Growing Strong in Christ: Five Essentials of Spiritual Growth (Bob Coughlin, Colossians 2:6-7)

 I'm super encouraged by the https://grace.church/rooted/ this week. A theme in life for me right now is Don't wait

Lesson 6 of Rooted, “Growing Strong in Christ: Five Essentials of Spiritual Growth” (Bob Coughlin, Colossians 2:6-7)

Theme: Developing consistent spiritual habits that strengthen your walk with Christ, and ground you in grace-filled growth

Objective: To build habits that anchor you in steady spiritual growth through the Word, prayer, fellowship, witness, and obedience

Memory Verse: 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.

The big idea: A man can be settled in who he is and still be weak, running on empty. A gym membership doesn’t make you strong. Going to the gym does. Growth comes from showing up, not from trying harder. And none of this earns God’s love. We already have it.

The memory verse holds the whole lesson. Colossians 2:6-7 has five words: walk, rooted, built up, established, abounding.

1. Walk in Him. Follow Jesus daily. It’s a walk, not a sprint. We grow by abiding deeper, not grinding harder (Gal. 3:3). “Fans cheer Jesus on Sunday. Followers carry the cross Monday through Saturday.”
   • Try it: Each morning, ask, “Jesus, I’m following You today. What do You want me to know and do?”
2. Rooted in Him. God’s Word and prayer are the hidden half of the tree (Psalm 1).
   • Word: “Boring builds roots.” Consistency matters most.
   • Prayer: Don’t pray like you’re at a drive-through. Sit at the table with God. Start with worship, then confession, then requests (Matt. 6, Phil. 4). God wants a real heart, not perfect words.
3. Built up. Nobody gets built up alone. We are “living stones” (1 Pet. 2:5, Heb. 10, Prov. 27:17). The lion goes after the gazelle that wanders off. Someone in your group needs you to be that man, so show up even when your lesson isn’t done.
4. Established. Be a doer, not just a hearer. In the story of the two builders (Luke 6), both men heard Jesus, but only one obeyed. “Knowing truth doesn’t make you stronger. Doing it does.” (John 14:15)
   • Ask yourself: What’s one thing God already told you to do that you’re still putting off?
5. Abounding in thanksgiving. Gratitude overflows like a full cup. Real gratitude talks, and that’s being a witness (Psalm 107, Acts 1:8). It’s not a sales pitch.

Bob’s confession: When life is hard, he prays hard. When life is good, prayer is the first thing he skips. What we skip shows what we really believe.

This week’s challenges:

• Keep score. Which of the five is strongest in your life right now? Which is weakest?
• Do one specific thing this week for your weakest area. Examples:
  • On Wednesday, call (don’t text) your battle buddy. Ask how his time with God is going and how you can pray for him.
  • Finish your Rooted lesson before you open email, the news, or your phone.
• Start a list of people to pray for, care for, and share with. Who’s your first one?
• Memorize Colossians 2:6-7, and get a head start on next week’s verse, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Coming next week: God’s Word as your GPS, and who gets the final word in your life.

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God wants to live near you

Read: Exodus 25:1-9 (NLT)

"Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them." Exodus 25:8

God came close first. Israel was in the desert. They had no home and no land. They grumbled often. Soon they would make a golden calf. Still, God said, "I want to live with you."

Love starts with God. Israel did not ask for a tent. God planned it. He gave every detail, down to the poles and the curtains.

Holy and near. God is pure and perfect. That is why the tent had rules. But the point of the rules was not to keep people away. It was to make a way for them to come close.

What we learn:

• God: He is holy, and he wants to be near.
• People: We do not build the way to God. He does.
• Circumstances: God met Israel in a hard, empty place.

Heart questions:

1. Do you picture God as far away or close by? Why?
2. Where is your "desert" right now? What would it mean for God to meet you there?
3. Do you want God near you, or do you only want his help?

Pray: Lord, you came close when I could not come to you. Thank you for wanting to be near me. Help me want you more than what you give. Amen.

