Ko Epafalase—“Ko Te Minisi Agatonu ʼo Kilisito”
KO AI koa ʼaē neʼe ina fakatuʼutuʼu te ʼu kokelekasio faka Kilisitiano ʼi Kolonito, mo Efesi, pea mo Filipe? ʼE lagi koutou tali fakahagatonu anai: ‘Ko Paulo, te “ ʼapositolo ʼo te ʼu puleʼaga.” ’ (Loma 11:13) Pea ʼe tonu te faʼahi ʼaia.
Kae ko ai koa ʼaē neʼe ina fakatuʼutuʼu te ʼu kokelekasio ʼi Kolose, mo Ielapolise, pea mo Laotise? Neʼe lagi ko te tagata ʼaē ʼe higoa ko Epafalase, logope la ʼe mole tou ʼiloʼi papau te faʼahi ʼaia. Tatau aipe peʼe ko ia peʼe kailoa, ʼe lagi koutou fia ʼiloʼi anai he tahi ʼu meʼa ʼo ʼuhiga mo te tagata faka mafola evaselio ʼaia, heʼe fakahigoaʼi ko “te minisi agatonu ʼa Kilisito.”—Kolose 1:7.
Neʼe Ina Faka Mafola Te Evaselio ʼi Te Mafa ʼo Likusi
Ko te higoa ʼo Epafalase ʼe ko te fakanounou ʼo te higoa ʼo Epafolotite. Kae ko Epafalase ʼe mole tatau mo te Epafolotite ʼaē mai Filipe. Ko Epafalase neʼe haʼu mai Kolose, ko te kolo neʼe kau ki te ʼu kolo tāfito e tolu ʼaē neʼe maʼu ai te ʼu kokelekasio faka Kilisitiano ʼi te mafa ʼo Likusi, ʼi te Asia ʼo te Potu Hihifo. Ko Kolose neʼe tuʼu ia kilometa e 18 mai Laotise, pea mo kilometa e 19 mai Ielapolise, ʼi te potu fenua ʼāfea ko Filisia.
ʼE mole fakahā lelei mai e te Tohi-Tapu pe neʼe fakaaʼu feafeaʼi te logo lelei ki Filisia. Kae ko te kau Filisia neʼe nātou ʼōmai ki Selusalemi ʼi te ʼaho ʼo te Penikosite ʼi te taʼu 33 ʼo totatou temi, pea ko ʼihi ia nātou neʼe lagi ʼōmai mai Kolose. (Gāue 2:1, 5, 10) Lolotoga te minisitelio ʼo Paulo ʼi Efesi (ʼi te taʼu 52 ʼo aʼu ki te 55 ʼo totatou temi), neʼe lahi pea mo mālohi te faka mafola ʼaē neʼe fai ʼi te potu ʼaia, pea ko te kau Efesi pea mo “nātou fuli ʼaē neʼe nonofo ʼi te tisitilike ʼo Asia neʼe nātou fagono ki te folafola ʼo te ʼAliki, te kau Sutea pea mo te kau Keleka.” (Gāue 19:10) Neʼe lagi mole faka mafola e Paulo te logo lelei ʼi te ʼu potu fuli ʼo te Mafa ʼo Likusi, heʼe ko te tokolahi ʼaē neʼe liliu ʼo Kilisitiano ʼi te koga meʼa ʼaia neʼe mole nātou sisio kia ia.—Kolose 2:1.
ʼO mulimuli ki te ʼui ʼa Paulo, neʼe ko Epafalase ʼaē neʼe ina akoʼi ki te kau Kolose “te ʼofa makehe ʼo te ʼAtua ʼi te moʼoni.” ʼE fakahigoaʼi e Paulo tona kaugā gāue ʼaia “ko te minisi agatonu ʼo Kilisito maʼa tatou,” ʼo mahino mai kia tatou, ko Epafalase neʼe maʼumaʼua ʼi tana faka mafola evaselio ʼi te potu ʼaia.—Kolose 1:6, 7.
