Walk This Way - By Faith
Justin Magness
This Sunday, Pastor Matt began the “Walk This Way” sermon series, a nine-week series that dives into our Christian walk as a new creation in Christ. This series is the perfect follow-up to the “I Reckon So” series that went into us reconciling the truth of who we are in Christ as a new creation when we believe by faith through grace.
Having a proper understanding of what it means to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1) is pivotal to living out the life that Jesus gave us. Far too many Christians have been taught to believe that our walk in Christ is based on our actions and what we can do for Him. “Get saved and get busy” is a common phrase in Church circles. I spent most of my early walk in Christ living with this mindset, and I was very good at it. It wasn’t until adversity struck my life that I realized there’s a better way. I went to church every Sunday and Wednesday and every single event the church put on, such as youth group camps, lock-ins, and community outreach. I could check every box off my “things Christians are supposed to do checklist.” While at face value, all these are in fact great things to do, they were not being done from a position of overflow from my understanding of God.
Paul writes this prayer in Colossians 1:9-14 “that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of saints in light.”
Why is he pleading with us to increase in the knowledge of God and be filled with the knowledge of spiritual and wisdom and understanding? Because if you “get saved and get busy” and do not have a deeper understanding of who you are in Christ, the attacks from the enemy will be devastating. But, if you let a deeper understanding of who you are in Christ overflow out of your life and become the driving force behind your walk in Christ, you will be prepared when the enemy inevitably attacks (Ephesians 4:12-14).I experienced this first hand, and all the self-righteous serving I did to try and earn favor was in vain because I was still immature in my understanding of the knowledge and spiritual wisdom of God. Rather than walking in faith, I was walking in my own doing, trying to please God and earn His favor. This was never the intention for us as believers once we received Christ. Paul writes in Colossians 2:6 that “as we have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.”
How do we as believers better understand who we are in Christ? How do we know what it looks like to walk in Christ alone from that position? By digging deeper into The Word. As we dig deeper into the Bible, we become more rooted in our understanding of our life in Christ. When that understanding fills us and overflows in our life, we will no longer have a “to-do list” of things to earn favor, that will lead to burnout and frustration when the enemy attacks. Instead, we will have a passion for others to know and experience the goodness of God in all circumstances!
See the difference? I am excited about this series! Let’s dig deeper together into the truth of “walking in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called.”
This Sunday, Pastor Matt began the “Walk This Way” sermon series, a nine-week series that dives into our Christian walk as a new creation in Christ. This series is the perfect follow-up to the “I Reckon So” series that went into us reconciling the truth of who we are in Christ as a new creation when we believe by faith through grace.
Having a proper understanding of what it means to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1) is pivotal to living out the life that Jesus gave us. Far too many Christians have been taught to believe that our walk in Christ is based on our actions and what we can do for Him. “Get saved and get busy” is a common phrase in Church circles. I spent most of my early walk in Christ living with this mindset, and I was very good at it. It wasn’t until adversity struck my life that I realized there’s a better way. I went to church every Sunday and Wednesday and every single event the church put on, such as youth group camps, lock-ins, and community outreach. I could check every box off my “things Christians are supposed to do checklist.” While at face value, all these are in fact great things to do, they were not being done from a position of overflow from my understanding of God.
Paul writes this prayer in Colossians 1:9-14 “that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of saints in light.”
Why is he pleading with us to increase in the knowledge of God and be filled with the knowledge of spiritual and wisdom and understanding? Because if you “get saved and get busy” and do not have a deeper understanding of who you are in Christ, the attacks from the enemy will be devastating. But, if you let a deeper understanding of who you are in Christ overflow out of your life and become the driving force behind your walk in Christ, you will be prepared when the enemy inevitably attacks (Ephesians 4:12-14).I experienced this first hand, and all the self-righteous serving I did to try and earn favor was in vain because I was still immature in my understanding of the knowledge and spiritual wisdom of God. Rather than walking in faith, I was walking in my own doing, trying to please God and earn His favor. This was never the intention for us as believers once we received Christ. Paul writes in Colossians 2:6 that “as we have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.”
How do we as believers better understand who we are in Christ? How do we know what it looks like to walk in Christ alone from that position? By digging deeper into The Word. As we dig deeper into the Bible, we become more rooted in our understanding of our life in Christ. When that understanding fills us and overflows in our life, we will no longer have a “to-do list” of things to earn favor, that will lead to burnout and frustration when the enemy attacks. Instead, we will have a passion for others to know and experience the goodness of God in all circumstances!
See the difference? I am excited about this series! Let’s dig deeper together into the truth of “walking in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called.”
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