1.  

Read v. 1. In the past Paul persecuted the church of Christ, but now he works as an apostle of Christ “by the will of God”. What can we learn here about the way God works in each person’s life?  

** 1) He is graceful enough to pick up a rebellious sinner and transform him into a very obedient servant of God.

2) He is the God of second chances. He gives each person the chance to repent of one’s ignorance, and live a life that serves the purpose for which God created him or her. 

3) From this I learn that this new year is a golden opportunity for me to overcome past failures and live for God’s right purpose.

2.

Read v. 2. Here Paul describes the brothers at the church of Colosse as “holy and faithful”. What is the significance of a Christian being “holy ‘and’ faithful”? 

** 1) Holiness and faithfulness are two hallmarks for a Christian. 

2) The two should not be separated. This is significant in that this expression, especially the word “and” talks about the characteristics of “real” Christians, for there are many “church-going” “Jesus-believing” Christians who live a double life, being no different than unbelievers, or on many occasions doing what is even worse than what unbelievers are doing. 

Holiness seems to talk about fruit, whereas faithfulness talks about the way to bear fruit. The word “and” then suggests to us that when one has genuine faith it is impossible for such a man not to be holy. 

People of Paul’s day found themselves under Roman rule. Their days were marred by all kinds of problems, particularly moral corruption and social injustice. But Christians lived a life which was pure morally and spiritually. They lived a holy life demonstrating good deeds to the unbelieving world. 

3.

Read vs. 3-6a and describe Paul’s thanks topics for them. How are “faith”, “love”, “hope”, and “gospel” connected to one another? What does Paul mean by “hope” (stored up for you in heaven)? Why is this hope important to all, particularly to those who even risk their lives for the gospel? 

** Faith is faith in the gospel (which is Jesus Christ and all he came representing, that is, sufferings, death, resurrection, and his post resurrection ministry as the chief priest in the heavenly realm). 

Love is the love a believer has for all the saints (fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord). 

Faith and love spring from hope (of God’s kingdom in a resurrected body). What Paul means is that without this hope, we believe in vain, for the substance of our faith is empty. Love is giving. And only the rich (the ones who have real wealth) can give. And who is richer than the one who knows he has the eternal hope of a resurrected life in the eternal kingdom of light?!

Gospel teaches about the kind of hope we have in the Lord. Gospel is not just a bunch of moral codes. Rather, it contains specific promises of God, and it tells us how we, as undeserving as we are, can be qualified for them. 

** The hope is the hope of the life in God’s kingdom in a resurrected body along with all those who have been redeemed. This hope is the hope of perfect redemption in which every ill effect of the first man Adam’s fall has been completely removed. Peter calls this hope the living hope (1Pe 1:1-4). 

** As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, had it not been for this hope, all men would better off living as hedonists or nihilists. There is no reason to ever try to do what is good, for without this hope of resurrection, what reward will there be for all the good you are doing while in the body?

4.

Read vs. 6b-8. Paul says “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing”, but what do such words as “heard”, “understood”, or “learned” (it from Epaphras) teach us about the way in which the gospel practically bears fruit and grows? What lesson is there for us to learn from this observation?

** This shows us that we must practically go, find a sheep and teach the gospel until our sheep fully understands the gist of the gospel. 

** 1) We must believe in the power of the gospel, for when one plants it, it works by itself in the person who opens his heart and accepts it. 

2) We must preach the gospel, not some other messages like a lot of do’s or don’ts. 

5.

Memorize v. 9 and think about: 1) the way Paul prays for them, and 2) the prayer topic Paul has for them. What does the expression “the purpose of His will” tell us about God the Father who sent Jesus? Why is this “knowledge” of the purpose of his will so important to a believer (Isaiah 46:10; Proverbs 19:21)? What wisdom is there for us here in making a plan for the New Year?

** He never stopped praying for them. This is really remarkable. But we learn from Paul that believing in Jesus is just the beginning. When we hear of someone believing, it is easy for us to say, “Look. Now that he believes in Jesus, he is all set.” But, this is not a right way of seeing a new believer. Like Paul, we must constantly pray for him or her, just as a mother prays for and nurtures a new born baby day and night, all the way until the baby reaches maturity. 

