Read Colossians 1:1–2
To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and
peace to you from God our Father.
Colossians 1:2
Colosse probably would never have been mentioned in the New
Testament had it not been for the church there. The city is never named
in the book of Acts because Paul did not start the Colossian church,
nor did he ever visit it. Paul had heard of their faith (Col. 1:4, 9), but
he had never seen these believers personally (2:1). Here was a church of
unknown people, in a small town, receiving an inspired letter from the
great apostle Paul!
The Colossian church was the outgrowth of Paul’s three-year
ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19; 20:17–38). So effective was the witness
of the church at Ephesus that “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in
the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (19:10).
There is a good lesson for us here: God does not always need an
apostle, or a “full-time Christian worker,” to get a ministry established.
Nor does He need elaborate buildings and extensive organizations. It
is God’s plan that the Christians in the large urban areas, like Ephesus,
reach out into the smaller towns and share the gospel. Is your church
helping to evangelize “small-town” mission fields?
Something to Ponder
What is one thing you can do this week to increase your own or your
church’s awareness of surrounding needs?