Colossians Series Discussion Questions

May 4, 2024 - The Way, The Truth, The Gospel

1. What are The Word, The Truth, The Gospel? Is Paul talking about the first four books of the New Testament or is it more than that?

2. How do you see and value the Word of God? How necessary is it for your life?

3. How did Jesus describe His part in the Bible in Luke 24:44, Matthew 16:15-18, and Matthew 17:1-8.

4. What happens in your mind and heart when you look at the complexity and simplicity of the Holy Scriptures? How does that change how you study the Bible and understand the greatness of who God is?

5. Read Hebrews 4:12-13. How does the Word of God inform who you are in relation to who Jesus is? What does it mean to breath this living word in deeply and allow it to lead you in every "system"? Talk through the implications of who you are in a condemned, justified, sanctified, motivated, and glorified state.

6. 2 Timothy 3:14-17 says that All Scripture is useful and should affect you. In what ways should it affect us and to what purpose should it direct us? How should this direct our sense of need and dependency on the Bible?

May 11, 2025 - How to Study This Amazing Word

1. Familiarize yourself with the inductive study method and the background of the letter to the Colossians.

   Free Inductive: https://www.scribd.com/document/408064302/Colossians-2010-IBS-pdf

   Keith Ferrin Study: https://www.amazon.com/Colossians-Scripture-Journey-Through-Journeys-ebook/dp/B0CGGW83FQ

   Great Article on the Colossian Heresy: https://archive.gci.org/articles/the-colossian-heresy/

2. Step 1 Pray! How does this set the tone for your time in the Word?

3. Step 2 Observe. Read Colossians 1:22-25 a few times. What stands out to you and why do you think it catches your attention?

4. Why is it important to let the Word speak to you before letting someone else tell you what the Word is saying?

5. Step 3 Interpret. Now use some tools to dig a little deeper in understanding what stood out.

6. Use the Interlinear Bible from biblehub.com. Pro tip! download the Bible Hub app and play with it all the time.

7. Useful Commentaries

   Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Colossians

   Douglas Moo Commentary on Colossians

   You can also use commentaries in the Bible Hub app.

8. Step 4 Apply. Now that you have prayed, observed, and interpreted it's time to ask God to apply it to your life. How does the Word help you become less like your old self and more like Jesus. Talk through this scriptures application to your Head, Heart, Hands, and feet.

9. Step 5 Pray the Word. Now spend time with God talking back to God everything you have been processing through and then take the Word into life!

May 18, 2025 - Celebrate Good Times

1. What does it mean to you personally to be called a “saint” or “set apart” in Christ?

2. Have you ever experienced joy or a reason to celebrate in a difficult season?

3. Who in your life do you thank God for regularly? How could you celebrate or encourage them this week?

4. What does it look like to celebrate the Gospel daily, not just on Easter or Sundays? What practices can help remind us of what Jesus has done?

May 25, 2025 - Exalting Jesus & Knowing God’s Will

1. When you read in Colossians 1:9 "knowing God's will," what do you believe that to be?

2. Go around the room and share what you are thankful for.

3. What can you do this week to live in a manner worthy of the Lord?

4. Read Galatians 5:22-23. Which of these fruits have been evident in your life this week?

5. What can you do this week to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

June 1, 2025 - Preeminence Yields Worship, Work, & Witness

1. How do people associate or recognize Jesus while not necessarily knowing who He really is?

2. What categories have different religions placed Jesus in?

3. We want to guard agains heresy and recognize cults for what they are based on the distinction of Jesus' full divinity. However, the problem most have in church is the battle between Jesus being peripheral instead of preeminent. What is the difference?

4. Read Colossians 1:15-17. What does it mean for Jesus to be the firstborn of creation and what does this have to do with Him making the invisible... visible?

   How does the context of all of scripture around this text define what Paul means of Jesus' eternal nature?

   Talk through each preposition that Paul uses in this passage and how it exalts Jesus. Creator of all things... by/through, for, and before/in.

   How should His preeminence elicit our worship?

5. Paul moves from a cosmological view of His preeminence to something more felt and personal. Jesus is also the HEAD of His body the Church. Throughout this illustration Paul is showing how Jesus' preeminence over the Church should shape our lives and what we do with our lives. What purpose does the Church have in Jesus work of reconciliation?

6. Jesus came to do a work so that we as the Church could be a part of His works. How is being a part of Jesus' work of reconciliation different than just doing good deeds?

7. Jesus isn't preeminent and exalted in your life until your lifestyle lines up with His life's work. How is that statement reflective of His headship over us?

8. Paul ends with a stanza that is deeply personal. Using the singular "you" he calls each individual to remember the work of reconciliation that has taken place in their own life. End your time today talking that out with your group. Who were you before Jesus and how has He reconciled you? How is your story unique? How does Jesus want to use your story to advance His story?

June 8, 2025 - An Altered Life, Not an Altar Call

1. Have you ever responded to an altar call before? How many times have you responded to an altar call?

2. Paul uses His testimony to cause us to ask these two questions: What am I living for, and will my life matter? How would you answer those questions?

3. What suffering was Paul willing to endure that led to the Colossians hearing the Gospel?

4. How did Jesus' suffering inspire Paul to endure this with joy?

5. Michael often warns people of the dangers of "full time ministry". How is Paul setting an expectation of suffering for the Colossians? How should we expect to suffer and endure suffering?

