Colossians Week 8 – The Church on Mission
Colossians 4:2–6
“Continue steadfastly in prayer… Walk in wisdom toward outsiders…” (4:2, 5)
Paul closes Colossians with a clear reminder:
• The church is not only saved by Christ—we are sent by Christ.
• We are called to know God and make Him known.
• The church lives on mission in prayer and in practice.
Gospel Mission
Through Jesus we are brought to God and made His people. Our whole lives now belong to Him—our families, work, relationships, and witness. Paul then reminds us: the church must not drift into comfort, but live on mission.
On Mission in Prayer (vv. 2–4)
“Continue steadfastly in prayer… with thanksgiving.” (4:2)
Mission begins with dependence on God. Persistent, watchful, thankful prayer keeps the church aligned with God’s work and concerned for others.
Discussion
What most hinders consistency in your prayer life?
How does gratitude change the way you pray?
Who or what gospel work can you begin praying for regularly?
On Mission in Practice (vv. 5–6)
“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders… let your speech always be gracious…” (4:5–6)
We are sent into everyday life as witnesses. As we “walk in Christ” it produces wisdom, and when God’s Word fills us, our work and our words reflect Him.
Discussion
Where has God placed you around people who don’t know Him?
What does it look like to live wisely and intentionally in those spaces?
How can your words reflect Christ with both truth and grace?
Living as a Church on Mission
The church grows in knowing God and goes in making Him known.
We live on mission through prayerful dependence and everyday faithfulness.
Discussion
Which is harder for you right now: being consistent in prayer or intentional in witness?
Where might God be opening a door for gospel conversation this week?
How can we encourage each other to live more intentionally on mission?
Week 7 - Gospel Order
Colossians 3:18–4:1
“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” (3:18)
Paul now moves from identity (who we are in Christ) to order (how we live under Christ).
Every relationship has a design. Every design has a shape. And when our lives take the shape God intends, we begin to fit into His purposes. Like a puzzle piece formed by the Spirit, we are shaped to live in ways that reflect Christ — in marriage, family, and work. Submission to God forms the shape. Obedience in relationships reveals it.
Gospel Design: Fitting in the Lord
“As is fitting in the Lord…” (3:18)
Paul assumes that life under Jesus has a particular form. There is a way of living that fits God’s design and a way that does not.
Discussion
When you hear the phrase “fitting in the Lord,” what comes to mind?
Where in your life do you most feel tension between God’s design and your own preferences?
Why is it important that Paul grounds every relationship first in Christ’s authority?
How does seeing your life as a “piece” in God’s larger design change the way you think about obedience?
Gospel Marriage (3:18–19)
Marriage is not man-made — it is God-designed and Christ-reflecting. Paul addresses both wives and husbands, showing that marriage works rightly only when both live under Christ.
Wives submit as fitting in the Lord
Husbands love in Christlike self-control and sacrifice
Discussion
4. How does submission to Christ shape both a husband’s leadership and a wife’s following?
5. Why do you think Paul addresses the heart posture of both spouses, not just behavior?
6. What happens to a marriage when one or both people try to live outside God’s design?
For husbands:
7. Where is Christ calling you to greater self-control and sacrificial love right now?
For wives:
8. How can following your husband, when he is leading toward Christ, strengthen your own walk with God?
For everyone:
9. How can marriage become a clearer reflection of Christ and the church rather than just a legal partnership?
Gospel Family (3:20–21)
“Children, obey your parents… for this pleases the Lord.” “Fathers, do not provoke your children…”
The home becomes a training ground for knowing God and living with Him. Authority and obedience are meant to lead hearts toward Christ — not away from Him.
Discussion
10. Why do you think obedience in the home is described as something that “pleases the Lord”?
11. How does learning to obey loving authority help us understand following God?
12. What is the difference between discipline that leads to holiness and discipline that leads to discouragement?
For parents:
13. In what ways can parental authority reflect Christ’s leadership rather than personal control?
14. How can discipline be practiced in a way that grows a child’s love for God, not fear of people?
For everyone:
15. How did your own family shape your view of God’s authority — for better or worse?
Gospel Work (3:22–4:1)
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men… You are serving the Lord Christ.” (3:23–24)
Paul moves outward to working relationships. Even in broken systems, believers are called to live under Christ’s lordship. Work becomes worship when Christ is our true Master.
Discussion
16. How does seeing Jesus as your true Master change the way you approach work or responsibility?
17. Where are you tempted to work only for approval from people rather than from God?
18. What does it look like to work “with sincerity of heart” in your current season of life?
If you lead others:
19. How does knowing you also have a Master in heaven shape the way you treat people under your authority?
If you work under authority:
20. How can your attitude and effort reflect Christ even in imperfect leadership situations?
Gospel Lordship Over All
“You are serving the Lord Christ.” (3:24)
Paul’s message is simple and sweeping: Jesus is Lord of every relationship. Marriage
Family Work, All of life fits together when Christ is at the center.
Discussion
21. Which relationship in your life most needs to be brought more fully under Christ’s lordship right now?
22. Where do you find it hardest to live “as unto the Lord”? Why?
23. How might your home, work, or relationships change if you lived this week consciously serving Christ in everything?
Colossians Week - Gospel Identity
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved…” (3:12)
Paul does not begin with commands—he begins with identity. Before we are told how to live, we are reminded of who we already are in Christ.
Discussion
Paul describes believers as chosen, holy, and dearly loved.
Which of these is hardest for you to actually believe about yourself? Why?How does your life change when you start with who you are in Christ instead of what you need to fix?
Where do you most often try to earn God’s approval rather than live from it?
Gospel Character (vv. 12–14)
“Put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…” (3:12)
The Christian life is not about creating virtue from nothing—it is about putting on what already belongs to us in Christ.
Discussion
4. Which of these traits do you most need to “put on” right now?
Compassion
Kindness
Humility
Gentleness
Patience
Paul connects forgiveness directly to being forgiven:
“As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
How does remembering God’s forgiveness reshape the way you approach difficult people?Is there anyone in your life right now you are struggling to bear with rather than push away?
Gospel Community (vv. 14–15)
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (3:14)
Love is not one virtue among many—it is the binding agent that holds Christ’s people together.
Discussion
7. Why do you think Paul says love binds everything together?
8. What does it look like, practically, to let “the peace of Christ rule” in a disagreement?
9. How can our group become a place where peace—not winning—guides our conversations and decisions?
Gospel Worship (vv. 16)
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (3:16)
Worship is not merely something the church does—it is how the Word shapes a people.
Discussion
10. How does worship—especially singing—shape what we believe about God and ourselves?
11. What songs, Scriptures, or spiritual practices help the Word of Christ dwell richly in you?
12. How can worship become less about something we attend and more about a way of life?
Gospel Overflow (v. 17)
“Whatever you do… do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (3:17)
Paul closes with totality. There is no part of life untouched by Christ’s lordship.
Discussion
13. What does “whatever you do” include in your daily life right now?
14. How might your work, family life, or relationships look different if they were intentionally done in the name of Jesus?
15. Where do you sense God inviting you to live more intentionally for His glory this week?
Colossians Week 5 – Qualified for Life: Raised With Christ
Colossians 3:1–11
Before Paul tells the Colossians how to live, he reminds them of a foundational truth established early in the letter:
“We give thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Colossians 1:12)
Qualification is not achieved by effort.
Qualification is granted by God.
The Father qualifies, through Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. There is fullness in that qualification. Nothing needs to be added. Jesus is enough. As Paul opens Colossians 3, he does not explain how to become qualified. He explains how to live since God has already qualified us.
1. Qualified for Life: Raised With Christ
“If then you have been raised with Christ…” (3:1)
Paul begins with an assumption, not a requirement.
“IF” means since or because.
Paul does not say:
To be raised with Christ, do these things
To be saved, live this way
To qualify yourself, obey
The order of the gospel is essential:
BELONG → BECOME → DO
Every cultural system and false religion reverses this order:
DO → BECOME → BELONG
Paul is clear — salvation is by grace, through faith, not by works. God calls. God qualifies. God gives life. We see Colossians 3 is not about earning new life. It is about living because new life has already been given.
Discussion
Why do we instinctively try to prove or earn our standing before God?
How does misunderstanding qualification lead to guilt-driven or performance-based faith?
