Colossians 1:5-8
Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.[b] He is a faithful minister of Christ on your[c] behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
Dear friends, what do you see when you read this? Do you consider some of the key words and thoughts that go along with this passage? What does it mean when he writes “word of truth”, or “bearing fruit” or even “Grace of God”? Why should we consider these things and what does it all mean for us? These my friends are today’s considerations.
Have you ever attended a group setting whether it be in church or elsewhere, when someone hears another say “they are blessed” and eye balls roll? Or pride in self is made known through name calling? I know I have. In fact, I have even witnessed one of the members of a group I was with, yell at a woman on the street when she tried to hand him a tract, and he then called her a “stupid bible freak”. Ouch! Even though he knew my faith was very important to me, he still decided that this woman deserved to be called names, in front of me. He did not get it. Even though I know he came from a family that attended church. He did not understand what means to Love the Lord.
Matthew 22:37
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Many do not understand the full extent of what Jesus Christ has done through the will of a loving Father. They may hear the words in church and listen to sermons, yet they themselves do not actually believe or understand what “truth” actually is. They seek, they search, they read, they study, yet God has not opened their hearts to receive. For some, the truth of the word has been kept out of their reach. Kept from them, in silence. They are not yet ready to understand. We don’t always understand why this is, meaning, we know it’s God’s will yet we don’t always understand why our words are going on deaf ears. Often times we go above and beyond trying to pursue their salvation for them with information overload. Did you catch my italicizing we and their? We like to think that it’s up to us. Oh, we know better, yet we continue to hold on to that part of our human side called pride. We are the ones that will save another soul. We have it all together and we now what they need. Hmmm…. ever been there?
On the flip side, sometimes we shut down completely and walk away, ignoring the need. Does knowing they don’t get it mean that our conversations should stop? Does this mean that we keep what we know to ourselves? No! Absolutely not! The gift of understanding and salvation is a gift given by the Holy Spirit, and is nothing that we can will upon a person. That being said, we can and oftentimes are used as vessels to witness to others our joy in faithfulness to God. We are often dropping seeds that may or may not be nurtured at that time. They may fall upon hard soil, or they may germinate. Sometimes the germination may take time to produce worthy fruit, yet God knows the timing He will take to make it happen. It may or may not be their time to hear with an open heart, yet it is our job to continue to glorify God with His truth. This my friends is what Paul means above when he says “bearing fruit and increasing”.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Haven’t we been going through love, faith and hope the last few weeks? Don’t we understand that those things are not meant to be kept to ourselves? We love others. We have joy in our lives and are thankful to to God for Jesus and the sacrifice He made for our salvation, covering our sins with His blood. We are thankful to Jesus for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which helps us to experience patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness. We have self control through prayer and thankfulness to a righteous God which we bow before and think more highly of than ourselves. The blessing of knowing truth of the gospel, the whole word of God as well as the good news of Jesus Christ is the tool that will bring more followers into the Kingdom of God. Bearing and sharing the fruit of the Spirit with those who do not know the gospel truth. Even if it is not their time to know the whole truth.
I appreciated and pondered what Matthew Henry said in his commentary on this passage: “Wherever the gospel comes, it will bring forth fruit to the honor and glory of God: it bringeth forth fruit as it doth also in you. We mistake, if we think to monopolize the comforts and benefits of the gospel to ourselves. Does the gospel bring forth fruit in us? So it does in others.
Just as Paul writes to the Colossians, thanking God for them, he is encouraging them to go forth in their helping to increase the kingdom of God. He lets them know that they are in good hands with the instruction they are getting through Epaphras. That God is laying blessings upon them for their love to Him. Paul is comforting them with reassurance. Is that why you follow me friends? Do you find comfort in the truths shared here? Do you feel reassured as a servant for the Lord? I sure hope so.
I want to close in saying that the gent above who called the lady names that tried to hand him a track, has since, several years later married a wonderful, God loving, God fearing woman who loves the Lord and they both serve with great joy. God has used someone else to bring him into the fold. I am sure the seeds of both my faithful living to a holy God and the work of that young gal that day helped that young man see love and joy in the work to glorify God. It just wasn’t his time to understand. Do not take any opportunity for granted. Continue on in your sharing, understanding that it is God’s will. It is God’s will whether or not the seeds dropped will germinate on good soil or rocky, sandy soil. It is by the grace of God we have the gospel truth to lead and by His mercy we are given salvation rather than death.
At the end of Spurgeons sermon called The Hope Laid Up In Heaven Col. 1:5, he wrote addressing the thankfulness of a servant who bears good fruit for the kingdom of God:
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which has made us meet to partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” I have been following the evident track of the apostle’s thoughts. The Lord gives us a hope of glory, and then He gives us a meetness for it, and that meetness is largely wrought in us by the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of our hope. Cultivate, then, your hope, dear breathren. Make it to shine so plainly in you that your minister may hear of your hopefulness and joy; of heaven, and act as though you really expected to go there. Make the world know that you have a hope of heaven: make worldlings feel that you are a believer in eternal glory, and that you hope to be where Jesus is. Often surprise them as they see what they call your simplicity, but what is in truth only your sincerity, while you treat as matter of fact the hope laid up for you in heaven . The Lord grant it for Jesus Christs sake. Amen”
Give Thanks! Make it shine plainly! Make the world know!
