Colossians: Sinners Turned Saints
Colossians 1:15-20
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Review:
In a world constantly telling us we need more—more success, more knowledge, more spirituality, more control—the book of Colossians points us back to one unshakable truth: Jesus is enough. Paul writes to followers of Jesus who were being tempted to add other things to Jesus, but he reminds them that everything they truly need is already found in him. From our identity and transformation to our relationships, purpose, and mission, Jesus is not merely part of life—he is the center of it all. This series will explore how a bigger vision of Jesus changes everything. This week we looked at the transformation of our identity as well as our nature in Christ…
The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…
o What did you learn about God?
o What did you learn about people?
o What did you learn about yourself?
o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?
Reflection:
Personal Experience & Discussion:
Have you seen or experienced a miracle— something that only God could do? Share that story and reflect on this impact of seeing God at work in your life. IF there is no one in the group who has seen/experienced something like this, have someone share about the way that their heart (motivations, thought life, relationships, etc) have changed since they gave their life to Christ and have been growing in Him.
Reflective Discussion (Remember to look at the context of the verses as you are reading! Look for key terms and help the group unpack and define them):
Read Col 1:21-23 together
Scene 1 from our message was remembering who we were (dead in sin). DISCUSS: How does recognizing our initial state (before Christ) help us to understand and appreciate the lavish gift of God’s Amazing Grace in Christ? (Eph 2:1-5, Rom 5:6-8, Rom 5:19-21, 1 Cor 1:6-9, Titus 3:1-7)
Pastor Scott mad ethe point this week that “Behavior is the fruit; the heart is the root.” DISCUSS: How does this help us to nurture/ savor/ experience the new life we have in Christ? (Ez 36:26,27, Mark 7:20-23, Matt 12:33-35, Gal 5:16-25, Jam 1:13-15, Rom 12:1,2)
This passage in Colossians talks about believers being “free from accusation”. This is not to say that we have done nothing deserving accusation; it is about how God sees us as believers. DISCUSS: If someone with little background int he Bible were to ask you how that is possible, how do the following passages help to describe what happened? (Col 1:22, Rom 8:31-34, Eph 1:3-8, Jude v24-25, John 3:16-18)
Sometimes, our experience of shame and memory of failure gets mistaken for the idea “I’m still guilty, I’m not forgiven, God doesn’t accept me… even though I have repented, asked for forgiveness and seek His strength to live right.”. Discuss: How do the following passages help us to discern the difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the enemy? (John 16:7-11, Rom 8:15-16, 2 Cor 7:9-10, 1 Jn 3:19-24)
Application:
Pastor Scott made the comment, “A faith that saves is a faith that stays” (i.e., Spirit inspired faith has the ability to endure). What are some specific areas where your faith in God’s presence/ purpose is starting to wane? Recommit that area of you life to Him today, entrusting yourself for HIs purposes in that situation.
Prayer:
Spend some time closing in prayer together thanking God for HIs amazing gift of grace and the transforming power of His Spirit in our lives!
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