paul’s letter to the colossians calls us to live christ · paul’s letter to the colossians...
TRANSCRIPT
Paul’s letter to the Colossians calls us to live Christ-‐focused lives! These
devotions will help you as you and your youth group journeys through
Focus: A 6 Lesson Study on the Book of Colossians.
• For each lesson you’ll find two short devotions. Do these each week.
• Read the passage, read the devotion, then use the questions as a way of
applying the truth of the passage to your life.
• On the days you do not have a devotion Memorize the verse for each lesson and do the extra reading to help you understand the context of the verse.
• Also, Spend time each week in Prayer. You will have a place to write prayer requests from your Small Group each week. Consider using Colossians 1:9-12 as a guide:
1. Pray for their growth of understanding God’s Word so they can know what God’s will is for them each day. (v.9).
2. Pray for their growth in how they live so that they will do what is right each day and not give into temptation. (v.10).
3. Pray for their life to become more like Christ each day in their desires, attitude, and thoughts. (v.11-12).
Memory Verse for Lesson 1:
FOCUS Lesson 1 Devotion, Part 1:
Read: Colossians 1:3-6
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all
the saints—the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in
heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that
has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as
it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s
grace in all its truth.”
Extra: Read Colossians 1:1-8 The word hope gets thrown around a lot. We hope our favorite team wins the big
game. We hope the tickets for the concert don’t sell out. We hope the cafeteria food
isn’t nasty today. When we use the word hope like this, we’re really just waiting to
see how things turn out. We really don’t have a say on whether or not the teams
does well, who gets ahead of us to buy tickets, or what kind of mood the lunch lady
is in. In this passage Paul let us know that our faith and love are birthed out of the hope
we have in Jesus Christ. This isn’t a hope that waits to see how things shake out.
It’s a hope that’s firmly set on the reality of what Christ has done for us. This hope
is set on the good news of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and offer of salvation
to all who believe. Our hope doesn’t rest on what may or may not happen in the
future. It rests on what Christ has already done. And because of this hope, we’re
able to live full of faith and love.
• When do you find yourself needing hope in your life?
• How does knowing that God is in control of all things give you hope?
FOCUS Lesson 1 Devotion, Part 2:
Read: Colossians 1:13-14
“For he 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.”
Extra: Read Colossians 1:9-14 Imagine a person who’s been imprisoned for the majority of her life. Bondage is
pretty much all she’s known. She gave hoping for freedom a long time ago. Then
imagine that all of a sudden, one day she’s released. But she isn’t just let go to fend
for herself. She’s taken to the White House and given a room, a new wardrobe, and
a seat at the President’s table. She’s given a place of honor for as long as she lives.
How do you think this lady would feel? As hard as it is for us to grasp, spiritually this is exactly what happens to us when
we receive Christ as Savior. The favor God shows us is totally undeserved! Because
of our sin we deserve bondage and separation from God. But we’re set free because
of His great love for us. We go from guilty to blameless. From bondage to freedom.
From hopeless to a child of the King in an instant! And it’s all because of grace.
This is incredible news, and it’s our motivation to love and follow Jesus Christ.
• Who in your life needs to know the freedom that faith in Christ brings?
• What is keeping you from sharing with them?
Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 1
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Memory Verse for Lesson 2:
FOCUS Lesson 2 Devotion, Part 1:
Read: Colossians 1:17-18
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of
the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,
so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”
Extra: Read Colossians 1:15-23 Have you ever felt used in a friendship? Have you ever had someone who only
wanted to be your friend or give you call when it was convenient for them? That
stinks, and it isn’t true friendship. The sad thing is that this is exactly how many
of us try and treat Jesus. We act as if He’s a buddy that we can call on in a pinch but
ignore the rest of the time. The problem with this perspective is that Jesus isn’t
some cast‐off friend to be used when it’s convenient. He’s the Lord over all
creation. Paul made clear in this passage that Jesus existed before anything else did. This
means that He’s fully God. We’re told that He holds everything together, meaning
He’s sustaining our life at this very moment. Paul said that He’s the head of the
church, which means that if we call ourselves Christ-followers, we’re under His
authority. Lastly, we’re told that He’s to be supreme in all areas of our lives. If we
try to just use Him when it’s convenient, we aren’t really grasping who Jesus is.
