Colossians 1:3-5 NLT
[3] “We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. [4] For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, [5] which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.”

Paul’s letter to the Colossian church was prompted by his concern for all the believers spread out over the Roman empire. Many of the churches came into being through his ministry, and many others came about through the ministry of his colleagues.

However, all the churches were bound together by their love for Jesus and for one another. They lived in a hostile world. They were hated and misunderstood by Jews and Gentiles. They needed each other for support and encouragement.

Paul recognised the genuineness of their faith by the three hallmarks of every true believer, faith, hope, and love.

In a world full of hatred and violence, fuelled by the influences of the mass media, it seems that the world’s way of settling differences or pursuading others is through the barrel of a gun. At the slightest provocation, the gun speaks first.

By contrast, the Bible advocates peace, selfless service, humility, and faith, expessed in giving and serving at our own expense. Only grace can free us from our selfish pursuits to put others before ourselves.

As Paul criscrossed Asia Minor and Europe, calling Gentiles to faith in Jesus, he saw the power of the gospel at work. Communities of believers, like those in Colossae, sprang up in cities and towns, creating pockets of God’s kingdom in the heart of pagan wickedness.

It was his heartfelt desire to see them flourish and grow. To this end, he wrote letters to encourage them in their lives of faith in Jesus and loving service to one another. In this way, they would bear witness to God’s grace and His power to rescue them from darkness to light.

So, too, in the 21st century, the power of the gospel remains the same. The true identity of God’s children lies, not in church membership or faithfulness to rituals or pracrices but in faithful and loving service to one another in the body of Christ.