UEpafra—“Umlungiseleli Othembekileyo KaKristu”
NGUBANI owaseka ibandla lamaKristu eKorinte, e-Efese naseFilipi? Mhlawumbi ungathandabuzi uya kuphendula uthi: ‘NguPawulos, “umpostile kuzo iintlanga.” ’ (Roma 11:13) Uya kuba uchan’ ucwethe.
Noko ke, ngubani owaseka ibandla laseKolose, eHirapoli, naseLawodike? Nangona singenakuqiniseka ngokupheleleyo, isenokuba yindoda egama linguEpafra. Phofu ke, usenokuthanda ukumazi ngakumbi lo mvangeli, ekubeni ebizwa ngokuba ‘ngumlungiseleli othembekileyo kaKristu.’—Kolose 1:7.
Umvangeli KwiNtlambo YeLycus
Igama elithi Epafra sisishunqulelo sikaEpafrodito. Kodwa uEpafra asimele simbhidanise noEpafrodito waseFilipi. UEpafra wayephuma kwelaseKolose, esinye sezazulu ezithathu zebandla lamaKristu kwintlambo yoMlambo iLycus, eAsia Minor. IKolose yayimi kumgama oziikhilomitha ezili-18 ukusuka eLawodike neekhilomitha ezili-19 ukusuka eHirapoli, kwiphondo lamandulo leFrigiya.
IBhayibhile ayilikhuphi litsole elokuba zafika njani iindaba ezilungileyo zoBukumkani bukaThixo eFrigiya. Noko ke, abantu baseFrigiya babekho eYerusalen ngomhla wePentekoste ngowama-33 C.E., mhlawumbi bambi kubo bephuma eKolose. (IZenzo 2:1, 5, 10) Ebudeni bobulungiseleli bukaPawulos e-Efese (malunga nowama-52-55 C.E.), ubungqina obanikelwayo kwelo basasazeka baza banemiphumo kangangokuba ukongezelela kwabase-Efese “bonke abo babengabemi besithili saseAsiya baliva ilizwi leNkosi, kokubini amaYuda namaGrike.” (IZenzo 19:10) Kurhaneleka ukuba uPawulos akazange azishumayele iindaba ezilungileyo kwiNtlambo yeLycus, ekubeni abaninzi ababa ngamaKristu bengazange bambone.—Kolose 2:1.
Ngokutsho kukaPawulos, umntu owafundisa abaseKolose “ububele obungasifanelanga bukaThixo ngenyaniso” nguEpafra. Isibakala sokuba uPawulos abize eli dlelane lakhe ngokuthi “ngumlungiseleli othembekileyo kaKristu” sidiza ukuba uEpafra wayengumvangeli okhutheleyo kuloo mmandla.—Kolose 1:6, 7.
Umpostile uPawulos nomvangeli uEpafra babeyixhalabele ngeyona ndlela impilontle yokomoya yabo bakholwa nabo kwiNtlambo yeLycus. ‘Njengompostile kuzo iintlanga,’ uPawulos umele ukuba wavuyiswa kukufumana iindaba ezingenkqubela yabo. UPawulos wayibaliselwa nguEpafra imeko yokomoya yabaseKolose.—Kolose 1:4, 8.
Ingxelo KaEpafra
AbaseKolose babebhuqwa ziingxaki kangangokuba uEpafra wanyanzeleka ukuba athabathe uhambo olude esinge eRoma ezimisele ukuxubusha noPawulos ngaloo mbandela. Kubonakala ukuba yile ngxelo wayeyiphathelwe nguEpafra eyenza uPawulos wabhala iincwadi ezimbini eziya kwabo bazalwana wayengabazi. Enye yincwadi eyayisiya kwabaseKolose. Enye incwadi, ekubonakala ukuba ayizange igcinwe, wayeyibhalela abaseLawodike. (Kolose 4:16) Kusengqiqweni ke ukucinga ukuba okwakubhalwe kwezo ncwadi kwakucombulula iingxaki zaloo maKristu ezazibonwe nguEpafra. Ziziphi izinto awaziphawulayo? Ibe oku kusibonisa ntoni ngobuntu bakhe?
