THE GOD OF INCREASE
Colin preached this message at Word of Grace on Jan 4th 2025.
INTRODUCTION
The God of Increase
When you open the Bible, most of us instinctively gravitate toward familiar and comforting portions—Psalms, the Gospels, Paul’s letters, or books like Isaiah and John. Very few of us would admit that genealogies are our favorite reading. Long lists of names can feel dry, repetitive, and easy to skip.
Yet, hidden within one such genealogy in 1 Chronicles 4, we discover a powerful and life-changing story—the story of Jabez.
A Name That Spoke Pain, A Life That Spoke Faith
The genealogy flows uninterrupted until verses 9 and 10, where everything pauses for one man:
“Jabez was more honourable than his brothers…”
His name, Jabez, literally means “pain.” His mother named him this because his birth was marked by suffering. Imagine carrying that label for your entire life—being constantly reminded of pain, limitation, and difficulty.
But Jabez refused to let his name define his destiny.
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God’s inspired Word for life. We are a church community with people from every part of India and the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.