COLOSSIANS

JESUS: SOLID GROUND

Introduction to Colossians

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in
him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7.

These verses are a great summary of the whole of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Paul wrote it
to a fledgling church that had started off well: they had recognised Jesus as the Lord of the
universe, they’d put their trust in him, and they had begun to live their lives for him. Paul didn’t
write to them with anything profoundly new; his big goal was that they would continue. They must
carry on as they’d begun and keep living their lives in Jesus.

Colossians is a letter written for us too, and it’s one we desperately need to read again and again.
Because so often we don’t need to hear something new; we need to be reminded of our
foundation. We need to hear again who Jesus is and what he’s done. We need to be encouraged
again to continue trusting him. Every day we face pressure to give up on what we know, but
Colossians summons us to keep coming back to the one we first heard about: the Lord Jesus
Christ.

Where? Who? When?

Colossae was a city in ancient Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), around 120km east of Ephesus. It
sat on the junction between two trade routes, so it was a melting pot of cultures and religious
influences. But it was also a city where the gospel of Jesus Christ had begun to take root.

Paul wrote this letter to “God’s holy people in

Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ”
who met as a church together there (1:1).
Interestingly, Paul was not the founder of this
church; in fact, he had never even met these
Christians! The Colossians first heard the gospel of
Jesus Christ from a man named Epaphras, a native
Colossian who had met Paul and become a
follower of Jesus before returning to his hometown
to share Jesus there (1:7, 4:12-13). Epaphras came
back to Paul to tell the Colossians how the church
was going (1:8), which prompted Paul to write to
them.

It’s very difficult to know exactly when he wrote this letter. Paul mentions that he is writing from
prison (4:3, 10, 18), but this doesn’t pin things down precisely because, as 2 Corinthians 11:23 tells
us, Paul was in prison quite frequently! Our best guess is that Paul wrote when he was imprisoned
in Rome under house arrest (around AD 60-62, see Acts 28:16-31), but we don’t know for sure.
Why did Paul write this letter?
It seems that Epaphras brought Paul mixed news about the Colossian church. The gospel had
been established there and many were being saved and transformed by it, but there was also a
new and dangerous false teaching lurking about. Paul writes to warn them: “See to it that no one
takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy” (2:8). It’s hard to know precisely what
this false teaching was, but the evidence in 2:8-23 suggests it was a curious blend of Old Testament
Jewish legalism and mystical pagan religion. There may even have been several different religious
groups pressuring the Colossians to add extra rules and rituals on top of the Christianity they had
been taught.

Whatever the case, Paul’s antidote to the alternatives is clear: stick with Jesus! Colossians 2:6-7,
the key summary text above, says it all: the Colossians had received Christ Jesus as Lord, so they
should continue to live their lives in him. Paul spends a lot of time in this letter showing that
sticking with Jesus is worth it, because he’s the complete and total package. He’s all we could
ever need to be saved and to know how to please God. Christ is the image of God, the one who
represents him fully and completely (1:15). Christ is the one who created the whole universe (1:16-
17), and he’s the head of the new creation that God is bringing about in the church (1:18-20). Christ
has forgiven all our sins and triumphed over all the evil spiritual powers through the cross (2:13-
15). Christ reigns with God in heaven and one day will appear again, bringing us with him in glory
(3:1-4). Truly Christ has brought us to “fullness” (2:10)! If we stick with him, our faith is full and
complete, and there’s nothing else we could ever need.

What’s in the letter?

1:1-2 Greeting

1:3-2:7 "Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord..."

1:3-8 Thanksgiving for gospel growth

1:9-14 A prayer for knowing how to please God

1:15-23 Christ supreme in creation and new creation

1:24-2:7 Proclaiming Christ to reach maturity

2:8-4:6 "...continue to live your lives in him."

2:8-23 Christ is enough

3:1-14 Resurrected life in Christ

3:15-4:1 Resurrected relationships in Christ

4:2-6 Proclaiming Christ prayerfully

4:7-18 Final greetings: co-workers in Christ

How to use these studies
In what follows, you will find a set of leader’s notes accompanying each study. We hope these
are helpful aids as you prepare to lead your groups, but please remember that these are no
substitute for prayerfully reading Colossians and working hard to understand it yourself! We
encourage you to spend time in the text before you come to the notes. As you think about the
people in your group, you may find there are different issues and different questions which might
be more appropriate for where your group is up to.

Each study contains question under four headings: Introduction, Observation, Interpretation, and
Application. The Introduction questions are light-hearted ways to get your group talking while
introducing a key idea or question for the passage at hand. Observation questions focus on
looking at what the text says; we need to make sure we’re actually looking at what the Bible says,
and not just what we think it says! Interpretation questions go deeper; once we’ve seen what the
words say, our job is to work out what the text means. The aim is that by the end of the
Interpretation questions, your group has a good idea what Paul wrote to his original readers in
Colossae. Then, the Application questions are about determining what we should do with what
the text means. How should this part of God’s word challenge and shape our attitudes, desires,
and actions?

Make sure you pray and read the passage before you dive into the study – you could do this
right at the beginning or straight after the Introduction question. Each study will hopefully raise
many things for you to thank God for and to pray for when you finish.
Gratitude to God for Gospel Growth
Colossians 1:1-8 | Study 1
Introduction

1. What are you thankful for this week?

Observation

2. Paul wrote this letter to Christians in the city of Colossae who he had never actually met
(see 2:1) What do we find out about them in 1:1-5?

3. How did the Colossians find out about Jesus? Who told them?
Interpretation

4. Paul mentions three things the Colossians have: their faith, love, and hope. What do these
three traits look like in a person’s life?
To help flesh out the picture, look at these other verses in Colossians:

Faith Love Hope

1:23 1:8 1:23

2:7 2:2 1:27

2:12 3:14

5. Why does Paul thank God for their faith, love, and hope, instead of complimenting them
about it?

6. To summarise: according to this passage, what is God doing in the world, and how does
that shape people’s lives?
Application

7. Who is the “Epaphras” in your life, the person who first taught you the gospel?

8. How do you see the gospel bearing fruit today in you, in your church, and throughout the
world?

9. How should this passage shape the way you pray for:

a. Your “Epaphras”?

b. New Christians at church?

c. Christians on the other side of the world who you’ve never met?
Gratitude to God for Gospel Growth
Colossians 1:1-8 | Study 1 | Leader’s Notes

Big Idea
This passage is the beginning of Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae. It names the authors and
recipients of the letter, then Paul begins encouraging the Colossians by telling them about his
continuous thanksgiving and prayers for them. Though Paul has significant issues of false teaching
to address later on, he starts with this thankful, joyful statement about the mighty work that God
has already done in Colossae through the gospel. They have received Christ Jesus as Lord (2:6),
they were already taught to stand firm in their faith (2:7); that’s why Paul is thankful.

The big idea in summary: Paul regularly thanks God for bringing about faith, love, and hope in
the Colossians through the gospel that Epaphras preached to them.

Aim and Purpose

Paul tells the Colossians about his thanksgiving to give them confidence that they really have
“received Christ Jesus as Lord” (as he goes on to say in the theme verses, 2:6-7). The new “hollow
and deceptive philosophy” (2:8) that threatened them may have given them cause to doubt that
they really knew God, but Paul wants them to know that they have every reason for confidence:
they have heard the gospel from a faithful servant of Christ (Epaphras), they have a sure hope
stored up in heaven, and God is producing faith and love in them as he is doing throughout the
whole world.

Paul shows us that his own response to God’s work in the Colossians and in the world is
thanksgiving. God has made it happen, so God deserves all gratitude! Later in the letter we’ll see
that thankfulness is one of the main things that Paul wants to see in the Colossians (see especially
2:7, as well as 1:12, 3:15, 3:17, 4:2), and right here at the beginning Paul gives them a model for
what thanksgiving looks like.

The aim of this study: that we would be profoundly thankful to God for the faith, love, and hope
that he is bringing about in our church and in people all over the world through the gospel of
Jesus Christ.

Introduction

1. What are you thankful for this week?

The purpose of this question is to get us thinking about thankfulness, the big idea and aim
of this passage. Thankfulness is something that we’re all familiar with, and the word has
plenty of traction in the non-Christian world. At the time of writing, “#thankful” pulls up 32
million hits on Instagram! But most of us tend give off thankful “vibes” without necessarily
directing our thanks to God as we ought—he’s the one responsible for all the things we
feel thankful for! Or alternatively, we are thankful to God but only for things local and
known to us – things happening in our families, communities, workplaces, and so on. This
 question will throw up contrasts with what we discover about Paul’s thankfulness – he’s
thankful to God for things happening all over the world that he doesn’t even know about!

Observation

2. Paul wrote this letter to Christians in the city of

Colossae who he had never actually met (see 2:1)!

What do we find out about them in 1:1-5?

This is an observation question to get people into the

text. You could talk about what it means that the
Colossians are “holy people” and “faithful brothers
and sisters in Christ” (v. 2), as well as the faith, love,
and hope that Paul has heard about in them (vv. 4-
5).

3. How did the Colossians find out about Jesus? Who told them?

Crucially, the Colossians heard the gospel (vv. 5-6). It’s a verbal message, it has to be told!
They heard it from Epaphras. “Who’s Epaphras?” is the logical follow-up question; have a
look at 1:7-8 and you could flick over to 4:12-13 for more details. We don’t know a lot
about Epaphras – he’s from Colossae, he became a Christian at some point, he knows Paul,
and he brought the gospel to his hometown. He’s a faithful minister of Christ. The only
other New Testament reference is Philemon 23, which says that Epaphras is Paul’s “fellow
prisoner”.

Interpretation

4. Paul mentions three things the Colossians have: their faith, love, and hope. What do these
three traits look like in a person’s life?
To help flesh out the picture, look at these other verses in Colossians:

Faith Love Hope

1:23 1:8 1:23

2:7 2:2 1:27

2:12 3:14

It would be a good idea to split your group up into three smaller teams for this
question. The aim is to think more deeply about the impact that the gospel has had in
 Colossae. It’s not just that they’ve come to believe some facts about Jesus. Hearing the
gospel has given them a profound hope of future glory with Christ, which flows over into
a deep and abiding faith (trust, dependence) on Christ and heartfelt love for other believers.
The point of looking at the other uses of these words in the letter is to stop us from
importing our own vague notions of what they mean and start understanding them the
way Paul uses them.

5. Why does Paul thank God for their faith, love, and hope, instead of complimenting them
about it?

Paul could have said “nice job on your faith, love, and hope!”… but he didn’t. He thanks
God for these things that are evident in their lives. The reason for that is that this
transformation doesn’t come by their own efforts, but through the transforming power of
the gospel. Their love is “in the Spirit” (v. 8), which is a shorthand way of talking about how
the Holy Spirit has worked in these Colossians to change them.
This is really getting to the big idea of this passage; the reason why we should be thankful
to God for seeing how the gospel changes people is because he’s the one who does it.

6. To summarise: according to this passage, what is God doing in the world, and how does
that shape people’s lives?

A time to draw the threads together and help people crystallise the big idea. You might
like to encourage your group to each write down a summary sentence and give them the
chance to share.

Application

7. Who is the “Epaphras” in your life, the person who first taught you the gospel?

This question and the next one are designed to help us move from the world of the
Colossians to our own world. The same gospel that they heard has been preached to us
too! Take some time to hear about how God brought the gospel into each of your lives.
This will surely bring up much fuel for thanksgiving when you come to pray at the end.

8. How do you see the gospel bearing fruit today in you, in your church, and throughout the
world?

9. How should this passage shape the way you pray for:
a. Your “Epaphras”?
b. New Christians at church?
c. Christians on the other side of the world who you’ve never met?

Paul’s thanksgiving is an encouragement for us to be thankful too! Not just for the little
wins in everyday life (though it’s important to give thanks for those as well!), but for God’s
profound work in our lives and the lives of people all over the world. The list of different
possible people is to encourage us to go beyond abstract generalisations and start to
think of actual people where we can see God at work.
Make sure you spend some good time together praying prayers of thanks. Our temptation
is always to rush to ask God for the things we need, so encourage your group to slow
down and thank God for bringing salvation to the world through the gospel.
Knowing God, Pleasing God
Colossians 1:9-14 | Study 2
Introduction

1. If you were to go on a quiz show, what would your specialty subject area be? How did
you come to know so much about it?

Observation

2. In this section, Paul talks about his prayers for the Colossians. How often does he pray for
them, and what does he pray for them?

3. Why does he pray this for them?

Interpretation

4. What does the “knowledge of his will” in v. 10 mean? How might it relate to the things Paul
explains in vv. 12-14?

5. How do you think Paul expected this prayer to be answered in the Colossians’ lives? In
other words, how do we come to know the will of God?
Application

6. Paul lists four elements of a life that is worthy of the Lord. What are they? What’s one
specific and practical next step you could take in these areas to please God?

Verse Element of a worthy life Next step?

10

10

11

12

7. How could Paul’s prayer shape the way you pray for one another as a Growth Group for
the rest of this year?
Knowing God, Pleasing God
Colossians 1:9-14 | Study 2 | Leader’s Notes
Big Idea
Paul gave thanks to God for the Colossians’ faith, love, and hope in 1:3-8. Though God has already
produced much fruit in their lives, they are by no means finished in their growth! Paul goes on in
this section to tell them how he prays for them to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. His
prayer is not just for head-knowledge alone, but for knowledge that transforms their lives so they
would please Jesus. This life “worthy of the Lord” (1:10) includes joyful thanks to God for giving
them an inheritance in the saints by rescuing them from darkness and bringing them into Jesus’
kingdom.

The big idea in summary: Paul prays that the Colossians will grow in their knowledge of God
so they can live a worthy life that pleases him.

Aim and Purpose

This passage introduces the theme of knowledge and wisdom that runs throughout the letter. The
false teaching in Colossae certainly appeared to be wise (2:23), but it wasn’t. It’s in Jesus that “all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are found (2:2-3), and these teachers had lost their
connection to him (2:19) and therefore to true knowledge of God. In this section, Paul is praying
that his readers will grow in that true knowledge that comes through Jesus, so that they won’t be
persuaded by arguments that look knowledgeable (2:4). But more than that, true knowledge of
Christ should lead to a transformed life, so Paul lays out for them what this life should look like.

The aim of this study: that we would learn that (1) true knowledge of God is something we must
keep praying for because it only comes from God and there’s always more to learn; (2) that
knowledge should transform us.

Introduction

1. If you were to go on a quiz show, what would your specialty subject area be? How did
you come to know so much about it?

This question is a light way-in to the big theme of this passage: knowledge. Since it’s early
in the year and your group is probably still getting to know each other, it’s also a chance
to find out some deeper and more personal things about one another.
Talking about how we come to know these things will also be fruitful when you come to
look at question 5: how do we know God? We have to pray for that knowledge because
only God can give it to us!

Observation

2. In this section, Paul talks about his prayers for the Colossians. How often does he pray for
them, and what does he pray for them?
 He began praying for them when he first heard about their faith from Epaphras (see 1:4-
8), and since then he has “not stopped”! This doesn’t literally mean that Paul prays for the
Colossians every single second of every single day; it means he continues to pray for them
regularly and has never forgotten them.
What does he pray? That God would fill them with knowledge. We’ll talk more about what
this knowledge is in question 4.

3. Why does he pray this for them?

So that they will live a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing the Lord in every way. “Live a life
worthy” is literally “walk worthily”; see 2:6, 3:7, 4:5 for other uses of this language in
Colossians.
What this life actually looks like is fleshed out more in the verses that follow, which we
will unpack in question 6.
But this is an important point to flag early on: the knowledge that Paul is praying for isn’t
just head knowledge. This knowledge is meant to change the way the Colossians live.

Interpretation

4. What does the “knowledge of his will” in v. 10 mean? How might it relate to the things Paul
explains in vv. 12-14?

The phrase naturally sounds quite subjective to us; we might speak of wanting to know
“God’s will for my life” – what does God have planned for me personally in my individual
circumstances? But that’s not what Paul means here. “God’s will” can refer to what God
wants or desires, or it can refer to what God decides or plans. In this case, Paul is probably
referring to the latter, since he speaks about God’s plan for the world enacted by God
the Father through Jesus (1:12-20), and he goes on to explain God’s plan to make Jesus
known through Paul’s ministry (1:24-2:3).
So the point of this passage isn’t that we all go away praying that God would give us a
special glimpse into his plan for our individual lives, what job we should take, who we
should marry, and so on. The point is that we go away praying that God would help us
understand his plan for the world which ought to shape how we live in every way!

5. How do you think Paul expected this prayer to be answered in the Colossians’ lives? In
other words, how do we come to know the will of God?

Broadly speaking, we know that God’s will is ultimately revealed to us in the preaching of
the gospel and in his word. Significant and well-known passages that speak into this include
Rom 12:1-2, and 1 Thess 4:3, 5:18. Those in your group who are more mature will easily
answer this question in a general way. But push your group deeper and think about how
you would answer that question in the context of Colossians.
In our passage, verse 9 tells us that wisdom and understanding are given by the Holy
Spirit. It’s a work of God, and we can’t come to know God’s will unless the Spirit reveals
it to us. That’s why we need to pray for it. But how does the Spirit give us that knowledge?
Paul goes on to write that ultimately “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are
hidden in Christ (2:3), and he speaks about his ministry as proclaiming Christ “with all
wisdom” (1:28). Much of what Paul writes in his letter is just that: teaching the Colossians
about Christ (especially 1:15-20 and 2:9-15)!
 In summary, Paul prays that the Colossians would grow in their knowledge of God’s will,
and then he spends the rest of his letter writing about Christ so that they will know more
about him. Reading the letter is one way that God will answer this prayer. That’s true for
us too!

Application

6. Paul lists four elements of a life that is worthy of the Lord. What are they? What’s one
specific and practical next step you could take in these areas to please God?

Verse Element of a worthy life Next step?

10 Bearing fruit in every good work

10 Growing in the knowledge of God

11 Being strengthened with God’s power

12 Giving joyful thanks to the Father

7. How could Paul’s prayer shape the way you pray for one another as a Growth Group for
the rest of this year?

In at least four ways:

i. Sometimes we might pray for someone once when they ask us to. Or much
worse, we say, “I’ll pray for you about that” and then never do! But Paul prays
without stopping for the Colossians.
ii. Often our first instinct is to pray for ourselves. That’s important too, and Paul
will have prayer requests of his own (see 4:3-4), but he starts by praying for
others.
iii. When we pray, we often reach first for the pressing needs of this earthly life:
health concerns, job opportunities, navigating our relationships. But Paul’s most
pressing concern is growth in spiritual knowledge.
iv. We may pray that God would grow our knowledge as we come to Bible study,
but sometimes we mean that just in an intellectual capacity – “God, help us to
know the Bible better”. That’s important, but it’s not enough; Paul prays for a
growth in knowledge that will change how we live.
Perhaps your Growth Group could read this passage out from time to time throughout the
year as you come to pray. It’s a reminder to pray that you will know God better, but also
that this knowledge will help you to please him.
 The Supreme Son
Colossians 1:15-23 | Study 3
Introduction

1. Think of the last time you were doing something difficult and wanted to give up.
What made you quit, or what kept you going?

Observation

2. Take some time to rewrite each line about “the Son” (Jesus) in 1:15-20 in your own words,
then compare your versions and discuss the differences.

Vs. Colossians 1:15-20 In your own words

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn over all creation.

For in him all things were created: things
16 in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities;
all things have been created through him
and for him.

17 He is before all things,

and in him all things hold together.

And he is the head of the body, the

18
church;
he is the beginning and the firstborn from
among the dead,

so that in everything he might have the

supremacy.

For God was pleased to have all his

19
fullness dwell in him,
and through him to reconcile to himself all
20 things, whether things on earth or things in
heaven,
by making peace through his blood, shed
on the cross.
Interpretation

3. How would you summarise the picture of Jesus that Paul paints for us in vv. 15-20?

4. How does that picture relate to the Colossians (and to us) in vv. 21-22?

Application

5. Imagine someone wrote a description of Jesus based on how you think about him or based
on what they see in your day-to-day life. How would it compare to the picture above?

6. What thing in your life would be most likely to shift you from the hope of the gospel?

7. Which part(s) of the picture in vv. 15-20 makes you want to continue in the faith the
most?
The Supreme Son
Colossians 1:15-23 | Study 3 | Leader’s Notes
Big Idea
After praying that the Colossians will be thankful to God for bringing them into the kingdom of
his Son (1:12-14), Paul goes on to tell them more about this Son. He presents a glorious picture of
Jesus as “the image of God” in whom all God’s fullness dwells (vv. 15, 19); that is, he fully represents
God’s glory and goodness and makes it visible to the world, because he is God. He is supreme
over all creation, because it was all made through him and for him (vv. 15-17). He is supreme over
God’s new creation, the church, because all things were reconciled to God through his cross (vv.
18-20). The focus then turns to the Colossians; they too have been reconciled to God through
Jesus’ death, if they continue in their faith (v. 23).

The big idea in summary: God’s Son is utterly supreme in creation and salvation. We are
reconciled through his death if we continue in the gospel.’

Aim and Purpose

Those who held to the “hollow philosophy” in Colossae (2:8) probably agreed that Jesus Christ
was a good start in knowing God, but one that needed to be supplemented with all sorts of other
rules and rituals if people were going to reach “fullness”, that is, a complete experience of God
(2:9-10). Paul blows that idea out of the water with this jaw-dropping picture of Jesus in all his
supremacy. It is through his death and only through his death that we can be reconciled to God,
so Paul calls on them to continue in the faith at all costs, not to give up their connection to their
head as the false teachers have (2:19).

The aim of this study: that we would be blown away by Christ's supremacy and convinced to
continue with him because he and only he can reconcile us to God.

Introduction

1. Think of the last time you were doing something difficult and wanted to give up.
What made you quit, or what kept you going?

A question to get your group talking, deepening your relationships through sharing personal
experiences, and getting into the key application of the study: continuing with Jesus, and
making sure that nothing makes us quit.

Observation

2. Take some time to rewrite each line about “the Son” (Jesus) in 1:15-20 in your own words,
then compare your versions and discuss the differences. You could get your group to each
do this question individually, or you could do it in pairs. The cross references below
might help guide you as you think about the meaning of some of the lines.
 Colossians 1:15-20 In your own words Cross
refs
The Son is the image of He is the image in that he fully represents God’s character John 1:18,
the invisible God, and glory; he makes the invisible God visible. Heb. 1:3

Be careful here; the word firstborn is used by some, e.g. Psalm

Jehovah’s Witnesses, to argue that the Son is not God himself, 89:27
but the most exalted of all created beings. But that’s not what
Paul means. The Son can’t be created, because everything
the firstborn over all
that was created was created through him (v. 16). And all
creation.
God’s fullness dwells in him (v. 19); he is fully God. Also, the
title “firstborn” in the Bible doesn’t usually focus on someone
being the oldest of siblings. The firstborn of the family was
the heir, and that title implies superiority and honour.
For in him all things were God created everything in Jesus and through Jesus; it didn’t Heb. 1:2
created: happen apart from Jesus, and he was the agent through whom
things in heaven and on God made the world. More than that, everything was made
earth, for him; we don’t belong to ourselves, we belong to him.
visible and invisible, The “thrones or powers or rulers or authorities” are angelic
whether thrones or powers beings, probably hostile to God. Paul mentions them because Eph. 6:12,
or rulers or authorities; the Colossian false teachers worshipped angels (2:18), but Paul 1 Pet. 3:22
wants the Colossians to know that angels are completely
all things have been inferior to Jesus; he made them (1:16), and he triumphed over
created through him them at the cross (2:15).
and for him.
He is before all things, Before in time. He was around before the universe began. John 8:58
and in him all things hold Meaning that he sustains all things; the universe would fall Heb. 1:3
together. apart if Jesus didn’t continue to uphold it.
And he is the head of the See Col. 2:19, 3:15; Rom. 12:4-5, Eph. 4:11-16
body, the church;
“The beginning” here suggests that something new has started 1 Cor.
he is the beginning
with Jesus’ resurrection; he is the first one to be raised from 15:20
and the firstborn from
the dead, and thus he is the exalted and honoured Lord of
among the dead,
God’s new people.
so that in everything he
might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to Col. 2:9
have all his fullness
dwell in him,
Paul doesn’t mean that everything in the universe has been Col. 2:15,
reconciled to God in the sense of being saved; in vv. 21-23, Phil. 2:10-11
and through him to the Colossians are reconciled (in that salvific sense) only if
reconcile to himself all they continue, which suggests it is possible not to be
things, whether things on reconciled to God in that way.
earth or things in heaven, Reconciliation means the end of hostilities, and in some cases
people are reconciled to God by being defeated and pacified.
They are no longer at war with him because he has won!
 In a similar way, Philippians 2 says that every knee will bow
and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord; but not all will
be saved. Some will be forced to bow and will acknowledge
Jesus through gritted teeth.
by making peace through Col. 2:15
his blood,
shed on the cross.

Interpretation

3. How would you summarise the picture of Jesus that Paul paints for us in vv. 15-20?

A time to draw the threads together and help people to see how utterly supreme Jesus is
in creation and in salvation.

4. How does that picture relate to the Colossians (and to us!) in vv. 21-23?

Paul takes these huge cosmic truths about Jesus and applies them directly to the Colossians.
The grand scale of God’s plan also takes in this little church.
There’s a contrast drawn in time; once they were aliens, but now they are reconciled
through Christ’s death.
But there’s also an “if”, a condition: they are reconciled as long as they continue in the
faith and don’t move away. If they were to give up on the gospel, then they would be
giving up the only person who is supreme enough to reconcile them to God.

Application

5. Imagine someone wrote a description of Jesus based on how you think about him, or
based on what they see in your day-to-day life. How would it compare to the picture
above?

The way we think of Jesus surely falls short of the supreme glorious Son outlined in this
passage. This question is a chance to feel that clash and, God-willing, have our
understandings of our Lord enlarged!

6. What thing in your life would be most likely to shift you from the hope of the gospel?

7. Which part(s) of the picture in vv. 15-20 makes you want to continue in the faith the most?

As outlined under “Aim and Purpose” above, Paul’s point in giving this glorious description
of Jesus is for us to see that nothing else could compete with him, and there’s nothing
worth gaining if it means we give him up.
Different parts of this description might give different people the confidence to keep
trusting Christ and turning away from other alluring things of the world. For example,
knowing that all things were created for Christ (including us!) might help those looking for
a sense of purpose elsewhere. Knowing that Christ is the firstborn from the dead – meaning
that we will be raised too – might help those tempted to seek a kind of immortality through
fame or raising children.
Proclaiming Christ
Colossians 1:24-2:7 | Study 4
Introduction

1. When was the last time you had some really good news you just had to share?

Observation

2. Working together, create a flowchart to show the flow of ideas in this passage.
Interpretation

3. What is “lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions”? How does Paul’s suffering “fill up” what is
lacking?

4. He describes his role as God’s servant in terms of presenting a “mystery” (1:26-27, 2:2).
What is this mystery? Why is it called a mystery?

5. What is the goal that Paul is working towards in his ministry? How is he trying to get there?

Application

6. If you were in danger of giving up on the faith, hearing Paul talk about how serving Jesus
can land you in prison might push you over the edge. Yet Paul is telling them this so they
will be “encouraged in heart” (2:2)! How does this passage encourage you to keep going
even though it’s hard?

7. We all have opportunities to proclaim Christ in various ways. Who are you proclaiming to?
What should your gospel ministry look like? What goal should you be aiming for?
Proclaiming Christ
Colossians 1:24-2:7 | Study 4 | Leader’s Notes
Big Idea
Previously, Paul gave the Colossians a glorious picture of Christ’s supremacy (1:15-20) and called
them to continue believing the gospel (1:21-23). He ended that section with the note that he had
become a servant of that gospel (1:23), and in this section he explains what that service has looked
like. He speaks of his sufferings for the sake of the church (1:24), his God-given task of proclaiming
Christ to the Gentiles (1:25-27), and his aim to present everyone mature in Christ (1:28). All of this
is to protect them from the “fine-sounding arguments” of the false teachers and see them continue
in firm in their faith (2:4-7).

The big idea in summary: Paul suffers as he proclaims Christ so that God’s people will reach
maturity and stand firm.

Aim and Purpose

Paul describes the main purpose of the letter to the Colossians in 2:4-8. He doesn’t want the
Colossians to be deceived by the deceptive philosophies swirling around them; rather, he urges
them to continue living in Christ just as they began. But how does Paul’s lengthy description of his
ministry relate to this key aim? There must be a link, because he wants them to know about his
great struggle (2:1), and the goal of him telling them is that their hearts may be encouraged (2:2).
So how will this description of Paul’s ministry encourage them to stand firm in Jesus? Because the
difficulty of his ministry underlines just how important Jesus is. If Paul is willing to suffer and contend
so hard to proclaim Christ to them, then Christ must be worth continuing with.

The aim of this study: for us to know that gospel ministry (1) is about proclaiming Christ, (2) is
difficult and involves suffering, but (3) leads to joy in suffering when people mature and stand
firm in the faith.

Introduction

1. When was the last time you had some really good news you just had to share?

A chance for people to warm up and share something from their lives as we get into the
idea of proclaiming. Hopefully some of these stories might be a helpful illustration to refer
back to when you come to think about the idea of proclaiming Christ later on. That phrase
isn’t only about preaching from a pulpit, it’s just about announcing something to people –
which we do all the time about other things!

Observation
2. Working together, create a flowchart to show the flow of ideas in this passage.

This is a passage with a lot of complex logical connections: Paul describes various actions,
the manner in which he does them, and the goals and purposes that he hopes to achieve
through them. A flowchart will help to make these connections clearer and will benefit the
visual thinkers among your group.
 It might be helpful to work together as a large group on this, for example using a
whiteboard or butcher’s paper, or you could break up into small groups.
Don’t feel like you’re shooting for a “right answer” here. There are lots of ways to depict
the links in this passage. But in case you’re not sure where to start, here’s what a flowchart
could look like for 1:24-25a:

Interpretation

3. What is “lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions”? How does Paul’s suffering “fill up” what is
lacking?

This is perhaps the trickiest verse in the book to understand and explain. Firstly, when Paul
talks about “what I am suffering for you”, he means his imprisonment (see 4:3, 8, 10, 18). In
some way his suffering in prison is “filling up” what is “lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions”.
But what does that mean? He’s not talking about Christ’s afflictions on the cross; this verse
is definitely not implying that there is anything deficient about Christ’s sacrifice that would
need to be supplemented. Paul speaks very clearly about how Jesus’ death is fully sufficient
to save us completely in 1:19-20 and 2:13-15 (see further the leaders’ notes on Study 5).
Rather, “Christ’s afflictions” here is a reference to Paul’s suffering as Christ’s own suffering,
because Jesus identifies closely with his people in their distress. Consider Paul’s experience
on the Damascus road. Paul had been persecuting the early church in Jerusalem, but Jesus
asks him “why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4-5). Jesus is the head of the church, his
body (Col 1:18), so when his body is afflicted, he is afflicted.
 As for the idea of there being something “lacking” in these persecutions, consider Revelation
6:9-11, which speaks about the “full number” of martyrs who must be slain before Jesus will
bring this age to an end. God has planned out these last days in which we live, and he
knows exactly how much his people will suffer before Jesus returns. Paul has a particular
role to play in this regard, because God warned that he would show Paul “how much he
must suffer for my name” as the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15-16).
So, bringing this all together, God’s people, and Paul in particular, must suffer for a certain
time until Jesus will return to bring justice and peace. Paul knows that his suffering isn’t
meaningless; he sees it as significant because it is “filling up” what is lacking in that “quota”
of suffering, counting down the days until the end.

4. He describes his role as God’s servant in terms of presenting a “mystery” (1:26-27, 2:2).
What is this mystery? Why is it called a mystery?

The mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (1:27), or just “Christ” for short (2:2, see
also 4:3). Normally the word “mystery” in the Bible (translating the Greek mysterion) doesn’t
refer to something vague and mysterious that can never be known. It refers to something
that was hidden in the past (i.e. in Old Testament times) but has now been revealed because
Jesus has come. See Romans 16:25-27 or Ephesians 3:4-5 for the same idea.
So Paul is presenting this truth that was hidden but has now become clear: in Christ we
are no longer estranged from God (1:21); in fact, God has come so close that he now
dwells in us through the Spirit, hence “Christ in you”.
His presence with us means we now have the “hope of glory”. See especially 3:4 for
further elaboration on this: in Christ we have the hope that one day soon he will appear
again, and we who are in Christ will also appear with him in glory.

5. What is the goal that Paul is working towards in his ministry? How is he trying to get there?
He preaches so that he may present everyone mature in Christ (1:28). If you have time, it
would be fruitful to discuss what a mature Christian life would look like. To bring people
to maturity, he is proclaiming Christ, admonishing and teaching everyone, with all wisdom
(1:28). Again, it would be worth fleshing out what it means to proclaim Christ – particularly
emphasising that the proclamation of the gospel doesn’t just happen when someone stands
up in church to preach a sermon! All of us can proclaim Christ whenever we teach or talk
to others about Jesus.

Application

6. If you were in danger of giving up on the faith, hearing Paul talk about how serving Jesus
can land you in prison might push you over the edge. Yet Paul is telling them this so they
will be “encouraged in heart” (2:2)! How does this passage encourage you to keep going
even though it’s hard?
Some thoughts to get you started:
• Even though gospel ministry can be hard and involve suffering, it’s not pointless. It
has a goal. As Jesus is proclaimed people will grow towards maturity. Sometimes
evangelism or teaching kid’s church might feel pointless, but keeping the goal in
mind gives us the strength to keep going because it’s not pointless.
• Paul gives us a model of rejoicing in afflictions (1:24, 2:5). He suffered so much and
yet still had joy because the ministry that he was imprisoned for was resulting in
 people like the Colossians standing firm in their faith. Looking back at how God has
used our hard work in people’s lives can give us encouragement.
• All of this is part of the unfolding of God’s wise plan for the world. The mystery
has been revealed: “Christ in you!” We have the hope of glory to come, even if we
feel glory is absent now.

7. We all have opportunities to proclaim Christ in various ways. Who are you proclaiming to?
What should your gospel ministry look like? What goal should you be aiming for?

Remember, Paul gives us the content and the purpose here. The content is proclaiming
Christ and the purpose is seeing people mature in him. Explore what this looks like in the
various ministries people in your group are involved in – such as personal evangelism,
Growth Group, teaching Scripture, leading kids’ church, and so on.
If people in your group aren’t involved in proclaiming Christ to anyone at all, this would
be a good opportunity to challenge them to think about who they could tell about Jesus
within their circumstances and gifts.
Hopefully this will also provide some clarifying focus for your group. It’s easy for us to
get swept up in logistical and administrative tasks or in relationship-building without ever
getting to speak about Jesus. Remind people that the core of what we do is proclaiming
him!
The other thing we can learn from Paul’s model is that we shouldn’t be surprised if ministry
is tough and requires personal sacrifices from us. But we can face those difficulties with
joy because we know that God works amazing things in people as Christ is proclaimed.
Life to the Full
Colossians 2:6-23 | Study 5
Introduction

1. What do people mean when they talk about “living life to the full”?
How would you describe a “full” life?

Observation

2. In 2:8-23, Paul responds to the false teaching that was going on in Colossae.
Make a list of everything you can find out about the false teaching from this passage.
(Leave the “Jesus?” column for now, you’ll come back to it.)

Verse False teaching Jesus?

Interpretation

3. What has Jesus done for us through his death on the cross? (2:11-15)

4. How should we think about the false teaching in light of Jesus’ death?
For each point in your list above, look at how Paul corrects that part of the false teaching
and write it in the “Jesus?” column.

5. Write a one-sentence summary of the big point Paul is making about Jesus in this passage.

Application

6. Today, we probably won’t face exactly the same false teaching as the Colossians. But we
do have people telling us that Jesus alone isn’t enough for us to live a full life. What sort
of things might other Christians tell you that you also need? Or other religions? Or the
secular world?

7. How does knowing that “you have been brought to fullness” in Jesus (v. 10) help you deal
with those issues?

8. Where are you looking for “fullness” other than in Jesus? What needs to change?
Life to the Full
Colossians 2:6-23 | Study 5 | Leader’s Notes
Big Idea
Paul calls the Colossians to continue living in Christ just as they began (vv. 6-7), then he addresses
the false teaching that they are facing (the “hollow and deceptive philosophy”, v. 8). Some
teachers are probably suggesting that the Colossians need something more than just Jesus to have
a “full” experience of God, but Paul emphatically tells them that Christ is the “fullness” of God,
and that he has brought them to “fullness” by dying for their sins and raising them to life with him
(vv. 9-15). The Colossians are being judged because they don’t keep all the rituals of the Jewish
law (v. 16), but Jesus fulfilled those “shadows” (v. 17). They are being disqualified because they
don’t worship angels or have mystical spiritual experiences (v. 18), but Jesus triumphed over those
evil “powers and authorities” at the cross (vv. 10, 15, 20). In other words, they don’t need anything
else but Christ, and nothing but Christ can fill them up.

The big idea in summary: Paul tells the Colossians not to be taken captive by empty (“hollow”)
teachings, because Christ has filled them: they have died to this world and been raised with Christ
through his victory on the cross.

Aim and Purpose

This passage is intended to show the Colossians that the rules and rituals that the false teachers
demand are utterly inadequate for knowing God, whereas Christ is completely sufficient. Those
teachers are cut off from Christ, who is the head, and there’s no growth apart from him (v. 19).

In our world too, all sorts of people tell us that Jesus isn’t enough, and that we need more if
we’re going to experience God fully or live a full life. Some Christians insist that we need
miraculous spiritual gifts, or a certain level of generosity, or certain ways of doing church, or
certain ceremonies and rituals, and so on. The world tells us that a life without the best material
and sensual pleasures the world has to offer will leave us feeling empty. But God’s aim for us
through this text, and therefore the aim of this study: is that we would be completely convinced
that Jesus brings us to “fullness” in God, so that we don’t need anyone or anything else.

Introduction

1. What do people mean when they talk about “living life to the full”?
How would you describe a “full” life?

This question introduces the idea of “fullness” which is so key in our passage. It will also
lay the groundwork for the application section when we consider how Christ speaks into
all rival claims for “fullness”.

Observation
2. In 2:8-23, Paul responds to the false teaching that was going on in Colossae.
Make a list of everything you can find out about the false teaching from this passage.
(Leave the “Jesus?” column for now, you’ll come back to it.)
 One of the tricky things about this passage is that we only hear Paul’s side of the story.
He doesn’t describe the teachings of the “hollow philosophy” in detail; when he wrote, he
didn’t need to! The Colossians knew exactly what the issues were! But we can work out
roughly what the problems were based on how Paul responds to them. See verses 8-10,
16, 18, and 21-23 in particular. From these verses we can identify three main elements in the
mix: (1) an emphasis on “fullness”, which may have been a slogan of the teachers, (2)
legalistic observance of the Mosaic Law, and (3) pagan mysticism focused on worshiping
spiritual powers and seeing visions. So in some ways it’s probably not right to speak of the
false teaching in Colossae; it seems more like there was a blend of different alternatives
to Christ that people were mixing together. People in our age do the same thing all the
time!

Interpretation

3. What has Jesus done for us through his death on the cross? (2:11-15)

Paul says a lot here about the effect of Jesus’ work on the cross for us and for the
universe. It’s important to understand these truths, because they are the theological
“ammunition” that Paul deploys against the false teaching. The key point is that we were
spiritually dead in sins, but God has forgiven our sins by nailing the “charge of indebtedness”
to the cross. That language is meant to make us think of a big list of all the things we’ve
ever done wrong that has now been blotted out. Then, when God raised Jesus from the
dead, he also raised us from the dead to new spiritual life in Christ.

There are lots of phrases that are qualified with the words “in Christ” or “with Christ” in this
section. Theologians refer to this idea as our “union with Christ”; through faith in Jesus, we
are spiritually connected with him (consider 2:19, we are a body connected to Jesus our
head). So what happens to Christ happens to us. He died on the cross; we died with him.
God raised him from the dead; he raised us to eternal life too.

But there is another aspect to Jesus’ death here. On the cross, he “disarmed” and
“triumphed” over the powers and authorities, those “elemental spirits” or “angels” who the
Colossian false teachers revered (2:8, 18, 20). See the leaders’ notes on Study 3 for a
further comment on these hostile spiritual forces.

4. How should we think about the false teaching in light of Jesus’ death?
For each point in your list above, look at how Paul corrects that part of the false teaching
and write it in the “Jesus?” column.

As mentioned above, the work of Christ we explored in question 3 is the “ammunition” for
Paul’s attacks on the false teaching. The aim of this question is to think about how Paul
deploys that ammunition against the different aspects of the false teaching.
For example:
• The teachers were insisting on observance of Jewish food and festival laws (v. 16),
but Paul says all those things are a “shadow” pointing to what Jesus would come
to do, and now the “reality” has come!
• The teachers worshipped angels (v. 18), but Jesus is the head over all those spiritual
powers and he triumphed over them, showing they are now powerless (vv. 10, 15).
 • Similarly, because Christians have died and been raised with Christ (vv. 12-13), they
have now died to the “elemental spiritual forces” and should not submit to the rules
associated with them.

5. Write a one-sentence summary of the big point Paul is making about Jesus in this passage.

Application

6. Today, we probably won’t face exactly the same false teaching as the Colossians. But we
do have people telling us that Jesus alone isn’t enough for us to live a full life. What sort
of things might other Christians tell you that you also need? Or other religions? Or the
secular world?

See above under “Aim and Purpose” for some suggestions about areas where our “fullness”
in Christ is under attack.
This would be a good time to probe into areas where we feel insecure as Christians
because we worry that we’re “missing out” on the good life. We typically hunger for a
good job, owning a nice house, having a marriage that fulfils every relational need, going
to church where we always feel completely comfortable, and so on. We can be tempted
to compromise on our Christian convictions because we desperately don’t want to miss
out on all those things that we feel are important for us to have a “full” life.

7. How does knowing that “you have been brought to fullness” in Jesus (v. 10) help you deal
with those issues?

8. Where are you looking for “fullness” other than in Jesus? What needs to change?
This question is here as a backstop in case question 6 remains abstract and doesn’t get
down to personal specifics. It’s one thing to say that the world tells us we need certain
things to be “full”, but it’s another to admit where we have succumbed to that. Take the
time to encourage each other that Christ is far more than enough, and pray that you would
always be captured by him and not by the hollow alternatives.
Set Your Hearts on Things Above
Colossians 3:1-14 | Study 6
Introduction

1. What was the last piece of clothing you threw out? Why’d you get rid of it?

Observation

2. In this passage, Paul describes the “old self” and the “new self” along with the different
“clothes” that they each wear. On a separate piece of paper, draw a picture of these two
figures to represent the various ways that Paul characterises them. Be creative!

Interpretation

3. Paul tells the Colossians to set their hearts and minds on “things above” (vv. 1-2).
What does that mean? Why does he say that?

4. Have the Colossians already put off the old self and put on the new, or do they still need
to do that? How does that work?
Application

5. Would you say your heart and mind are set on things above? What needs to change?

6. Paul names several attitudes or behaviours that belong to the earthly nature.
Which of them do you struggle with most? How are you going to put them to death?

7. He also names several attitudes or behaviours for us to “put on”.

Which of them do you find most challenging? How could you grow in that?
Set Your Hearts on Things Above
Colossians 3:1-14 | Study 6 | Leader’s Notes
Big Idea
This passage starts by bringing out the implications of the idea that Paul brought up in 2:13-15.
The Colossians have been raised with Christ, therefore they ought to set their hearts and minds
on things above, where Christ is – and where they are, spiritually speaking. Paul then unfolds what
this looks like for our attitudes and behaviours in everyday life. Through what Christ has done,
Christians have “put off” the old self and “put on” the new, “which is being renewed in the image
of its creator” (3:9-10). Therefore, they ought to put off and put on certain characteristics (3:5-9,
12-14).