** Like many of us, He never does anything without a specific purpose. Like all of us, He “wills” and He has a purpose in willing what He is willing. 

** Where purpose is not known abuse is inevitable. When we know God’s purpose then we can use our life to serve God’s purpose. When we do not know God’s purpose, we end up doing what God never intended for us to do. This is a great waste of time and energy. 

** Anyone who desires to live a fruitful life in the year to come must first check with the purpose of God’s will for him or her, for God has a specific purpose in allowing each person to live a second, a minute, and yes, a year and beyond.

6.

Read vs. 10-12. How do the following expressions (or prayer topics) strike you: 1) “you may live a life worthy of the Lord”; 2) “[you] may please him in every way” (Hebrews 11:6); 3) “bearing fruit in every good work”; 4) “growing in the knowledge of God”; 5) “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might”; 6) “[so that] you may have great endurance and patience”; and 7) “joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has ‘qualified’ you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light”? What do these prayer topics teach us about the way to plan for the New Year?

** These prayer topics detail the contents of the purpose of God’s will in seven specific prayer topics. 

1) You may live a life worthy of the Lord.  Here the word “worthy” already tells us that if we continue to live in darkness, we are already abusing the grace given us by   the Lord, especially his sin-forgiving grace. He suffered so much to take away your sins. How can you then continue to indulge in the same sins again and again? Hebrew 6:6, “if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”

2) You may please Him in every way. This shows that I must struggle to please Jesus, not anyone else, for He is the one who died for me, and it is when I please Jesus I can please many.  Heb 11:6 then dictates that I live by faith in the Lord. 

3) Bearing fruit in every good work. Fruit “bearing” requires long patience. And “every” means “every”, including teaching the Bible 1:1, in public, serving food, folding up chairs, cleaning bathrooms, praying, working full time as a lay person, making offerings, getting involved in a relief mission, developing a good career, improving job skills, etc. 

4) Growing in the knowledge of God. This calls for my spiritual growth. Specifically, I need to struggle to know who God is. Knowing God is the key to growing spiritually, for God is the source of all that I need for maturity. Particularly, I need to know His love and His holiness.

5) Strengthened with all power… This exhortation shows us that only a strong man can fight the battle and win. This strength comes from the Father. So I need to ask Him for His empowerment. 

6) You may have great endurance and patience. This shows the purpose of getting strengthened. Only a strong man can endure hardships. Impatience is a sign of weakness (in character), as well. 

7) Joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has ‘qualified’ you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. This prayer topic tells me to be more thankful for all the right thanks topics, esp. the thanks topic that qualifies  me (through Jesus’ bloodshed, despite my wickedness) to inherit God’s kingdom!

7. 

Read vs. 13-14. What does “For” tell us about the [spiritual] reality which gives rise to the prayer topics listed in vs. 10-12? What is “darkness” (Matthew 8:12)? What does “dominion” suggest to us about the “darkness”? What does Paul mean by “redemption” (5; Romans 8:23)? 

** It tells us about the “perfected” work of God’s salvation. We have this in our present reality. In our day-to-day life we still have tons of problems, like sickness (like stomach flu), evil urges, etc. But still, in God’s eyes, our redemption is “as good as” having been perfected. In His eyes, the salvation has already been completed (Rev. 4). Notice Paul’s use of the present perfect tense: “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness”; and “brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”

** Darkness is the limitation which obscures the presence of God, so that the greater the limitation the greater the darkness. Once you die unbelieving and therefore unsaved, this limitation becomes complete. 

** Dominion means supreme authority or absolute ownership. Its synonym is “power” indicating that the darkness has the power to grab, keep, tie down, and hold sway over its subject.

** The word redemption itself means buying, for a price, what was sold, returning it back to its original state. As used here, it appears that Paul is mainly talking about the hope of receiving a resurrected body, which is our living hope. 

The end.