"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world."

Paul is about one thing, proclaiming the God’s gospel throughout the world. This is evident in this verse and in the preceding seven verses.  Paul’s thesis statement is laid out in those first seven verses. We all are called to be apostles of God’s gospel regarding His risen son Jesus who we serve as Lord and obey through faith.

It is not surprising to read then that Paul thanks God through Jesus Christ because of the global reach their faith was having. Paul’s missional heart is a model for all of us who seek to be messengers of God’s gospel. Not only should we be about the work of proclaiming the gospel but we should also be lifting up others to God with thanksgiving.

As messengers of God’s gospel were are connected to a global community of believers. We can and should celebrate anytime the faith of believers is reported. Have you ever seen or heard news about the success of a church or ministry that you are not a part of and felt frustrated at their success? We must resist this urge to become competitive! When one church or ministry’s faith is reported we should all rejoice. The message is being proclaimed!

I imagine that if we celebrated the successes of our fellow laborers, our faith too would be reported all over the world all the more. I want to be about God’s gospel and while proclaiming this good news. I cannot claim success (because success belongs to God) but merely display obedient faith.