Colossians 1:5 “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:”
When “the word of the truth of the gospel” is preached in the hearing of those to whom the Lord has “given … an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear” (Deuteronomy 29:4), there is great joy and peace as “the hope which is laid up for you in heaven” is proclaimed by the faithful Ministers “of the gospel”. From “the day” that they had “heard .. the word of the truth of the gospel”, it began to bring “forth fruit”! This blessed “fruit” includes the “fruit” of worshipful praise unto the Lord God Almighty, the “fruit” of joy and peace in our hearts, the “fruit” of sweet fellowship within the Church, the fruit of confession and repentance, the “fruit” of obedience to the Lord by which we show our love to Him (John 14:15), and the “fruit” of Baptisms (Church growth). Furthermore, there is the “fruit” of courage and strength in the very face of tribulations and trials, no matter how troublesome they become. For, “the truth of the gospel” declares that our Beloved Savior has Sovereign Power even over death. Thus, when we are in the midst of our troubles, we are peacefully confident that our Lord will deliver us from them, or He will deliver us through them (giving us grace to endure) or He will deliver us to “be with” Him “in paradise” (Luke 23:43). It is no wonder that we “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8) when we greet one another in Brotherly Love, when the sweet old “gospel” Hymns are sung, when the Brethren kneel calling out to our merciful and gracious Lord in prayer, and when the Preacher rises and begins to worshipfully declare “the word of the truth of the gospel”. At such times, we weep with joy and cry aloud, for our Lord is “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:” (Ephesians 1:21). There is not a place on this earth that I would rather be than in the House of God, when “the word of the truth of the gospel” is being Preached!