(November 17, 2023) Richard Winter shares some good advice…

The apostle Paul is not here – pretty obvious, eh! But his writings, directions, warnings and God inspired speech are. Words of –

• Comparison
• Direction
• Godly wisdom
• Prohibition
• Wisdom completely applicable today.

What are these words?
Paul wrote in Colossians 2:4-6NKJV, ‘Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.’

The apostle rejoices over the Colossian Christians’ good order and steadfast faith. And gives a new instruction… with warnings –

• Walk in Him.
• Be rooted in Him.
• Be taught by Him.
• Abound with thanksgiving.
• Be careful regarding being deceived!

Putting these verses into context is to recognise that this letter was to a new young church in the city of Colossae which Greek philosophy was attempting to pervert the message of Christ.

Babes in Christ
These instructions are apropos for new Christians – babes in Christ. Now babies are wonderful gifts from God… we delight in –

• Holding them.
• Watching them.
• Looking for the milestones of growth.
• Teaching them their first words, first steps.
• Instructing them what not to do, what to beware of.

Actually, the first steps of any child who is learning to walk is a major accomplishment and parents today usually film this achievement. It’s seeing progress from a horizontal position to a vertical position of success.

Walk of faith
But… moments of vertical success are soon marred with faltering staggering and many constant falls.

• Parents immediately re-adjust the house.
• Baby could fall and hit his or her head on that table.
• Little hands may grab that vase and fall on broken glass.
• Child safety becomes the premium concern in every room and activity.

Babies have not developed the sense of danger as they start walking and exploring and attempt to ‘open new doors in life.’ Parents are quickly aware of danger lurking everywhere, that their child needs protection because little ones are not prepared to handle dangers. Taking first steps is one thing but taking a flight of steps on steep stairs is entirely another matter!

The Bible describes the Christian life in similar terms. In the Old Testament as God’s people journey through life they are described as walking with God. However, in the New Testament there is a change because walking with God describes a walk of faith and the nature of our spiritual growth and progress that parallels the physical development of a child.

Like a parent Paul recognised these aspects of walking with God and the Colossians needed to be supported, encouraged and protected as they learned to take steps on their individual walk of faith.

So take the text above literally and examine its spiritual implication: Verse six directs ‘As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.’  Verse seven directs to be, ‘rooted and built up in Him.’

• Note: Paul doesn’t say to walk with Jesus or walk after Jesus – the instruction is to walk in Jesus! ‘In’ is en, indicating position, implying ‘to give oneself wholly to.’

Learning to stand
So how are we to walk in Jesus? Just like a baby we will learn to stand. Maybe there’ll be some wobbling, some  falling down and getting up again… but ultimately there will be success and eventually walking will give way to running.

The first step every one of us has to take is to accept the Lord Jesus as our Saviour. Now that may seem obvious to many, but it is a blind spot for others. Mere sitting in a train station never makes you a train, sitting in an airport makes you a pilot. Nor does sitting in a church doesn’t make you a Christian!

Accepting Christ according to His word is totally essential to our Christian faith. One needs to repent, be baptised and live mission-oriented with the help of the Holy Spirit.

A great key to being strong in standing and walking successfully in Christ is Paul’s instruction of Colossians 2:7 – we are to be rooted in Jesus! What an agricultural term! Rooted is –  rhizoō  to become stable. When you plant new plants if their roots do not take, they won’t become stable and will die. The root system provides access to the source of life… deep roots provide for a healthy plant as nourishment comes up from the root.

Be rooted in Christ
Satan will seek to uproot us but when the roots are deep and sound the plant will not be easily removed! That’s what the devil was doing with the Colossians through teachings that were not based in Christ, His love and His revelation, but teachings of this world.

The benefit of a deep root system in Christ is that you will be built up and established in the faith. Spiritual food will come from Jesus. By studying His word our faith will grow and we can know His will, His provision and His boundaries.

Let’s put the facts on the table… being rooted, established and built up allows us to remain steadfast against the pull of this world and the deceptive devices of Satan and our flesh.

Just look at a skyscraper – 100 stories high with deep roots of architectural structure. If we’re going to be tall in our Christianity, we need to know how deep its foundations are. Shallow foundations won’t withstand too many storms and when one storm too many hits disaster happens! And it will happen if we are not deeply rooted in Christ.

Let’s look at the boundaries of walking in Jesus…

Boundary markers
Coming to church – the sanctuary – and walking inside you immediately recognise there were defining boundaries – doors. When you leave you are walking outside that boundary and are no longer walking ‘in the sanctuary.’

That’s the principal that Paul taught. When you are walking in Jesus you will know when you are safely inside the boundaries,free from outside dangers such as worldliness and Satan’s deceptions.

So what are the defining boundaries? Well the thick lines that we all can quickly recall from scripture are –

• Remembering the 10 Commandments.
• Living by the two great commandments.
• Undertaking the great commission.

The ten commandments are summed up in the two great commandments of loving the Lord your God with all our heart, soul and mind… and loving your neighbour as yourself (Mattthew 22:35-40).

The great commission is going into all the world preaching, teaching, baptising and obeying the Lord till He comes again (Matthew 28:18-20) – the local and universal requirements to spread God’s Word and His love.

But I see fine lines beside the defined heavy lines and these lines are as vital as the others! As men and women of God we find ourselves in a constant struggle between the flesh and the Spirit of God. When tempted the flesh can respond ‘Why not?Let’s do it!’ Or ‘Don’t hem me in, I want to be free.’ Or‘Stop telling me what to do!’

Paul’s Galatians 5:19-21 warnings expand here – with very clear counsel regarding who will not go to heaven…

‘Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.’

Fruit of the Spirit
These are boundary markers to let you know you are out of bounds and are not walking in Jesus as you should. In brief they literally mean –

• Get a grip of your thoughts.
• Because thoughts control actions.
• Watch what you say because the mouth can wound.
• Don’t be involved in wrong actions as they can be a flood source of evil.
• Evil hurts people… and that’s not of God.

To enable Christians to walk in Jesus, God put His Holy Spirit within us. Not only can we benefit from His manifestation gifts of 1 Corinthians 12:8-12, but also His precious fruit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Our task is to provide the soil and provisions for such fruit to grow – reading and studying our Bible, believing and trusting and faithfully walking in Jesus, praying, fellowshipping with other Christians… and sharing with the unsaved.

The gifts and fruit of the Spirit are identified by Paul to build up and edify us through personal growth… and will bless and profit everyone.

Note: Walking in Jesus will result in actions that cause you to leap forward… and at times get into trouble with the enemy. But it will lead you into holiness and show you how you are continually being sanctified as well as how God has justified you. You will discern that this world has nothing better or greater to offer you that eclipses Jesus.

Paul says it’s Jesus first and last! We look forward, leaving our past lives in the past. Keep walking in Jesus – God is with us and He has a great plan for our lives.

May we no longer be babes in Christ but adult Christians who walk in Christ by faith.

________________________________________________

Dr Richard Winter pastors The Connection Church, Huntington Beach, California. Link: OnlineConnect@gmail.com
__________________________________________________