Welcome to week 1 of Colossians for Families! The focus of our study will be on Colossians 1:9-14 and how important it is for followers of Jesus to Walk Wisely.
Before we do that, let’s take a few moments to think about the background of Paul’s letter to this New Testament church.
Background to Colossians
As we prepare to guide our children through Colossians For Families: Walk Wisely, it will be worthwhile to discuss the background of this letter to the Colossian people. Understanding the context of the letter will help us comprehend what we’re reading and make modern-day connections that consider the author’s original intentions. Feel free to come back to this section as you work your way through the Bible study!
Author of Colossians
The Apostle Paul is the author of Colossians. This is the same guy you can read about in the Book of Acts who persecuted the church as a Pharisee before encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus. Before Jesus, his biggest passion was mocking and arresting Christ-followers. But that all changed when he met Jesus. Saul underwent a radical change of mind and behavior. He became a sold-out follower and a missionary for the rest of his life aiming to spread the message of the Gospel all around the known world.
Colossian Church
The Colossian church was started during the time of Paul’s 3-year ministry in Ephesus (where Paul wrote Ephesians too). In that time-frame, a Colossian named Epaphras most likely traveled to Ephesus and responded to Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel. Epaphras then returned to his hometown and began sharing the good news about Jesus, which resulted in the birth of the Colossian Church. At the time when Colossians was written, Epaphras is with Paul in Rome and had likely shared the bad news that there was a dangerous teaching threatening the church in Colossae. Paul writes the letter to respond to this dangerous situation and encourage these believers in their growth toward Christian maturity.
False Teaching
Paul received updates about the church from Epaphras. Epaphras informed Paul about the Colossian’s faith and their love for all the saints. Good news! But there was also bad news – false teachers were coming into the church promoting errors about the person of Christ. The errors added rules to the Christian faith while also questioning Jesus’ deity and humanity. These errors opened the door for confusion about the Gospel, the Church, and the Christian Life. These errors infiltrated the church with the idea that Jesus is not enough.
Gospel Correction
To combat this, Paul wrote Colossians to make Christ’s supremacy THE critical factor in the Christian’s life. Have you ever heard that the best offense is a good defense? I’m going to flip that around and say that, in Paul’s letter, the best defense is a good offense. In other words, Paul wanted the church to have such a high and magnificent view of Jesus that any imitations would pale in comparison to the real thing.
Theme of Colossians
Christ is Lord over all creation. He has secured redemption for us in the past, is building us up into his image in the present and will complete his work of transformation in the future. Because of this, we should give him first place among everything around us competing for our attention and allegiance.
Colossians is for Families
As we work our way through Paul’s Letter to the Colossians in this series, my goal is to show you such a high and magnificent view of Jesus – such as who he is, what he has done, how that affects you right now, and what it means for the future – that every other competing worldview or imitation (ie: wacky teaching about Jesus, humanistic worldview, or secular worldview) pales in comparison to the real thing.
Let’s Study the Bible Together
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time we get to spend together as a family studying the Bible. Thank you for being so good for us. Please open up our eyes to see how much you love us as we study the book of Colossians. We love you, Lord! Amen.
Read Bible Passage: Colossians 1:9-14 “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a matter worthy of the Lord, full pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.“
Note For Parents: You know your kids better than anyone else, so feel free to adjust the questions to work for your family. Enjoy 🙂
Discussion Questions
What is the very important thing that Paul is continually doing for the people?
Note For Parents: This is a good time talk to your kids about ways that you pray for them. You might pray for: their protection, salvation, spiritual growth, etc.
How can we pray for each other as a family?
What are some of the things that Paul is praying for the Colossian church about? Let’s make a list of the first 3 that come up in the conversation. Possible Answers – Be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, walk in a manner pleasing to the Lord, bear fruit in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God, etc.
1.
2.
3.
Review the list you made. Why are those three things so important to the Colossian people and to us?
Note to Parents: Our salvation and spiritual growth are not dependent on how good we are at following the rules. It’s really not about trying harder. It’s about God’s Holy Spirit working in us and our kids to grow us into who he created us to be. So before turning these questions into a “to do” list, I just wanted to remind us of God’s work in Jesus on our behalf.
What does it mean that Jesus has delivered us from our sin problem? Depending on where your kids are at in their spiritual journey, you might want to define sin and explain why that is a problem when it comes to knowing God. Follow the Understanding the Gospel link to get a refresher on this.
Memory Verse: Colossians 2:6+7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in Thanksgiving.“
Family Life Application
Choose one action to work on as a family that shows you’re walking in a manner worthy of the Lord. Write it down and talk about it throughout the week.
Prayer Focus:
- Thank God for rescuing us from our sin.
- Ask God for spiritual wisdom and understanding.
- Pray for each family member’s salvation and/or spiritual growth.
Additional Resources
Understanding the Gospel: Are Parent’s Guide
Family Discipleship: A Biblical Guide for Parents
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