The Power of One

“Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ.” – Romans 16:5

Epaenetus was the very first convert in Asia Minor, the first spark of gospel light in a region that would one day host churches like Ephesus, Smyrna, and Philadelphia. Paul calls him “my well-beloved,” the affectionate language of a spiritual father remembering the first heartbeat of revival in a land once darkened by idols. It’s like planting a garden and seeing that first tiny sprout push through the soil. It’s small, but it tells you something beautiful is coming. That was Epaenetus—the first sign of a harvest God was preparing.

Epaenetus was the firstfruit—not the only fruit. His conversion was the beginning of something far bigger than himself. Paul, who viewed his ministry as a priestly offering to God (Romans 15:16), presents Epaenetus not as a trophy of his own success but as an offering to Christ. That’s the heart of true ministry. We don’t collect people to build our own name. We don’t measure success by numbers or applause. We simply sow the seed, water faithfully, and watch God bring the increase. Epaenetus reminds us that every great movement of God begins with one transformed life—one heart awakened, one soul redeemed, one person willing to follow Jesus.

And just as Epaenetus was the firstfruit of Achaia, God still plants “firstfruits” in our lives today—people who show us what God is doing, people who remind us that the gospel is alive and still bearing fruit. Sometimes you may be the firstfruit in your family, workplace, or community. Sometimes God calls you to be the one small sprout that signals a coming harvest. And sometimes He calls you to rejoice over the firstfruit in someone else’s life, knowing that God is just getting started.

Celebrate the small beginnings. Thank God for the firstfruits He has brought into your life—those early signs of His work. And be willing to be a firstfruit yourself: the first to believe, the first to forgive, the first to stand for Christ, the first to shine light in a dark place. Like Epaenetus, your faith may be the spark God uses to ignite a harvest you may never fully see this side of heaven.

“The firstfruits are holy, not because they are many, but because they are offered to God.”
—Origen