Epaphras' Wrestling Ministry

EPAPHRAS' WRESTLING MINISTRY

Col. 4:12

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Bonehead Bandits

1. Two teenagers robbed the Grandon City, Kansas public library. They raced up to the counter with an empty pillow case. “Put it in,” they demanded of the clerk. “Put what in?” “The money. Put it in and nobody’ll get hurt,” they barked.

2. The puzzled librarian, who had less than $1 in collected fines, put it in the bag and called the police.

3. The youths were later caught by police and promptly “booked”. [Campus Life, March, 1980, p. 27]

B. TEXT

“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” Col. 4:12. (1:7; Philemon 1:23)

C. THESIS

1. We’re preaching about Prayer tonight. We’re looking at a man named Epaphras and at the amazing ministry he had in prayer.

2. The title is “Epaphras' Wrestling Ministry."

I. A BIBLICAL HISTORY OF INTERCESSION

Intercessory prayer has been practiced by all the best of God’s saints.

A. OLD TESTAMENT INTERCESSORS

1. Abraham prayed earnestly for Lot and his family, and “Jewed” God down from a 50 to 10 righteous required not to destroy Sodom, Gen. 19:24-33.

2. Moses often interceded and saved Israel. One time God told Moses, “Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.” Ex. 32:10-14. But Moses interceded and, by prayer, turned aside God’s wrath.

3. Samuel was a great intercessor. He called on God, and He “thundered” against the Philistines and routed them (1 Sam. 7:10).

4. Hezekiah spread out Sennacherib’s letter before the Lord & prayed and God put to death 185,000 men of Sennacherib’s army (2 Kgs. 19:35).

5. Elijah prayed, and it didn’t rain 3½ years. He prayed again, and God sent rain on Israel.

6. Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet because of his many crying intercessions.

7. Daniel received many visions when he prayed. Prayer saved him in the lion’s den, and his prayers helped Israel come back from captivity (Daniel 9).

8. Ezra was a passionate Priest who interceded for the remnant that returned from Babylon (Ezra 9).

B. NEW TESTAMENT INTERCESSORS

1. But, Church, the best example of intercessory prayer is the Lord Jesus. Was there anyone who interceded as He did? Even on the Cross He prayed for His enemies. Remember, church, it’s our Savior’s example which is the greatest pattern for our lives. If HE needed to pray, how much more us?

2. In the New Testament, Peter prayed on the top of houses; Stephen prayed when stones were falling, and Paul prayed on a storm-tossed ship and in deep prison cells.

C. NOT PRAYING IS UNTHINKABLE

1. Samuel said, “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord, in ceasing to pray for you” 1 Sam. 12:23.

2. IT UNITES US. One man told the Pastor he had a bone to pick with him. The pastor said “Let’s pray first”. When they rose from their knees, he said, “Now, friend, I think we are both in a good state of mind; tell me what it is that you’ve found fault with.” The man blushed, stammered, stuttered, and said, he did not think there was anything at all except in himself.

II. EPAPHRAS’ WRESTLING IN INTERCESSION

A. THE MEANING OF “WRESTLING”

1. We always think of prayer as easy, but Paul described it as “wrestling” in Colossians 4:12 with the Greek word “agonize” (agonidzomai). This word has been translated into English as “agony” which means “extreme physical or mental suffering.” Is that what you think of when you think of prayer?

2. There’s more than one kind of prayer. There’s relational prayer. There’s praise prayer. There’s thanksgiving prayer, etc. But there’s also a deeper, more powerful level of prayer that few enter into – entering into the office of intercession for the lives of people, the well-being of Christ’s church, and the destiny of nations! That’s what Paul is referring to here!

3. This same Greek word is translated in Luke 13:24 as “STRIVE to enter at the narrow gate.” Paul used it to describe an Olympic contestant, “STRIVING” to win, 1 Cor. 9:25.

4. It’s also translated as “FIGHT” in “FIGHT the good fight of faith” in 1 Tim. 6:12 and “I have fought a good FIGHT” in 2 Tim. 4:7.

5. All these descriptions, when applied to Epaphras, indicate that he was in a desperate struggle and contending as if in the Olympic games – in prayer!

6. Prayer is not just a pleasant, calming meditation. Paul described Epaphras as an alert wrestler who was trying to pin his opponent to the mat to gain the victory. Who was his opponent? Why was it a struggle?