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Steadfast in Christ's Unchanging Truth
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Discover true stability in a changing world by deepening your relationship with Jesus. Let His unchanging nature strengthen your faith and fill you with wisdom and joy.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier COLOSSIANS Finding Stability g A Devotional Bible Study by Sue LeBoutillier Copyright © 2022 Sue LeBouƟllier Published by: Calvary Chapel — Ontario, Oregon
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier g Finding Stability — in a Changing World g The Book of Colossians Dear Friend, Welcome, as you join us on our exploraƟon of a simple, ancient leƩer wriƩen by the Apostle Paul to a small group of people we now call the Colossians. In the day this was wriƩen, their world was changing rapidly — and today, we’re experiencing the same thing — a rapidly changing world! What a comfort to be reminded that God does not change — not one single bit — He is steadfast, immutable, unchanging, stable! I Ɵtled this study “Finding Stability” because there is true spiritual, emoƟonal, and intellectual stability to be found by knowing Jesus and thinking accurately about who He is, what He has done, and what that means for ME! Paul described this blessing as ...stable and steadfast, not shiŌing from the hope of the gospel that you heard... (Colossians 1:23) His desire was that, as ChrisƟans focused on Jesus, they would be ...strengthened with all power...for all endurance and paƟence with joy. (Colossians 1:11) The key words in the laƩer verse: strengthen, power, and endurance, express the by-products of finding stability. And one of the best avenues toward realizing these traits in our lives is a regular habit of hearing and studying the gospel message in order to find ourselves filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and under‐ standing (Colossians 1:9). As you study through Colossians, I pray that each week’s passage will help you find stability, help strengthen your faith, and give you great spiritual wisdom and understanding!
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier This will be a verse-by-verse Bible study in a four-day-a-week format. As a bonus, over the course of these eight weeks, you’ll write out the enƟre book of Colossians in your own hand. So, choose a notebook or preƩy journal for wriƟng your verses each day. When you begin to write, you may want to double space in order to give yourself some extra room for the suggested markings that will be incorporated in this study guide. Colored pencils are suggested, so you might want to grab some of them as well. Each week’s lesson in this study guide is intended to be completed independently before you watch or listen to the teaching (except Week One — IntroducƟon). If you’re sharing this study with a friend or small group the ideal method would be to... 1) study the week’s suggested Scriptures on your own (including wriƟng in your journal), then 2) listen to the teaching (privately or in your group), then 3) discuss the week’s lesson and pray together about applying the passages to your life. May the Lord richly bless you as you study His Word! Sue LeBoutillier sue@ccontario.com The best translaƟon of the Bible to use is the one you understand best and using more than one translaƟon can be a useful aid in your study! This study guide was created using the ESV (English Standard Version). To watch the video teachings for this Bible Study go to: ccontario.com/womens-studies or YouTube.com/calvarychapelontario
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier The first step in any Bible Study is gathering informaƟon in order to gain a big picture perspecƟve of the book — that’s what our Week One IntroducƟon is all about — background, history, and the purpose of the book of Colossians. The IntroducƟon is intended to be the first thing you do — either by aƩending our live Women of the Word Bible Study, or by watching or listening to the Week One IntroducƟon via our website: www.ccontario.com/wow/colossians Week One—IntroducƟon Here are a few quesƟons for you to complete during this IntroducƟon, along with a page for your own notes on the right: Colossians 1:23 “__________________ and _____________________, not shiŌing from the hope of the gospel.” DefiniƟon of Stability: ______________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ The ChrisƟans in Colossae had been evangelized by ______________. Paul wrote this leƩer while he was a prisoner in _________________. The main problem for the Colossians was that there were ______________ and ________________ being introduced and mixed into the thinking of the ____________ that was causing instability. Week One — Introduction Notes from Teaching — Week One
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week One
