“Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing” (Colossians 1:5-6)
When Jesus was returning to His Father in heaven, He commanded His disciples to spread the good news about His death and resurrection in Jerusalem, then in the whole country of Israel, and then to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). And they did. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they preached to Gospel both to Jews and to other peoples. The apostle Paul, among others, undertook missionary journeys to various countries. Many came to faith and spread the good news further.
When Paul said God’s Word was bearing fruit in the whole world, he only witnessed the beginning of the worldwide church. Nowadays, the Gospel has reached billions of people and Christianity is the world’s largest religion. This growth is not due to the attractiveness of churches or the persuasiveness of missionaries, but to the Word of God bearing fruit. As God says in Isaiah 55:11, “My word… shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Our task as believers is not to bring people to faith, but to spread the Word, believing that it has power to convince people of the truth about God and about themselves.
How can you share the Gospel with people who don’t know God yet?