After declaring the faith,
love and hope of the church members in Colosse, Paul the apostle
continues his opening remarks concerning their fellowship. In chapter
one and verse seven Paul declares the source of his information
concerning them as he mentions their pastor Epaphras and his
faithfulness to Christ where we read:
As you also learned of
Epaphras our dear fellowservant,
who is for you a
faithful minister of Christ;
The verse begins, “As
you also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant,” Paul
mentioned that the church members “also learned” which
means “be apprised, to increase one's knowledge, to be
increased in knowledge, to hear, or be informed” about “Epaphras”
whose name means “lovely”. Paul calls “Epaphras”
“our dear fellowservant” which is “agapetos syndoulos”
in Greek and means “beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of
love - fellow servant or one who serves the same master with
another”. No doubt Paul the apostle considered “Epaphras”
a close brother and fellow-servant of the Lord Jesus.
The verse goes on to say, “who
is for you a faithful minister of Christ;”
Paul continued his comments about “Epaphras”
and said he was “a faithful minister”
or “of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of
business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official
duties, one who kept his plighted faith, worthy of trust, and
one that can be relied on - one who executes the commands of another,
esp. of a master, a servant, or attendant”. Not only was “Epaphras”
a close companion and
fellow-servant servant of Paul, but most importantly he was a
faithful and reliable servant “of Christ”.
As
we consider “Epaphras”,
perhaps we will examine our own lives and determine if his qualities
would be ones that Paul would write about us. Would we be considered
a “dear fellow-servant”?
Would we be determined as “a faithful minister of
Christ”? As we read and study
the Bible, it is helpful for us to put ourselves in the positions of
those of whom we read. Not only do we gain greater understanding of
the Bible and the people within it, but we also learn by the Holy
Spirit the qualities that the Lord Jesus desires for us to have. May
the Lord bring to our attention any ways about us that would not be
greatly loved in our service to others, and may He help us to be
“faithful ministers”
to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Next
time Paul will write about what Epaphrus declared to Paul concerning
the church,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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