The Ministry Of Epaphras
THE MINISTRY OF EPAPHRAS
COLOSSIANS 1:3-8
The gospel of God is powerful and life-changing.
The man responsible for bringing Christianity to the Lycus Valley was Epaphras, a native of Colossae (4:12). Not only had the Colossians first heard the gospel from him (1:6-7), but he had labored diligently at Laodicea and Hierapolis as well (4:13). His own initial contact with the Christian message probably can be traced to the time of Paul’s extended Ephesian ministry. As a direct result of his daily teaching in the lecture hall of Tyrannus, Luke reports, “all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10). This wide extension of the gospel may have taken place as Paul’s disciples were instructed by him and then returned to evangelize their own native towns.
This supposition explains why Paul writes of Epaphras that “he is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf” (1:7). Epaphras had preached the gospel at Colossae as Paul’s representative. It also explains Paul’s dependence on Epaphras for his information concerning the Christians of the Lycus Valley (see 1:4,8f.; 2:1) and the apostle’s assumption of authority over a church with which he had little personal acquaintance. While Paul was unable to visit all the congregations established during the course of his Ephesian ministry he had a vital interest in them. On this understanding the church at Colossae was established in the period AD 52-55.
Perhaps five years after the founding of the church, Epaphras sought out Paul in Rome to inform him of developments within the congregation. Although the work had advanced (1:6), a type of teaching had been introduced which, if unchecked, could only obscure the character of salvation and reduce Christianity to an unwholesome asceticism. To judge from the relative mildness of Paul’s response (in contrast to the tone assumed in Galatians), the error had not yet subverted the gospel.
Apart from the letter written in anguish to the Galatians, all Paul’s letters begin with a word of thanksgiving (1:3-5). Here the specific ground of thanksgiving is the trio of Christian virtues: faith, love and hope. Paul had been informed by Epaphras concerning the faith of the Colossians and the love they had for other believers. The third element is introduced by Paul himself because it has direct bearing on what he wishes to say to the church. An adequate basis for hope is found in the gospel, which Paul defines as “the word of truth” (1:5), anticipating his characterization of the false teaching as “human tradition” and “empty deceit” (2:8). The growth of the gospel among those who have received it, and its penetration into the whole world (1:6), offer proof of its truth and sufficiency to satisfy the deepest yearning of the human heart.
Thought When Christians proclaim the good news of Christ without reserve, who can say how far that proclamation will spread?