The Ephesus Effect (Day 5)
WHO IS YOUR COLOSSAE?
"The multiplication model does not require you to go somewhere new. It requires you to be intentional where you already are."
Colossians 4:12-13
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.
Devotional Thought
We have spent this week walking through what we have been calling the Ephesus Effect, and it all comes down to this. Everything we have seen, the impossible city Paul walked into, the authority Jesus gave to every believer, the economic proof that transformation was real, the story of Epaphras who just went home... all of it leads to one question.
Who is your Colossae?
In Colossians 4:12-13, Paul writes, "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis."
Epaphras did not just share the gospel once and move on. He labored for the people in his region. He prayed for their maturity. He worked hard for communities he had helped bring to faith. This was not a one time event... it was a lifestyle. And the fruit of that lifestyle was not one church but three.
Right now, there are people in your world who are waiting to hear what you already know. They are not waiting for a pastor to show up at their door. They are not waiting for a church event that finally speaks their language. They are waiting for you, the person they already trust, the person they already eat lunch with, the person who already knows their story, to share the hope that has changed your life.
Here's what I see when I look at the history we have walked through this week. In 112 AD, about sixty years after Paul's time in Ephesus, a Roman governor named Pliny the Younger wrote an official report to Emperor Trajan. He reported that the spread of Christianity had reached not only the cities but the villages and the farms, that the pagan temples had been almost deserted, and that the established religious rites had been long neglected. No Christians in office. No laws protecting their freedom. No courts supporting their faith. And yet the whole region was in total reform because the Kingdom had multiplied through ordinary people.
In Ephesus itself, in 104 AD, a wealthy Roman citizen named Salutaris funded an enormous project to set up silver and gold images of Artemis throughout the city in what historians believe was a desperate effort to revive the old pagan culture. You do not invest that heavily in reasserting something that is not under threat. The old system was crumbling, and the reason it was crumbling was not political power or military force. It was the gospel multiplying through people who simply went home and lived it out.
So here is the question and it is the only one that matters at the end of this series. Who is your Colossae? Who are the people in your life, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, in your family, who need what you already carry? And what is holding you back from being their Epaphras?
The multiplication model does not require you to go somewhere new. It requires you to be intentional where you already are. You have the authority. You have the gospel. You have the context. Now go be faithful with it.
Who is your Colossae?
In Colossians 4:12-13, Paul writes, "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis."
Epaphras did not just share the gospel once and move on. He labored for the people in his region. He prayed for their maturity. He worked hard for communities he had helped bring to faith. This was not a one time event... it was a lifestyle. And the fruit of that lifestyle was not one church but three.
Right now, there are people in your world who are waiting to hear what you already know. They are not waiting for a pastor to show up at their door. They are not waiting for a church event that finally speaks their language. They are waiting for you, the person they already trust, the person they already eat lunch with, the person who already knows their story, to share the hope that has changed your life.
Here's what I see when I look at the history we have walked through this week. In 112 AD, about sixty years after Paul's time in Ephesus, a Roman governor named Pliny the Younger wrote an official report to Emperor Trajan. He reported that the spread of Christianity had reached not only the cities but the villages and the farms, that the pagan temples had been almost deserted, and that the established religious rites had been long neglected. No Christians in office. No laws protecting their freedom. No courts supporting their faith. And yet the whole region was in total reform because the Kingdom had multiplied through ordinary people.
In Ephesus itself, in 104 AD, a wealthy Roman citizen named Salutaris funded an enormous project to set up silver and gold images of Artemis throughout the city in what historians believe was a desperate effort to revive the old pagan culture. You do not invest that heavily in reasserting something that is not under threat. The old system was crumbling, and the reason it was crumbling was not political power or military force. It was the gospel multiplying through people who simply went home and lived it out.
So here is the question and it is the only one that matters at the end of this series. Who is your Colossae? Who are the people in your life, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, in your family, who need what you already carry? And what is holding you back from being their Epaphras?
The multiplication model does not require you to go somewhere new. It requires you to be intentional where you already are. You have the authority. You have the gospel. You have the context. Now go be faithful with it.
Application Questions
1. After walking through this entire series, who has the Holy Spirit brought to your mind as someone who needs to hear the gospel from you specifically?
2. What is one thing that has been holding you back from sharing your faith, and what would it look like to surrender that to God this week?
2. What is one thing that has been holding you back from sharing your faith, and what would it look like to surrender that to God this week?
Today's Challenge
Before this day ends, reach out to one person in your life who does not know Christ. It does not have to be a full gospel presentation. Send a text, make a phone call, invite them to coffee. Just take the first step. Be an Epaphras. Go to your Colossae. Start where you are.
Today's Prayer
Father, I have heard the story this week. I have seen what you did through ordinary people who simply carried the gospel home. Now I am asking you to do it again... through me. Show me my Colossae. Show me the people, the places, and the moments where you want me to be intentional. Remove the fear that has kept me quiet. Remove the excuses that have kept me comfortable. I do not need a platform. I do not need a title. I just need your boldness and your faithfulness. Make me an Epaphras for my generation. Let the gospel leave my life and enter the lives of the people around me, and let it multiply until the whole region feels the effect. In Jesus' name, amen.
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