The Master's Instructions about Himself, Colossians 3:1-17.
The Christian life has to be lived. Paul describes it in Galatians 2:20: ‘Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God.’ Various men and women may help you in your Christian understanding, but only God can make you grow. In Corinth, Paul planted the gospel seed, the Bible teacher Apollos watered the seed through his ministry, but ‘God made it grow’ (1 Corinthians 3:6). Paul told the
Colossians that the gospel was producing fruit and growing all over the world and that it would do the same among them (Colossians 1:6). Planting leads to production through the process of Christian growth.
How does this work in your life? I used to live on the eighth floor of a
block of flats near London’s Heathrow airport. On a clear day the sky
seemed to be filled with aeroplanes. Gradually my wife and I worked out
their pattern of approach, and sometimes we could pick out seven or eight
planes descending in a giant spiral preparing to land. When flying into
Heathrow myself, I’ve been able to work out when we have begun
gradually descending in one of these ‘stacks’ – circling around and around,
until it’s our turn to break off and land. The spiral or stack is a good
illustration of Christian growth – except that the planes come down and
we Christians should be going up!
As a Christian God makes you sensitive to some sin in your life. This is
the work of God the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). At that precise moment you
have a choice. You can steel yourself against God and say, ‘No, I’m not
going to crucify that area of my life. I want it too much.’ You are free to
make that choice. The consequence would be to lose your living walk with
God.
What God requires is that you submit your will to His. He wants you to
yield control of your life to Him. He wants you to let go of that sinful
habit, wrong attitude or ambition. As you submit to God, Christ becomes
Lord in that area of your life (1 Peter 3:15).
Every time you crown Jesus Lord in this way, you are Holy Spirit-filled
(1 Corinthians 12:3). You have chosen spiritual life not death (Romans 8:6-11).
You have said that you serve God and you do not serve sin. You have chosen to
master sin through Christ rather than let sin master you. You have complied with
God the Father’s will. You have consecrated yourself through God the Son. You have co-operated with God the Holy Spirit. What happens next?
Immediately, you become even more sensitive to sin in your life. The more
the holy life of Jesus is in you, the more aware you become of your human
sinfulness. This does not mean you are further away from God, it means
that God is calling you up the spiral! He has brought you back to the same
spot, but higher up than you were before. You are getting ready to break
away and land – not on earth, but up in heaven – although you will probably
have many, many more turns to make before the Controller calls you in.
Every time God brings you to a place of choice, your response determines
whether you go up or down the spiral of Christian growth. What you
permit God to do produces growth. What He requires releases life. What
you stop God doing will stunt your growth. Christianity is a life that has
to be lived twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a
year. What God is doing in you will work out in your life. As God convicts
you, choose to yield to Him. Claim the Holy Spirit as you consecrate
yourself to Christ. Then keep on keeping on. That is Christian growing.
Discussion guide on ‘the Process of Christian growth’
Read Colossians 3:1-17.
1. Verses 1-2 show us clearly that as Christian disciples we face daily
choices. We will either look up to heaven and do what God wants,
or we will look around at the world about us and end up doing what
it wants. Share with the group some of the choices you have had to
make recently.
2. Describe, in your own words, what the Bible means when it says:
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things”, verse 2.
3. “The more the holy life of Jesus is in you, the more aware you
become of your human sinfulness”. Explain why this is true. Does it
mean you are becoming more sinful, now you are a Christian
disciple? If not why not?
4. How do you “put to death” your pre-Christian human nature?
(verse 5).
5. Progress in the Christian life can be seen in these steps (below), which
are taken again and again in life. Start from the bottom line:
6._______________________________God triggers MORE growth, etc.
///////
5. _________________________________/ The Christian has greater sensitivity to sin
/ Romans 8:12-14 and John 16:7-8
4. _____________________________/ The Holy Spirit is released in the Christian –
/ 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and John 16:13
3. __________________________/ Christ becomes Lord in the Christian -
/ 1 Peter 3:15 and Colossians 1:18
2. _______________________/ The Christian chooses to yield to God – Romans 6:13
/and 1 John 1:8-9
1. _____________________/God triggers growth in the Christian – Philippians 1:6
/and 2:13.
Look up the Bible verses for each of the five steps. Discuss how the
Christian disciple is taken through these steps again and again as he or
she grows more like the Lord Jesus. Where are the key choices made?