Epafrase​—“Ministre muena lulamatu wa Kristo”

NNGANYI wakasa bisumbu bia bena nkristo mu Kolinto, Efeso, ne mu Filipoi? Pamu’apa udi mua kuandamuna kuyi welakana ne: ‘Paulo, “mupostolo kudi bisamba bia bende.”’ (Lomo 11:13) Udi mua kuikala wamba bulelela.

Kadi, nnganyi wakashimika bisumbu mu Kolosai, Hierapolis, ne mu Laodisé? Nansha mutudi katuyi mua kuikala bajadike, bivua mua kuikala muntu uvua ne dîna se: Epafrase. Mu mishindu yonso, pamu’apa udi mua kuanyisha bua kumanya bivule pa mumuangalaji eu wa evanjeliyo, bu mudibu bamubikila ne: “ministre muena lulamatu wa Kristo.”​—Kolosai 1:7, NW.

Mumuangalaji wa evanjeliyo wa mu Tshibanda tshia Lycus

Dîna edi Epafrase ntshikepeshilu tshia Epafrodite. Kadi kabena mua kutompakaja Epafrase eu ne Epafrodite wa mu Filipoi. Epafrase uvua mufumine ku Kolosai, tshimue tshia ku bijengu bisatu bia bisumbu bia bena nkristo mu tshibanda tshia Musulu wa Lycus, mu Azi Minere. Kolosai uvua usanganyibua amu kilometre 18 kumbukila ku Laodisé ne kilometre 19 kumbukila ku Hierapolis, mu rejon wa kale wa Phrygie.

Bible kêna wamba mu mushindu mutokesha bimpe muvua lumu luimpe lua Bukalenge bua Nzambi lufike ku Phrygie. Kadi, bena mu Phrygie bavua mu Yeruzaleme mu dituku dia Pentekoste mu 33 B.B., pamu’apa bamue ba kudibu bavua bafumine ku Kolosai. (Bienzedi 2:1, 5, 10) Munkatshi mua mudimu wa Paulo mu Efeso (pabuipi ne 52-55 B.B.), bumanyishi bufila mu tshitupa atshi buvua bukole ne bupatule bipeta mu mushindu wa se: ki ng’anu bena Efeso nkayabu kadi kabidi “bonso bavua basombele mu distrike dia Azi bakumvua dîyi dia Mukalenge, bena Yuda ne bena Greke.” (Bienzedi 19:10, NW) Mbimueneke se: Paulo kavua muyishe lumu luimpe mu Tshibanda tshijima tshia Lycus nansha, bualu bantu bavule bakalua bena nkristo mu rejon au kabavua banji kumumona.​—Kolosai 2:1.

Bilondeshile Paulo, eu wakalongesha bena Kolosai bua “bulenga bukena butuakanyine bua Nzambi mu bulelela” uvua Epafrase. Tshilumbu tshia se: Paulo udi ubikila muena mudimu nende ne: “ministre muena lulamatu wa Kristo bua bualu buetu” tshidi tshileja ne: Epafrase uvua mumuangalaji wa evanjeliyo mupatudi wa bipeta mu teritware au.​—Kolosai 1:6, 7, NW.

Mupostolo Paulo ne mumuangalaji wa evanjeliyo Epafrase bavua ne ditabalela dinene bua diakalenga dia mu nyuma dia bena kuitabuja nabu ba mu Tshibanda tshia Lycus. Muikale “mupostolo kudi bisamba bia bende,” Paulo uvua ne bua kuikala musanke bua kupeta lumu lua dilubuluka diabu. Bivua ne bua kuikala anu kudi Epafrase kuvua Paulo mumvuile lumu elu lua nsombelu wa mu nyuma wa bena Kolosai.​—Kolosai 1:4, 8.

Luapolo lua Epafrase

Bena Kolosai bakapetangana ne ntatu mikole mitambe mikumbane bua kuitabijija Epafrase bua kuenzaye luendu lule mutangile ku Roma bua tshipatshila tshisunguluke tshia kuyukidilangana malu aa ne Paulo. Bushuwa luapolo luule ne malu luenza kudi Epafrase ke luakasaka Paulo bua kufundila bana betu abu mikanda ibidi nansha muvuabu kabayi bamanyike kudiye. Umue uvua mukanda mutumina bena Kolosai. Mukanda mukuabu, udi umueneka kauyi mulamibue, uvua mutumina bena Laodisé. (Kolosai 4:16) Mbia meji bua kuela lungenyi se: malu avua mu mikanda ayi avua mafunda bua kuandamuna ku makengela a bena nkristo abu bu muvua Epafrase mubambishe. Mmajinga kayi avuaye mumone? Ne ntshinyi tshidi bualu ebu butusokoluela pa bidi bitangila bumuntu buende?

