Colossians 1:6
All over the world this 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.
Reading through Colossians after Steve's recent series on the book, this verse jumped out at me. Two powerful truths are revealed. Firstly, the Gospel was bearing fruit all over the world and growing.
Think about this... Before Paul arrived on the scene, Judaism and Greek mythology were probably the two most popular religions. Within 300 years, Christianity had become the world's most believed upon faith. How did that happen!?
Romans 1:16 gives us a good answer: "The Gospel is the Power of God". The Message of the Gospel is the most powerful message anyone can ever convey. So powerful that it will spread like a wildfire naturally. One only has to look at this worldwide "Grace revolution" we are in to see that. People everywhere are coming into this revelation because the message is the Message of the Gospel! Just this week I received an email from a lady in Cape Town who had been watching Joseph Prince's teachings on TBN every week and finally the revelation of Grace penetrated her heart and she started Googling "Grace" and came across "Highway to Grace". She said her life has been completed transformed by this revelation. Stories like this confirm the power of this Message.
Another side to the Gospel's power to bear fruit is not only in global understanding, but in personal growth. This message is one that naturally produces faith in God's goodness. If you find yourself still battling in a certain area, still feel like there are areas you need to adjust etc. Be patient. The seed of the Gospel that has penetrated your heart will start to germinate and produce some beautiful fruit!
Paul then goes on to say in the second half of this verse that the Gospel has borne fruit "since the day... you understood God's Grace in all its truth." Notice that word "all"? That's intriguing. Could it be that it is possible to understand God's Grace in fractions of its truth? Could it be that the more of its truth we grasp the more fruit we will see?
Friends, God's Grace is bigger and wider and more powerful than any of us will ever come to comprehend. We never stop learning from it, and we never stop loving it. Continue to soak yourself in New Covenant books and teachings and grow in your understanding of God's Grace.
Maybe like the woman in Cape Town that emailed me, you've heard the message of Grace so often but it hasn't had that much of an impact on you. Don't stress. Don't try to believe it. Keep soaking yourself in it, and eventually this Powerful, World-changing Message will grip you so tightly that you will never be the same.
May you forever stay in the Rays of God's Glorious Grace. And may you forever grow in your understanding of it!
All over the world this 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.
Reading through Colossians after Steve's recent series on the book, this verse jumped out at me. Two powerful truths are revealed. Firstly, the Gospel was bearing fruit all over the world and growing.
Think about this... Before Paul arrived on the scene, Judaism and Greek mythology were probably the two most popular religions. Within 300 years, Christianity had become the world's most believed upon faith. How did that happen!?
Romans 1:16 gives us a good answer: "The Gospel is the Power of God". The Message of the Gospel is the most powerful message anyone can ever convey. So powerful that it will spread like a wildfire naturally. One only has to look at this worldwide "Grace revolution" we are in to see that. People everywhere are coming into this revelation because the message is the Message of the Gospel! Just this week I received an email from a lady in Cape Town who had been watching Joseph Prince's teachings on TBN every week and finally the revelation of Grace penetrated her heart and she started Googling "Grace" and came across "Highway to Grace". She said her life has been completed transformed by this revelation. Stories like this confirm the power of this Message.
Another side to the Gospel's power to bear fruit is not only in global understanding, but in personal growth. This message is one that naturally produces faith in God's goodness. If you find yourself still battling in a certain area, still feel like there are areas you need to adjust etc. Be patient. The seed of the Gospel that has penetrated your heart will start to germinate and produce some beautiful fruit!
Paul then goes on to say in the second half of this verse that the Gospel has borne fruit "since the day... you understood God's Grace in all its truth." Notice that word "all"? That's intriguing. Could it be that it is possible to understand God's Grace in fractions of its truth? Could it be that the more of its truth we grasp the more fruit we will see?
Friends, God's Grace is bigger and wider and more powerful than any of us will ever come to comprehend. We never stop learning from it, and we never stop loving it. Continue to soak yourself in New Covenant books and teachings and grow in your understanding of God's Grace.
Maybe like the woman in Cape Town that emailed me, you've heard the message of Grace so often but it hasn't had that much of an impact on you. Don't stress. Don't try to believe it. Keep soaking yourself in it, and eventually this Powerful, World-changing Message will grip you so tightly that you will never be the same.
May you forever stay in the Rays of God's Glorious Grace. And may you forever grow in your understanding of it!
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