U–Ephafra—“Isikhonzi SikaKristu Esikholekile”
UBANI owamisa amabandla amaKristu aseKorinte, e-Efesu naseFilipi? Mhlawumbe ubungeke ungabaze ukuphendula ngokuthi: ‘UPawulu, “umphostoli ezizweni.”’ (Roma 11:13) Ubuzobe unembile.
Nokho, ubani owamisa amabandla aseKolose, eHiyerapholi naseLawodikeya? Nakuba singenakuqiniseka, kungenzeka yindoda egama layo lingu-Ephafra. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kunjalo yini, mhlawumbe ungathanda ukwazi okwengeziwe ngalomvangeli, njengoba ebizwa ngokuthi “isikhonzi sikaKristu esikholekile.”—Kolose 1:7.
Umvangeli WaseSigodini SaseLycus
Igama elithi Ephafra liwukufushaniswa kwelithi Ephafrodithu. Kodwa u-Ephafra akumelwe aphambaniswe no-Ephafrodithu waseFilipi. U-Ephafra wayengowaseKolose, esinye sezikhungo ezintathu zamabandla amaKristu esigodini soMfula iLycus, e-Asia Minor. IKolose yayisebangeni elingamakhilomitha angu-18 kuphela ukusuka eLawodikeya namakhilomitha angu-19 ukusuka eHiyerapholi, endaweni yasendulo iFrigiya.
IBhayibheli alisho ngokucacile ukuthi izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso kaNkulunkulu zafinyelela kanjani eFrigiya. Nokho, abantu baseFrigiya babekhona eJerusalema ngosuku lwePhentekoste ngo-33 C.E., mhlawumbe abanye babo besuka eKolose. (IzEnzo 2:1, 5, 10) Phakathi nenkonzo kaPawulu yase-Efesu (cishe ngo-52-55 C.E.), ubufakazi obanikezwa kuleyo ndawo babunamandla futhi buphumelela kangangokuthi akubanga abase-Efesu kuphela kodwa futhi “bonke labo ababehlala esifundeni sase-Asiya bezwa izwi leNkosi, kokubili amaJuda namaGreki.” (IzEnzo 19:10) Kubonakala sengathi uPawulu wayengazange ashumayele izindaba ezinhle kuso sonke iSigodi SaseLycus, njengoba abaningi ababa amaKristu kuleyo ndawo babengakaze bambone.—Kolose 2:1.
NgokukaPawulu, umuntu owafundisa abaseKolose ‘ngomusa ongafanelwe kaNkulunkulu ngeqiniso’ ngu-Ephafra. Iqiniso lokuthi uPawulu ubiza lesi sisebenzi esikanye naye ngokuthi “isikhonzi sikaKristu esikholekile esisimelelayo” libonisa ukuthi u-Ephafra wayengumvangeli okhuthele endaweni.—Kolose 1:6, 7.
Bobabili umphostoli uPawulu nomvangeli u-Ephafra babeyikhathalela kakhulu inhlalakahle engokomoya yamakholwa ayekanye nabo aseSigodini SaseLycus. Njengoba ‘ayengumphostoli ezizweni,’ kumelwe ukuba uPawulu wakujabulela ukuzwa izindaba zokuthuthuka kwawo. UPawulu wezwa ngo-Ephafra uqobo ngesimo esingokomoya sabaseKolose.—Kolose 1:4, 8.
Umbiko Ka-Ephafra
Izinkinga abaseKolose ababebhekene nazo zazingathi sína kangangokuthi zabangela ukuba u-Ephafra athathe uhambo olude oluya eRoma ngenjongo ekhethekile yokuxoxa noPawulu ngalezi zindaba. Ngokusobala umbiko onemininingwane owanikezwa ngu-Ephafra yiwo owashukumisa uPawulu ukuba abhalele labo bazalwane ayengabazi izincwadi ezimbili. Enye kwakuyincwadi eya kwabaseKolose. Lena enye, ngokusobala engazange igcinwe, yathunyelelwa abaseLawodikeya. (Kolose 4:16) Kunengqondo ukucabanga ukuthi amazwi alezo zincwadi ayehloselwe ukubhekana nezidingo zalawo maKristu ezazaziwa ngu-Ephafra. Yiziphi izidingo azibona? Futhi lokhu kusitshelani ngobuntu bakhe?