Mukanda mutumina bena Kolosai udi umueneka muikale uleja ne: Epafrase uvua upampakana bua muvua bena nkristo ba mu Kolosai bikale mu njiwu ya nkindi ya bampangano ivua ikonga budikengeshi, spiritisme, ne tshitabataba tshia ditendelela dia mpingu. Kabidi, dilongesha dia bena Yuda dia kubenga biakudia ne didilamina dia amue matuku divua mua kuikala ne buenzeji pa bamue bena mu tshisumbu.​—Kolosai 2:4, 8, 16, 20-23.

Tshilumbu tshia se: Paulo udi ufunda bua biena-bualu ebi tshidi tshituleja muvua Epafrase mutabale ne muikale ne ntema ku makengela a bena nkristo nende. Wakaleja ditabalela dia dinanga bua diakalenga dia mu nyuma, muikale mumanye njiwu ya mu nyunguluilu muvuabu basombele. Epafrase wakakeba mibelu ya Paulo, ne ebi bidi bileja se: uvua muena bupuekele. Misangu mikuabu uvua mumvue dikengela dia kupeta mibelu idi ifumina kudi muntu kampanda uvua ne dimonamona dia malu divule. Mu mishindu yonso, Epafrase wakenza malu ne meji.​—Nsumuinu 15:22.

Muntu uvua wangata disambila ne mushinga

Mu nkomenu wa mukanda wakatuminaye bena nkristo ba mu Kolosai, Paulo udi wamba ne: ‘Epafrase, udi umue wenu ne mupika wa Kristo Yezu, udi unutumina muoyo, udi utshinta bikole misangu yonso bua bualu buenu mu [“masambila,” NW] ende, bua nuenu nujalame bakane tshishiki, ne bamanyishibue bimpe mu disua dionso dia Nzambi. Bualu bua ndi mumanyi wa bualu buende ne: yeye udi utamba kuikala ne mudimu wa bungi bua bualu buenu ne bua badi mu Laodisé ne bua badi mu Hierapolis.’​—Kolosai 4:12, 13.

Eyowa, nansha pavuaye “muena lukanu” pamue ne Paulo mu Roma, Epafrase uvua welangana meji bua bana babu bananga ba mu Kolosai, Laodisé, ne mu Hierapolis ne uvua ubasambidila. (Filemona 23) Muaku ku muaku, ‘wakaluangana’ bua bualu buabu mu disambila. Bilondeshile mushikuluji D. Edmond Hiebert, muaku wa tshiena-Greke mutumika nawu apa udi umvuija “mudimu mukole ne wa mushinga mutambe,” tshintu kampanda tshifuanangane ne “disumpakana” dia mu lungenyi diakapeta Yezu Kristo pavuaye usambila mu budimi bua Getesemane. (Luka 22:44) Epafrase uvua ujinga ne muoyo mujima bua se: bana babu ba mu nyuma balume ne bakaji bafike ku dishindama ne ku dikola tshishiki dia Buena-nkristo. Mmunyipu muvua muanetu eu uvua ne lungenyi lua mu nyuma ne bua kuikala dibenesha kudi bisumbu!

Bu muvua Epafrase mubikidibue ne: ‘mupika netu munanga,’ kakuena mpata bua se: uvua munangibue kudi bena nkristo nende. (Kolosai 1:7) Padi mushindu umueneka, bena mu tshisumbu bonso badi ne bua kudifila ne budisuile buonso ne luya ne dinanga. Tshilejilu, tudi mua kutabalela diambuluisha babedi, bakulakaje, peshi bakuabu badi ne makengela a pa buawu. Kudi mua kuikala majitu mashilashilangane a kukumbaja mu tshisumbu, peshi kudi mua kuikala mushindu wa kukumbaja tshitupa kampanda mu mapangadija a luibaku a teokrasi.

Kusambila bua bakuabu, bu muakenza Epafrase, kudi mushindu kampanda wa mudimu wa tshijila udi bonso mua kuenza. Masambila bu nunku adi mua kukonga miaku ya ditabalela bua batendeledi ba Yehowa badi ne bua kuakama njiwu kabukabu anyi ntatu ya mushindu kampanda wa mu nyuma peshi wa ku mubidi. Pa kuditshinta bikole mu mushindu eu, tudi mua kufuanangana ne Epafrase. Yonso wa kutudi udi mua kuikala ne disanka dia kudileja muikale ‘mupika netu munanga’ mu dîku dia basadidi bena lulamatu ba Yehowa.