Christocentric Living in an Anthropocentric World – Colossians #1

November 28, 2010

The Context: The Church at Colossae apparently got its start during Paul’s three-year ministry in Ephesus (A.D. 52-55). During this time, a Colossian named Epaphras probably traveled to Ephesus and responded to Paul’s message of the Gospel (see Acts 19:10). This new believer returned to his hometown and began sharing the good news of Christ, which resulted in the birth of the Colossian church (Col. 1:7). At the time of this writing, Epaphras is with Paul in Rome and has likely shared the bad news that there was a dangerous teaching threatening the church at Colossae (4:12). Paul writes this letter to respond to the situation and to encourage these believers in their growth toward Christian maturity. (ESVSB)

Theme:   “Jesus Christ is the Preeminent Lord and All-Sufficient Savior”

I.        BELIEVING in Christ’s Pre-eminence (Chap 1)

• His Pre-eminence in our Experience (1:3-14)

• His Pre-eminence in Creation (1:15-17)

• His Pre-eminence in the Church or Redemption (1:18-23)

• His Pre-eminence in Paul’s Ministry (1:24-29)

II.      DEFENDING Christ’s Pre-eminence (Chap 2)

• His Pre-eminence vs. Empty Philosophy (2:1-10) 

• His Pre-eminence vs. Jewish Legalism (2:11-17)

• His Pre-eminence vs. Man-Made Rules (2:18-23)

III.    LIVING OUT Christ’s Pre-eminence (Chap 3-4)

• His Pre-eminence in Your New Identity (3:1-10) 

• His Pre-eminence in the Church’s Unity (3:11-17) 

• His Pre-eminence in Your Home and Work (3:18-4:1)

• His Pre-eminence in Proclamation (4:2-6) 

• His Pre-eminence in Service (4:7-18)

Purpose of Studying Colossians:

We will grow in becoming Christocentrically Balanced in 3 Ways:

1) Our Worship of Christ - Upward (C’s 1-2)

2) Creating communities in Christ - Inward (C3)

3) Being on mission for Christ - Outward (C4)

Reading Colossians For Discussion and Reflection:

What to look for when reading Colossians:

a)     How many times the phrases – “in Christ;” “in Him;” “in the Lord” etc. are mentioned in the Book. Why is this the case?

b)     How do you think Paul’s Christocentric worldview helped him while in prison (look for evidence of this throughout the book)

c)  Try to find modern equivalents to the issues of Colossae with respect to today – heresies and practical considerations.

One way to break up this letter in terms of worship, community, and mission follows:

Discussion 1: Worship (upward/head) – Read Chapters 1 & 2

− Why is believing & defending Christ’s preeminence important?

− What responsibilities do we have for “one another” with respect to this?

Discussion 2: Community  (inward/heart) Read - Chapters 3 - 4:2

− Discuss the scope of the implications of Christ’s preeminence on how we live our lives (our identity, the Church’s health/unity, home, work, mission) ... As time permits discuss how we, in community, can support one another in these]

Discussion 3: Mission  (outward/hands) Read – Chapters 4:3ff

− Note the community context of this call to prayer (for opportunity and clarity in

proclamation of the gospel)   [This is part of how you are to live in community...

praying for one another in mission]

− How else are we to support one another with respect to mission?  [Wisdom is also to be prayed for and received through a multitude of counselors, and we need to hold one another accountable for our use of our time, gracious speech, etc.]