Mens Fellowship

Week 8

F!"M T#XT $O SE!%&N

I. What Does This Text Mean? ! ! ! ! ! A. Read, re-read and digest the text. Soak in the passage. B. Observe the context. look at the literary features, words, genre, history, background, etc. C. Look up the unknowns. grammar, meaning of words, historical data. D. Identify parallel words and concepts in other passages. E. Grasp the main idea and the features of its development.

II. How Do I Know What It Means? 1:1-2 ! ! 1:1 ! ! 1:2 ! ! 1:3-8 ! ! 1:3 ! ! 1:4 ! ! 1:5-6 ! ! ! ! 1:6-8 ! ! 1:9-14 ! 1:9 ! ! 1:10-12 ! 1:10! ! 1:10! ! 1:10! ! 1:11! ! 1:12! ! 1:13-14 ! 1:13! ! 1:13! ! 1:14! ! I. Opening Salutation ! A. Author: Paul and Timothy ! B. Addressee: the saints in Colossae II. Joy over the Colossians Faith ! A. Response: Thanksgiving and Prayer ! B. Reason: Their faith in Jesus Christ and love for all the saints ! C. Basis: Their future hope, as heralded in the gospel which has taken root in them & ! ! elsewhere ! D. Source: Epaphras, fellow bond-servant with Paul III. Prayer Requests for the Colossian Saints ! A. Request: Be lled with knowledge of Gods will ! B. Purpose: Living a life worthy of the Lord: ! ! 1. pleasing God in every aspect of life ! ! 2. bearing fruit in good works ! ! 3. increasing in the knowledge of God ! ! 4. standing steadfastly and patiently ! ! 5. giving thanks to God for their salvation ! C. Reason: God saved us through Jesus His Son ! ! 1. rescue from the domain of darkness ! ! 2. moved into the kingdom of the Son ! ! 3. in Christ we have redemption: the forgiveness of sins

III. What Concerns Caused This Text to Be Written? ! ! ! A. Author's intentions: why did he write to the audience what he wrote? B. Passage's context: what's going on, what's the situation in that audience's location? C. God's mind: Why is the Lord saying this ultimately to His people?

IV. What Do We Share in Common With: ! ! ! A. Those to whom the text was written? B. Those/the one by whom the text was written? * To answer, identify the FCF:

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Mens Fellowship

Week 8

V. How Should We Respond to the Truths of Scripture? ! ! Must answer the following questions: A. So what? What difference does this make?

B.What am I to do or believe in light of this passage?

C.What change does God require in my life or heart?

VI. What is the Most Effective Way I Can Communicate the Content and Application of the Text? ME:

WE:

GOD:

YOU:

WE:

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Col 1:1-14

Week 8

The Basic Message of the Passage As a part of a worldwide network of people who have heard and accepted the truth of the gospel and thus experienced a fundamental change of citizenship from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Gods Son, the believers new life, therefore, are to be characterized by an enduring and consistent: love for other believers, increase in the knowledge of Gods will, desire to please the Lord, and fruit-bearing works.!

The Fallen Condition Focus (FCF) Paul is writing to a community of believers among whom the seeds of the gospel has been planted. Paul is eager that spiritual lethargy, immaturity, or even apostasy would not be found among this community due to the teaching of false doctrines, but that the gospel would bear the fruit of a full harvest.

Ties to the Mission of God MoG: God is glorifying Himself by bringing fallen people from every nation into a right relationship with Him, and thus each other, through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, and by working all things towards the consummation of the Kingdom when King Jesus will return and reign over a renewed creation. -Paul makes clear that the work of salvation is clearly divinely initiated and accomplished. God is in the drivers seat in the program of redemption. -Paul does not fail to mention to the Colossians that they are one part of a greater whole of fruit-bearing Christians from around the world into which the gospel has come. Even from the early days of the church, the reach is always global. -Paul is clear that the means by which salvation is realized in a persons life is through hearing, understanding and putting ones faith in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. -A right relationship with God entails having a hope which is laid up in heaven (v. 5), a love for the brethren (v. 4, 8), an increasing knowledge of God and His will (v. 9, 10), a desire to please Him (v. 10), a share in an inheritance (v. 12), a change of citizenship (v. 13), and the forgiveness of ones sins (v. 14).

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