Thank you to John for this week’s MWB
Epenetus
In the final chapter of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome, he writes
“Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.” (Romans 16:5)
All we know about Epenetus is in this one verse. Paul describes him as “the firstfruits of Asia in Christ” (literal translation). The word “firstfruits” is derived from a festival in which the Israelites brought the first of their grain harvest as an offering to the Lord (Leviticus 23:9-14).
“Asia” (the area we now know as western Turkey), included the major city of Ephesus. Paul had spent over two years in Ephesus (Acts 19), so maybe Epenetus was converted through Paul’s ministry there.
Whether or not this was the case, Paul refers to Epenetus as “my dear friend”. This is how the NIV translates a Greek word that means “beloved”. That word is agapetos. The root of that is agape, (pronounced “agapay”) which is by far the most common word used for love in the New Testament.
God’s love for us is agape. Paul’s love for Epenetus was agape. Our love for one another is to be agape.
As the apostle John writes, “Beloved, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11).