Glorified: Colossians Part Two Discussion Questions
October 12, 2025 - Glorified Clothing
Ok, be honest... what is your relationship with Christian Clothing?
Read Colossians 3:1-4. What stands out to you as you read these 4 verses? Can you commit to internalizing these verses over the next month?
Paul begins by calling us to "put to death" our worldly clothes of sin. As you read through this list, what do you identify with? How would you describe your life of sin before finding Christ?
How were these things an expression of lifting up yourself at the expense of others? What did it look like to live for your benefit at the detriment of others? How does living that way negatively affect community and the world around us?
Paul then calls us to "Put on" the new self that is being renewed by knowledge. How does that describe what Paul says in verses 3&4?
When we do this, we find the key to bringing community together instead of dividing. Paul lists several divided communities in verse 11. What are the identities that seem to divide our communities?
What are the three realities that Paul uses to show what has been given us in Christ? What changes in your heart when you accept and define yourself by these things?
Paul then goes on to define 5 dispositions that should grow to be our hearts response to the world around us. How were these demonstrated to you by Jesus? How and why should we begin to demonstrate them to others?
Paul ends by challenging us in three actions; Forgiveness, love, and thankfulness. How do these three actions demonstrate the "Glory" or heavy presence of God in our relationships?
How does the illustration of clothing ourselves with clothes dripping the Glory of God impact the way you see yourself affecting those around you? What relationships would change if you were truly clothed this way?
What do you need to take off in life and stop setting your mind on?
What parts of Jesus do you need to understand more deeply and begin clothing yourself with?
What relationships around you most need the Glory of God dripping on them? Take some time to pray over your heart and those relationships now.
October 19, 2025 - New Codes to Live By… A House with a Story
What stands out to you most in Paul’s teaching about households in Colossians 3:18–21?
How does the context of the Roman world help you appreciate how radical Paul’s vision for the Christian family was?
Why is it important to begin with Colossians 3:17 (“do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus”) before applying verses 18–21?
How does seeing marriage as a picture of Christ and the Church change the way we view its purpose and dynamics?
What are some practical ways husbands can love their wives as Christ loved the Church—and how can wives help encourage that kind of leadership?
How can the church better include and honor singles as partners in God’s mission?
How can parents model being “under authority” to Christ in a way that teaches obedience and humility to their children?
How can your home—whether you live alone, with roommates, or with family—become a place that tells a better story of Jesus’ love and redemption?
October 26, 2025 - Transformed Hearts Reconcile Radically
How would you respond to the question, "What does the Bible say about racism and slavery"?
What are some ways that you have seen the Bible misrepresented or represented well around these issues?
What are you initial thoughts when you read Colossians 3:22-4:1?
How do we know the book of Philemon was a companion to the Book of Colossians?
How awkward and tense do you think it must have been for Philemon and Onesimus to be in the same room during the first readings of these letters?
Paul begins by positively addressing Philemon's house, life, and heart. How does Paul do this and what does it say about Philemon and his family?
Read Philemon 1:8-9. What is the difference between being told to obey something vs. doing something out of the overflow of a changed heart? Why is this important in framing how we approach justice and humanitarian issues?
What is the difference between creating a social, political, or economical system versus focusing on transformed hearts?
How is this reflected in Paul's relationship with Onesimus and Philemon in versus 10-14.
What is the Bible's teaching and perspective on kidnapping and forced slavery in the Old and New Testament? How was this connected to Israel's history and the foundational understanding of humanity being made in the image of God?
What is the Bible's teaching and perspective on debt slavery or self selling. How were the parameters for this different compared to other cultures? How did the New testament (especially the book of Philemon) reframe expectations of transformed hearts around this issue?
How is the Gospel demonstrated in verses 15-20? What did reconciliation look like for Philemon and Onesimus standing in the same room?
Paul's confidence in Philemon's obedience was confidence in what would play out through a heart truly transformed by Jesus? How does genuine heart transformation eventually address hard social issues? What happens when people truly put on hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience... forgiving one another as our Heavenly master has forgiven us?
How is your heart being transformed and what relational evidence can you point to as a demonstration of what Jesus has done to and in you?