Timothy J. Clarke - Re-Generation

What Paul says to us tonight is that if we want to grow in God, there are some things we have to practice. That growth in God does not come easily. Now, I need you to hear this because this is where younger generations are missing it, and it’s where they often get frustrated not only with spiritual matters but with life itself. Younger generations have grown up in an age of instant everything—microwaves, computers, tweeting, texting, email, and Gmail. They have grown so accustomed to sending messages in one hundred forty characters; they push a button, and instantly someone receives it. In about three seconds, someone is replying to that text.

Now, when I was growing up, it didn’t work that way. They pop things in the microwave, and it’s instant. They pull up to McDonald’s or Burger King, and their dinner is served through a window. That is fine for lunch and dinner, but life doesn’t work that way, and neither does marriage nor your walk with God. There is no such thing as getting saved tonight, becoming a Christian, and achieving growth and maturity by tomorrow morning. There is a process, and there are some things you have to practice. You don’t become a mature believer overnight. You don’t become a stable, solid believer overnight. You don’t acquire wisdom overnight. There is a process, and you need to practice. Would you look at your neighbor and say, «Practice, baby, practice»? You just have to practice these things.

That’s what Paul is really saying when he writes to the church at Colossae. In fact, if you look at that book, you’ll discover that the Colossian saints are being inundated with false doctrine. These teachers have come into the church at Colossae, and they are trying to convince them that having Christ alone is not enough. They attempt to blend the practices of other religions with the practices of the Christian faith because these false teachers say it is not enough to have Christ; you must have something else.

Now, can I say this, and I hope you won’t get mad? That same spirit was not just present in the first century; it is alive in the twenty-first century. If we are not careful, we can succumb to these spirits that say it’s not enough to have Jesus. You need to have Jesus and Buddha, or Jesus and Allah, or Jesus and whoever else they want to include. But is there anybody here on a Saturday night who knows we just sang that in Christ, our Lord is everything you need? Would you tell your neighbor, «Neighbor, all I need is in Jesus, and Jesus is all I need»? Because Jesus is my healing, Jesus is my peace, Jesus is my joy, Jesus is my hope, and Jesus is my power.

Okay, I’m losing you. Jesus is my life! I don’t need anything else! When I have Christ, I have all I need. So, are you still with me? Paul Shannon writes to the saints at Colossae and says, «I know that you are being infiltrated and inundated with this philosophy of syncretism, where they are trying to merge other religious practices with faith in Christ.» Paul urges them to stand firm. Well, I could say the same tonight. I want this church to stand firm. I don’t ever want you to be moved away from what you’ve been taught, from what you know to be true, and from what is a blessing to you.

Don’t throw away your faith for something that isn’t tested, tried, or proven true. How many here know that God does work? Okay, let me try to get to the point: Is there anyone here tonight who knows that Christ has made a difference in your life? To walk away from Him is to walk away from the greatest thing you’ve ever had. Paul says, «I want you to stand firm. I want you to be steadfast. I want you to be unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.»

Then Paul moves from the theoretical and theological to the practical. He says, «Don’t live like you used to live,» and he lists all those things that we used to do. Can I ask this real quick? Now, don’t tell it, just shake your head if you can see yourself in any of those things on that list. Somebody said, «The old has to live!» Now, I want everyone to say, «Practice!» I want you to practice a new way of living. I want you to show the world, watch this, in the midst of this syncretism, this attempt to blend other religions and practices with faith in Christ, that you want to show the world the difference Christ has made in your life. And here’s what I’ll be teaching on all weekend: I want you to practice, baby, practice.

There are six things I want to address tonight—two, an eight to a ten. All right, everybody say six practices! Now, I’m telling you that the more I worked on this, the more I think I’ve got a book here because these principles and practices are so powerful. I’ll give you two practices tonight, and I know I’ll see you tomorrow, so be prepared!