Epaphras

Epaphras was a native of Colossae and the likely founder of the churches in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis, who came to Paul in prison to report on the state of these communities (Colossians 1:7–8; 4:12–13). Paul calls him 'our beloved fellow servant, a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf' and notes that Epaphras had told him of the Colossians' 'love in the Spirit.' In Philemon 23, Paul identifies him as a 'fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus.' His intercession for the Colossians is highlighted: he was 'always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God' (Colossians 4:12). He should be distinguished from the Ephesian Epaphroditus mentioned in Philippians, though the names are related.