BEARING THE BEST FRUIT EVER

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Colossians 1:6b-8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul was centered on one thing and one thing only: the Gospel. He was laser-focused and totally dedicated to the Christ he had formally persecuted, committed to help others come to the very salvation he had received, no matter the cost.

Indeed, just as Paul had caused great suffering in mistreating those who had chosen to believe in Jesus, he too found himself on the receiving end after his conversion. He would be threatened, beaten, and thrown in prison, solely for his uncompromising dedication to the good news of God’s saving work carried out through His one and only Son. And as we covered yesterday in our first message from Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae, Paul wrote while under incarceration in Rome.

But here’s the thing. Even though Paul had lost his personal freedom, the Gospel was alive and well, bearing the best fruit ever, the salvation of countless people. Largely due to Paul, Peter, and other missionaries like Barnabas and Timothy, the Gospel of Jesus Christ had spread to “to the ends of the earth” just as the Savior of the world said it would (Acts 1:8). In regard to the Colossians, a Paul-trained minister named Epaphras had trained them and obviously had done a great job as Paul received report that the Gospel was growing and bearing fruit there as it was elsewhere.

Today, we Christians have the great privilege and obligation to carry on the work of Paul, Epaphras, and others who devoted themselves to bring God’s blessed promise of salvation through belief in Jesus to others. Our Savior’s call to carry out His Great Commission is as strong as ever and we can’t afford to not do our part. For the Gospel needs to continue to grow and spread everywhere so that there is no place here on earth that isn’t bearing the best fruit ever, the fruit found in souls that are eternally saved.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com