He’s fully God. And this means we’re to follow Him and obey Him with
everything we’ve got at all times—convenient and inconvenient.
• Take some time to get things right in your relationship with Jesus. Pray to Him and allow Him to work in your heart to put things in the right perspective in your relationship.
FOCUS Lesson 2 Devotion, Part 2:
Read: Colossians 1:24-29
“Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still
lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the
church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to
you the word of God in its fullness the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages
and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to
make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching
everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To
this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”
Extra: Read Colossian 1:15-29 Have you ever loaded up on caffeine and sugar to make it through a long night of
studying or something boring? It usually starts out all right while you’re pounding
coffee, soft drinks and anything else you can get your hands on just to make it
through. You’re able to stay awake for a while. But what always happens after
something like this? After a while the sugar and caffeine wear off, and you hit rock
bottom. In this passage, Paul wrote that he was fighting to teach people the message of
Christ. He said that he labored and struggled for this goal. The awesome thing is
that he wasn’t depending on some outside energy source. He said that he had the
energy of Christ! When we try to live the life of a Christ‐follower in our own
strength, a crash is inevitable. Our strength and our motivation must come from
Christ alone. It won’t be easy, and there will be plenty of struggles, but we know
that He’ll never leave us. God will always provide the strength we need.
• Can you think of a time when you felt God give you the strength you
needed in a certain situation? Describe it.
• How does this memory give you strength for the future?
2011, Youth Ministry 360
Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 2
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Memory Verse for Lesson 3:
FOCUS Lesson 3 Devotion, Part 1:
Read: Colossians 2:1-5
“I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea,
and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be
encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of
complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely,
Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you
this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am
absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how
orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.” No matter where you look, advertising is always out there for “secret” ways to
accomplish things. Whether its get-rich‐quick schemes or a plan for how to lose
weight while sitting on your couch eating chips, someone is always telling the
world they’ve found shortcuts to big results. And no matter how dumb these things
sound, there’s always a sucker out there that bites. Paul was dealing with a similar situation as he wrote this letter. He wasn’t dealing
with weight loss plans or money-making schemes; he was dealing with people
trying to deceive Christ-followers with ideas and philosophies that contradict their
faith. It’s easy to be taken captive by people who talk smoothly or sound
intelligent. But we can’t just take words at face value. Paul reminded his readers
that while some arguments might sound good on the surface, true wisdom and
knowledge are found in Christ alone. Just as in Paul’s day, a lot of things out there
sound good initially, but when the layers are peeled back it’s nothing more than
empty talk. Anything that isn’t rooted and grounded in Jesus isn’t truth, and it isn’t
wise.
• What do you hear people saying about religion or about God that you
know isn’t true?
• Why do you think some people have such untrue thoughts about God?
FOCUS Lesson 3 Devotion, Part 2:
Read: Colossians 2:6-7
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in
him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were
taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Extra: Colossians 2:1-8 Have you ever seen an umbrella taken by the wind go flying down the beach? This
is usually funny to those who get to watch the people scramble to make the
recovery, but not so funny to those who are chasing their umbrella. The problem is
that the umbrella wasn’t grounded by something greater than the wind that picked
it up. The umbrella needed to be placed in an anchor or a deeper hole. It was no
match for the strength of the wind. The same is true for us. We aren’t strong enough on our own to deal with all the
things we face on a daily basis. Unless we’re rooted and grounded in Christ, we’ll
be tossed around by the things the world throws at us. To be rooted in Christ means
that He’s our foundation; He’s our anchor. It means that our strength, our
perspective, our satisfaction and our fulfillment are all found in Christ. When this is
true, we aren’t blown away when the world hits us with something we didn’t
expect. Instead, we’re grounded in Christ. Like the passage says, we overflow with
thankfulness and are witnesses to a watching world.
• Think back on your life. How has being grounded in Christ helped you
make it through a rough time?
2011, youthministry360
Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 3
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Memory Verse for Lesson 4:
FOCUS Lesson 4 Devotion, Part 1:
Read: Colossians 2:8
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive
philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this
world rather than on Christ.”
Extra: Colossians 2:8-15 Little kids all have the same favorite question: “Why?” When they see something
happen, they want to know why it happened that way. When their parents tell them
to do something, they want to know why they have to do it. They want to know the
“why” for everything. It’s natural; humans generally want to know the reasons
behind things. We want to know why things work the way they do, why things
happen the way they do, why we have to do the things we do. The problem is that
our need for an answer to life’s “why” or “how” questions can lead us to accept
some pretty bogus answers. In this passage, Paul was warning his readers not to accept answers or solutions
just because they sounded good. Just because an idea or an explanation sounds
smooth, smart, or sophisticated, that doesn’t make it right. Paul made it clear
throughout the Book of Colossians that this world was created by and for Jesus
Christ; it was created so that He may be glorified. Any philosophy or theory that
contradicts that truth is nothing more than empty talk.
• How does knowing Christ and having Him as the FOCUS of our life make it easy not to fall for faulty explanations and solutions?
FOCUS Lesson 4 Devotion, Part 2:
Read: Colossians 2:16-17
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to
a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a
shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
Extra: Colossians 2:16-23 No matter where we go it seems like there are always rules to follow. There are
rules at your house, at school, at practice, on the roads . . . they’re literally
everywhere. So it makes sense that we’re programmed to think everything involves
following rules. This is especially true when it comes to our spiritual lives. The
human struggle seems to be about trying to figure out what we have to do, or what
rule or set of rules we have to follow, to make God happy. This is what Paul was
addressing in this passage. People were casting judgment on others about whether
they followed certain rituals. Paul reminded his readers that it isn’t the ritual that’s
important; it’s the heart behind it. The crazy thing is that God repeatedly tells us in His Word that it isn’t the
rules He’s interested in. He’s interested in our hearts. He wants us to love Him; He
wants us to have a relationship with Him. Think about most of the rules you follow.
Do you really want to follow them all? Do you love following them? No, of course
not. Anyone can follow a rule without their heart being in it. This is worthless to
God. Does He have rules and commands to obey? For sure. But He wants us to
follow them because we love Him, not because we think we’re earning His favor.
• What motivates your behavior? A set of do’s and don’ts? Or a desire to
please God born out of your love for Him?
• How can you adjust your attitude accordingly?
2011, youthministry360
Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 4
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Memory Verse for Lesson 5:
FOCUS Lesson 5 Devotion, Part 1:
Read: Colossians 3:9-10
“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image
of its Creator.”
Extra: Colossians 3:1-11
Think about the dirtiest, sweatiest, and just plain most gross you’ve ever been. It
may have been after your parents had you work in the yard in the middle of the
summer, or maybe it was after the longest, hardest practice of the year. Whatever
the situation, your clothes were probably filthy and smelled absolutely awful.
There’s no better feeling in that situation than getting a nice shower and putting on
clean clothes. It’s just flat out refreshing. The old self Paul’s way of talking about a life before Christ is like those filthy
clothes. You don’t go out on a date in the clothes you wore to work in the yard.
You don’t get in bed after practice without showering and changing. (OK, some of
you might and that’s just plain foul.) In the same way, once you have a relationship
with Christ, you don’t keep living the same way. You get rid of the old way of
doing things and the old way of thinking about things. Your new approach and
mindset are centered on Christ. This is a process though; it doesn’t happen all at
once. Day by day we grow closer to Christ and become more and more like Him.
Our mindset, actions, and way of life are renewed each and every day.
• What in your life is a holdout from your “old self”? What habits, friends or thoughts that you need to let go of are weighing down your life with Christ?
