“We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel…” (Colossians 1:3-5).
Although it appears that the apostle Paul had never met any of the believers in Colossae (cf. 2:1), he had certainly heard about them. As he begins his letter to this church, he mentions how grateful he is for their faith in Christ, their love for fellow disciples, and for the hope they shared due to their response to the gospel. Were they perfect? Of course not. I’m sure they had their issues just like every church does. But when the topic of the Colossian congregation came up, the problems weren’t the first thing that came to mind. The good traits outweighed the not-so-good ones.
What about the group of disciples of which you are a part? Wouldn’t it be great if every congregation of God’s people would be known for their faith, love, and hope? Of course, you can’t always control the narrative. Some “reporters” only focus on the problems and that’s all they want to talk about. Apparently it's not as much fun to gossip about what is praiseworthy in a church. How sad!
Is there anything you can do to influence what is being reported about your fellowship? Yes! First, you personally can live in such a way that makes it difficult for an observer to speak negatively about your congregation. Jesus said it this way: “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Second, you can personally determine to speak positively to others about your group. When you badmouth your church, it just encourages others to do so. Positivity fosters positivity just as negativity fosters negativity. Say good things about God’s people!
God loves you!
Mike
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