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. In v.1, Paul said he was called to be an Apostle — by the will of God. Share with your discussion group one thing that you are called to ‘be’ or to ‘do’ — by the will of God. 2. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and 1 Peter 2:15. Discuss how these verses take us deeper than merely thinking about what ‘we do,’ and speak to how our character ‘is to be’ — by the will of God. 3. One popular noƟon that most people absorb from our culture is the idea that ‘nothing is more important than my happiness.’ How can this idea create instability in a person’s life? 4. Most people who trust Jesus as their Savior, and get to know Him through His Word, begin to understand that their purpose in life goes beyond that which makes them happy. How can this create stability in a person’s life? 5. Are there any other noƟons that we absorb from today’s culture that war against the basic truth of the gospel? Explain. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Remember to Pray — I want to encourage you to always begin your Ɵme in the word by yielding your heart to the Lord in prayer. Think of that phrase, yielding, just like the traffic sign. You give preference to the other driver to lead the way. That’s what we want the Holy Spirit to do in our lives as we invesƟgate His Word — lead the way! Read the Whole Book — Once you’ve gathered your supplies (Bible, notebook and Study Guide); and once you’ve listened to the Intro- ducƟon, it would be fantasƟc if you could take a few minutes to simply read the enƟre book of Colossians before you begin Week Two in this Study Guide. Fortunately, Colossians is only 95 verses long and you can easily read all four chapters in about 15 minutes. May you be blessed in your study! Sue Tips for a Successful Bible Study Map of the Area Surrounding Colossae
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier It’s Ɵme to begin our verse-by-verse study of Colossians. The heading for each week (above) will indicate the enƟre passage to be studied during that week. It would be a good approach to begin each day by reading the enƟre weekly passage, and then, as you write your daily verses in your journal, concentrate on the words you are actually wriƟng for each day. You may or may not keep this liƩle study booklet — but chances are, aŌer invesƟng your Ɵme in wriƟng all ninety-five verses by hand, you’ll keep your journal or notebook for a long Ɵme to come and treasure it! Let’s Begin… a READ and WRITE Colossians 1:1-2 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline ‘in Christ’. The first two verses contain the greeƟng of this leƩer. In our modern leƩers we customarily list who the leƩer is wriƩen to at the top and who the leƩer is wriƩen from at the boƩom. But I think there is something quite saƟsfying in geƫng it all out in the open at the beginning. · To whom was this leƩer wriƩen? · From whom was this leƩer sent? If you have any sort of Roman Catholic background, your perspecƟve of the word saints may be quite different than what Paul actually meant in v.2. Even if you do a quick online dicƟonary search for the word saint, you will sƟll probably not run into the definiƟon that Paul meant. Week Two — Colossians 1:1-14 Day 1:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Since we want to let Scripture interpret Scripture, let’s find a defini- Ɵon of who a saint is by reading other passages. Read Romans 1:7 and 1 Corinthians 1:2. · With those passages in mind, write your own definiƟon of saint: · There are two five-leƩer words that the Apostle Paul oŌen began (and someƟmes ended) his leƩers with. These words provide a foundaƟon for all of the possibiliƟes that our relaƟonship with the Lord can build upon. What are these two words in v.2? __ __ __ __ __ and __ __ __ __ __ a READ and WRITE Colossians 1:3-6 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline ‘in Christ’, ‘in the word of the truth’, and ‘in truth’. . q With a green pencil, circle ‘faith’, ‘love’, and ‘hope’. Faith, Love and Hope: How would you like to receive a leƩer from someone telling you how thankful they are for you? How grateful they are that you are in the family of God? How they are constantly praying for you? WOW! That would make me feel preƩy valued and loved. Especially if they hadn’t even met me! That is what I hear in Paul’s heart as he began to correspond with this church body that he had never personally met. · From v.4, what were two things that Paul heard about the people in this church? · What was the reason they possessed those two virtues (v.5)? Day 2:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Having faith in Jesus Christ is an obvious re- quirement and also a privilege of being part of the body of Christ. But Paul also heard about their love for the saints. · Do you think loving others is an automaƟc part of faith in Christ? Some people claim to love God, but they neglect to love people in any noƟceable way. Read John 13:34-35 and Hebrews 6:10. · What is the expectaƟon related to loving the saints? · What is our standard or example related to loving the saints? · What does God promise us when we love the saints? Paul said the gospel was bearing fruit and increasing (v.6). He already menƟoned faith, hope, and love as fruit, but we can and should ex- pect other posiƟve signs of the gospel in our lives as well. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, Christ when we pray for you. Colossians 1:3
