I think most of the people who will worship with us want to grow closer to Christ, but this growth seems so elusive for most of us, doesn’t it?
There’s no magic pill, no magic formula, no five-step list to somehow force this to happen, but there are things we can emphasize in our lives to create an environment that’s conducive to spiritual growth.
Last week we talked about repentance, and tomorrow we’ll emphasize faith–these are, as one writer puts it, like the two terminals on a battery. They work together to bring about the desired end. Repentance and faith are these two “terminals” that open our souls to God’s work . . . what began our relationship with Christ is what sustains it.
In the first part of Colossians 3, Paul tells us that our lives are “hidden with Christ in God.” What he’s talking about is our identity, an incredibly important concept in Christianity. What we’ll do tomorrow is study how Paul develops this idea in Philippians 3. Instead of finding our identity in external markers of validity (accomplishment, etc.), we trust in Christ to affirm us . . . he gives us our value, not what we’ve done.
In this lesson I hope to help our congregation see that what we really want in life–even when we don’t realize it–is to be completely wrapped up in Christ. That’s where we find what we’re seeking.
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