The Gospel Isn’t Limited

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“And [you] are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”—Colossians 1:23 (NKJV)

As Paul wrote to the Church of Colossae, he saw fit to remind them of something. And that something was what he had experienced and learned first-hand as he traversed the ancient world: the transcendent nature of the gospel, “which was preached to every creature under heaven.”

We see this truth progressively unfold as we read through the Book of Acts. At first, the message of the gospel was something a small band of Jewish men and women believed and shared with other Jews living in and around Jerusalem. It was powerful, dynamic, and life-changing, but it was primarily a Jewish experience.

Then, something phenomenal happened. The gospel was taken out beyond the Jewish center of life and began to circulate in the region of Samaria. This was astounding at the time because, to the Jewish mind, Samaritans were looked down upon as spiritual half-breeds. They shared a similar heritage, but the Samaritans weren’t considered to be true believers by the Jewish establishment. So, it broke more than a few barriers when it became clear that the gospel was taking root there. 

But this was nothing compared to the astounding revelation that this same gospel, which was born in Jerusalem, was also able to grow and flourish in the least likely of places. 

Here’s what we routinely see throughout the Book of Acts: the light of the gospel is carried into the darkest of places, spiritually speaking. It was transforming lives in places known for ritualistic human sacrifice and prostitution, places that you’d never associate with godliness. And yet, rather than being extinguished, the light of the gospel spread like wildfire, bringing the light of God’s truth and love to mankind’s midnight.

This is what Paul reminds the people of Colossae of. He calls them back to the transcendent power of the gospel, capable of bringing the hope of salvation to anyone, anywhere, including Colossae!

Know this, the gospel isn’t limited. The forces of darkness will attempt to block it, ban it, and banish it, but it’s a seed capable of growing in any environment. Why? Because it comes from the God who is over all the earth. As Christians, we bear a message capable of touching and transforming the entire world. 

DIG: What does Paul remind the Colossians about regarding the gospel?

DISCOVER: How do we know the gospel possesses transcendent power? How is this reality being realized in your own life?

DO: Share the gospel with someone today.