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Read these passages and note other posiƟve changes people may experience when they understand and embrace the gospel: · Psalm 42:2 — · Acts 2:42 — · 1 Thessalonians 1:9 — a READ and WRITE Colossians 1:7-10 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline ‘in the Spirit’ and ‘in the knowledge of God’. q With a green pencil, circle ‘love’. q With a green pencil, draw a box around ‘knowledge of his will’, ‘spiritual wisdom’, ‘understanding’, ’bearing fruit’, and ’knowledge of God’. The Gospel: Yesterday we read that the gospel, or the good news of salvaƟon through Jesus Christ, was increasing in the whole world and bearing fruit in the lives of believers (v.6). · Who was credited with sharing the gospel of Jesus with the Colossians? (v.7) · What fond label did this earn him from the Apostle Paul? (v.7) · What report did he give Paul of the Colossian believers? (v.8) Day 3:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Who wouldn’t like to be described as a faithful minister? That phrase inspires me. It challenges me to make it a spiritual goal to also be called a faithful minister. · What opportuniƟes has God placed in your life for you to be a faithful minister? · Is there an area that you have neglected or not fully recognized as an opportunity? What pracƟcal changes are needed for you to be termed faithful? EffecƟve Prayer: Paul’s example of praying for others is inspiraƟonal. List some of the concepts for effecƟve prayer you find in v.9-10 that you can incorporate while you pray specifically for people in your life: · · · · · Who is it that you’re praying these things over? This reminds us that we don’t need to ask, “how may I be praying for you?” We have a universal model of praying for anyone at anyƟme and we can help bring stability into other’s lives by praying for them.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 1:11-14 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline ‘in the inheritance’. q With a green pencil, circle ‘power’, ‘endurance’, ‘paƟence’, and ‘joy’. q With a blue pencil, circle ‘qualified’ ‘delivered’, and ‘transferred’. Take a look at the phrases you underlined in purple this week. They all begin with ‘in’ which is a preposiƟon — preposiƟons show posiƟon. These phrases describe a posiƟon or a relaƟonship that we can enjoy with the Lord as born-again believers. Now, list those three words that you circled in blue: · _______________________________ · _______________________________ · _______________________________ Those words describe what Jesus has accomplished for us in order to possess that relaƟonship. And finally, take a look at the words circled in green! These are the benefits made possible for all believers because Jesus “transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” · Which of those benefits are you most thankful for and why? · Which of those benefits do you feel in the most need of right now and why? When we read phrases like fully pleasing to him and bearing fruit in every good work; we might feel a bit of stress creep over us, or worry that we just can’t live up to a standard of ChrisƟan character that is expected. That’s why verse 11 begins with such words of assurance: ...being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might! Day 4:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier According to v.11... · What are we strengthened with? · Who does this belong to? · What are the benefits of God’s power working in us? Read Ephesians 1:18-20. According to that passage, · Who is the power for? · What is the power like? Giving thanks: Paul was giving thanks and also praying that they would give thanks — praying they would have hearts of thanksgiving. Romans 4:20 tells us [Abraham] grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God. Jot down notes about how you would tell someone what God has done for you that you could not have accomplished yourself, thus giving glory to God and growing strong in your faith. I therefore, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:1-2
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Paul had heard of the love the Colossians had for all the saints (v.4). What are some ways that our love for each other could be noƟced and reported to someone who didn’t know us? In other words—what does love look like in the Body of Christ? 2. If someone had been watching you for the last 30 days, in what ways might they have noƟced your love for the saints? 3. How does the content of Paul’s prayers for the saints (v.9-12) modify how you pray for others in your life? 4. Paul prayed that the believers would be filled with the knowledge of his will. Read Hebrews 5:13-14 and discuss how a ChrisƟan can cooperate with this filling. 5. How would you explain to someone the phrase walk in a manner worthy of the Lord? 6. Explain how the benefits described in this week’s passage (spiritual wisdom, understanding, endurance, paƟence) produce stability in a person’s life.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Two
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Two
