Colossians

"Christ in you, the hope of glory!" from Colossians 1:27 might be one of the most encouraging truths in all of New Testament! It’s here and in the wider verses of Paul’s writing that we will spend January and February.

The book of Colossians was a letter written to a church 2000 years ago, but could just as easily have been written and sent to our church today. The problems it addresses and the guidance it offers are as relevant to us as it was to the people of Colossae; that is, it proclaims Christ to be the supreme power in the universe and urges us to lead godly lives, challenging us to examine ourselves and our church, to reject false teaching and be transformed through the love of Jesus. It’s inspiring in the call to ‘all’ in life with Jesus!

With Christ as our example we are to put on the clothes of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with each other and forgiving one another because we are asking God to forgive us. Above all we are to put on love.

Colossians teaches us that it is only through Christ are we able to be transformed, only through Him can we live in grace and love, be reconciled to God, have hope for the future, achieve true freedom and be truly alive.

In the following eight weeks we will explore what these qualities look like in our church and ourselves, how we can model Paul’s instructions and put them into practice, the dangers of false teaching, where the pitfalls are and how to avoid them.

Above all the book of Colossians is a letter of instructions to the church as a whole and us as individuals urging us to be one with Christ, for in Him alone do we have the hope of glory!

Here’s the resource prepared for midweek lifegroups and personal use. Printed copies can be collected on Sundays, the church office or the Vicarage. Let’s enjoy this!