The House You're Building

Colossians 3:18-4:18   Part of knowing Christ is knowing who you are in Him and how He wants you to act towards others.   This last study of Colossians (and Ephesians) will provide you with instructions for how to relate in a godly manner towards those whom we generally spend most of our days with – our spouses, our children, and our employers/co-workers.   As you go through the study, continually ask God to show you where you need improvement in these relationships.   Ask Him to reveal your heart and ask Him to work a change in you as necessary.   Key Verses:   Walk in wisdom towards outsiders, making the best use of the time.   Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know who you ought to answer each person.   Colossians 4:5-6   ·          Read Colossians 3:18-4:1, Ephesians 5:22-6:4, Titus 2:9-14   o    Make a chart with five ...

What an encouragement this book is!   So much truth about who and what Christ is to us and my prayer is that this week’s study will give you even more to lean on…   The first chapter tells about who Christ is and the work He has done on our behalf.   In chapter 2 we read about our identity-who we are in Him.   Chapter 3 is very practical and essential for day to day living; in verse 4 it calls Christ “our life.”   The first part of chapter 3 describes how you can live as a new man, one saved and changed forever by the transforming work of Jesus.     This week we will cover the first 17 verses of Colossians chapter 3.     1.        There are two selves described in this passage.   One being the old man, one being the new.   The old man was your self before Jesus resided in you through the presence of the Holy Spirit on the basis of faith.   Cross reference the word self (which ...

  Have you ever taken an on-line class?   For my teaching credentials I’ve had to take several.   In some ways I think of this letter to the church at Colossae as distance learning; this church had never met Paul face to face, he has a big charge-to teach them how to guard themselves about false teachers.   Just like we put faith in the credentials of an institution of learning, this church had to rely on the truth of Paul’s message through their relationship with Epaphras.   The message Paul sends them, as he has heard of the lies the enemy has tried to put into their new faith, are still in need of guarding against today.   As the chapter opens, we see again that the way of God are mysterious.   Only knowing God’s word through the Bible can we discern what is true in what people tell us.       Key verse: Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the f...

Colossians Chapter 1 God’s Will, His Truth, and What He Has Done For You   False teachers were denying Jesus was the son of God in the city of Colossae.   When Paul heard about it, he wrote to this small church (that he had never been to) to counter the lies and arm the church with knowledge about Christ so that they could counterattack.   By studying his letter, you too can equip yourself with knowledge of God and fight any lies spread about Him.   For the only protection we have against such lies is knowing the truth about Him.     Key Verse:   “To them [God’s saints], God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”   Col. 1:27   Read Colossians 1:1-14 ·          From this section, what do you learn about the church in Colossae?   What is Paul’s relationship to the church? ...