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 1:15-17 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline ‘He is’ (2x). q With a red pencil, draw a box around ‘all things’ (4x). Absolutely everything about ChrisƟanity hinges on who Jesus is! But ChrisƟanity doesn’t stop there — understanding who I am and what Jesus has done for me is crucial! Many people have ideas and thoughts about who Jesus is — they may be right, or they may be wrong. This week we’ll see how the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to describe Jesus to the Colossians and to us. Who HE is: Let’s list what we discovered about Jesus from this chapter. Begin with the descripƟons about Jesus from v.15-17. · v.15: He is ____________________________________________ · v.15: He is ____________________________________________ · v.17: He is ____________________________________________ Let’s invesƟgate that first descripƟon — image of the invisible God. God cannot be seen (John 1:18, Romans 1:20), but He wants a relaƟonship with people like you and me who most easily understand things that we do see. This creates a difficulty. Read John 14:7-11 and Hebrews 1:3. · Write a short synopsis of God’s soluƟon to the above problem. Week Three — Colossians 1:15-23 Day 1:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Now consider the second descripƟon — firstborn over all creaƟon. We tend to think of firstborn as the first in a series of similar beings. Maybe you are the firstborn in your family, or you married one, or you gave birth to one. But in this case Paul isn’t suggesƟng Jesus was born first, he was declaring Him to be first in rank or highest in authority. You may have a firstborn who thinks they are the highest in authority in your family, or you may actually think you are highest in authority. So, it’s good for us to ponder the fact that Jesus actually IS! In this text, Paul moved right on to describe Jesus as the creator. He is highest in authority and also has the authority to create and sustain. All Things: What are, and where are, all things that were created through Jesus that we find listed in v.16: · In _________________ and on __________________ · ___________________ and _____________________ · whether ______________ or ____________________ or ______________ or _______________________ Is there anything you can think of that exists outside of this list? Three preposiƟons are used to elaborate how and why all things were created in v.16. List them: _______ him ________________ him _________ him q With a purple pencil, underline those things in your journal. This is a simple but profound Biblical truth. Our faith is stabilized by allowing this understanding to saturate our minds and our decisions. For example, “since Jesus created me for his pleasure and his purpose, how should I handle xyz situaƟon?” · Consider a situaƟon or a decision you’re facing. How might this truth help you with an answer?
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 1:18-20 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline ‘He is’ (2x), ‘in Him’, ‘through Him’ and ‘making peace’. q With a blue pencil, circle ‘reconcile’. q With a red pencil, draw a box around the phrase ‘all things’. Who HE is: List two more things that you encountered in today’s verses that describe Jesus. · v.18: He is _____________________________________________ · v.18: He is ____________________________________________ The first descripƟon in today’s verses is — head of the body. What is your opinion about the church? Do you love it? Does it frustrate you? Does it make complete sense that Jesus is the head, or do you wish He could be disassociated with the organizaƟon? The phrase body of Christ may sound familiar, even common, to most ChrisƟans. But today’s passage provides an opportunity to set aside familiarity and really consider in a fresh way the implicaƟons of the body and the head of the body. Read Ephesians 5:22-32 — as you do, try not to focus on the parallels to marriage, but instead, concentrate on the descripƟons of Jesus as the head of the body. · What has Jesus already done for His Body: · What does He do on an ongoing basis? · What should be our response? Day 2:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier The second descripƟon seems similar to yesterday’s passage, with a slight difference — the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. Something new happened when Jesus rose from the dead on that first resurrecƟon morning — it was a new beginning! In this case, He was the firstborn! He rose from the dead and paved the way for mulƟtudes who put their faith in Him to experience that same escape from permanent death. Read 1 Corinthians 15:20-23. · What does this passage tell us about why we all die? · What does this passage tell us about how we can be made alive? Your answers above form a perfect segue to v.20 in today’s text. Complete the important missing words: and through him to ________________ to himself all things … making _______________ by the blood of the cross. I don’t know anyone who loves to live in hosƟlity or agitaƟon, do you? Humans generally crave peace, yet oŌen try to achieve spiritual peace by almost any other avenue than through Jesus. · What are some popular misplaced aƩempts people use to be at peace (mentally, emoƟonally or spiritually)? In this leƩer, Paul reminded us that absolutely everything hinges on Jesus — even the ability to make peace with God. We don’t make our own peace with God, Jesus made peace for us through His work on the cross.