6. How does Jesus' exaltation give us joy in our suffering?

7. What does it mean to "make up for what is lacking in Christ's afflictions"?

8. To whom has God stewarded roles in this suffering?

9. What does it mean to be a "servant" for the Church?

10. Paul goes on to show that God gives power to the purpose of making Jesus fully known. What does it mean to make Jesus fully known? How is this articulated with the word "mystery"?

11. How did Paul use everything in his life for this purpose? How does that cause us to consider how ALL of our life could be used for this purpose?

12. Jesus paid for the gospel, Paul proclaimed the gospel, and a lot of people suffered so that the Colossians could receive the gospel. How should that have inspired the Colossians to live their lives differently?

13. John Paton wasn't concerned about how his body would be eaten in view of Jesus' exaltation. We often shrink back in fear of being eaten by various things in life. How should the life of Paul and the life of Jesus inspire you beyond that fear.

14. Who has God stewarded for you suffer for? Who are they and what are some of the risks that confront you?

15. Is Jesus worth proclaiming?

June 15, 2025 - Avoiding Chaotic Currents of Culture

1. How well would you navigate class 4 rapids in a canoe?

2. What "cultural currents" did the Colossians have in their community?

3. Paul describes three characteristics of a Jesus centered community. Talk through each of these as a group. How were they given confidence? How were they made courageous? And how did they work out competency in Christ application?

4. Do you have a community that is actively doing that with you?

5. In a similar way we all come from a different cultural current. In our body we once were Catholic, Mormon, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, or Humanistic. What background did you come from and why do you need good community to help you detangle from your past? What is the risk of being para-logizamai (come along side and contradicted) by these familiar philosophies?

6. Paul then moves on to our personal responsibility within community. What does para-lambano (to receive) mean? (To be given, understand, and pass on)

7. What does it mean to receive Jesus as Messiah and LORD?

8. If you have received Him as Messiah and LORD then what does it mean to...

   Walk in Him as LORD

   Be Rooted in Him as LORD

   And be Established and Built Up in Him as LORD?

9. How does that lead to being "abounding in thanksgiving"?

10. The key to all of this is being always captivated by Jesus and not captivated by the world. What does your captivation look like?

11. What does it mean to study the Word of God and Walk with the Word of God?

June 22, 2025 - Identity - Security - Trajectory: In Christ

1. Have you ever been completely reliant on someone like Michael was on his trip to Peru?

2. Paul's emphasis in this section is what life looks like "In Him". Why is this important in Ephesians and Colossians?

3. In the Bible, covenants are about someone's change in status; moving from an old way of life to a new way of life. In Genesis 17:1, God sets the stage for this change by sharing His name as El Shaddai. What does this name mean and why is it important in changing Abrams status? What was it that only God could do?

4. How does Paul connect this with the spiritual circumcision that only Jesus could do?

5. Only Jesus lived the all powerful, prophetic, and perfect life. How does that make us aware of our insufficiency?

6. Only Jesus could circumcise our old life of sin. How is that depicted in us being crucified with Jesus?

7. Only Jesus could raise from the dead and raise us into new life. How are we dependent on Jesus for this new life?

8. How does this connect with the symbolism of Baptism?

9. Baptism in itself doesn't do anything. It's a symbol of our understanding of what Jesus has done for us. Why do we get baptized? Have you responded in obedience with baptism?

10. Next Paul addresses Jesus' complete and miraculous atonement of our transgressions. Talk through the different pictures Paul uses to drive home this miracle only Jesus could do.

11. What should your response be to this miracle?

12. Paul also shows us an amazing tool we can use to fight our thoughts of past transgressions. What should this look like in your life?

13. Finally Paul ends with a picture of Jesus all sufficient power over the enemies in our life. What does it look like for us to trust in Jesus total victory and partake in the open shame of enemies that used to have power over us?

14. We used to live in fear of our enemies power and we used to believe the lie that they could be sufficient for something in our lives. How do you lean into Jesus power and sufficiency over the specific enemies that you have struggled with?

June 29th, 2025 - Confidence in the Real Deal

1. Where do you turn to find validation in the meaning or success of your life?

2. Have you ever struggled to feel confident about your faith and your "success" in faith? What did this look like?

3. Paul points to two places that the Colossians were struggling to find confidence in. How were people using religious regulations to cause them to question their faith?

4. There were some that were abusing a religious system of rules and tradition. Was Paul saying we should do away with all law and tradition?

5. What did he mean by these things being a shadow? How is Jesus the substance?

6. Another extreme in Colossae was the connection to angels and emotional experiences to help people find confidence in "puffed up spiritual knowledge". How have people turned to "ecstatic" experiences over the years to find spiritual "truth"?

7. How have we as Christians struggled with syncretism and emotional dysregualation?

8. Take some time to talk through a healthy understanding of emotions when it comes to our faith in Jesus.

9. True freedom and joy in deliverance is found only in the person of Jesus. The law (and religion) and emotions are a part of finding these things but can often lead us away from really finding it. What does it mean for Jesus to be the source of freedom and the source of our joy?

10. How do you apply Colossians 3:1-4 in finding Jesus as your source for living waters?