Go deeper: God shows Moses His dwelling place and requirements for holy use (Exodus 25-31)

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God declares sinners righteous through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Romans 4)

 In Romans 4, Paul uses Abraham and David to show that God justifies the ungodly through faith. Abraham believed God, and his faith was credited as righteousness. David celebrated God’s forgiveness, knowing his sin was covered and his guilt removed. Their examples introduce the doctrine of justification, offering believers confidence and hope.

Key points from Romans 4:2–5, 23–25:

- God graciously forgives and declares sinners righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.

- God’s holiness and justice demand sin’s punishment; our good works cannot justify.

- Jesus bore sin’s penalty upon the cross and rose for our justification.

- God credits Christ’s perfect righteousness to believers, removing guilt and granting forgiveness.

- Justified through faith, we gratefully embrace freedom to live for Jesus Christ.

Without faith in Christ, my good works leave me condemned, without righteousness, salvation, or hope.

Through faith in Christ, I am forgiven, clothed in His righteousness, and freed to serve.

How would you describe the relief in realizing justification is a gift to be received rather

than something to be earned?

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Ask, Seek, Knock: Trusting God With the Next Step

About ten years ago, while on a Bible Study Fellowship retreat, I first became excited about using technology to translate Bible study materials into other languages. I began imagining what it could mean for more people to study Scripture in the language closest to their hearts.

I didn’t know what that possibility would become. But I remember the excitement of seeing a connection between the tools available to us and the people we might serve.

Looking back, the A.S.K. prayer model I associate with that season—Ask, Seek, and Knock—provides a meaningful way to revisit that vision. And Romans 4 reminds me of the foundation beneath every prayer and every step forward: faith in the God who keeps His promises.

Faith Before Accomplishment

In Romans 4, Paul points to Abraham as an example of righteousness received through faith. Abraham had nothing to boast about before God. He believed God, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.

David’s words reinforce the blessing of receiving God’s forgiveness. Our relationship with God begins with grace.

When I studied this chapter, I divided it into three sections:

• Not Works — Romans 4:1–8
• Not Signs — Romans 4:9–15
• But God’s Promise Accepted in Faith — Romans 4:16–25

These truths speak directly to the heart of someone with an idea, a calling, or a desire to serve. It is easy to become absorbed in what we can accomplish. Romans 4 brings us back to the One we can trust.

Even a worthwhile ministry project cannot earn God’s acceptance. We serve because we have received His grace.

Ask: Bring the Desire to God

At that retreat, the possibility of translating Bible study materials stirred my imagination. A.S.K. invites me to bring that desire before God in specific prayer.

Who needs access to these resources? Which language communities could benefit? What people, skills, and resources would the work require?

We can ask boldly while holding our plans with open hands. Faith gives us confidence in God’s goodness without requiring certainty about how a particular project will unfold.

Lord, help more people encounter Your Word in a language they understand. Show me the part You would have me play.

Seek: Listen Before Moving

Seeking God invites us to examine both our direction and our motives.

Am I listening to the people I hope to serve? Am I willing to learn from translators, teachers, and local believers? Is my enthusiasm for technology helping me love people well?

Technology can support translation, but faithful communication also requires care, cultural understanding, and thoughtful review. Seeking God’s guidance means welcoming the wisdom and gifts of others.

Romans 4 directs our attention to God’s faithfulness. Abraham’s confidence rested in God’s ability to fulfill His promise. That challenges me to place my confidence in God as I consider which tools to use and which steps to take.

Knock: Continue in Trust

Knocking reminds me to persist in prayer.

A vision may take years to develop. Progress may come through small beginnings, unexpected partnerships, or a change in direction. Persistence includes continuing to listen and remaining willing to be redirected.

Abraham faced circumstances that made God’s promise seem impossible. Yet Romans 4 describes his growing confidence that God could do what He had promised.

My ideas do not carry the same certainty as God’s promise to Abraham. Still, Abraham’s example teaches me where to place my trust while I wait: in God’s character and power.

An Aim That Reaches the Heart

Homiletics helps us turn what we learn into a personal aim for those we serve. For this reflection, mine would be:

Cause the audience to learn that God’s grace frees us from striving to earn His acceptance and enables us to ask, seek, and knock with faith in Him.

