Colossians Rooted in Christ-week 11-Look Up and Live Out
Reading: Colossians 4 v. 7-18
Sermon Date: 25th November 2018
 

Icebreaker

Hand written letters are far less common today, you may have a few treasured letters at home from special people and sent for special reasons?
Share with each other about times, when today, we still choose to write letters?

The aim of the session is for us all to be reminded how to live our daily lives by looking up to God and living out in showing others the Good News of Christ.
 

Study

Summary: We have been reading together Paul’s letter to the Colossians and now we have come to the last section, the conclusion and final greetings. We can find value in looking back over what we have read and see how we can apply what we have learnt to our daily lives.

Here are the heading to the sections within the bible that we have read over the past weeks.
Chapter 1:   v. 3–14   Thanksgiving and Prayer
                    v. 15-23 The Supremacy of Christ
                    v. 24-2:5 Paul’s Labour for the Church
Chapter 2:   v. 6–23   Freedom from Human Regulations through a life with Christ
Chapter 3:  v. 1–17    Rules for Holy Living
                     v. 18–4:1 Rules for Christian households
Chapter 4:   v. 2–6      Further Instructions
                    v. 7–18    Final Greetings
Q.1 In what way do these headings remind us about the letter? Share with each other what you feel you have learnt?

Re-read again any section, which you feel your group might need help with or which they have more to talk about?

Q.2      What in particular have you found challenging?

Q.3      Is there anything in Colossians which you feel is particularly relevant today?

Q.4      How do you think church leaders today circulate information to the wider church?

Q.5      How can we apply what we have learnt into our daily lives in the twenty-first century?

Please read Colossians 4 v. 7–18 together

Paul is sending his final greetings and also linking various people together through his hand written letters. He will not have written the whole letter personally but would have dictated it to a paid scribe. He then uses the opportunity to sign the letter personally, as a seal, that this is truly a message from him.
 
Q.6   Do you know about all the people he mentions? Maybe look them up and see why they are actually mentioned?

Q.7     Why do you think he wants them to remember his chains?

Q.8    How do you feel the letter has personally impacted you?
 

Action

Would you as a group be willing to write a letter of encouragement to another Christian?
A younger person at University?
A church leader (either clergy or lay)?
Another house group?
An older person who has once served faithfully and is no longer able to physically serve?
Someone who is persecuted like Paul for their faith?
If so, what would you write?
 

Prayer

Heavenly father, we thank you for Paul’s letters, and for the time and thought which he put into writing them and sending them to churches, when he himself was in prison. May we always aim to look up and live out all that you teach us, so that we might share your Good News.
In Jesus’ name
Amen