THE LIFE WE LIVE SHOULD REFLECT OUR CONNECTION TO CHRIST

Proclamation:

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”  Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Colossae.  Paul began this second chapter by telling them that he wanted to encourage them so that they may have complete understanding.  He did not want them to be deceived and misled by the eloquent arguments of false teachers. (Colossians 2:4)  He wanted them to live their lives for Christ, to be grounded and strengthened in Him, and to be full of thanksgiving.  He ended this chapter by advising them not to be concerned if the world judged them by what they ate or drank, or their lack of attendance at Jewish festivals, or not following Jewish traditions.  They were free from the rules of the world and were tied to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-23)

Application:

Our salvation is not determined by our works, it is a gift of God because of our belief in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:9-10)  Our Christian walk is an outward demonstration of our inward conviction and the indwelling of The Holy Spirit.  Christ is our foundation and our life is built upon Him.  Our behavior in this world is to be based upon our faith in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:7)  It is not possible for us to grow in knowledge of Him without being rooted in Him.  Apart from Him we can do nothing. (John 15:5)  As we grow in Him we are strengthened by Him, and we should be grateful and thankful that we have been blessed by Him.

MAY YOU GROW IN LOVE AND KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHT

Proclamation:

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”  Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written in a letter by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Philippi.  After introducing himself and greeting them, Paul offers a prayer for them knowing that the good work which Christ had begun in them would be completed. (Philippians 1:3-6)  He prays that they would grow in love and knowledge and insight, so that they would know and do what is good and right to the glory and praise of God.

Application:

As believers we are to love all of God’s people, even those who are difficult to love.  However, there are some people that we need to love at a distance.  We need to learn how to love with knowledge and discernment because there are some individuals who would take advantage of us.  We need God’s help in deciding what is the best thing, and right thing to do.  If on our own we choose the wrong path, we need to confess that we made a mistake, and then turn around and head in the direction that The Lord God would have us to go.  Additionally, as we deal with people, we need to be sincere and honest.  The truth may offend some people but we should speak the truth in an effort to be helpful and therefore be blameless. (Philippians 1:10)  We should speak in such a way as to be helpful and to edify the body of Christ.  In all that we do, it should be done to the glory and praise of God. 

STILL BABES IN CHRIST

Proclamation:

“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by The Spirit but as people who are still worldly, mere infants in Christ.  I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.  Indeed, you are still not ready.  You are still worldly.”  1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the believers in Corinth.  Paul told them that they had not grown since they accepted Christ as their Savior.  He told them that they were still babes in Christ.  He said that he could not address them about spiritual issues because they were still concerned about worldly issues.  Their conversations and arguments reveal that they have not grown spiritually.

Application:

When it comes to The Word of God, are you ready for more meat, or are you still drinking milk?  Have you grown in your knowledge and understanding of Christ and The Word of God, or are you still a babe in Christ?  Just because we have been in church, or physically attending church services, for a number of years, does not mean that we have matured spiritually.  It does not matter how old we are chronologically, we can still be a babe in Christ.  Paul makes it clear that sometimes preachers have to preach and teach the people in church like they are the lost folk of the world. (1 Corinthians 3:1)  They had heard The Word of God and believed it, but they had not grown in their understanding of it.  That is why he called them babes in Christ.  The same point is made in The Bible Book of Hebrews.  Some people had been exposed to The Word of God often enough that they should be able to teach it to someone else, but they were still babes in Christ themselves. (Hebrews 5:12-13)  Some of us are still just listening to The Word of God every Sunday and not making any effort to dig any deeper and to learn and understand more about it.  After all of our years in church, we are still babes in Christ.  We need to read and study The Word of God and live it in order to correctly explain it and to grow spiritually. (2 Timothy 2:15)

MAY YOU LIVE WORTHY AND GROW IN HIS KNOWLEDGE AND POWER

Proclamation:

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.  We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all wisdom and understanding that The Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of The Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to The Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:9-12 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Colossae.  Paul was letting them know that he was praying for them.  He told them that he appreciates the good work that they have done and prays that they will continue, and grow in knowledge, and bear good fruit, and be strengthened with His power to endure that which is ahead.

Application:
We need to understand that it is not just the preachers that work for The Lord, but every believer has a job to do for God.  He has to prepare us before He can use us to work for His glory.  That preparation can sometimes be painful and unpleasant, but it is for our benefit.  No matter how much we know, or think that we know, we all need to grow in spiritual knowledge and holiness.  The only way we can do that is by reading and studying The Word of God.  We need to be strengthened with His power to produce good fruit and to withstand the storms of life that are to come.  According to Bible scholar John MacArthur, the good fruit we need to produce includes leading people to Christ (1 Corinthians 16:15), praising God (Hebrews 13:15), giving money (Romans 15:26-28), living a Godly life (Hebrews 12:11), and displaying holy attitudes. (Galatians 5:22-23)  Bible scholar Thomas Nelson states that “endurance and patience are necessary for our perseverance through the storms, problems, trials, and tribulations that are to come, along with forbearance of the faults and offences of others.”  We not only need God’s help to deal with our present situation, we need Him in order to deal with the things which are to come in the future.

Grow In Knowledge Of The Lord

"Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.  But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen."  2 Peter 3:17-18 (NIV)

The Apostle Peter wrote to the believers to encourage them to grow in the knowledge of The Lord, so that they would not fall victim to the false teachers and the false doctrine which was being put forth.  He began this letter expressing his concern for their increase in the knowledge of The Lord (2 Peter 1:2-3), and he ended it the same way.  

We need to be aware today of the teachers of false doctrine.  There are those who deny Christ, those who present a different doctrine, and those who twist and intentionally pervert The Word of God.  Only through prayer and persistent study of The Word of God, can we develop and mature, and increase our knowledge of The Lord and His Word.  Then we will be able to correctly discern, interpret, and explain The Word of Truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)  It is expected that we would grow in our knowledge and understanding of The Word of God, so that as we grow in age, we would also grow in knowledge and wisdom. (Hebrews 5:11-14)  

Live Worthy Please God Do Good And Grow In God

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of The Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,"  Colossians 1:10 (NIV)

This is the prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed for the Christian believers in the church at Colossi.  His prayer was that they would, one, live in such a way so as to be worthy of being named after The Lord; and two, so that what they did would be pleasing to The Lord; and three,  that they would be productive and bear good fruit of good works; and four, that they would continue to grow in the knowledge of God.

This is a prayer that we should pray for someone that we love with an agape kind of love.  We should be able to pray this prayer for all of our Christian brothers and sisters, and really mean it when we say it.  We should pray that all of us would hear The Word of God, then believe it and live it.  In all that we do, we should endeavor to please The Lord.  Since the world will know a tree by the fruit that it bears, likewise shall we be known. (Matthew 7:15-20)  Good people will produce good fruit.  We should also pray that each of us will grow daily in the knowledge and holiness of God. (1 Peter 2:2 and 2 Peter 3:18) 

The Word Of God Can Build Us Up

"Now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." Acts 20:32 (NIV)

On his way to Jerusalem, the Apostle Paul spoke to the Ephesian Christians. He warned them of the attack on the church that would come after he left. He said false prophets would come, wolves in sheep's clothing, from without and from within their ranks, twisting and distorting The Word of God. Therefore he was committing them to God and to The Word of God.

Today we need to understand that we are under attack by evil forces, and that only God and The Word of God can build us up, strengthen us, and protect us. Praying, reading and studying The Bible will provide us with the spiritual growth, knowledge, and understanding that we will need to guide and direct us in this world of many sinful distractions and pitfalls.

How Do You Walk Talk Act And Think?

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)

In his discourse on Christian behavior, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the Christians in Corinth to grow up spiritually, and act like mature Christian adults, and not like selfish uninformed children.

Children have only a very limited understanding of God and the scriptures, and their speech and behavior reflects this. The same is true for babies in Christ. By reading and studying the Bible, mature Christians gain a greater understanding of The Word of God, and our speech and our behavior should reflect this. When we know better, we ought to do better. There will come a time when our partial knowledge of God will be replaced with complete and perfect insight into all things eternal. But until that glorious day comes, let us make sure that our speech and our behavior shows the world a Christ-like individual.

We Are Sons Of God

"Behold, what manner of love The Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.

And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." 1 John 3:1-3

God loves us enough that, because of our belief in His Son, Jesus Christ, we too are considered sons of God. Once we accepted Christ, we were given a new, heavenly nature, a nature that is foreign to this world, making us 'aliens'. We are in this world, but not of this world.

While we were changed into a new creature the moment that we believed, our nature becomes more like His nature as we grow in knowledge and holiness and display Christian behavior. This transformation and purification will not be complete until we see Him, face to face.

Our Heavenly Father loves us, and will take care of us. So pray to Him, praise Him, thank Him and don't worry about a thing. Remember, we are His children and we ought to act like it.

Meat Versus Milk

When it comes to The Word of God, are you ready for more meat, or are you still drinking milk?

Have you grown in your knowledge and understanding in Christ, or are you still a babe in Christ?

Just because you have been in church, or physically attending church services, for a number of years, does not mean that you are a mature Christian spiritually. It does not matter how old you are chronologically, you can still be a babe in Christ.

Paul makes it clear that sometimes preachers have to preach and teach the people in church like they are the lost folk of the world. "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat; hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." 1 Corinthians 3:1-2

Paul was making reference to their spiritual immaturity. They had heard The Word of God but they had not grown in their understanding of it. That is why he called them 'babes in Christ'.

The same point is made in Hebrews. Some people had been exposed to The Word of God often enough that they should be able to teach it to some one else, but they were still babes in Christ themselves.

"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe." Hebrews 5:12-13

Are you still just listening to The Word of God every Sunday or are you growing spiritually? After all of your years in church, are you still a babe in Christ?

Are you ready for the meat of The Word, or are you still drinking milk?