We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. 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. ~ Colossians 1:3-8

Paul and Timothy became acquainted with the believers at Colossae through the things that were reported to them about the faith of the Colossian believers by Epaphras: who also told us of your love in the Spirit. Epaphras was the one who taught the gospel and the grace of God to the Colossians.

I seems from the context that Epaphras may have been sent out by Paul and Timothy. Paul refers to him as a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, Epaphras, a ministry companion of Paul and Timothy is mentioned two other times by Paul in the New Testament. The first of these two is found in the 4th chapter of Colossians.

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. ~ Colossians 4:12

Notice that Paul says that Epaphras is always wrestling in prayer for you. I think sometimes we forget that prayer is not always easy, and there is a struggle, a laboring to prayer, especially when our prayers involve others.

The KJV says, always laboring fervently for you in prayers.
The NASB says, always striving earnestly for you in his prayers.

Epaphras, was obviously a man of prayer, and one who was persistent in prayer. Prayer is not easy, and it does take work to stay in prayer, because there are so many factors involved when we pray, especailly when our prayers involved other people.

In the book of Daniel we read that Daniel’s persistence in prayer paid off because there was a spiritual warfare happening in the unseen realm.

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” ~ Daniel 10:12-14

Notice that Daniel’s prayer was answered the very first day that he set his mind to gain understanding, but there were other factors involved that Daniel could not see. Daniel was persistent in prayer and the answer eventually arrived.

It is unfortunate that we now have a generation of Christians (in the United States) who have grown up in a “confession” culture and they don’t know anything about real deep prayer. They pray by naming and claiming, or declaring and decreeing, but know little or nothing of what it means to labor in prayer, especially for others.

Epaphras had labored in gospel service and taught the Colossians about the grace of God and his ministry was so effective that the Colossians were bringing forth fruit for the Kingdom of God and the knowledge of their faith and love had spread to other believers in other areas.

Even so, Epaphras did not stop praying for them. Paul says, He is always wrestling (laboring) in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

Isn’t that wonderful?! Imagine having someone who prays for you constantly that you will stand firm in all the will of God, both mature and assured. Prayer is a powerful thing and if you have a loved one or a friend who needs prayer, let me encourage you to follow Epaphras’s example and to keep laboring in prayer for them.

In Philemon, Paul mentioned Epaphras as his fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus. Epaphras, though not as well known as Paul, served faithfully in the ministry, was a man of prayer, and was persecuted for his faith, being imprisoned alongside Paul.

I think if we could go back in time and ask Paul why he was able to continue in ministry and finish his course, I am certain, he would mention the faithfulness of his companions in ministry whose faith and prayers played an important role in his journey.

Think about it, you and I have the book of Colossians that we can read and grow from, learning truths such as Christ in us is the hope of glory, because Epaphras was a faithful minister and a man of prayer.

Blessings…