Ko te ʼapositolo ko Paulo pea mo Epafalase, neʼe nā tokakaga moʼoni ki te lelei fakalaumālie ʼo tonā ʼu kaugā fagona ʼi te tui ʼaē neʼe nonofo ʼi te Mafa ʼo Likusi. ʼI tona ʼuhiga “ ʼapositolo ʼo te ʼu puleʼaga,” ʼe mahino ia neʼe fiafia moʼoni ia Paulo ʼi tana maʼu te ʼu logo ʼo ʼuhiga mo tanatou tuputupu ʼo kaugamālie. ʼE mahino ia, ko Paulo neʼe ina maʼu mai ia Epafalase te ʼu logo ʼo ʼuhiga mo te ʼaluʼaga fakalaumālie ʼo te kau Kolose.—Kolose 1:4, 8.
Te ʼu Meʼa ʼAē Neʼe Fakahā e Epafalase
Neʼe lahi te ʼu fihifihia ʼaē neʼe tau mo te kau Kolose, pea neʼe fakatotonu e Epafalase ke folau ki Loma, ʼi tana fakatuʼutuʼu ʼaē ke nā palalau mo Paulo ʼo ʼuhiga mo te ʼu fihifihia ʼaia. ʼE mahino ia, ʼe ko te ʼu meʼa ʼaē neʼe fakahā e Epafalase ʼaē neʼe ina uga ia Paulo ke faitohi tuʼa lua ki te ʼu tēhina ʼaia ʼaē neʼe mole ina ʼiloʼi. Ko te ʼuluaki tohi neʼe fai ki te kau Kolose. Ko te tahi tohi, ʼaē neʼe mole taupau, neʼe ʼave ki te kau Laotise. (Kolose 4:16) ʼE feala hatatou manatu, ko te ʼu meʼa ʼaē neʼe tuʼu ʼi te ʼu tohi ʼaia, neʼe ko he ʼu tokoni ki te kau Kilisitiano ʼaia, ʼo mulimuli ki te ʼu meʼa ʼaē neʼe fakatokagaʼi e Epafalase neʼe ʼaoga kia nātou. Neʼe koteā ʼaē neʼe fakatokagaʼi e Epafalase, ʼe ʼaoga tāfito kia nātou? Pea koteā ʼaē ʼe hā mai ai ʼo ʼuhiga mo tona ʼulugaaga?
ʼE hā mai ʼi te tohi ʼaē neʼe fai ki te kau Kolose, ko Epafalase neʼe tuʼania naʼa tuʼutāmakiʼia te kau Kilisitiano ʼo Kolose ʼi te ʼu filosofia faka pagani ʼaē neʼe pipiki kiai te maʼuli fakamamahi, mo te gaohi meʼa fakatemonio, pea mo te mataku faka lotu. Tahi ʼaē meʼa, ko te akonaki faka Sutea ʼo ʼuhiga mo te sesunio pea mo te mulimuli ki te ʼu ʼaho taputapu neʼe lagi fetogi ai te manatu ʼo ʼihi ʼi te kokelekasio.—Kolose 2:4, 8, 16, 20-23.
Ko te faitohi ʼa Paulo ʼo ʼuhiga mo te ʼu faʼahi ʼaia, ʼe hā mai ai ko Epafalase neʼe ina ʼiloʼi pea mo fakatokagaʼi lelei pe koteā te ʼu meʼa ʼaē neʼe ʼaoga ki tona ʼu kaugā fagona ʼi te tui. Neʼe tokaga ʼaki he lotoʼofa ki tonatou lelei ʼi te faʼahi fakalaumālie, he neʼe mahino kia ia te ʼu tuʼutāmaki ʼaē neʼe feala ke hoko kia nātou ʼi te potu ʼaē neʼe nātou nonofo ai. Neʼe kumi tokoni ia Epafalase kia Paulo, ʼo hā ʼaki mai ai tana agavaivai. Neʼe lagi fia kumi tokoni ki he tahi neʼe kua aga fakapotopoto. ʼI te ʼu meʼa fuli ʼaē neʼe ina fai, neʼe aga fakapotopoto ia Epafalase.—Tāʼaga Lea 15:22.
Ko He Tagata Neʼe Ina Faka Maʼuhigaʼi Te Faikole
ʼI te fakaʼosi ʼo te tohi ʼaē neʼe ina fai ki te kau Kilisitiano ʼo Kolose, ʼe ʼui fēnei e Paulo: “Ko Epafalase, ʼaē ʼe haʼu mai iō koutou, ko te kaugana ʼo Kilisito Sesu, ʼe fakaʼalofa atu kia koutou, ʼo faiga tuʼumaʼu maʼa koutou ʼi tana ʼu faikole, ke koutou katoa pea mo koutou tui papau ki te finegalo katoa ʼo te ʼAtua. Ei, ʼe ʼau fakamoʼoni ʼo ʼuhiga mo ia, ʼe faiga mālohi maʼa koutou pea mo nātou ʼaē ʼi Laotise pea mo nātou ʼaē ʼi Ielapolise.”—Kolose 4:12, 13.
ʼIo, māʼiape la mo te temi ʼaē neʼe “kaugā popūla” ai mo Paulo ʼi Loma, neʼe manatuʼi e Epafalase tona ʼu tēhina ʼofaina ʼo Kolose, mo Laotise pea mo Ielapolise, pea neʼe faikole maʼa nātou. (Filemone 23) ʼI hona ʼuhiga moʼoni, ‘neʼe tau’ maʼa nātou ʼi te faikole. ʼO mulimuli ki te tagata sivi Tohi-Tapu ko D. Edmond Hiebert, ko te kupu faka Keleka ʼaē ʼe fakaʼaogaʼi ʼi te vaega ʼaia, ʼe faka ʼuhiga ki “he gāue ʼe fakatupu gaʼegaʼe pea mo fakakinakina,” ko he meʼa ʼe tatau mo te “tau tūgaki” ʼa Sesu ʼi tana faikole ʼi te ʼōloto ʼo Setesemane. (Luka 22:44) Neʼe loto moʼoni e Epafalase ke tuputupu tona ʼu tēhina mo tuagaʼane fakalaumālie ʼi te agapoto faka Kilisitiano, pea mo nātou pipiki mālohi ki te moʼoni. ʼE mahino ia, neʼe ko he tapuakina ki te ʼu kokelekasio, te tēhina ʼaia ʼaē neʼe tokaga ki te ʼu meʼa fakalaumālie!
Mai tona ʼuhiga ʼaē neʼe fakahigoaʼi ia Epafalase ko he “kaugā popūla ʼofaina,” koia ʼe mahino ia neʼe ina maʼu te ʼofa ʼo tona ʼu tēhina pea mo tuagaʼane Kilisitiano. (Kolose 1:7) Kapau ko he meʼa ʼe feala, pea ʼe tonu kia nātou fuli ʼo te kokelekasio ke nātou fefakahāʼaki he loto māfana pea mo nātou feʼofaʼofani. Ohage la, ʼe feala ke tou tokoni kia nātou ʼaē ʼe mahahaki, mo nātou kua matutuʼa, pea mo nātou ʼaē ʼe tau mo he tahi ʼu faigataʼaʼia. ʼE lagi ʼi ai he ʼu gāue kehekehe ʼe feala ke tou fai ʼi te kokelekasio, peʼe lagi feala ke tou kau ki te ʼu laga fale ʼo totatou kautahi.
Ko te faikole maʼa ʼihi, ohage ko te meʼa ʼaē neʼe fai e Epafalase, ʼe ko he koga ʼaia ʼo tatatou gāue taputapu ʼe feala ke tou fai fuli. Ko te ʼu faikole ʼaia ʼe feala ke tou fakahā ai tatatou tuʼania ki te kau atolasio ʼa Sehova ʼaē ʼe hoko kia nātou te ʼu tuʼutāmaki pea mo te ʼu fihifihia ʼi te faʼahi fakalaumālie peʼe ko te faʼahi fakasino. ʼE feala ke tou hage ko Epafalase, mo kapau ʼe tou faiga mālohi ke tou fai te faʼahi ʼaia. ʼE feala kia tatou fuli ke tou maʼu te pilivilesio pea mo te fiafia ʼaē ko te liliu ko he ʼu “kaugā popūla ʼofaina” ʼi te famili ʼo te kau kaugana agatonu ʼa Sehova.