There
are some people in the Bible who only get the briefest of mentions; we can often
miss the ones that are mentioned the least. Today we heard about Epaphras who
planted the church in Colossae.
He only gets three mentions in the whole
New Testament. He isn't mentioned as a great theologian, he's not a dynamic
speaker, there's no mention of him being attractive or well dressed, even well
educated - but he was a man with qualities that impressed and inspired people.
He was a man we would all do well to be a little more like.
Paul
recognised it too - he saw in this humble teacher the gifts that God had blessed
him with - and knew he wanted to be working with him. Paul had great love and
great regard for him. He called him his 'dear fellow-servant'
Epaphras
came from Colossae. So the people he ministered to were his people - they would
have spoken with the same accent - it's only natural that he would have cared
about their fate because he'd lived with and loved his city and the people in
it.
Epaphras had a particular desire that the Colossians should be blessed, because he was one of them.
There is one characteristic that stands out about him: his prayerfulness. Unlike Paul, we don't know if Epaphras wrote anything down or sent letters; his work was prayer. Depending on which translation you use, he's said to have been 'labouring fervently.' "agonising" Or "wrestling in prayer". Paul says Epaphras is "always labouring earnestly for you in his prayers" and in the next verse, "he has a deep concern for you". And notice it is in the plural, 'in prayers,' and 'always.'
The original word from which "wrestling" is translated means that he went through a struggle in prayer. We get our English term "agonize" from this Greek word. The phrase "deep concern" implies strenuous work: the sort of work that demands putting his heart and soul into his work.
Prayer was no passing matter to this believer. He sensed responsibility for others in the body of Christ, so he wrestled in prayer that the churches in the Lycus Valley might develop to their full potential in Christ. He agonised in prayer, in just the same way that Jesus did when he went to Gethsemane. Real prayer, earnest prayer, is hard work. There are so many interruptions; so many excuses for not sticking at it so it becomes harder and harder to even try a little.
He's not praying for non-believers to know Jesus, he's praying for people that already follow Jesus Christ. The nearby church of Laodicea was described as a "lukewarm" church - with little passion or commitment - they certainly didn't practise what they preached - you know the sort of Christian, the sort who isn't prepared to roll up their sleeves and actually do anything to build up the church. That was what Epaphras continued to pray about - that they would be excited and enthusiastic in wanting to serve Christ.
You know it does seem rather daunting the thought of building prayer into your day - I mean where on earth do you fit it? For us to weave prayer into our daily lives, then that is what it has to become a part of. The times of the day when I pray are when I walk my dog - twice a day in all weathers she gets taken out - and while she runs around like she's still six months old - I take some time to reflect on the day to come and the day that's just been.
The other time I pray is whenever I make a cup of tea - just the couple of minutes when I'm waiting for the kettle to boil - you can work it into your day from breakfast to supper.
If you sign up to MCC Manchester's text service - then every time you check your messages there's likely to be a prompt to remember someone in prayer - this week in the middle of a lousy day at work I got a text inviting me to pray for Anna and it reminded me about what's important in life.
Looking through today's passage and the context in which it is set gives us ideas about how we should try and pray:
Our
prayers should be Faithful.
We have so many wonderful examples to serve as role models - people of faith who persevered in prayer: David, a man after God's own heart - Ps 55:16-17; Daniel, a man greatly beloved by God - Dan 6:10; Anna, an elderly widow blessed to see the Christ-child - Lk 2:36-38; and of course, Paul himself- Co 1:9
Our prayers should be Watchful.
On several occasions, Jesus warned His disciples to be watchful in prayer - Mt 13:32-33; Mt 26:41; or as Paul put it in our text, "be vigilant in it".
Our prayers should be Thankful.
Throughout the letters to the Colossians, there is an emphasis on being
thankful.
Our prayers should be Purposeful.
Prayers are often too general in their requests, lacking specific
purpose - it's far easier to pray for a specific person or situation.
Epaphras was a man of prayer. He prayed for the people he knew, that
they would know God in new ways. He prayed "constantly" ("always"); he
"wrestled" in prayer ("laboring fervently"); he prayed "personally" ("for you");
he prayed "with a goal in mind" ("that you may stand perfect
and
complete...").
And whenever we're not certain what to pray for - that seems a pretty good place for us to start.
(Dan Joseph)
This sermon was first preached in the Metropolitan Community Church
of Manchester. Click here for further information.