3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we
pray for you, 4 since we
heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because
of the hope laid up for you in heaven. 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. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has
made known to us your love in the Spirit. Colossians 1:3-8
A few things stand out as Paul continues his introduction to
the church at Colossae.
Always praying and
thanking God
Paul is writing this letter from prison, but his prayers are
focused on others and the spiritual health of the church. Through bad times and good, Paul never ceases
praying. He longs to be close to Jesus and fulfill His calling. He knows he is unable to do anything without God’s
provision. And in his praying for the church, he always thanks God. He
shows gratitude and humility recognizing that all good things come from God. All the credit goes to God alone. Any
success to be experienced is a result of God’s hand at work.
Jesus is
everything – King, God Incarnate, Savior, Anointed One
Once Paul encountered Jesus, his devotion and passion were
forever changed. Even as Paul mentions thanking God, he adds that He is Father
of his Lord Jesus Christ. All three names are used.
- Lord
– master whose authority Paul
is under.
- Jesus
– Savior, “God Saves”.
- Christ
– the anointed one, the chosen
one, the Messiah.
Faith, Hope &
Love dominate
Paul explains that he is thanking God in response to three
things he has heard about the church at Colossae.
- Faith – their strong faith in Christ Jesus. This is
foundational to all other attributes.
- Love – the love they have for the community of believers.
Genuine faith in Jesus produces love for others.
- Hope – they can live out their faith and love based on the hope they have, which is laid up in heaven. They believe God wins in the end. He is in heaven and the rewards stored up for them now and for eternity can’t be diminished or destroyed.
Hearing leads to understanding leads to bearing fruit
The church has the faith, hope and love
because they did the work to make it available to them.
- They heard. They listened to the word of the truth, the gospel.
- They understood. In hearing, they understood the grace of God in truth.
- They experienced success and
growth. The result of hearing and
understanding is action. Loving, serving, being part of God’s plan based
on hearing and understanding the truths of the gospel will bear fruit for
the kingdom and introduce more people to God’s grace. A repeating cycle
with new believers hearing, understanding, and producing fruit.
The more our hope is fixed on the things of God, which
requires faith in the work of Jesus, the more freedom we have to use our gifts
and resources to love others, rather than serve ourselves for temporary worldly
gains. Putting our hope in things of this world will ALWAYS disappoint us and
leave us feeling anxious, overwhelmed, underqualified, alone, and unfulfilled.
Let’s face it, we all want our lives and actions to mean
something eternal. When we seek God first – as the authority over us, as the
one who saves us, as the one who anoints us to bear fruit – we won’t cling too
tightly to our gifts and resources. We won’t look to this world to satisfy us.
Instead we will crave bigger God things. We will bear much fruit in His name
and for His glory. And we will continually thank Him and acknowledge Him.
God, let it be so. Give me ears to hear, a spirit of
understanding, and your power to love and go bear fruit – good and abundant
fruit - with You and for You.
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