If you have an instamatic camera, you can see your picture develop right before your very eyes. But in a matter of moments, form and color begin to appear. Shapes become more distinctive and the color sharpens. In a few minutes, the subject of your attention has been captured on film, an eyewitness record of what has been seen. In the same sense, every church needs time to develop into a healthy church.
Some churches develop faster than others for a variety of reasons.
As you look at your own church, do not become discouraged if it appears to be only an unimpressive white square of blank film. Christ has made an eternal commitment to the church until it becomes fully mature. Paul will show us as we study this text. This is a most unusual greeting to a church from Paul. He does not refer to himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ.