Brentwood Hills Church of Christ
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Brentwood Hills Church of Christ Fall Quarter – The Book of Colossians Week 2 Thank God Lesson 2 - Colossians 1:3-8
Just to reiterate, please try to give people plenty of time to respond. In putting this material together, my primary purpose was to get people thinking about the text and about how they can apply it to their lives. Some classes are certainly more willing to talk than others but I just wanted to encourage you to make discussion a primary focus.
Briefly review last weeks lesson:
What did we talk about?
What were the false teachings.
How is the introduction in Colossians similar/different from other of Paul’s letters?
1. Why does Paul use the term “we” in verse 3 (note v. 1)? This is just a simple intro question to get everyone looking at the text. Note vs 1, the letter is from Paul and Timothy. 2. Paul always thanked God when he prayed for the Colossians. What was he thankful for? What are we thankful for? Paul was thankful for their “faith and love” that springs from the hope they have. Note that Paul was thankful to God (not to the Colossians). The faith, hope and love they have is a blessing for them to be thankful for as well (rather than to be puffed up about). Discuss the meaning of faith, hope and love (see definitions attached). Note Q4 will address the relationship between these. See Hebrews 11:1 ff. Contrast things we are thankful for to what Paul was thankful for. Paul was thankful for the “love you have for all the saints.” Not clear what the reference to the saints here means. Possible that Epaphras told Paul of good works they were doing in Colossee and this is a response to that information. Additional questions to pose: Is gratitude meaningful if not expressed? How do we express our thanks to God? to others? Describe the characteristics of someone you know that has a thankful spirit. The more we exercise that spirit, the more it will grow in us. Give some examples of how we can more sincerely express our gratitude. 3. What type of faith and love did Paul say the Colossians had? Do we have this same type of faith and love today? If not, why not? The faith and love the Colossians had grew out of hope. Discuss what this means (that it is a response, not just an action). We discussed in class that hope does not mean that we have doubt of receiving salvation but that it is a desire with the expectation of attainment (see definition). As an example, could discuss how we felt as children when we hoped for a particular present. How is this like/not like the hope we have in Christ? How can we experience the same joy and euphoria about our relationship with Christ? Likewise, could discuss example of something we have faith in and how this is like or not like our Christian faith. 4. What is the relationship between fruit, faith, love, hope and hearing? What is Satan’s most effective weapon to keep us from experiencing these things? How can we prevail? May want to reframe context of letter. Remember, Paul is writing to address some very serious issues but he takes time to build repoir with his listeners. Order of items could be hearing, hope, love/faith and fruit. As people to comment. Love could arguable be seen as being part of every step since God is love. Discuss meanings of these words (if you haven’t already). What is Christian fruit? Perhaps a reference to new Christians. See also Heb. 10:22-24 4 types of love in Greek. Agape – selfless love (used here) Phileo – brotherly love (i.e. Philedelpia is the city of brotherly love) Eros - sexual attraction Stergo (not used in NT) – like; I like ice cream Where are the Colossians in this process? Where are they on track/ off track. 5. The gospel is still being preached all over the world (v. 6). Take a few minutes to share information about outreach works that you know about. It was commented in class that 211 has been in use for a few years as a social needs help line but this is the first time it has been used for a particular disaster (you can call this to offer assistance or to offer to keep folks from New Orleans). Please use this time to discuss various outreach ministries, particularly those related to Katrina. 6. The phrase “understood God’s grace and all its truth” was very powerful to the early Christians. Why? What does it mean? How can we let it excite us today? Much like the joy a child may feel when getting a special toy, the new Christians in Colosse may have never heard anything like the Gospel before. Judism offered no promise of eternal life and pagan religions were shallow at best.
Definitions (from www.m-w.com): faith Pronunciation: 'fAth Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural faiths /'fAths, some t ime s 'fA[ th ]z / Etymology: Middle English feith, from Old French feid, foi, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust -- more at BIDE 1 a :allegiance to duty or a person :LOYALTY b(1) :fidelity to one's promises (2) :sincerity of intentions 2 a (1) :belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) :belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b(1) :firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) :complete trust 3:something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially :a system of religious beliefs hope Pronunciation: 'hOp Function: verb Inflected Form(s): hoped ;hop·ing Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hopian; akin to Middle High German hoffen to hope intransitive senses 1:to cherish a desire with anticipation < hope sfor a promotion> 2archaic :TRUST transitive senses 1:to desire with expectation of obtainment 2:to expect with confidence :TRUST love Pronunciation: 'l&v Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English lEof dear, Latin lubEre, libEre to please 1 a (1) :strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties