Fruit of the Gospel

This post is for our middle school students and the volunteers that are going to be going on the mission trip. Hopefully you've been keeping up with the reading in the One-Minute Bible. If you have, then today (Monday June 21) you read a few passages under the heading "Give thanks to God for his enduring love." One of the passages is Colossians 1:3-6, where Paul writes that the gospel "is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and recognized God's grace in the truth." The cool thing about God's Word is that it never stops working. It is always bearing fruit. It's always bringing results.

In Isaiah 55:10-11, God says, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

So when God's Word goes out, it doesn't come back with nothing. It does what he means for it to do. When we go to Salem, we can trust that God will accomplish his purposes through us if we allow ourselves to be used by him.

So here is a chance for you to respond. Think about and answer the question, "How have I seen the gospel bear fruit?" Maybe you've seen God's Word do some incredible things in your own life, or in the lives of your family or friends. If we remember how God has acted in the past, it can boost our trust that he will continue to act.

This is important, because this is how you leave an answer to that question: At the bottom of this post, click where it says "0 comments" (or "2 comments" or however many there are). Write what you want to say in the box, and where it says "Comment as," choose Name/URL. Put your name (just your first name, please), and then hit "Post Comment."

With that, here's what a few more of you are looking forward to on the trip, and why you're going.

"What I hope to get out of the mission trip is that I can make a difference in someone's life and faithfully and kindly, and that Gd will use me in His way and that I'll learn more things. I loved this trip we took and I learned A LOT of things from them and I want to be as amazing as the people who started the program. I want God to use me to get through to those who need help from me."
-Maria

"I am hoping to get insight on what people who have nothing act like. This will help me to be more humble. I also want to get to know God better."
-Alex

"I am really hoping to get a better relationship with God. What I am hoping to help people out and I also hope to get the mission a lot cleaner and a lot nicer."
-Trevor

"I went on this mission trip last time...and nothing has ever impacted me more. I loved working shoulder to shoulder with people who's lives had been changed drastically by God."
-Heather