Pastor Nancy
Pastor, Fedha Church, Kenya Assemblies of God
Colossians 2:6-7
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.
These verses – walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him – mean to identify with, stay connected to, and seek spiritual nourishment in Jesus. It is the process of depending entirely on Him for stability, allowing His teachings to shape your character, and standing firm through life's challenges. It also means abiding in Him.
John 15:4-7
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
In these verses, the word remain (abide) is repeated eight times. It means anchoring yourself in Christ – not moving away or drifting.
Abide in Me means looking to Him exclusively and what He has done for us at the cross. It means that we understand that every solution we seek, for whatever the need might be, is found only in Christ. If we properly abide in Him – which we can only do by ever making the cross the object of our faith – then He will abide in us without fail.
When we abide, we bear fruit that identifies us.
Matthew 7:17-20
Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
When we remain in Christ, we become more like Him because we bear the fruit of the Spirit. We develop Christ-like character, and this is what God desires of every believer.
It is the fruit that identifies us, not the gift. Fruit is who you are, but gift is what you have. A gift is what you have in your hand, but fruit is what you have in your heart. Our character comes first before our ministry or gifts. Our gifts and ministry should flow out of our relationship with God. Jesus relates with us on the basis of who we are (character), not what we have (gift).
Jesus said, "I never knew you," yet they worked for Him.
Matthew 7:22-23
Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"
Do not be wowed by the leaves but check the fruits. Do not be deceived by the ministry; counter-check against character. That is why Jesus says:
Matthew 7:16
You will know them by their fruits.
Gifts are given, but fruit is born out of abiding. The more you remain rooted in Christ, the more you become like Him as the Holy Spirit bears fruit and transforms our character. Allow the Spirit of truth to rule in you.
Ephesians 3:17
That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love.
When we fail to abide, we may have gifts and anointing but fail in our character. You may be anointed but still have a wicked heart like King Saul. He was the anointed king and a great warrior, but he was self-centred and full of jealousy and envy, such that he was ready to kill David.
On the contrary, David was anointed and had a godly heart because he was rooted in God. He had both the character and the gift.
Psalm 78:72
So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
David led Israel with skillful hands and a heart of integrity. Unless you abide in Christ and are built up in Him, you can be anointed and have great gifts and still have a heart of Saul – full of jealousy, bringing others down, competition, working for the downfall of others, and ill intentions. Instead of building up, you use your gift, position, or achievement to tear down. The key thing is having Jesus Christ established in your heart.
The Apostle Paul encourages believers to be "rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
Comments
Post a Comment