“We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. You learned the gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave—a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf— who also told us of your love in the Spirit.”
Colossians 1.3-8
Often we hear about how Christianity is on the decline and church attendance rates are falling1. Statements and articles like that don’t tell the big picture though: globally Christianity is growing2.
One reason that Paul and Timothy are praying for the Colossians is that they had heard about [their] faith in Christ Jesus and the love that [they had] for all the saints. This faith came, we read, because the gospel was received and bore fruit among them. As it came to Colossae all those years ago, so too in the entire world now [the] gospel is bearing fruit and growing. Just as true then as it is now.
As people hear the good news of Jesus, the Gospel, they are drawn towards a hope laid up for [them] in heaven: the hope of forgiveness, of restoration, and of eternal life. As they then live a life filled with faith and hope and love, this convinces others of the veracity of Jesus’ claim of authority to forgive sins and restore us to right relationship with God (Matthew 9.1-8).
Today, consider the fact at the Gospel is growing around the world and we can, as the Colossians did, take part in this process by demonstrating faith in Christ Jesus and…love…for all the saints.
References
2 – https://thewitness.org/where-is-christianity-growing-the-most/
James Travis 