Growing together

How do we grow — spiritually?

I don’t know about you, but for most of my Christian life, I pictured spiritual growth as an individual thing. Like trees in a forest. I’m growing over here, Bob is growing over there, and Lucy is growing somewhere else. Separate, isolated, doing our own thing.

But that’s not the way the Bible pictures it.

According to Colossians, we’re not like isolated trees, we’re in fact a body. As the Apostle Paul writes, we are organically connected by ‘ligaments and sinews’ to each other and to the life-giving head of Jesus (Colossians 2:19, 3:15). So, we grow spiritually as we grow together in Christ. It’s not a solo activity. It’s a communal way of life.

And as Paul goes onto write, one of the chief ways we grow together is by letting the word of Christ dwell in us:

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” - Colossians 3:16

That ‘word’ is the gospel, the good news we have in the Bible, that brings us God’s grace in Jesus. As Paul says back in chapter 1, this word has been planted in our hearts. It has given us new spiritual birth. But more than that, it’s a word that continues to give us life together. It grows in us and bears fruit among us as God’s people (Colossians 1:6).

A few years ago, an Australian survey, aptly called The Milk to Meat survey, found that the more deeply Christians engaged with the Bible, the more they tended to:

• Pray together
• Care for others
• Serve in the church
• And share their faith

In other words, there’s a direct connection between the word in us and the spiritual life flowing out of us.

So, we’re to let the word dwell in us as we gather together. Not as an occasional visitor, like Aunt Mavis who pops by for a quick chat and a cup of tea, but as a permanent resident. And it’s to dwell in us richly — abundantly, lavishly, deeply. It should get under our skin, into our bones, and become the very lifeblood of our church, saturating everything we do. To paraphrase Charles Spurgeon: if someone pricked our skin, we would bleed the Bible.

But who makes this happen?

Paul is clear, it’s you ... plural. Youse! All of 'youse' are to teach and admonish one another. It’s not just the job of the preacher or service leader. Everyone is called to speak to everyone. Teaching what is right, warning against what is wrong, with all the wisdom the Spirit gives, and all the songs we can muster.

This of course happens in our Sunday gatherings and in our mid-week LIFE Groups. But here’s a really simple way to make it part of our everyday life:

The One Minute Bible Study.¹

We introduced this at my old church, especially to encourage men to share the Bible with each other, rather than just talking about the weather or sport. So, when you bump into someone from church at the shops, or you meet up with someone for a coffee, or you're speaking to someone after the service, ask each other three simple questions:

• What have you read recently in the Bible?
• What did you learn about God or yourself?
• How has that helped you live for Jesus?

It usually lasts more than a minute. But the basic idea is to keep it simple and make it natural. Just getting into the habit of speaking God’s word into each other’s lives. Letting the word of Christ — dwell in us — richly.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Outreach & Community Connections

28 July 2025

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[1] www.thebriefing.com.au/2001/06/the-one-minute-bible-study/

The perfect you?

Imagine your perfect self. The very best version of you. What do you think that looks like and how would you start to become that person?

According to most people today, the answer is simple: look within your heart.¹ You find your deepest desires and let them define who you are and shape the way you live. In other words, you “be true to yourself” — one of the greatest mantras of our age and the theme of pretty much every Disney film ever made.

But, here’s the challenging thing for us. Jesus calls us to do the exact opposite:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)

So, how do we truly become the people God created us to be?

Paul gives us the answer in Colossians 3. It’s not by looking within yourself but by looking up to Jesus. By seeing your identity in him and following him with your life.

1. Remember who you are in Christ

One of our greatest dangers as Christians is spiritual amnesia: forgetting who we are in Christ. So, Paul reminds us exactly who we are in him: past, present, and future.

When a plane takes off, the lives of the passengers are suddenly united to the pilot’s. If the pilot crashes and dies, so do the passengers. If the pilot lands safely, so do the passengers. In the same way, when we trust in Jesus, our life is spiritually bound to his:

• Past: 2000 years ago, when Jesus died on the cross, we died with him there and then to our sin. When he rose from the grave, we were raised with him there and then to new life. (3:1, 3)
• Present: “Christ is your life.” He isn’t just someone who gives us life. He is our life. (3:3-4)
• Future: One day, when Jesus appears, we will appear with him in glory. What’s hidden now will be gloriously revealed to the world. (3:4)

2. Reset your hearts and minds on Christ

Though we’re spiritually raised to be with Jesus in heaven, we still live on earth. That creates a tension for us: where are our hearts and minds truly at home?

