Pathway Community Church

Colossians: Jesus Reigns

Author: The Apostle Paul (1:1; 4:18) is the author of Colossians. Timothy (1:1) is probably mentioned because he visited Paul during his first Roman imprisonment (ca. 60-62 AD; cf. Acts 28:16-31) and was considered Paul’s “beloved child” in the faith (2 Timothy 1:2).

Historical Context: Paul served in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-20:38) for two years and three months (19:8-10; ca. 53-55 AD). (Note: a part of a year could be counted as a year so Paul is said to have ministered in Ephesus for three years: Acts 20:31.) During this time Epaphras, a new Christian and one of Paul’s disciples (inferred by Acts 19:10), brought the gospel to Colossae (Colossians 1:7-8).

Probably within three to five years, the Colossae church had to deal with a false teaching that was beginning to take root. It becomes so serious that Epaphras visited Paul to share his concerns. Paul wrote Colossians as response to the heretical teaching that infiltrated the church. Tychicus carried the letter to Colossae (4:7-8) while Epaphras remained with Paul (4:12-13; Philemon 23).

Colossian Heresy and Jesus Reigns: The false teaching combined different elements including mystical philosophy (2:8; 2:18), human traditions/legalism (2:8; 2:16-17; 2:20), and spiritual ascetism (2:20-23). There was a strong belief in demonic influence as well (1:13; 1:16; 2:8; 2:10; 2:15; 2:18, 2:20). Paul’s answer to this false teaching was to proclaim Jesus’ greatness. Jesus reigns.

Jesus reigns—He is God and the universal Lord. He defeated Satan on the cross, resurrected from the dead, and intercedes for his people. Jesus reigns over mystical philosophies and human traditions/legalism because Jesus and the gospel bring grace and truth. Jesus reigns over spiritual asceticism because he is the source of our spiritual renewal and transformation.

Place and Date of Writing: Most likely, Paul wrote this letter to the Christians at Colossae (ca. 60 AD) during his first Roman imprisonment (Acts 28:16-31; ca. 60-62 AD). During this two-year imprisonment, he also wrote Ephesians, Philippians and Philemon (together, this group of four letters are commonly referred to as the Prison Epistles).

Paul and Later New Testament Books: After being released from Rome (ca. 62 AD) Paul continues his ministry (ca. 62-67 AD) while also writing 1 Timothy and Titus. He is imprisoned again in Rome (ca. 67-68 AD) where he writes his final New Testament letter (2 Timothy) and is executed under Nero (ca. 68 AD).

Discipleship and PLATES: One of Pathway’s objectives is to make disciples through our Life Group Ministry. One aspect of our disciple-making includes the study of God’s Word. To this end, LGs follow the sermon for their weekly or bi-monthly study.

Because we believe that LGs provide the best environment for discipleship, it’s important for us to understand the Pathway’s vision for discipleship. Our path for discipleship can be summarized with the acrostic PLATES. Each letter stands for a characteristic of discipleship.

•Proclaim the gospel

•Life Together

•Align our wills with God, Ask God, (Prayer)

•Teaching ministry of the Scriptures

•Exalt God

•Serve others

1. Proclaim the gospel: Christ-followers are called to share the gospel (good news) with family and friends. We need to share our faith because the gospel “is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16) The gospel is not only necessary for those who don’t know the Lord, but it’s also essential for Christians to experience grace and forgiveness on a consistent basis.

2. Life Together: Pathway seeks to connect people to Christian community: Life Groups, Interest Groups, Fellowship Groups, and Encouragement (one-on-one). Pathway prioritizes Life Groups for disciple-making because it encourages community, Word, worship, prayer, and outreach.

3. Aligning/Asking (Prayer): Aligning our will with God’s plan through listening, struggling, confessing, repenting, submitting, and embracing—all elements of our prayer life. Prayer is also asking (seeking, knocking). It’s more than making requests of God but includes pursuing intimacy and God’s heart. Pathway identifies five areas for developing our prayer life including personal life, family, Life Groups and Fellowship Groups, Worship Services, weekly prayer meetings.

4. Teaching ministry of God’s Word: Christians must be people of the Word. Using Scriptures, we ask for the Spirit to enlighten, teach, convict, and transform us. There are several ways to get God’s Word into our souls including spiritually feeding ourselves, preparing for the sermons, online resources, and completing equipping courses with Pathway’s academy (weeknight course in the fall and spring).

5. Exalt: When we gather together as the Body of Christ, we worship God (Word, worship, prayer), encourage one another to be vulnerable to the Spirit’s movement, and edify one another. We seek to exalt God in our everyday life.

6. Serve: God has blessed every Christ-follower with natural skills and spiritual gifts to build up one another. At Pathway, we want everyone to identify their spiritual gifts in order to effectively serve others inside and outside the church community. It’s important for Christians to reach out beyond their church walls.

In short, we want to encourage Christians to pursue Christ-likeness by practicing PLATES. Because of its significance, we will mention PLATES several times throughout the study guide.

Commentaries:

-Gerald F. Hawthorne and Wilber B. Wallis, “Colossians,” NIV Study Bible (2008)

-R. Kent Hughes, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, Preaching the Word (2013; Colossians orig. 1989)

-Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (2008)

-David W. Pao, Colossians and Philemon, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament ((2012)

-Warren W. Wiersbe, Colossians, The Bible Exposition Commentary, volume 2 (1989)

-N.T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (1986)

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01/28/18: Week 1

Colossians 1:1-14

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