came from the phrase “who is one of your number” in verse 12. To put things in perspective, Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis were in pretty close proximity of each other. The area would be similar in size as if you drew a 1 inch circle on a map where the counties of Beaver, Butler, and Allegheny intersected.
Who’s in your tribe? Family? Friends? Bible-study mates? Fellow church members? Others in the body of Christ throughout your area? God has designed us to be a part of a body of believers for a reason. He wants to use us in their lives and them in ours. So, who’s in your tribe? Who do you do life with?
WHO’S IN CHARGE — YOU OR CHRIST?
Epaphras was described as “a bondslave of Jesus Christ” in verse 12. We don’t use the term “bondslave” today so I did a little digging to get the jist of the word. Bondslave (doulos) means a slave, a bondman, a man of servile condition. To further understand, I checked out some dictionary definitions.
According to the dictionary, a slave is one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence. To be subservient, I am being useful in an inferior capacity to the one I am serving, and my life is marked by the desire to be humbly submissive to the one I am serving.
Now filter that through the fact that Epaphras was a “bondslave” of Christ. I found myself asking these questions.
- Am I completely subservient? Am I attentive to the prompts and commands of the Spirit of God?
- Who is my life promoting? Jesus, or myself?
- If I say with my mouth that Jesus is my Master, does my life support that declaration?
- Are my eyes focused on Jesus?
- Is my spirit attentively awaiting direction from His Spirit within me? Or am I about my own agenda with this 24 hours called today?
The word “bondman” is used in some translations (instead of bondslave). As I researched that particular word, it reveals an additional aspect of “a bondman of Christ”. The dictionary defines bondman as a person who is considered the property of another person. In the culture in which we are living, I’m sure that is offensive to some, but check out this passage to glean what Paul is really trying to say.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. My life is no more my own, to do with what I please. I belong to Christ, and He is my Master.
One last thing I want to explore is the phrase “a man of servile condition” in the definition of bondslave. The word servile is defined as expressing a spirit of humility in submitting to another. So I found myself asking the question, “Do I serve God begrudgingly or with a humble and cheerful heart?” What comes to mind is the attitude of the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son. He was apparently serving for the payoff, given his jealousy against the prodigal son for whom the father threw a party upon his return.
HOW HARD DO YOU PRAY?
The phrase, “laboring earnestly for you in his prayers”, also in verse 12, sparked in my mind the question of “how hard do you pray?”. The Greek word for “laboring earnestly” (agonizomai) means to struggle; in a literal sense (to compete for a prize) – in a figurative sense (to contend with an adversary) – in a general sense (to endeavor to accomplish something). Paul is talking here about the effort it takes to pray and contend with the difficulties arising from those antagonistic to the gospel.
Did you notice that the English word “agony” is rooted in that Greek word for “laboring earnestly”? Anyone who thinks prayer isn’t a hard task, well I’d like to know your secret.
I think of the “agony” at times, the intense pain of knees on a hardwood floor as we pray. I think of the struggle of contending with the taunts of the enemy of your soul to try to shift your focus away from prayer. I think of the endeavor to remain faithful to your intent to build your prayer life. We may not be facing those openly hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ, but we are nonetheless facing things that require “laboring earnestly” to pray.
WHAT DO YOU PRAY FOR?
What do the majority of your prayers consist of? Prayer for physical comfort, or prayer for spiritual strength to endure hardships? Epaphras set a great example in what he chose to pray for on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
He prayed that they would “stand perfect in the will of God”, (v.12). The Greek word for stand (histemi) means to stand ready and prepared, and to be of a steadfast mind. The word perfect (teleios) means lacking nothing necessary to completeness, as respects understanding (a mental grasp) and goodness (of a favorable character or tendency). That begs the following questions.
- When you pray for your tribe, do you pray that they would have godly character as they go through their day, ready and prepared to be able to give an answer to others concerning their faith?
- Or…does your prayer consist of “God bless Sister Sally with a good day”?
Epaphras also prayed that they would “stand fully assured in the will of God”, (v.12). We already know that standing (histemi) includes being physically and mentally ready to stand firm. The Greek word for fully assured (plerophoreo) means to fill one with any thought, conviction, or inclination; to be persuaded and determined to a pattern of thought.
- Do you pray for those in your tribe to be so convinced of God’s truth that it translates to a strong determination to walk in His Spirit?
HOW HARD TO YOU LOVE PEOPLE?
Epaphras is described as having “a deep concern” for believers in his tribe. When I think of the word concern, I just think of having an interest in something due to a personal tie or relationship with someone. But as I looked at the definition of the Greek word for concern (ponos), I found it to mean toil or anguish, equivalent to great trouble or intense desire. That has a little more oomph than merely having an interest in something or someone.
Exploring some of the words in the definition of (ponos) added even more oomph to the meaning.
- Toil – long strenuous fatiguing labor : archaic, struggle/battle : laborious effort
- Anguish – extreme pain, distress, or anxiety
- Intense desire – conscious impulse toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment : longing/craving
When I think of “craving”, I associate it with food. (Big surprise, huh?). There are times when some food has popped into my mind that I am realllllly hungry for. I just can’t get it out of my mind until I get it! With that picture of craving a certain food in your mind, that would be the same degree of intense desire with which we should love our tribe and pray for their spiritual growth and well-being. Can you say ouch?!
Epaphras was quite a man of God, wasn’t he? And I don’t know about you, but when I “grow up”, I wanna be just like him.