Colossians: Rooted in Christ - Week 2 - Paul’s prayer
Study: Linda & Neil Smith
Reading: Colossians 1:9-14
Sermon date: 16 September 
 

Icebreaker

 
Did anyone take up the action challenge from last week to contact someone who has had a significant impact on your life? How did it go? If not, who would you contact?

Can you remember anything that struck you from last Sunday's sermon?
 

Study

Background: It is believed that Paul wrote this letter during his first imprisonment in Rome where he was under house arrest for 2 years. The main focus of the letter is to address heretical teaching in Colossae. 


Intro: Last week we focused on Paul’s gracious and heartfelt introduction to his letter to the church of Colossae. Paul shows he deeply cares for the church he is writing too. In following weeks, we are going to be looking at the teachings in the church that he feels needed addressing. This week we are going to look at Paul’s Prayer which following his kind greeting is a link between the love he has for them and the truths they need to hold on to. 

Please read Colossians 1 v 9-14
 
Q1 - Have you ever asked God to fill you with the knowledge of his will for your life? Why or why not? 
 
Q2 - What do we think they mean by “all spiritual wisdom and understanding”? (v9)
 
Q3 - Have you ever found yourself repeatedly praying for someone else’s development in faith? How did that feel?
 
Please look at v 10 again and read Galatians 5:22-23 
 
Q4 - Are there any fruits which you would like to be stronger in? 
 
v.11 talks about “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you might have great endurance and patience and joyfully giving thanks to the Father” 
 
Q5 - How can we encourage each other to have endurance, patience and joy, giving thanks to the father, when times are tough? 
 
Q6 - When was the last time that you reminded yourself that you have been saved/rescued from darkness? Does this have any real resonance with us if we are honest? 
 

Action: 

 
Spend some minutes in prayer asking God for more of those fruits in us all. Maybe you could provide paper for people to write down the fruits they recognise in their own lives.
 
Challenge
 
Identify on one fruit you would like to develop in yourself this week. Also pray for someone else in your group “asking God to fill them with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding”