Icebreaker 

 

Can you recall a time in your life when you were really focused on something? It could be a proyect, it could be a sport, an exam, trying to conquer someone's heart? Could you share one experience of this with the group? 

 

Study 

 

Please read Col. 3:1-4 

 

Q1 - What does he mean by "for you died" (v. 3) and "you have been raised with Christ" (v. 1)? 

 

Q2 - Please read Gal. 2:20. What does it mean to be "dead" in Paul's letters? 

 

Q3 - v.2 "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things". What does that mean? How can we do this? 

 

Please read Col. 3:5-11 

 

Paul is listing some of the things they used to do before becoming Christians. "You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived".  

 

Q4 - What are some of the things you used to do before becoming a Christian which you've now stopped doing or are trying to do less? 

 

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming... But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices" 

 

Q5 - Which of the things mentioned in this list are acceptable for our society? How do you deal with the tension between what the Bible says is wrong but our culture says are alright? Do you investigate these themes or try and avoid them? 

 

Q6 - If this letter were written in 2018, which do you think would be some of the things listed that we should "die" to? (Eg. Bullying, pollution, etc.) 

 

Q7 - According to v.11 in Christ, there is "no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all". Are there any new divisive categories in the Church today which we should break down? 

 

Action 

 

"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." 

 

Q8 - How can we enable our new self to be renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator? What practical thing could you do this week to enable this? Is this a practice you can pick up for the rest of the year? 

 

Spend some time in prayer together, asking God to help us focus. To "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things"