The big idea in summary: Become who you are. You are with Christ in heaven; therefore set
your hearts and minds there. You have put off the old self and put on the new; therefore put off
things that belong to the old and put on those that belong to the new.

Aim and Purpose

Paul has been praying that the Colossians’ knowledge of God would transform their lives (1:9-10),
and he has urged them to continue living in Christ as they began (2:6-7). This passage is intended
to show them why and how they ought to live in Christ. Paul clearly does not consider it enough
just to command people to live a certain way. He wants the Colossians to realise that the dramatic
change in their status brought about by Christ has implications for how they live. His purpose here
is to show them that they already are in heaven with Christ, they already have put off the old
self and put on the new, and therefore they must live day-to-day in a way that is consistent with
the transformation that Jesus has brought about.

The aim of this study: for us to resolve to live in Christ (1) by putting off sin and putting on love,
(2) in specific and practical ways, (3) because we have come to understand who we truly are in
Christ.

Introduction

1. What was the last piece of clothing you threw out? Why’d you get rid of it?
Hopefully this question might raise an interesting story or two; or you could connect it to
the current zeitgeist, Marie Kondo and so forth.
Key to this passage is the idea of our behaviour and attitudes as “clothing” that needs to
be “put off” because it’s no longer suitable for who we are in Christ. This question is a way
to raise that concept and prepare people to encounter it in the passage. You throw things
out because they don’t fit, or because they’re gross and worn out and no longer
appropriate!
Observation

2. In this passage, Paul describes the “old self” and the “new self” along with the different
“clothes” that they each wear. On a separate piece of paper, draw a picture of these two
figures to represent the various ways that Paul characterises them. Be creative!

You’ll need some extra paper and maybe some pencils or pens on hand for this one.
This is meant to be a different type of activity to help engage those thinkers who are more
visual and creative. This passage is particularly suited to that because it’s visual (the idea
of the “old” and “new” person with their different “clothes”) and it’s full of contrasts:
above/on earth (v. 2), death/life (vv. 3-5), used to/now (vv. 7-8), old/new (vv. 9-10),
divided/united (v. 11), anger/love (vv. 3 and 12-14).
Spend some time drawing then encourage your group to share what they’ve found and
how the two figures of the old and new self are different.

Interpretation

3. Paul tells the Colossians to set their hearts and minds on “things above” (vv. 1-2).
What does that mean? Why does he say that?

In terms of the what, heart and mind together refer to areas like what we think about,
what we long for, where our inmost dreams and desires are focused, what controls our
decisions, and so on. To have our hearts and minds set on “things above” means pointing
all those things towards Jesus; thinking of him often, longing to know him and to be with
him, letting him control our decisions.
In terms of the why, notice the “since” in v. 1 and the “for” in v. 3. Christians have died with
Christ and been raised with him (remember last study: see 2:12-13, 20). Christ is now seated
“above” at the right hand of God, and our lives are hidden with him “up there” to be
revealed when he appears. Our union with Christ means that, spiritually speaking, we have
been raised with Christ to heaven. That’s why Paul tells the Colossians to set their hearts
on things above; in some sense we’re already there, so even though we’re still down here
on earth physically, we should fix our hearts up there to reflect the spiritual reality of
where we truly are in Christ.

4. Have the Colossians already put off the old self and put on the new, or do they still need
to do that? How does that work?

It’s both-and. In vv. 9-10 Paul says that the Colossians have put off the old self and put
on the new, but in v. 8 he says you must put off (slightly obscured in the NIV as “rid
yourself of”) everything that belongs to the old earthly nature, and then in vv. 12 and 14
he tells them to put on (“clothe yourselves”) with those things belonging to the new nature.
So how does that work? It’s an issue of reality versus appearance. The Colossians are in
Christ, so they have already been transformed in a fundamental way: they have been raised
to new life with Christ (v. 1)! They are already being renewed and transformed “in (i.e.
according to) the image of their creator” (v. 10). In other words, God is changing them to
be like him.
But they still have remnants of their old self clinging to them like filthy rags: those sins that
Paul names in vv. 5-9. It’s as if those things are clothes that no longer fit; they don’t make
sense for the Colossians to wear, because they aren’t consistent with who they really are
 in Christ. The Colossians need to “become who they are” – how they live needs to change
to line up with what God has done for them in Christ.

Depending on your group, it might be good to explore how this compares with either
ideas about Christian obedience. Some people may have the false idea that people need
to stop doing the things in vv. 5-9 and start doing those in vv. 12-14 in order to be saved.
Or some people might think that the idea of insisting on those commands is totally
inconsistent with salvation by grace. Both of these ideas are profoundly wrong! Seeing the
logic of Paul’s instruction here is critical. It’s not about earning our salvation, it’s about living
a changed life that is fitting for the salvation that Christ has earned for us. And even that
transformation is brought about by God; he is the one who is “renewing” our new self in
his image (v. 10). But part of how he does that is by calling us to obey commands like
those in vv. 5 and 12.

Application

5. Would you say your heart and mind are set on things above? What needs to change?

This is one of those areas where we all have room to grow. It would be good to share
your experiences as a group and give each other suggestions about how we can keep
our minds fixed on Christ in heaven.
A few practical ideas to start:
• If you don’t already, find a regular time and place to read the Bible and pray as
part of your daily routine. When you wake up, on the bus, in your lunch break,
before you go to bed.
• Regularly preach the gospel to yourself. In J. I. Packer’s classic Knowing God
(p. 259), he speaks about our need as Christians to remind ourselves continuously
about who we are:
“I am a child of God. God is my Father; heaven is my home; every day is
one day nearer. My Saviour is my brother; every Christian is my brother too.
Say it over and over to yourself first thing in the morning, last thing at night,
as you wait for the bus, any time when your mind is free, and ask that you
may be enabled to live as one who knows it is all utterly and completely
true.”
• Give yourself physical reminders to set your mind on things above: you could put
a Bible verse on a card in your wallet or bag, on a post-it on your computer screen
or on the fridge, or on the lock screen of your phone.

6. Paul names several attitudes or behaviours that belong to the earthly nature.
Which of them do you struggle with most? How are you going to put them to death?

Depending on your group, it might be wise to break up into smaller groups to talk about
this question (and question 7). Breaking up into separate groups for men and women could
also be good since many of the issues Paul identifies in v. 5 are sexual in nature. You know
your group, so decide what you think would be best to help them apply this passage
honestly, deeply, and concretely.

7. He also names several attitudes or behaviours for us to “put on”.

Which of them do you find most challenging? How could you grow in that?