“Rooted…Built up…Established”

Colossians 2:6-7

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Col. 2:6-7 (ESV)

“How did you receive Christ?” That is the Key Question not where, not when… but how? Did you receive Him as Lord? This is the issue for many people; they want the benefits of salvation, but not the Lordship of Christ in their lives. “Yeah, I want to go to heaven, but I don’t want to really have to change my life.” When a person truly receives Jesus Christ…as Lord and Savior…then the walk begins. If there is no walk, then we must question the receiving.

So, just what does that walk look like? Verse 7 of the passage gives an overview of what the walk looks like. Think of a tree, like the one below, and consider what the walk looks like:

· Rooted: prepared to grow, roots drawing nutrients from the soil that are needed for growth.

o A tree is a self-feeder; no one has to tell it to feed. God has made the tree so that when the roots go into the soil, it feeds. When a person receives Christ, they should want to feed on God, on His presence in their life, in His Word. If a person desires to be a disciple of Jesus, that person must become a self-feeder.

o Do we have to be coaxed to feed to grow, or is it natural (1 Cor. 3:2)? A disciple of Jesus does not need awards; prizes or even recognition to grow…it is part of their spiritual DNA! Does that disciple need to be taught how to grow…of course. Does the disciple think it is an option…never! A disciple is always looking for someone to help them grow, to mentor, disciple…give them a good swift kick in the seat of the pants to get them going and keep them going in their Walk with Christ.

o We must become self-feeders! This does not happen naturally, unfortunately, but it is essential to a fruitful disciples. The desire to grow and have spiritual intake should be natural, it is the tools and disciplines that need to be taught. The disciple must have daily intake of God’s Word in their life through quiet time and scripture memory as well as a consistent time of Bible study and prayer. These are the roots that the rest of the walk is built upon. Disciples of Jesus take personal responsibility for their growth in Christ!

· Built up in Him (in Christ), this is the trunk, fruit and leaves of the tree. As a tree nourishes itself, it grows. As it grows it produces fruit. So it is with the disciple of Jesus, as growth comes, so does spiritual fruit.

o Producing fruit for the disciple is:

§ Trunk grows to make tree strong. As the disciple grows, he becomes stronger in the their faith. This strength comes as a disciple becomes consistently intimate with Christ. It is the consistency that brings strength to face the trials of life and the temptation of Satan.

§ As the disciple is built up, he bears fruit. This fruit is revealed in two ways: first, in Christian character being lived out, the Fruit of the Spirit becoming a natural part of life; second, reproduction of disciples through personal and corporate ministry to the world.

· Established in the Faith: A solidness that stands in the face of trials and pressure of the world. This is the whole life of a disciple, established, living in the world in the face of trials, in the face of temptations, in the face of failures and even in the face of success! As I sit writing this I can see out of the window of my study and see trees growing…well, I can’t really see them growing, but I can see the result of their growth. Over time, I will see them produce fruit in season and grow taller, stronger and become more established. The world must see the fruit of Jesus’ disciples, because in seeing the fruit, then they will see Jesus!