It All Belongs To You, I’ve Got My Mind Made Up, I Will Go, Been So Good, Praise, Dakilang Pagmamahal

Have you ever felt overlooked or wondered if God could really use someone like you?

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Many people fear being overlooked or considered insignificant. Yet throughout Scripture, God repeatedly demonstrates that He delights in using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary purposes.

History offers similar reminders. During the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942, Chief Water Tender Oscar Peterson served below deck, unseen by most of his fellow sailors. Though severely wounded, he crawled through burning compartments to close steam valves that prevented an even greater disaster. His actions saved the lives of 123 men, though he later died from his injuries. Few knew his name, but his sacrifice made an eternal difference.

Like countless faithful servants throughout history, Oscar Peterson reminds us that significance is not measured by recognition. As Isaiah 43:1 declares, God knows His people by name. Even when the world overlooks us, we are fully known by Him.

This truth is beautifully illustrated in the life of Epaphras. Though mentioned only briefly in Scripture, his example shows how God uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways.

Share Christ

Paul credits Epaphras with bringing the gospel to the believers in Colossae (Colossians 1:3-8). Through his faithful witness, people heard, understood, and believed the grace of God.

Sharing Christ is not reserved for pastors or professional ministers. As Elton Trueblood observed, evangelism is the responsibility of every follower of Jesus. If we have experienced God’s saving grace, we have also been entrusted with the privilege of sharing it.

Epaphras proclaimed the gospel despite significant obstacles. False teachings, widespread idolatry, and economic concerns competed for people’s attention. The challenges are remarkably similar today. False beliefs continue to spread, modern idols compete for our devotion, and life’s pressures often distract people from eternal realities. Yet the gospel remains the greatest news anyone can ever hear.

Charles Stanley once wrote that God’s plan for expanding His kingdom is wonderfully simple: one person telling another about the Savior. Someone’s eternal destiny may depend on our willingness to speak.

Simple conversations can become divine appointments that lead people to place their faith in Jesus. For example, a small group that began meeting for weekly runs intentionally used those gatherings to share the gospel, eventually reaching hundreds of people. God often uses ordinary conversations to accomplish extraordinary work.

Serve Christ

Paul also describes Epaphras as Christ’s “beloved fellow bondservant” (Colossians 1:7). His service flowed from a heart fully devoted to his Master. In biblical times, a bondservant willingly chose to remain with his master out of love rather than obligation (Exodus 21:5-6). That picture reflects the attitude every believer should have toward Christ. We do not serve Him because we are forced to, but because we love the One who first loved us.

Jesus Himself modeled this servant’s heart, choosing the Father’s will above His own. He calls His followers to embrace the same posture of humble obedience rather than one of entitlement.

A servant asks, “How can I please God and bless others?” An entitled heart asks, “What’s in it for me?” A servant quietly fulfills responsibilities, while an entitled person seeks recognition. The difference is not merely in actions but in motivation.

Epaphras demonstrated this servant’s heart through practical acts of love. He traveled a great distance to encourage Paul during his imprisonment, and he faithfully interceded for the believers in Colossae. Paul describes him as “always laboring earnestly” in prayer (Colossians 4:12). His prayers were not casual or routine but persistent, heartfelt, and sacrificial. God uses ordinary people who quietly serve others and faithfully pray for them.

Surrender to Christ

Everything Epaphras did flowed from one defining characteristic: he belonged completely to Christ.

Paul referred to him as a “fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus” (Philemon 1:23). More than a physical circumstance, this reflected a life fully surrendered to Christ’s authority.

A prisoner of Christ has nowhere else to go except where Christ sends him and nothing else to do except what Christ asks of him. His life is no longer his own.

Living as Ordinary People in the Hands of an Extraordinary God The transforming power of the gospel is seen whenever ordinary people surrender to Christ. George Palmer was a young gang leader who attended a Billy Graham crusade intending to assassinate the evangelist. Yet after hearing the gospel, he laid down his weapon, surrendered his life to Jesus, and spent the next three decades serving God.

That same gospel continues to change lives today. Whether God calls us to share Christ, serve others, or surrender more fully to His will, He delights in working through ordinary people whose hearts belong completely to Him.

Perhaps today He is inviting you to trust Him for the first time. Or perhaps He is calling you to become more intentional in sharing your faith, serving His people, or yielding every area of your life to His control.

The extraordinary work has never depended on extraordinary people. It has always depended on an extraordinary God.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you to someone He has made ready to hear about Jesus, to open your eyes to see opportunities around you to share the gospel.

Care for people —meeting physical needs, emotional and spiritual needs as you lead them to Christ, the One who supplies not only for their felt needs, but for their eternal need of Him as their Savior and Lord, their everything!

• Worship God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do in our lives.

• Upright and moral governance of public servants; repentance and salvation for government leaders and citizens for a Christ-centered Philippines.

• For legislators to promote and support bills and laws aligned with God’s Word.

• Pray for persecuted Christians in Sudan and Nigeria) — many have been beheaded and murdered; earnestly seek God’s intervention to stop the bloodshed. Pray for freedom from oppression, that God’s word and His people bring them comfort and hope.

• Continue to pray for Israel’s war with terrorists to end according to God’s purpose and for His glory. For Jewish people worldwide who are experiencing a surge of antisemitism. May this lead them to the Messiah, Jesus as they turn to God for help and comfort.

• For nations in turmoil (e.g., Ukraine, Middle Eastern countries, etc.) to experience true freedom in Christ and become centers for massive spiritual revivals in their regions. For new Iranian leadership to rise up that will be for the people of Iran, will promote freedom of worship that the Iranian believers will be able to reach out to the rest of their countrymen and the people of the Middle East.

• Pray for the people of Venezuela devastated by two strong 7+ magnitude back-to-back earthquakes. Pray for the rescue of those trapped under collapsed buildings; for strength and protection for the rescue workers; for relief goods and medical services for thousands of affected families. For the church to be the powerful hands of hope and healing that will lead people to Jesus.

• That CCF Members would honor and love God and make disciples.

• For elders, pastors, dleaders, and families to become holy, humble, harmonious, happy, and heart-working.

• Ministries and churches expand worldwide.

• Worship and Training Center

• Prayer Mountain

• Deeper intimate relationship with God.

• Righteous living.

• Salvation of family and friends.

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.