I was really blessed to have ended 2024 on a note of prayer, worship, and listening to God’s Word in Metro Tabernacle Assembly of God church in Taman Samudera, Batu Caves, Selangor. Earlier that day, my sister, Crescentia and I had a wonderful time of seeking the LORD in prayer, and meditation upon His glorious gospel word. It was an encouraging start to the last day of 2024, and a wonderful end to the same day and year.

I began the first morning of the first day of the year 2025 seeking the LORD through prayer and meditation upon His awesome gospel word. There’s nothing like it! To begin the day with the LORD in prayer and meditation upon His Word is to begin the day with faith in Him.

I was led to Col 1:3 – 6, “3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints— 5 the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God.“

I was especially drawn to the phrase, “the word of the truth of the gospel” “is bringing forth fruit” “in all the world” “as also among you since the day you Heard and Knew the Grace of God in Truth” (punctuation marks, and capitals my emphasis).

I am struck with how the Holy Spirit inspired (“theupnestos”-God breathed) the apostle Paul to write these phrases and words in this manner. How certain the Divine Author is over His word of the truth of the gospel in bringing forth fruit. Not one sense of doubt. Not one iota of uncertainty.

The “gospel” is inspired by the Holy Spirit as “the word of truth”, and IT BRINGS FORTH FRUIT! When the word of the truth of the gospel is faithfully preached and taught, God watches over His Word to fulfill it (Jer 1:12, “You have observed correctly,” said the LORD, “for I am watching over My word to accomplish it.”)

I love what Martin Luther said about letting the Word of the Truth of the Gospel do its work…

That is the power of God’s word. What a waste when preachers and teachers do injustice to the glorious WORD of GOD in CHRIST when they embellish, remove, and add to the pure and pristine WORD of the truth of the gospel. How often I hear this adding and subtracting of God’s Word from ignorant men before the pulpits!

The Greek word used in verse 6 for “that has come” is “pareimi”. This Greek word means “to be present, to be near”. The meaning is simply staggering! Christ Himself, the Immanuel, draws near when the word of the truth of the gospel is preached and taught clearly, without fear or favor.

This Greek word, “pareimi”, has a gestalten tinge to it. It intersects with Hebrews chapter 11, verses 1 to 3. The Word of GOD, the Divine Logos, Christ Himself, is “here and now, to be experienced” rather than merely exposited as an academic or exegetical endeavor. Exposition of God’s Word is useless unless Christ Himself is exposited and made clear to the listeners with much prayer going before this mighty event of preaching and teaching Him.

When Christ is preached and taught, and sung clearly, listeners experience the resurrected and ascended Christ in the here and now. Faith is brought near. Faith comes when Christ in His gospel word of truth and grace is preached and taught accurately.

God the Holy Spirit is in the gospel drawing hear to His people with His presence. It is not good singing with good music which does this. I have been in worship services with a full band, or no band, and what touches me is faith in my heart, and faith in the heart of the musicians and singers unto the LORD Jesus, singing and making music of His gospel word, unto His glory first and foremost before trying to derive any feel good emotions, and experiences.

God’s Word must be handled with reverence and fear as the very oracles of God, Peter says under Divine Inspiration (1 Peter 4:11).

God’s gospel is the presenting forth of His Word with authority and influence. God’s gospel word in Christ cannot be merely an “auditory reception but also an attentive and obedience response to what is heard” of His glorious gospel of grace. It is not a Passive Listening, but an Active Engagement with an Obedient Response.

Otherwise, listeners of God’s Word week in and week out, would be in danger of what James says in his Divinely Inspired letter, chapter 1, “22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23 For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24 and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.“

Isn’t that one of the massive main problems of Christians down through the ages? A vast majority-sadly-will listen to God’s word and not obey His word faithfully. And their lives will reflect this hypocrisy. They merely confess God, Christ and His Word with their lips. But their hearts are far, far away from genuinely loving and serving Him.

God has given us such grace in His Word. His Word when meditated upon brings His amazing grace, time and time again. Christ is brought near to us as we meditate upon His Word day and night. The Spirit delights in delighting the heart which has found its delight in the Word of Christ. As we meditate upon His Word, faith comes-Rom 10:17. The Greek word in Holy Scriptures for hearing, “akouo“, means to Hear, to Listen. It means to hear God’s Living Voice from His written word thereby receiving God’s gracious voice which births faith within our hearts continually. As faith is inwrought and inbirth repeatedly, we are filled with the Spirit of God and Christ repeatedly to obey His will faithfully.