Coming Up: Sonday November 23, 2014
Colossians 2:1-3 - Christ Brings TRUTH
Read: Colossians 2:1-3, Acts 14:19-23
Paul was having a very bad day. Paul and Barnabas had been preaching the gospel in Lystra when the Jews stirred up the crowds against them. The crowd stoned Paul and took him outside the city to dump his body. The stoning was so brutal that it appeared to them that Paul was dead. Now that’s a hard day. Paul was badly injured but not dead and was able to get inside the city and escape the next day.
Paul suffered some terrible things for the sake of preaching the gospel and ministering to God’s people. This incident in Lystra is only one example of how Paul was willing to suffer terrible things for the sake of the gospel. Not even being stoned would stop Paul from His ministry. The very next day, probably battered and very sore, Paul and Barnabas travelled to another city where they continued to preach the gospel. They even returned to Lystra later to strengthen and encourage the believers and to appoint elders in the churches.
This kind of struggle is what Paul is talking about here in Colossians 2. Paul tells the believers in Colossae, many of whom he has never met who live in a place he has never been, that as he struggles for the gospel he is in fact struggling for them. Paul’s suffering is for their sake and for the sake of all believers.
Why does Paul struggle and suffer for them? He tells them in verse 2. It is so that they might be encouraged in heart and united in love. Paul desires that they would grow in encouragement and unity so that they might have ‘the full riches of complete understanding’ which in turn leads to growing in knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ.
Paul so desires that they would be encouraged and unified and grow in knowledge of God that He is willing to suffer horrible things (even being stoned!) for them. That is how important Paul considers this work of encouraging and strengthening other believers.
How important do we consider it to encourage and strengthen other believers? What priority do we put on helping other believers to grow in unity, love and knowledge of God? Are we willing to suffer for others? This kind of suffering for us doesn’t necessarily mean that we will have to endure being stoned but we might have to sacrifice time from our schedule. We might have to endure discomfort as we have difficult discussions to encourage and help others. We might have to miss out on that other activity on a Sonday morning or a bible study night so that we can meet with other believers to encourage and strengthen them. Are we serious about encouraging other believers like Paul is?
Prayer:
Use the Bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Thank God for Jesus Christ, His mystery revealed to us. Praise Him that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. Pray that you and those in your church would be encouraged in heart and united in love so that you might grow in understanding of God together.
Meeting with other believers isn’t an optional part of our faith. If we desire to follow Christ and obey His teachings then we must make time to meet with other believers, to encourage them and to grow in our relationship with God together.
1. In verse 2 and 3 how do you think being encouraged in heart and unified in love leads to understanding and knowledge of God?
2. If we are not unified in love with other believers how would this affect our understanding of God?
3. What could we do to help each other be “encouraged in heart and united in love”?
Intro: Libraries are pretty amazing places. There is so much knowledge and understanding in all those books!
Share: A time when you got to explore a library and look at the books. What sort of books do they have there? What amazing things did you find?
Read: Colossians 2:2-3 Did you know that there is an even better place to find knowledge than a library? What is that place? Does anyone know more than Jesus? Why would Paul call knowledge and wisdom treasures? Who could we ask for wisdom and knowledge?
Pray Together: Thank God that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus. Pray that He would help us to understand Him better.
Read: Colossians 2:2-3 Did you know that there is an even better place to find knowledge than a library? What is that place? Does anyone know more than Jesus? Why would Paul call knowledge and wisdom treasures? Who could we ask for wisdom and knowledge?
Pray Together: Thank God that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus. Pray that He would help us to understand Him better.
Intro: Some people are really smart and know a lot. Others are really good at sports or making things.
Share: A time when you got to talk to someone really smart or good at something to help you learn. What did you ask them? What did you learn?
Read: Colossians 2:2-3 Did you know that there is an even better place to find knowledge than a someone smart? What is that place? Does anyone know more than Jesus? Why would Paul call knowledge and wisdom treasures? Who could we ask for wisdom and knowledge?
Pray Together: Thank God that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus. Pray that He would help us to understand Him better.
Read: Colossians 2:2-3 Did you know that there is an even better place to find knowledge than a someone smart? What is that place? Does anyone know more than Jesus? Why would Paul call knowledge and wisdom treasures? Who could we ask for wisdom and knowledge?
Pray Together: Thank God that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus. Pray that He would help us to understand Him better.
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