Daily Bread

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

These are Paul's opening words to the church in the town of Colossae (in the region we call, today, Turkey). As far as we are aware, Paul had never visited the town, but had heard of the blossoming church there, and his letter was a letter of support and encouragement.

The hopeful message about Jesus is called 'the gospel' and Paul called it 'the word of truth'. A guy called Epaphras had taken this message to Colossae, and there, a group of people believed the message and put their faith in Jesus Christ. This, in turn, meant they were filled with God's Spirit, and God's love within them began to blossom, grow, and spread. Epaphras returned to Paul and told him how, through the power of the Spirit, the new Christians in Colossae were filled with God's love. Paul, writing to them, encouraged the love they had for one another, prayed and asked God that they may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and that their good works may continue to bear fruit.

The gospel those people in Colossae had received was that there was redemption and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. They had been set free from sin and death and become the newest members of God's kingdom.

For each of us who are part of FAB Church, either as guests or members, the word of truth has come to each one of us, and we have believed and put our trust in Jesus Christ. FAB Church is a wonderfully diverse community and God has brought us together — whether by accident or design — to love one another, grow in knowledge, be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding, and do good works.

Each one of us, no matter how we perceive ourselves, is valuable and precious to the FAB Church community. We all have a story to tell; we all have hurts, hopes, and dreams; and slowly but surely, just like those first Christians in Colossae, the Holy Spirit is forming us into a community of love.

Holy God
Thank you that I heard
the message of truth,
the gospel of Jesus Christ,
and that I have been
set free from sin and death,
forgiven, and welcomed
into God's family.
Thank you too for FAB Church,
and for the love
we share with one another.
Help us to grow in knowledge
and be filled with spiritual
wisdom and understanding
as we bear fruit in our lives
through our good works.