Colossians: Stay Rooted
Colossians 2:1-7
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 living the “normal Christian Life” in the power of the Spirit by abiding 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:
Discuss: What are the things that most easily distract our attention away from the God Who is in ultimate control? What are some of the outcomes of getting distracted in our walk of faith?
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 2:1-7 together
Verses 1-3 talk about being “filled with the full riches of complete understanding”. Paul’s prayer here for them is focused on the total filling, to saturation point, of their minds with Christ. DISCUSS: What difference does it make to have “complete understanding”, and how would we get to that point? (Col 3:10, Prov 9:10, Ps 9:10, Jer 9:23,24, Jer 29:13, John 8:31-32, Phil 3:6-8, 2 Pet 1:3, Eph 1:17, Col 1:9-10, Gal 4:8-9
Verses 4-5 talk about the danger of “fine sounding arguments” and the way grounded faith and disciplined action are evidences of their protection against these arguments. DISCUSS: Look at each of the following “fine sounding arguments” that are affecting the church today, and discuss how you would stand against them on the basis of Scripture:
“A loving God would not cast anyone into hell… so I’m sure we all make it to heaven in the end”
“God exists for my benefit; God matters because of what He can do for me… I just need to do the right things so He will bless me.”
“Scripture we have today is not reliable; there are too many errors in our Bibles to trust it.”
“It is not loving to offend someone; we should support people who have chosen to live in sin so that we do not cause offense.”
Verses 6-7 talk about being “established” in Christ by “walking” in Him in the same way as we first “received” Him. So often, we feel as if we fail too many times to earn God’s stamp of approval, and are tempted to give up. DISCUSS: How do the following passages help a believer who is struggling in their faith to press on towards God’s calling and purposes in their lives? (Ps 51:10, Ez 36:26, Rom 6:4-6, 11-13; Rom 8:1-2, Gal 2:20, Eph 1:4, 2:10, 4:22-24; Phil 3:12-14, Rom 12:1-2, 2 Cor 3:18, Titus 2:11-12, 2 Pet 1:3)
Application:
being grounded in Christ begins by making Him the first point of attention in our days; commit this week to establishing a daily discipline of prayer and Scripture reading (even if it means going to bed a little earlier and getting up a little earlier). Figure out what it’s going to take to establish that discipline and enlist a trusted friend to hold you accountable to it this week (inviting them to take part in it with you!).
Prayer:
Spend some time closing in prayer together thanking God for the full riches of full understanding that we can have in Christ!
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