Week 1 - Fall Focus 2023

Reminder:  At the start of each meeting, set the time when you will suspend the Bible study discussion (you do not have to discuss every question) so that you have sufficient time to share requests and pray for one another.

OPENING

Introduce yourself to the group!

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The goal of this study is to help you understand your identity in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We naturally look to a lot of different things to help us define our identity, like our possessions, positions, friends, family, jobs and hobbies.  Transcending all of these, the Gospel claims God Himself gives us a new identity- based not on where we come from, what we have accomplished, or what we own- but based, rather on what God has done for us, and the reality of our connection with Him.

Our focus for these next six weeks will be the Book of Colossians.

The New Testament book of Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul to the Church at Colosse, an ancient city located in present day Turkey.  In this letter, he was addressing people he had not met personally (2:1), but who had in fact learned the Gospel from one of his fellow ministers, Epaphras (1:7).

Due to their shared faith, Paul feels a deep kinship with these people, and earnestly desires to make sure that they stay faithful to the message of the Gospel and live out their identity as “God’s Chosen people, holy and dearly loved” (3:12).

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READ COLOSSIANS 1:1-14

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How do the things we hope for define our identity?  What are some of these things?

2. What is the relationship between faith, love, and hope in verses 3-5?

3. Paul writes, “Faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven.”

   • What do you think that means?

   • Can you think of a time when you were able to get through a difficult situation because of hope? (Does anyone want to share?)

4. Verse 5 says: “Hope stored up for you in heaven." 

   • What do you think this means?

   • How do you think Christian Hope is unique in the Human experience? 

   • How do you think Christian Hope is different from mere “optimism” or “positive thinking”?

5. Paul transitions into a review of his prayers for these people. Look over the prayer list in verses 9-14.

   • What strikes you about the things he is praying for? 

   • Is there anything missing from his prayers that tend to dominate your prayers?

6. Verse 13 says:  “For He (Jesus) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

   • What do you think this means?

   • How do you think forgiveness of sins is connected to our rescue from darkness?