Interactive!
God Speaks And Listens
How often I pray and ask God to listen to me. We want to be heard by him and sometimes blame him if he doesn’t respond. God does indeed listen and hear everything we think and feel and everything in us of which we may even be unaware (Psalm 10:17). Wonderfully, God also speaks in a personal way through his written Word, the Bible. He doesn’t speak this way every single time we read the Bible, but he does so often enough that our prayer before reading should always include a request for our hearts and minds to hear him when he speaks to us.
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Memory Verse–Colossians 1:13-14
The Message
Colossians 1:13-14 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.
NIV
Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Life Group: Colossians Bible Study
We are a group of under ten women meeting together on a weekday evening once each week through the sponsorship of The Shepherd’s House church in Thousand Oaks in order to study Scripture. For this Life Group session, we are studying the biblical book of Colossians, which is a letter from the Apostle Paul and Timothy to the church at Colosse.
Our meetings include: chit chat upon arrival, coffee and perhaps snack (since we are meeting in a private home), opening prayer, a weekly lesson given in a question-and-answer/discussion format, a chance to share intercessory prayer requests, and a closing prayer. That’s a lot to pack into 1-1/2 hours!
We place high value on each woman and recognize her extreme value to our Lord Jesus Christ. All the women in attendance have much experience with the Lord and each makes valuable contributions for the edification of the group as a whole.
Week 1 Life Group: Colossians Bible Study
I. Introduction
A. Why study the Bible?
1. Discussion: Why do you want to study Scripture? What does it mean to you personally? Be more specific: What do you hope to get or give from this Bible study?
2. Scripture explains itself:
a. Hebrews 4:12
b. Mark 13:31
c. Romans 10:17
3. The Bible is an interactive book.
a. God hears your heart and your mind over the course of time and always.
b. God speaks to you personally by his Holy Spirit through his Word.
“Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live…” Isaiah 55:3
c. Let’s share some personal examples of times when God spoke directly to us through the vehicle of his Word. What impact did this have on your life?
B. The first step of Bible study each and every time is prayer.
1. We always need to ask God to open his Word to us.
2. What are some things we can ask God to help us with as we pray before reading and studying his Word? Suggested Answers:
a. attention and focus
b. a soft heart to receive
c. a spirit of obedience to do what God reveals.
d. peace and calm
3. God is willing—are we?
C. Next week we will continue with the question, “What is the difference between studying and reading? Why are both necessary?
Life Group: Colossians Bible Study Bibliography
- BibleWorks 9 Software for Biblical Exegesis & Research. Norfolk, VA: BibleWorks, 2011.
- Community Bible Study. Engaging God’s Word: Colossians. Colorado Springs: Community Bible Study, 2013.
- Duffield, Guy P. and Nathaniel M. Van Cleave. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology. 4th ed. Los Angeles: Foursquare Media, 2008.
- Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
- Friberg, Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller. Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament. Baker’s Greek New Testament Library. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000. BibleWorks, v.9.
- Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Colossians and Philemon. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1964.
- The Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online). http://www.biblestudytools.com/colossians/.
- The Navigators. LifeChange Series: A life-changing encounter with God’s Word from the books of Colossians & Philemon. 2nd ed. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2013.
- O’Brien, Peter T. Understanding the Basic Themes of Colossians, Philemon: Quick Reference Bible Topics. Edited by David A. Hubbard. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1991.
- Pink, Arthur W. Gleanings from Paul. Edited by Rev. Terry Kulakowski. Zeeland, MI: Reformed Church Publications, 2009. Accessed February 26, 2016. http://www.davidcox.com.mx/m/files/Pink-Gleanings_From_Paul(PPC).pdf.
- Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 2nd Edition, edited by F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick William Danker. Copyright © 1965 by The University of Chicago Press.
- Thayer, Joseph. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Abridged and Revised Thayer Lexicon). Ontario, Canada: Online Bible Foundation, 1997. BibleWorks, v.9.
- Wright, N. T. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Vol. 12: Colossians and Philemon. Downer’s Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1986.
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One Small Voice 