FOCUS Lesson 5 Devotion, Part 2:
Read: Colossians 3:15‐17
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you
were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms,
hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you
do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God the Father through him.”
Extra: Colossians 3:1-17 Have you ever thought about going to school in the name of Christ and giving thanks to the Father while you do it? “Wait, what?” Hang on just a second; it
makes sense if you think about it. School, extra‐curricular activities, homework, friends, computer, video games, TV
. . . these are the main components of most teenagers’ days. These things can
become so routine that it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. We do the same things over
and over to the point that we do them without even thinking. Too often Jesus gets
left out of the equation. Our personal relationship with Him gets put on the
backburner. We lose sight of how we’re called to encourage and build up those
around us, and we just go through the motions of the day. Paul realized our tendency to lose sight of these things and focus on ourselves and
our fleshly desires. So, he reminded us that Jesus is supposed to rule in our hearts.
Everything we do every little thing is to be done in the name of Christ. This
involves how we interact with others, how we build one another up, how we
glorify the Lord in our schools, at practice, and at home. If all we do is go through
the motions, how are we telling the world that Christ has a better way for them to
live?
• Think about every aspect of your day, down to the smallest detail. How can you bring glory to the Father through the things you do each day?
2011, youthministry360
Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 5
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Memory Verse for Lesson 6:
FOCUS Lesson 6 Devotion, Part 1:
Read: Colossians 3:18-4:1
“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your
wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything,
for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will
become discouraged. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it,
not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of
heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an
inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that
you also have a Master in heaven.” Our culture teaches us to get ahead without worrying too much about how we treat
others in the process. It teaches us to be our own boss. It teaches us to look out for
number one. Words like submit and obey don’t really go along with that mindset.
What was it that Paul was teaching here? What type of relationships was he
promoting? We must stop thinking with a me‐first mentality and start thinking with a Christ-
like one. If we look at how Christ interacted with people, Paul’s words begin to
make more sense. Paul was encouraging his readers to be respectful and kind to
those around them, particularly those they had close relationships with. After all,
what shows more Christlikeness than serving those close to us with a humble
attitude? Paul even addressed slaves, and while he didn’t condone the system of
slavery, he reminded them that they could be a witness by having a humble,
Christ-like attitude toward their masters. That’s serious about being Christ-like
in the face of difficult circumstances! The important thing is for us to care about
Christlikeness and humility more than we care about what’s best for us.
• What can you do today or tomorrow to put the needs of someone you love
ahead of your own?
FOCUS Lesson 6 Devotion, Part 2:
Read: Colossians 4:2‐6
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too,
that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery
of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I
should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every
opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so
that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Extra: Colossians 4:2-18 Sharing the gospel isn’t something that comes easily to most people. It’s something
that we don’t think about most of the time, and when we do think about it, we worry
about how we’re going to do it. We worry about how we’re supposed to start
conversations, if people will think we’re weird, and if we’ll be able to answer the
questions that might get thrown at us. This is probably the biggest problem we face
. . . we overthink it! As Paul was wrapping up his letter to the Colossians, he gave some great advice on
how to approach people and be a strong witness for the gospel. First, in verses 2
through 4 he gave some advice that could easily go unnoticed. He told us to pray
for open doors to share the gospel. How often do we sit down and pray for
ourselves and our friends to have open doors to share the good news of Christ?
Second, he told us to be wise and full of grace in the way we treat non-believers.
Won’t people be a lot more likely to listen to what we have to say if we have a
history of treating them well? This isn’t exactly rocket science. Pray for
opportunities and treat those around you as Christ would. If you do these two
things, you’ll have more opportunities to share the gospel than you can imagine.
All you’ll have to do is open your mouth and talk about what Christ has done in
your life.
• Are you willing to pray that you’ll have opportunities to share with your
friends how Christ has impacted your life?
• What are some of the factors that lead you to not sharing your faith?2011, youthministry360
Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 6
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