2. Oriented Toward Life: Seeking and Setting the Mind
“Seek the things that are above… Set your minds on things that are above…” (3:1–2)
Because we have been raised with Christ, our lives now have a new orientation. To seek the things above is to pursue God Himself — His presence, His will, His purposes. Where Christ is seated:
There is fullness of life
There is true identity and purpose
There is victory over sin, Satan, and death
Paul then presses deeper: seeking requires intentional thinking. To “set” the mind means we do not allow our thoughts to drift or be captured by the world. Attention shapes desire, and desire shapes life. What captures the mind will eventually control the heart.
Discussion
What most often captures your attention throughout the week?
How can good things become distractions when they replace God as ultimate?
3. Protecting Life Through Death: Putting Sin to Death
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you…” (3:5)
Paul now speaks with seriousness and command.
Sin is not managed.
Sin is not tolerated.
Sin is killed.
Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, sin no longer has ultimate authority. Jesus has already brought death to sin. By His Spirit, believers are now empowered to bring death to sin in their lives.
This is not self-effort — it is gospel authority applied. Sin drains life. It enslaves. It deceives. And Paul says it must be dealt with decisively.
Discussion
Why are we tempted to tolerate sins we would never defend?
What makes killing sin feel difficult or delayed?
4. Living as the New Creation: Putting On the New Self
“You have put off the old self… and have put on the new self.” (3:9–10)
Paul reminds the church that something decisive has already happened:
The old self has died
A new self has been given
Renewal is actively taking place
This new self is being renewed in the image of its Creator — echoing Genesis. In Christ, God is restoring humanity to His original design:
A people who know Him
A people who walk with Him
A people who live in His presence
This is not behavior modification. This is new creation life.
Discussion
Where do you still live as though the old self has authority?
What does it look like to actively “put on” the new self this week?
Colossians Week 4 – As You Received Christ, Walk in Him
Colossians 2:6–10
Before Paul warns the Colossians about false teaching and human tradition, he reminds them of something essential: how they received Christ. His point is simple but profound — the way Christ was received must determine the way He is lived with.
In Colossians 2:6–10, Paul shows us the source of our faith, the shape of our walk, the strength of our growth, and the sufficiency of Christ.
1. The Source of Our Walk: Remember How You Received Christ
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” (2:6)
Before Paul gives a command, he calls them to remember. How did you receive Christ? Paul already answered in Colossians 1:6: “You heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.”
They received Christ by:
Hearing the gospel
Understanding it by God’s Spirit
Receiving grace, not earning approval
Trusting truth, not human wisdom
This was not a man-made tradition. It was a miraculous act of God. Paul’s warning is clear: If Christ was received by grace, He cannot be lived with by effort or tradition.
Discussion
Who shared the gospel with you?
Why does forgetting how we received Christ affect how we live with Him?
2. The Strength of Our Walk: Rooted in Christ
“Rooted in Him…” (2:7)
Paul shifts to an agricultural image. Roots:
Provide stability
Draw life
Enable growth
But roots do not give life — they receive it. Life comes from the soil. Discipline matters. Devotion matters. But what you are rooted in matters most. You can be disciplined and still lifeless if your roots are in the wrong place.
Discussion
Where do you most often draw life or security?
What “good things” can still become poor soil?
3. The Formation of Our Faith: Built Up in Christ
“Built up in Him and established in the faith…” (2:7)
Paul moves from the hidden to the visible.
Rooted → foundation
Built up → formation
A visible faith without a foundation will eventually collapse. God lays foundations with the intent to build. Growth does not need to be paraded — it becomes evident over time.
Discussion
Why is private devotion essential for lasting faith?
Where do you see God forming growth in your life?
4. The Sufficiency of Christ: Filled in Him
“In Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him.” (2:9–10)
Paul ends where everything rests.
Christ is:
Fully God
Supreme over all authority
Completely sufficient
Nothing needs to be added. Nothing needs to be improved. The body of Christ broken The blood of Christ poured out was a fully sufficient payment for sinful humanity.
Discussion
Why are we tempted to add to Christ?
What does it look like to live as though Christ is enough?
5. Walking in Christ This Week
If we received Christ by grace, truth, and power —
We must walk in Him the same way.
Rooted in Him
Built up in Him
Established in faith
Filled in Him
Final Reflection
What most often pulls your roots away from Christ?
What is one intentional step you can take this week to walk as you received?
Colossians Week 3 - The Mystery Revealed: Christ in You
Before Paul tells us what the mystery is, he tells us why it matters. Writing from prison, Paul says something startling: “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake” (Colossians 1:24). His suffering is not accidental, and it is not pointless. It serves one purpose—to make the word of God fully known.
