Completness In Christ
Col. 2:6-10 "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"
"As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord"
In order to know and understand completeness the first requirement is to receive Jesus. This is done by first a revealing of Jesus to us. In the book of Isaiah. 40:3-5
"The voice in the wilderness; prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our Lord, Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough place smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
This scripture by the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled when Jesus came to John the Baptist. John was the "voice in the wilderness." This is an example of the revealing of Jesus - To continue in the first chapter of the Gospel of John in verse twelve it says 'But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. The foundation that must be laid deals with our relationship to Jesus. Do you reject? Do you accept? It is God's desire that you accept Him. You must individually receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord then you can begin to know His perfect plan for our life.
"..so walk in Him."
Once you receive Jesus into your life it is important that you "walk" with Him. How can two walk together unless they agree with one another? A walk implies movement in a particular direction most likely with a particular purpose in mind. The path that Jesus laid when he went to the cross, died, resurrected and ascended into heaven lead to the Father in Heaven. If you keep your eyes on Jesus. Which can be accomplished though several means. These include Bible Reading, Fellowship, Praying, and Worship. You need to walk with Jesus. The scripture points out that Jesus is the Word. A walk requires many steps to reach your destination. So is the Christian walk made up of many steps. Every moment requires an action that will lead toward heaven.
"..rooted.."
"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaves also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper." (Psalm 1:3) A healthy tree must have a stable root system. Not only does the root provide nourishment it gives stability. It is the Spirit of God that gives your resurrected soul the feeding required for completeness. Prayer is needed to insure that you are being filled. Prayer is an act of communication. This is talking directly to God. Prayer binds the relationship between the believer and the Lord Jesus. Along with a healthy relationship comes stability. A once devastated life can be made complete by being rooted in Jesus Christ.
"..Built up in Him and established in faith, as you have been taught."
Earlier in this discussion I shared with you the foundation in a Christian's life. This required simple faith to receive Jesus as your Savior. Once the foundation is laid it is time to build. Building a complete life requires four basis things.
1. Prayer,
2. Reading the Bible,
3. Fellowship with other believers and finally
4. proclaim the Gospel.
Look at each of these principles as four rooms that you need to build in order to know the completeness that God wants for us.
"Abounding in it with thanksgiving."
You must appreciate what God did by sending His son to die for your sins. He paid the penalty that you deserved to pay. Unfortunately those that reject the Gospel message will have to, on their own, pay the price. The sad part is people who don't believe in Jesus don't have enough in their "Spiritual Bank Account" to pay for their sins. The tragedy is this: they could have some else pay. Someone who has enough resources to pay. It comes through one person and that is Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh. If you had to pay for your sins the most you could do id spend an eternity in hell. But, give thanks to God that Jesus is the Savior of the world! Thank Jesus that he bore your sin and paid the ransom due on your life. He redeemed you. For this very reason you should be thankful.
"..beware.."
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of men, and not according to Christ. The road to completeness has its challenges; daily the world hits your senses with ideas that are contrary to God's will. That is why Paul the apostle writes, "beware". This means you need to watch that the enemy does not trick you. All the prior steps protect the elect. It makes them away of the bumps and potholes in the road. Knowledge of the Word is your best defense against the attacks of the enemy
"Fore in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are made complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. Jesus is the name above all names."
It is only through the power of the resurrection that you can truly experience completeness.
About the Author
This article is an excerpt for the book titled "Building a House of Worship". For more information on how you can get your copy of this book go to...
http://www.mediatunes.com/bhow/bhow.php