Spiritual Growth Like the Colossians

Paul calls on all Christ followers to grow, something we have come to call ‘spiritual growth’. In 1 Corinthians 3, he admonishes those who have stayed infants in Christ, they had not grown. The author of Hebrews also laments that milk is still necessary and not solid food for the mature in Christ and His teachings.

Several times this year, we have looked at various aspects of spiritual growth, all of which are based on knowing Jesus and living as he did. We need to learn, to grow, to walk as Christ walked, taking on his character and his focus.

What better way than to continue studying the word? Is the Word not the solid food we should be eating?

Eating Solid Food

Colossians in particular speaks of knowing Christ, living in fullness of Christ, and made alive in Christ. Let’s take a closer look at Colossians and what we may learn from Paul’s letter to the city of Colossae.

The letter opens with a delightful greeting from Paul (of Christ) and Timothy to those in Christ. We have also already had reference to God the Father, Christ the Lord, and the Holy Spirit by the end of verse 8.

The opening greeting is quickly followed by thanksgiving for the believers who have apparently matured in Christ: the followers understood grace and their faith and love springs from hope which came from the gospel message which has also borne fruit.

I believe this is the gist of spiritual growth, in a nutshell few verses, isn’t it? Understand the gift of grace and the gospel message of Christ, founding our faith, which transforms our perspective to the love of Christ and the hope we have in him. That change within then leads us to the maturity of the gospel and growth of fruit.

Maturity in Christians

Paul continues by saying that in knowing this maturity of the Colossians, they have prayed for (verse 9) ‘God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives’, in order to live a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him.

Let’s not run over that verse… God does the filling, by way of the Spirit who gives wisdom and understanding. This verse does not say to go hunting or to figure out what God’s will is. This verse says that the Spirit of God shares wisdom and understanding to know the will of God.

I see we have run into another place where trust seems to come in – you see if he has given me wisdom, then perhaps he expects me to use that wisdom and follow what I understand or know of Him to act or take the next step. God trusts me to act. Perhaps stepping out in faith to do the will of God, is more that he has given us his wisdom and understanding through the Spirit in us, and he wants us to draw on all that to act. It is perhaps then not really a blindness and a ‘hold your breath moment’, but rather a ‘God trusts me to act in accordance with his wisdom and understanding to do his will.’ There would then be nothing truly blind about our stepping out in faith. It may be dimly lit at times, but never in the dark.

Living a life that glorifies God

Paul doesn’t stop there with being filled, but actually defines what that pleasing life looks like in verses 10-12:

Bearing fruit in every good work

Growing in the knowledge of God

Being strengthened with all power to have endurance and patience

Giving joyful thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in his inheritance

We again cannot gloss over these statements. Living a life that glorifies Jesus, according to Paul, involves these four things listed above. Let’s first consider bearing fruit in every good work.

Bearing Fruit

As Christ-followers, we no longer work for man, but for God. We bear fruit as John 15:1-17 describes, by abiding in the vine, Christ. We find in these verses of John, that we are attached to Jesus as the branches to the vine; so, his lifegiving sap runs through us and provides what we need for fruit production.

The passage from John urges us to abide in Christ, to stay attached, implying that we have a choice. We have a choice to allow Christ to rule or to push him back and put ourselves first. Bearing fruit only comes from abiding in him; his rule means that we follow his lead, obeying him. Then the fruit comes without our concerted effort to produce fruit; our focus is on the vine, not the fruit, when we are branches. He will guide us in the fruiting while we focus on him alone.

I bet you want to know what that fruit is. It is a changed heart, it is a growth in confidence, it is sharing the gospel or your testimony, it is becoming more like Christ. It is changes in action, changes in attitude, changes in beliefs. There is no one thing that defines the fruit that grows, there are infinite indications that we are bearing fruit. If you are not sure, ask and I know God will send his Spirit of wisdom and understanding to reveal to you what fruit you have produced.

Growing in the Knowledge of God

Paul goes on from bearing fruit to growing in the knowledge of God. This phrase is not referring to reading up on God and knowing ‘about God.’ This phrase is actually referring to the knowledge that we have of someone that comes from experience and relationship, first-hand relationship.

So, growing in the knowledge of God is about deepening our relationship with him, not learning about him. Experiencing him, seeking him. This is relationship. Our prayers need to go from only talking to also listening. We need to go from doing our own thing, to seeking his will in our things. This is the walk with Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit, knowing God. Relationships are founded on knowing each other and trusting each other enough to be vulnerable. Christ was ultimately vulnerable in death and resurrection, asking for acceptance but knowing he would be rejected by so many.

Being Strengthened with All Power

Being strengthened. The strength of God is what gives us the perseverance to endure and to maintain patience. This power is all the Spirit. This power is not what we do or dig deep to find within, it is turning to God when we need it. Perhaps this is an offshoot of the relationship that we have with God. His power comes from the trust that is developed over time in the relationship between you and God, me and God. I know I can lean on him when I need strength. His glorious might is more than enough to give us great endurance and patience, my own might will always fall short. He never does.

Giving Joyful Thanks to the Father

The fourth way we please God is recognizing who he is, thanking him for what he has done, with joy in our hearts. The phrase goes on to tell us why we have joy and why we give thanks, because God has qualified us, through his Son, to join in his inheritance of the kingdom of light. Some of this inheritance we receive immediately, some we wait to receive in the future, but all of it is because of his love for us.

The love of God overflows to fill us with joy in all the blessings that he gives. If you look up inheritance in the Bible, there are so many aspects of it, first being his love and provision. The people of Israel inherited the land of milk and honey, driving out the worldly people and dwelling with God. We have such an inheritance and so much more in Christ.

This brings us to a mid-point in Colossians 1. We will pick up next month, the first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to
Spiritual Growth.

I’m sharing this week at the Grace & Truth Linkup.