Ten years after that retreat, I still find encouragement in the possibility that technology can help people engage with Scripture across languages. I also see more clearly how much that work needs prayer, humility, and partnership.

What desire to serve have you been carrying? Bring it to God. Ask specifically. Seek attentively. Knock persistently.

And as you take the next step, let your deepest confidence rest in the God who is faithful.

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The Word That Sustains Us: Love

 Matthew 4:3–4; Deuteronomy 8:3; Isaiah 55:2; Job 23:12; Joshua 1:8

My brother and I enjoy walks and discuss truth that can't be contradicted. He's been my driving force to learn about God and attempt a ministry that is faithful to God's word. Humility, compassion, and character that acknowledges we have different dispositions but one loving Father in Heaven who has given us people to love, encourage, and understand. We were not put on this earth to be loved, encouraged, and understood but to love, encourage, and understand - when we live this way no one is left alone. Happy Birthday Paul. 

Jesus as “the Word” (Logos), God's reason for everything

When Satan comes to Jesus in the wilderness, he targets a real hunger. Forty days without food. Weakness in the body. And the tempter says, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” It is not an invitation to evil for evil’s sake. It is an invitation to meet a legitimate need in an illegitimate way.

Jesus answers with Scripture:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

With those words, Jesus reaches all the way back to Deuteronomy 8:3, where God explains why He allowed Israel to hunger in the wilderness and then fed them with manna they did not recognize. God says He did this “that you might know” something. Hunger was not punishment. Hunger was instruction. God was teaching His people a deeper truth: life is sustained not merely by provision, but by promise. Not merely by food, but by faith in the God who speaks.

Bread keeps the body alive for a day.
The Word keeps the soul alive forever.

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The Lie of Substitute Bread

Isaiah 55 exposes the tragedy of misplaced trust:

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”

We work. We acquire. We consume. And still the soul is restless. We feed on achievements, relationships, distractions, substances, status—yet remain empty. God calls this what it is: spending our lives on what cannot nourish us.

Jesus does not deny our hunger. He reveals its true source. Our deepest hunger is not physical. It is spiritual. We were created to live in communion with the voice of God. When we mute that voice, nothing else can satisfy us.

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The Value of the Word

Job lived in suffering, loss, and confusion, yet he testified:

“I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my portion of food.” (Job 23:12)

Not instead of food. More than food. Job had learned what the wilderness teaches: there are seasons when God becomes your only remaining nourishment. When all other supports fall away, the Word remains. And those who have learned to treasure it survive storms that would otherwise destroy them.

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The Discipline That Leads to Life

Joshua 1:8 gives us the pattern for sustained spiritual life:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night… then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Notice the order:

• The Word in the mouth

• The Word in the mind

• The Word shaping obedience

• The Word producing life

God does not promise success through effort alone. He promises it through a life saturated with His spoken truth.

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Jesus, the Living Word

In the wilderness, Jesus does not merely quote Scripture. He embodies it. He shows us what it means for a human life to be completely sustained by God’s voice. Where Israel failed in hunger, Jesus triumphs. Where Adam grasped at forbidden food, Jesus refuses illegitimate bread.

Later, Jesus will say:

“I am the bread of life… whoever comes to me shall not hunger.”

The Word of God is not only spoken. The Word of God became flesh. The sustaining Word now sustains us through a Person.

Jesus as “the Word” (Logos), God's reason for everything

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Application

We must ask ourselves honestly:

• What bread am I trusting today?

• What am I consuming that cannot truly satisfy?

• Is God’s Word my daily nourishment or an occasional supplement?

You cannot fast from the Word and expect spiritual strength.
You cannot neglect the Word and expect clarity in temptation.
You cannot starve your soul and remain strong in faith.

God still humbles.
God still allows hunger.
God still feeds with manna.
And God still teaches us the same truth:

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

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Closing Exhortation

Let us stop chasing substitute bread.
Let us return to the table of God’s Word.
Let us treasure it above comfort, above entertainment, above even daily provision.

Because only the Word that created us can continuously sustain us.

And only Christ, the living Word, can fully satisfy the hunger of our souls.

God speaks, do you hear it (Heb 4:12, 12:25)?

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