Who...Declared...Your Love?

Colossians 1: 7-8
As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

What do people say about you? I have heard it said that the best advertising is word of mouth. Someone said that any organization is judged by the people that are members of it. I once worked for a company that made us wear t-shirts that said "Our People Make The Difference".

I have heard Pastor's say that the ministry would be great except for the people they deal with. I think that the sad state most churches are in is directly related to the testimony of the people which comprise the membership at large.

The Apostle gives us a glimpse of a great example of a true servant. If Christians would determine to be more like Epaphras the effectiveness of the local church would grow dramatically.

Ye Also Learned Of Epaphras,
We see a servant that is rare indeed. He is a conduit, a person that allows to flow through him the blessings to others.

Epaphras is a two way street, he traveled down one lane to bring the gifts to the Apostle in his time of need, he was commissioned by his local church to represent their interests and minister to the fellowservant on the front line. Then Epaphras collected the news of how things were going returns down the other lane to give an unbiased report of the facts, and blessings, and trials he observed.

Our Dear Fellowservant,
I have talked with fellow Missionaries that cringe at the thought of having certain Pastors visit on the field. It seems like some visiting Pastors are critical and are looking for flaws or differences that can be exploited. The overall experience is hard and dreaded. I have also heard Missionaries get excited about certain Pastors visiting their field, because of the blessings and individual ministering they offer to the needy man of God on his field.

I pray that when I visit a fellowservant, the wake of that visit is one that is "Dear" in their memory.

A Faithful Minister Of Christ;
As a child of God, We are called to be ministers. If we are not faithful we sin. The world see our actions. The world knows how a Christian minister is supposed to act, just ask them they will tell you! I desire to be known as a faithful minister. Do you?

Who Declared Unto Us Your Love In the Spirit.
When we depart from a visit to someone, do we give them a reason to say "we have been loved"? If you were to visit one of the On-post Bible Studies and I invited you to speak to the soldiers I would tell you that I don't care what you preach (topic) but I want you to love the soldiers for about an hour or so.

In our drive to be doctrinally pure we get cranky, we forget that in the sinners world no one loves them and most people are looking for love in all the wrong places! If we would "Declare" the love of God (in and through the Holy Spirit) to the lost just like Epaphras declared the love of the church at Colosse, what would be the results?

God, grant me the ability to be an Epaphras in this needy world!