The Gospel is Spreading!

Colossians 1:6

“…that has come to you. All over the world the Gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.”

Life App: wherever Paul went, he preached the Gospel- to Gentile audiences, to hostile Jewish leaders, and even to his Roman guards. Whenever people believed in the message that Paul spoke, they were changed. God’s word is not just for our information but for our transformation! Becoming a Christian means beginning a whole new relationship with God, not just turning a new leaf or determining to do right. New believers have a changed purpose, direction, attitude and behavior. They are no longer seeking to serve themselves but are bearing fruit for God. How is the gospel reaching others through your life?

ESV: In the whole world, it has been roughly 30 years since Christ’s death and resurrection & Pentecost. The Gospel has indeed spread from Jerusalem into Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, and likely into Egypt, North Africa, and Persia as well.

This verse is so encouraging. Missions has been on my mind a lot this week and in the past as well. I find myself constantly looking at YWAM and other mission opportunities when I’m not facebooking, playing games or doing homework. The Gospel has consumed me. God has laid all age groups on my heart and even the entertainment industry. The desire to go to grad school is in me as well, but idk I’m just taking it day by day doing little and big things for the glory of God and the sake of the Gospel. Then sometimes I just want to stay in America, work a normal job and share the Gospel that way and go on mission trips when I can. Of course a lot of this will become more clear in God’s perfect timing. I refuse to waste my life by not living/sharing Jesus to people whether I’m here or abroad. Everywhere you go there are lost people so always be willing to share Christ, here, even if at times it could be awkward and not PC.

HOPE!

Colossians 1:5

“Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel.”

Life App: In his intro comments, therefore, Paul commended the Colossians for their faith, love and hope- 3 main emphases of Christianity. He deliberately omitted the word knowledge because of the ‘special knowledge’ aspect of heresy. It is not what we know that brings Salvation, but whom we know. Knowing Christ is knowing God. We can hope for what God has for us in heaven because we know that our future destination and salvation are sure (1 Peter 1:3-4). We are free to live for Christ and love others. When you find yourself doubting or wavering in your faith/love, remember your destination-heaven.

ESV: In this passage faith and love are based on hope, which is presented not as the action of hoping but as something objective-in the sense of “the thing hoped for”-that Christians can anticipate with confidence (Colossians 3:4). Because it is laid up for you in heaven no earthly ruler or demonic power can rob believers of the reality of this hope. The word of the truth this contrasts with the false teaching Paul later describes ‘empty deciet’ (2:8).

This verse goes along with the two previous verses that are also encouraging. We know that our faith in Christ, our love for Him and others is not in vain because of the promise of the hope we have that is waiting for us in Heaven. Christ is at the right hand of the Father preparing heaven for us because we are anxiously awaiting what our true home holds for us. We know about the hope we have because it is laid out plan and simple in the Gospel. Reading in “Jesus Freaks: Martyrs” you hear all about those who are dying for their faith in Christ. They die for Him because they love Him and have hope that they will see Him when they enter heaven. The hope is a promise from Christ that we’ll dwell with Him for Eternity and all pain and junk will be no more. That’s the hope we have in Christ that is promised to us in the Gospel.