Paul is not writing philosophy or theory. He is explaining the heart of Scripture, the center of God’s plan, and the greatest gift given to humanity.
In Colossians 1:24–27, Paul shows us the cost of the mystery, the content of the mystery, the climax of the mystery, and the effect of the mystery.
1. The Cost of the Mystery: Suffering Makes the Gospel Known
“I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake…” (Colossians 1:24)
Paul is imprisoned not for wrongdoing, but for faithfulness. He proclaims Christ boldly, and both Jewish leaders and Roman authorities see him as a threat. Yet Paul says his suffering has purpose—it advances the gospel and strengthens the church.
Paul is not saying Christ’s suffering was insufficient for salvation. Jesus’ work is complete. What remains is the proclamation of that work, and God uses the suffering of His people to make Christ known.
Discussion Questions
Why do you think Paul can rejoice in suffering rather than resent it?
How does knowing suffering has purpose change how we endure it?
Where have you seen God use hardship to strengthen faith?
2. The Content of the Mystery: God’s Word Fully Known
“To make the word of God fully known…” (Colossians 1:25)
Paul says his mission is not self-preservation or comfort, but clarity—so God’s word is fully revealed. Scripture is not merely information about God; it is God’s self-disclosure.
The “Word” is both:
the written Word of God
and Jesus Christ, the living Word (John 1)
To fully know God’s Word is ultimately to fully know Christ.
Discussion Questions
When you think of the Bible, what do you usually think its purpose is?
How does seeing Scripture as God revealing Himself change how you read it?
3. The Climax of the Mystery: Christ in You
“The mystery hidden for ages… now revealed… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:26–27)
This is the heart of the text. The mystery is not a concept or secret knowledge—it is Christ in you.
For Gentile believers, this was shocking. They were not Jewish, did not keep the law, and had no temple access. Yet God’s Spirit dwelled in them. The presence of God was no longer tied to ethnicity, geography, or ritual—but to Christ.
Discussion Questions
Why would “Christ in you” have been difficult for early believers to understand?
How is this different from how people often think about God today?
4. The Meaning of the Mystery: God With Us
The fullness of Scripture points to one reality: God with His people.
From Genesis to Revelation:
God walks with humanity in the garden
God dwells among Israel
God comes in the flesh in Jesus
God lives in believers by His Spirit
The mystery revealed is not just forgiveness—it is presence.
Discussion Questions
What does it mean to you personally that God is with you?
How does God’s nearness change how you view daily life?
5. The Evidence of the Mystery: Changed Lives
“There is something noticeable and undeniable about those who have been in the presence of God.”
Moses’ face shone after meeting with God.
Peter and John were recognized as men who “had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).
God’s presence leaves a mark—not through eloquence or status, but through transformed lives.
Discussion Questions
Have you ever noticed God’s presence in someone else’s life?
How does time with God shape who we are becoming?
6. Living in the Mystery Today
If Christ in us is the greatest truth of Scripture, then one of the greatest challenges of modern life is making space to be with God.
Busyness, distraction, and anxiety crowd out presence. We know God is with us—but we don’t always know how to live with Him.
Yet Paul says this mystery gives us hope of glory—a life rooted in God’s presence now and forever.
Discussion Questions
What most often distracts you from being present with God?
What is one simple practice that could help you slow down and be with Him this week?
Colossians Week 2 - V15-23
The believers in Colossae lived in a culture filled with competing beliefs—legalism, philosophy, mysticism, self-discipline, and self-made religion. Jesus was being treated as one option among many. Paul responds by giving one of the clearest declarations of who Jesus is and why He alone is sufficient.
1. Jesus Reveals God (v. 15)
Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.”
Humanity has always desired visible glory, yet false images distort God’s nature. In Jesus, God gives the true and perfect image—God made known in flesh. To see Jesus is to see the Father. There is no clearer revelation of God.
Discussion:
What do we know about God through the person, work and life of Jesus?
2. Jesus Is Supreme Over All Creation (vv. 15–17)
Jesus is not part of creation—He is Lord over it.
All things were created by Him, through Him, and for Him, and in Him all things hold together. Creation, history, and our lives are not random; they are sustained by Christ and exist for His glory.
Discussion:
How does believing everything exists “for Jesus” shape the way you live?