Kubonakala sengathi incwadi eya kwabaseKolose ibonisa ukuthi u-Ephafra wayekhathazekile ngokuthi amaKristu aseKolose ayesengozini ngenxa yamafilosofi amaqaba ahilela ukuzincisha, ukusebenzelana nemimoya nokukholelwa ezeni okwakukhulekelwa. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kungenzeka ukuthi imfundiso yamaJuda yokuzila ukudla nokugubha izinsuku ezithile yathonya amanye amalunga ebandla.—Kolose 2:4, 8, 16, 20-23.
Iqiniso lokuthi uPawulu ubhala ngalezi zinto lisibonisa indlela u-Ephafra ayeziphaphamele futhi eshesha ngayo ukuzibona izidingo zamaKristu akanye naye. Wabonisa ukukhathalela kothando ngenhlalakahle yawo engokomoya, eqaphela izingozi zesimo ababephila kuso. U-Ephafra wafuna iseluleko sikaPawulu, futhi lokhu kwembula ukuthi wayethobekile. Mhlawumbe wezwa isidingo sokuba acetshiswe umuntu onokuhlangenwe nakho okuthé xaxa. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi yikuphi, u-Ephafra wenza ngokuhlakanipha.—IzAga 15:22.
Indoda Eyayiwazisa Umthandazo
Esiphethweni sencwadi ayithumelela amaKristu aseKolose, uPawulu uthi: “U-Ephafra, ovela phakathi kwenu, isigqila sikaKristu Jesu, uyakhonza kini, ngaso sonke isikhathi ezikhandla ngenxa yenu emithandazweni yakhe, ukuze ekugcineni nime niphelele futhi ninokuqiniseka okuqinile kuyo yonke intando kaNkulunkulu. Ngempela ngiyamfakazela ukuthi wenza umzamo omkhulu ngenxa yenu nalabo abaseLawodikeya nalabo abaseHiyerapholi.”—Kolose 4:12, 13.
Yebo, ngisho nangenkathi ‘eyisigqila esikanye’ noPawulu eRoma, u-Ephafra wayecabanga ngabafowabo abathandekayo baseKolose, eLawodikeya naseHiyerapholi futhi ebathandazela. (Filemoni 23) ‘Wabazabalazela’ ngokoqobo emthandazweni. Ngokwesazi uD. Edmond Hiebert, igama lesiGreki elisetshenziswe lapha libonisa “umsebenzi odinga izikhwepha nobizelayo,” okuthile okuthi akufane ‘nomunyu’ ongokwengqondo uJesu Kristu aba nawo lapho ethandaza ensimini yaseGetsemane. (Luka 22:44) U-Ephafra wayefisa ngobuqotho ukuba abafowabo nodadewabo abangokomoya bafinyelele ukuqina nokuvuthwa ngokugcwele kobuKristu. Yeka isibusiso okumelwe ukuba umzalwane othambekele ezintweni ezingokomoya ngalendlela wayeyiso kulamabandla!
Njengoba u-Ephafra abizwa ngokuthi “isigqila esithandekayo esikanye nathi,” akungabazeki ukuthi wazenza wathandeka kumaKristu akanye naye. (Kolose 1:7) Lapho izimo zivuma, wonke amalungu ebandla kufanele aphane ngawo ngokwawo ngemfudumalo nangothando. Ngokwesibonelo, kungase kunakwe ukusiza abagulayo, asebekhulile, noma abanye abanezidingo ezikhethekile. Kungase kube nemithwalo yemfanelo ehlukile yokunakekelwa ebandleni, noma kungase kwenzeke ukunikela emisebenzini yokwakha engokwaphezulu.
Ukuthandazela abanye, njengoba u-Ephafra ayenza, kuwuhlobo lwenkonzo engcwele sonke esingayenza. Imithandazo enjalo ingase ihlanganise namazwi okukhathalela abakhulekeli bakaJehova okudingeka babhekane nezingozi noma izinkinga ezihlukahlukene ezingokomoya noma ezingokwenyama. Ngokuzikhandla ngamandla ngalendlela, singaba njengo-Ephafra. Ngamunye wethu angaba nelungelo nenjabulo yokuzibonakalisa ‘eyisikhonzi esithandekayo esikanye nathi’ emkhayeni wezinceku ezikholekile zikaJehova.