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Colossians 4:12-13
12 Epaphras, [Epaphras] who is one of [ek] you, [humon] a servant [doulos] of Christ, [Christos] saluteth [aspazomai] you, [humas] always [pantote] labouring fervently [agonizomai] for [huper] you [humon] in [en] prayers, [proseuche] that [hina] ye may stand [histemi] perfect [teleios] and [kai] complete [pleroo] in [en] all [pas] the will [thelema] of God. [theos]
13 For [gar] I bear [martureo] him [autos] record, [martureo] that [hoti] he hath [echo] a great [polus] zeal [zelos] for [huper] you, [humon] and [kai] them that are in [en] Laodicea, [Laodikeia] and [kai] them in [en] Hierapolis. [Hierapolis] KJV-Interlinear
12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. NASB
Epaphras, meaning foaming or devoted. He was the one who was instrumental in bringing Christianity to the Colossians, Col. 1:7.
Paul mentions Epaphras with high regard, as one who has the spiritual lives of other people foremost in his mind, rather than his own interests.
And as with many of the other names mentioned, the objective of Pauls ministry as well as the mission of these men, was that people would hear the message of the scriptures and ‘stand perfect and complete.’
To stand perfect and complete means to advance to spiritual maturity.
As we look around us these days, we can probably count on just a few fingers, the people we know who have the interests of others at heart, more so than their own.
Society has become a me-first club. People get angry on the road. People look for bargains which serve themselves. People look at advancement and profit opportunities in the suffering of others. People have little or no patience, little or no empathy, little or no interest in the plight of others.
Society in general will take before giving, and if anything is free or relatively inexpensive, they still want more for less.
And here, we have examples of men and women who literally gave up their lives, their own self interests, so that others would have the chance to possess the greatest of opportunities of all. And although surrounded by millions of people living in the same geographic region, very few others participated or shared in their effort.
