In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful ministerof Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadWhen did you hear and truly understand God’s grace? Who did you learn it from? I love hearing and celebrating stories of people God used to bring others to faith in Christ – and it’s good to remember and thank God for those who first told us about the Lord Jesus.In the case of the Colossian Christians, they didn’t learn about God’s grace from the great Apostle Paul, but from Epaphras, who was one of their own (Col. 4:12). Paul has no interest in trying to take someone else’s credit: he’s eager to celebrate the way God used Epaphras as “a faithful minister of Christ” to bring salvation and life to the Colossians.But even though Paul gladly celebrates God’s work through Epaphras, the real hero here is the gospel itself. Epaphras didn’t bring spiritual fruit and growth in the lives of the Colossians; the gospel did. The power is not in the preacher, but in the gospel itself – because the gospel is God’s Spirit-powered Word about his Son.That’s why the gospel works powerfully not only when it’s brought by a skilful preacher or a great Apostle, but also when it’s shared with faltering words by an everyday, ordinary servant of Christ. And that’s why the gospel has kept on bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world (v. 6). It’s the unstoppable force of God’s grace.That’s why we send and support mission partners – because we know the gospel will keep on bearing fruit and growing until it has been preached in the whole world, and then Jesus will return (Matt. 24:14).Today, as well as thanking God for those who first taught you about God’s grace, pray for our mission partners – that God would remind them always that his gospel is bearing fruit throughout the whole world. (Believe me, even as a missionary it’s easy to forget that!) In fact, why not write to one of them and remind them about Colossians 1:6?ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is the senior minister of our church.