What Christ Jesus Did and Who He is

Colossians 1:11-20

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.

May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.

He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Realities of those who are Disciples of Jesus Christ:
They draw strength from the glorious power of Christ Jesus.
They are joyful based on God making them His people.
They have been rescued, freed and forgiven.
They see Christ Jesus as GOD.
They experience Jesus Christ as the center of all creation (seen and unseen).
They believe Jesus Christ to be preexistent of and sovereign over all creation.
They follow him as the head of the body they are part of, always putting Him first.
They are reconciled to God by Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death.

Application Questions:
How do you connect with Christ’s power to strengthen you with endurance & patience?

What are some ways you can thank God and experience joy?

In what ways do you thank God for rescuing you from the ‘Kingdom of Darkness?

How would you describe Christ’s role as ‘The Center of All Creation’?

What experience do you have with the ‘Unseen World’?

As part of the body that Christ is the head of, how do you & should you relate to Him?

How do you live out the reality of being reconciled to God through Christ Jesus?

COLOSSIANS Pt. 1: A Prescription for Growth

Colossians 1:1-10

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace.

We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Paul’s Five Point Prescription for Spiritual Growth / Christ Discipleship

#1. Receive Grace / Experience Christ’s Forgiveness

#2. Expect God to work in you, build your hope by recognizing HE does.

#3. Practice loving others by God’s Spirit (loving the unlovable)

#4. Keep asking God to reveal Himself and spiritual wisdom to you through others

#5. Live out what He is growing in you: Relational / Experiential Reality

Application Questions:

In your normal week how do you receive God’s grace and peace?

How does the Reality of Jesus Christ help you live with confident hope?

How is the Gospel ‘bearing fruit’ in your life? Are you continuing to change?

Who is an example to follow of someone with ‘Spirit Given’ love for others?

Who prays that God would make you more Spiritually Mature’? Who do U pray this 4?

Who could you approach to help you grow in spiritual wisdom and understanding?

What is an intentional change to the ‘way you live’ that will grow your discipleship?

Discipleship Ownership

Luke 14:26-27
“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 14:28
“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?”

Philippians 2:12-13
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Application Questions:
Where are you W/ making Jesus #1 in your life? What are ‘Costs’ you would consider?

How would you rate the past ‘Results of Your Salvation’?

How would you rate your trust that God is at work in you so you can please Him?

What areas of your life might you become more of disciplined in?

How can you ‘Get in Training’ for the ‘Eternal Prizes’ of Disciple Building?

What Goals can you set to address you discipleship needs?

What are some initiatives that will move you toward those goals?