Note: We continue to have very cold weather in our parts which is forecast to last through Monday. Then we hope it returns to our more usual seasonal temps.

Message summary: We can learn much about character from a rather obscure Bible character named Epaphras.

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"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" (Colossians 4:12,13).

We received word from our friend Greg that Everett recently passed away. Everett, a part of the church we served in Taunton, Massachusetts, was helpful as a handyman on various church and parsonage projects when we served in that church. But he had severe dyslexia and other impairments that made life a real challenge. Very few of you have ever known or heard of him but if you think about it there are a good number of people in your life like Everett. Their work is behind the scenes.* They are like long snappers on a football team (see Tuesday's message)

Yesterday we wrote about some of the characteristics of Epaphras, a little-known member of the Colossian church, who is mentioned in both chapter one of Colossians and in today's verses. He also is like a long snapper. Today let us consider some additional characteristics.

Epaphras is mentioned just three times in the Bible (twice here in Colossians and once in Philemon). It appears that Epaphras initially took the message of Christ to Colossae (1:7), which is located in the southwest corner of modern day Turkey, and there he planted the Colossian church. The missionary journeys recorded in Acts do not mention Paul ever visiting this city. In Philemon Epaphras is mentioned as a fellow prisoner with Paul (likely the same person).

Today let us seek to attain spiritual and practical truths from each phrase in our daily text.

1) "Epaphras, who is one of you".  This likely means he was from Colossae. Wherever we reside currently or formerly we consider it a special connection with people that were or are from our home town. They've visited some of the same places we've been or may know some of the same folks we know. In Epaphras' case he had taught them the Word of God.

2) "And servant of Christ Jesus" which essentially repeats a point Paul  made in the first chapter that he was, "a faithful servant of Christ" (v.7). I would be very pleased to see my name in print, followed by the parenthetical description, "a faithful servant of Christ"!

3) "Sends greetings". What a blessing these two words must have been to the original recipients in Colossae. That means he was thinking of them. But that's not all.

4) "He is always wrestling in prayer for you". Though Epaphras was no longer in physical fellowship with the Colossians he had not forgotten them nor did he pray for them after he had fallen half asleep. Rather, he prayed for them with great intensity. Have you ever watched a wrestling match where both players engage their entire bodies, the skills they learned from training and their solid concentration to come out on top. Perhaps Paul is describing that Epaphras is fired up when he intercedes in prayer for the Colossian believers.

5) "That you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured." This describes the purpose of Epaphras' prayer. Take note of the rich spiritual interest and specific requests he presents in the phrase, "that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured".

6) "I vouch for him"! What a blessing for Epaphras to have such a commendation from Paul. Can you think of people you have esteemed that have commended you to another? Who might you encourage today with a commendation?

7) "That he is working hard for you" The sense in which he was working hard is difficult to understand since he apparently was not with them and likely was in prison with Paul, though much could be gleaned by Paul during conversation with Epaphras during their time of captivity. We do know that wrestling in prayer is hard work.

8) "And for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis" This reveals his big heart. Although Epaphras was from Colossae his ministry extended beyond that city to the entire region. Both Laodicea and Hierapolis were in the same region as Colossae and relatively close by. Laodicea is about 9 miles west and Hierapolis is about 12 miles north. This is the only Biblical reference to Hierapolis but Laodicea is one of the seven churches in Revelation best known for being lukewarm.

We can learn much about character from a rather obscure Bible character named Epaphras. As we conclude our 2 part study on Epaphras here's the only other reference in the Bible: "Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings" (Philemon 1:23).

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13