Paul says: set your hearts and minds on things above, not on earthly things. (3:1-2) We are called to reset our focus, to look away from whatever earthly things threaten to capture our hearts and minds, and look instead toward Jesus. It’s like using two muscles at once: repentance and faith. As we turn from worshipping the things of this world (in repentance), we turn to Jesus (in faith). Like muscle-memory, the more we do that, the easier it gets to keep doing it, as Jesus’ grace becomes more and more beautiful to us, and our sin becomes more and more dull in its light.

3. Be renewed in the likeness of Christ

Do you see Paul’s logic across these verses? We’re not called to change our external behaviour first. It has to start from the inside-out, with us remembering who we are in Jesus and us resetting our minds and hearts on him. Only then, can we truly transform our outward behaviour. 

Nevertheless, this transformation doesn’t happen instantly. See what Paul writes: we are ‘being renewed’ in Jesus’ likeness (3:10). It’s a life-long process of progressively becoming like him, as we do two things.

Firstly, we’re called to take off the old self (3:5-9). In fact, Paul’s says to ‘put it to death’ (3:5): all the unrestrained, loveless and self-centred behaviour that flows from our sinful hearts and angers the creator who made us. This is a snap shot of what it looks like to be true to ourselves and it’s not a pretty picture.

Secondly, we’re called to put on the new self (3:10-14). Just like Jesus left behind his grave clothes as he left the tomb, we’re to leave behind all our old sinful ‘clothing’, putting on a new spiritual wardrobe in it place. Like we might layer up on a cold, winter’s day, we’re to clothe ourselves with the layers of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness. On top we’re to put on love, which like a full length coat ties the whole outfit together.

This is how we grow into who we were truly meant to be. In the words of Dallas Willard, this is ‘becoming who Jesus would be, if he were you’. Not becoming less of ourselves. But, actually becoming more our true selves, as we truly reflect the image of our Creator and Saviour, Jesus.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Outreach & Community Connections

21 July 2025

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[1] 91% of people in a recent survey agreed with this statement: “The best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself” (via Trevin Wax’s article: ‘Finding Yourself Is Harder Than You Think’: www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/finding-yourself/)

Pray before you vote

Around election time, cynics often quip that the best way to help your preferred party win is to “vote early and often”. But for Christians, a more fitting motto would be to “pray early and often”. In 1 Timothy 2:1–6, Paul urges believers to make prayer a priority, especially in relation to those in authority over us. With our state election on Saturday, we have a great opportunity to not only vote, but to bring the whole voting process to our good and powerful God in prayer.

Here are three simple reminders from this passage about how we can pray this week:

1. Pray first

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority …" - 1 Timothy 2:1–2

Before you even begin to think about parties or policies, start first with prayer. Thank God for the freedom we enjoy in Australia to vote in a truly democratic election. Pray for a fair and honest election process. Pray for every candidate seeking election that they would genuinely seek the common good, rather than self-interest or party politics. Pray that we would get the leaders we need (not deserve) as a state.

Then pray about your vote. This isn’t just a well-meaning platitude. It’s the necessary spiritual posture for our decision-making. Our allegiance ultimately isn’t to any political party, it’s to the Lord Jesus. Pray that the wisdom of God’s word and the work of the Spirit, rather than your natural preferences, would guide your heart and mind, as you weigh up all the candidates and policies before you.¹

When we pray first, we invite God to not only shape the outcome of our election, but our hearts and minds as we engage in it.

2. Pray for peaceful & quiet lives

“… that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” - 1 Timothy 2:2

God calls us to pray for all those in authority, including our soon to be elected leaders, so that … we may live ‘peaceful and quiet lives’. The most basic outcome of a good government is peace, namely freedom from war, violence and civil unrest. It’s within this environment of stability that churches can thrive as communities of ‘godliness and holiness’, i.e. that reflect the loving character of God (godliness) as they are set apart for him in the world (holiness). The more we live surprising lives as followers of Jesus, the more people will see how we are different, and the more they will want to know why.

3. Pray for people to be saved

“This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” - 1 Timothy 2:3–4

God’s deepest desire for our state isn't simply stability. It’s salvation. Election results matter. Eternity matters more. So, as you pray for this election, pray that the outcome would enable the gospel to be proclaimed freely and widely in our state. Pray that every church would have opportunities to speak about Jesus in all our communities. Pray that this would bring many Tasmanians to know the saving truth of the gospel: that our ultimate hope isn’t secured by a ‘good’ government. It’s secured by the perfect mediator between God and humanity:

“Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:6).

Let’s seek to shape this election not just with our votes, but with our prayers. Pray first. Pray for peaceful and quiet lives. Pray for people to be saved.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Outreach & Community Connections

14 July 2025

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[1] If you want an outline of the policies of the parities and candidates, the Tas Votes website is a helpful place to begin: www.tasvotes.org.au