Seeds for 04/12/2023 - Colossians 4:12-15
Scripture: “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. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.”
Observation: More about Paul’s friends and co-workers, men and women with whom he shares a partnership in the Gospel and who have invested their talents and resources to advance the message of Christ.
I’ve got a soft spot for Epaphras. Paul more or less bookends his letter to the Colossians with references to him. Remember this from early in chapter 1:
In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Epaphras taught the Colossians about God’s grace in Jesus. Now he continues investing in them by “always wrestling in prayer for you.” I never got into the various TV wrestling shows, but several guys in my church youth group did. They were such big fans that they would show up early to pull mats out of the storage closet and practice wrestling moves before our group meeting began. As the rest of us were showing up, they were wrapping up the award presentation of championship belts they had fashioned from cardboard and various colors of duct tape. For some reason, this is the image that comes to mind. Not the fake part of course, but the energy, effort, and passion. I imagine Epaphras bringing this sort of vigor to “wrestling in prayer” for his Colossian friends.
And to what end is he wrestling in prayer?
“That you may stand firm in all the will of God…” - Standing firm is a strong image, but it’s the little word “all” that gets me. Whether comforting or demanding, Epaphras avoids picking and choosing what we like or dislike about the will of God. Elsewhere, Paul speaks about the importance of relying on God’s transforming grace that our minds may be able to discern the will of God. We may know what is right but struggle to do it. The Colossians may be like us. So Epaphras prays.
“…mature and fully assured.” The image here for me is a mighty redwood tree. It’s not some new sprout, cocksure and ready to take on the world. It’s humble, but with conviction. It knows itself and what it stands for. That’s what I’d like to be in Christ. Not “young and fully convinced I’m right about everything” but “mature and fully assured,” a steadfastness born of humility and wisdom.
Application:
Who is your Epaphras, continuing prayerfully to invest in you and your spiritual maturity?
Who are your Colossians, for whom you pray?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, keep maturity and faithfulness in my sights as I follow you. Show me whose walk of faith you would have me pray for today. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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