3. Jesus Leads and Sustains His Church (v. 18a)
Jesus is the head of the body, the church.
The church does not exist by human effort but by Christ’s leadership. Programs, personalities, and resources are not the source—Jesus is. Our role is continual submission to His headship in every area of life.
Discussion:
What does submission to Christ’s headship look like in your life beyond Sunday?
4. Jesus Is the Beginning and the Resurrection (v. 18b)
Jesus is the beginning of life and the firstborn from the dead.
Because He entered death and rose again, new life is available now and resurrection is certain later. Our hope is not escape from death, but victory through Christ.
Discussion:
How does the promise of resurrection shape how you face fear, loss, or suffering?
5. Jesus Reconciles Us to God (vv. 19–23)
The fullness of God dwells in Jesus, and through the blood of His cross He made peace. Once alienated and hostile toward God, we are now reconciled and made blameless in Christ. Our response is to remain steadfast—unmoved by culture, compromise, or fear.
Discussion:
What pressures today tempt believers to drift from the true gospel?
Colossians Week 1
Paul writes to a young church planted not by an apostle, but by a faithful disciple named Epaphras. This church exists because the gospel was received, believed, lived, and passed on. From the opening lines, Paul makes it clear: Christianity is not passive belief, but transformed lives multiplying through discipleship. God authors salvation, Christ accomplishes it, the Spirit empowers it, and disciples carry it forward.
1. God the Author: Why This Word Can Be Trusted
“This letter is not merely Paul’s thoughts—it is God’s Word, breathed out for our transformation.”
Paul opens by grounding everything in God’s authority. Before we consider growth, obedience, or mission, we must settle this: God speaks, and His Word is trustworthy.
Read: Colossians 1:1–2; 2 Timothy 3:16
Discussion Questions
Why is it essential to understand God as the ultimate author before applying this text to our lives?
How does trusting Scripture as God’s Word change the way you approach discipleship?
Where are you tempted to treat God’s Word as optional rather than authoritative?
2. From Murderer to Messenger: The Power of the Gospel
“Paul is living proof that no one is beyond the transforming power of Jesus.”
The same man who once hunted Christians now builds the church. Paul never got over what God did for him—and neither should we. Gratitude fuels obedience; forgetfulness kills mission.
Read: Colossians 1:1; Acts 9:1–6
Discussion Questions
What does Paul’s transformation tell us about the power of the gospel?
Why do you think forgetting what God has done leads to stagnant discipleship?
In what ways have you seen God redeem parts of your past for His glory?
3. The DNA of the Church: Faith, Love, and Hope
Paul thanks God not for buildings or programs, but for faith in Christ, love for the saints, and hope laid up in heaven. These are not personality traits—they are evidence of God’s work.
Read: Colossians 1:3–5
Discussion Questions
Why does Paul thank God, not the Colossians, for their faith and love?
How does heavenly hope fuel earthly love?
Where do you see faith, love, or hope growing—or lacking—in your life right now?
4. Disciples Make Disciples: The Gospel Moves Through People
“The gospel reached Colossae because one disciple took it home.”
Epaphras heard the gospel, believed it, and shared it. That’s it. No platform. No spotlight. Just obedience. The church exists because disciples made disciples.
Read: Colossians 1:6–8
Discussion Questions
Why do you think God chooses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things?
Who invested in your faith—and who are you investing in now?
5. God’s Interruption: Grace That Changes Everything
“The greatest interruption of your life is God’s love invading it.”
The gospel is not an inconvenience—it is a rescue. God interrupts darkness with light, death with life, and despair with hope. Disciples are people who have been interrupted by love.
Read: Colossians 1:6; Romans 5:8
Discussion Questions
How has God interrupted your life with His love?
Why is remembering God’s interruption essential for sustained discipleship?
How might God be calling you to lovingly “interrupt” someone else’s life with the gospel?
6. What a Disciple’s Life Looks Like
Paul doesn’t just celebrate salvation—he prays for sanctification. Disciples grow in knowledge, walk worthy of the Lord, bear fruit, and endure with joy. This is not self-effort; it is God-powered obedience.
Read: Colossians 1:9–12
Discussion Questions
Which aspect of Paul’s prayer challenges you most right now?
What does it mean to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” in everyday life?
Where do you need God’s strength rather than your own effort?