Incwadi eya kwabaseKolose ibonakala isithela thsuphe elokuba uEpafra wayekhathazwa kukuba iintanda-bulumko zabahedeni ezingokuphila ubomi bokuba likheswa, ukusebenzelana nemimoya neenkolelo zonqulo zithixo zaziwamise kakubi amaKristu aseKolose. Ngaphezu koko, imfundiso yamaYuda yokungazityi izinto ezithile nokugcina iintsuku ezithile yayiseyingenile kwabathile ebandleni.—Kolose 2:4, 8, 16, 20-23.
Isibakala sokuba uPawulos abhale ngale mibandela sisibonisa indlela uEpafra awayeziphaphele nawayezibek’ esweni ngayo iintswelo zamanye amaKristu. Wabonakalisa ukuba uyixhalabele ngokuqhutywa luthando impilontle yawo ngokomoya, eziqonda kakuhle iingozi zendawo awayehlala kuyo. UEpafra waya kufuna isiluleko kuPawulos, ibe oko kubonisa ukuba wayethobekile. Mhlawumbi wabona imfuneko yokufumana icebiso kumntu onamava angakumbi. Ngokwenene, uEpafra wenza ngobulumko.—IMizekeliso 15:22.
Indoda Eyayiwuxabisile Umthandazo
Kumqukumbelo wencwadi yakhe awayithumelela amaKristu aseKolose, uPawulos uthi: “UEpafra, ophuma phakathi kwenu, ikhoboka likaKristu Yesu, unithumelela imibuliso yakhe, usoloko ezibhokoxa ngenxa yenu kwimithandazo yakhe, ukuze ekugqibeleni nime ngokupheleleyo nangolweyiseko oluqinileyo kuko konke ukuthanda kukaThixo. Eneneni ndinikela ubungqina ngaye bokuba wenza umgudu omkhulu ngenxa yenu nangabo baseLawodike nangabo baseHirapoli.”—Kolose 4:12, 13.
Ewe, kwanaxa ‘wayengumthinjwa olidlelane’ likaPawulos eRoma, uEpafra wayecinga ngabazalwana bakhe baseKolose, eLawodike naseHirapoli yaye ebathandazela. (Filemon 23) Eneneni, ‘wayebalwela’ ngomthandazo. Ngokutsho komphengululi uD. Edmond Hiebert, igama lesiGrike elisetyenziswe apho linentsingiselo “yokuwa uvuka ubulaleka,” nto leyo efanayo ‘nokungcungcutheka’ kukaYesu Kristu ngoxa wayethandaza emyezweni waseGetsemane. (Luka 22:44) UEpafra wayekunqwenela ngokunyanisekileyo ukuba abazalwana noodade wabo bokomoya bomelele baze babe ngamaKristu aqole ngokupheleleyo. Hayi indlela amele ukuba wayeyintsikelelo ngayo ebandleni umzalwana okhuthalele izinto zokomoya ngolo hlobo!
Ekubeni uEpafra wayebizwa ngokuba ‘likhoboka elilidlelane eliyintanda,’ alithandabuzeki elokuba wazenza wathandwa ngamanye amaKristu. (Kolose 1:7) Xa iimeko zivuma, onke amalungu ebandla afanele azincame ngokuvumayo ngobubele nangothando. Ngokomzekelo, sisenokunikela ingqalelo ekuncedeni abagulayo, abalupheleyo, okanye abanye abaneentswelo ezikhethekileyo. Kusenokuba kukho iimbopheleleko ezahlukeneyo esifanele sizisingathe ebandleni, okanye sisenako nokufak’ isandla kwizakhiwo zobuthixo.
Ukuthandazela abanye, njengokuba wenzayo uEpafra, kuyenye inkonzo engcwele wonke umntu anokuyenza. Imithandazo enjalo isenokuquka ukukhankanya indlela esibaxhalabele ngayo abanquli bakaYehova abajamelene neengozi ezahlukeneyo okanye ubunzima abakubo ngokomoya okanye ngokwenyama. Ngokuzibhokoxa ngamandla sisenza oku, sisenokufana noEpafra. Ngamnye kuthi unokuba nelungelo novuyo lokuzingqina ‘elidlelane eliyintanda’ kwintsapho yabakhonzi bakaYehova abathembekileyo.