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 1:21-22 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, put a box around ‘and you’ (v.21). This is a contrast to your previously highlighted phrases ’He is’. q With a blue pencil, circle ‘reconciled’. UnƟl now, our study has been about who Jesus is. Today we have the unpleasant task of looking at who I am. · From v.21, list the things that characterize who I am: Have you ever caught your reflecƟon in a store window, a rear view mirror, or worse, looked at your phone camera and it was looking back at you? You were momentarily horrified! “Seriously—is this what I look like? Do I have that many chins? Do I always scowl that much?” We usually imagine that we look a liƩle beƩer than we actually do. In the same way, this verse holds a sober and accurate view of reality — what we really look like: Read Ephesians 2:1-3. · What addiƟonal characterisƟcs do you find? Read Romans 6:17. · What was our former condiƟon? The phrase slaves of sin reminds us of the naƟon of Israel while in slavery in Egypt. It’s a parallel to our own condiƟon before Jesus entered our lives and saved us from destrucƟon. We had no ability to free ourselves, and we were helpless without a deliverer to transfer us to another reality. Day 3:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Good News: It’s so important to fully understand the bad news in order to fully appreciate the good news. So, with our hosƟle, slavery- inspired reflecƟon in view — let’s remind ourselves that Jesus delivered us (v.13), transferred us (v.13), redeemed us (v.14), forgave us (v.14), reconciled us (v.20, 22); in order to present us to God with what type of new appearances listed in v.22? · · · q With a green pencil, put a heart over these words in your journal. Once Israel was transferred out of Egypt, they were described as God’s holy people. Once that was accomplished for you, the same word is used to describe you — holy! Not because of your effort, but because of Jesus! Reflect for a moment on what Jesus has done for you — transferring you from a state of alienaƟon — to reconciliaƟon! Use these verses as a basis for a prayer of thanks. Remember, Abraham grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God. We will too! a READ and WRITE Colossians 1:23 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, put a box around the phrase ‘conƟnue in the faith’. ConƟnuing in the Faith: Because Jesus made peace by the blood of his cross (v.20), and because I accepted that giŌ and became one of his children, my appearance before God has changed. Now I’m described as holy, blameless, and above reproach. Day 4:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier But today’s verse begins with a word that could be troublesome — If! Misunderstanding that word could point you in the wrong direcƟon. You could begin to think that your new life in Christ is somehow dependent on your ability to be stable and steadfast. So let’s lean on other Scriptures to help us make sure we understand. Read Ephesians 2:8-9 and fill in the missing words: By ___________ you have been saved, through ___________ ... not a result of _________ it is the ________ of God. You got into the kingdom through faith, and you conƟnue through faith. You didn’t get in by works, so you can’t conƟnue by works. The key to understanding this verse can be found by asking the ques- Ɵon, ‘on what was their hope?’ Fill in the missing words from v.23 ...not shiŌing from the ___________ of the _______________. Paul was equipping these saints to hold firm to the gospel of Jesus, the gospel of grace, the gospel of faith. It IS a requirement for me to conƟnue to believe that Jesus has paid the penalty for my sins. If I deny that truth, what is leŌ? There is no other gospel! List the three words in this verse Paul used to describe holding fast. Look up a dicƟonary definiƟon for each. S______________: S_______________: not S_____________: q With a pink pencil, circle these words in your journal. This is the task set before us — accept God’s gracious giŌ and conƟnue in that faith!
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. The Colossians believed in Jesus, but encountered influence from outside sources that aƩacked or twisted their core beliefs. Which of the truths in today’s lesson do you feel is challenged the most in our culture or in your circle of influence? Explain! 2. Some of the opinions about Jesus, in the Colossian’s day, were off base — claiming Him to be an angel-type being, or a subordinate god, or merely a divine influence from God. Discuss why it is so important to accurately understand who Jesus REALLY is? 3. Share some implicaƟons of Jesus being the head of the body that you realized in this week’s lesson. 4. Some may read v.23 “if indeed you conƟnue in the faith,” to mean ‘if indeed you stop sinning and do all ChrisƟan things properly!’ How would you explain the truth of that verse to someone? 5. How can “not shiŌing from the hope of the gospel” (v.23) actually bring stability into a person’s life?
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Three
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Three
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 1:24-26 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline ‘His body’, ‘the church’, ‘mystery’, and ‘His saints’. Becoming a Minister: Last week we explored the preeminence of Jesus Christ, and along the way, we caught a glimpse of our own depravity. We were reminded of Christ’s relaƟonship, love, and nurturing toward His own Body — the Church. (The words that you underlined in purple all relate to the church.) Now we’ll note the ministry of the Apostle Paul to that same Body: · How did he describe himself in v.23 and v.25? · Paul’s giŌ was given by God for whose benefit in v.25? · How did he describe his purpose in v.25? · What word did Paul use to describe the church and the ministry of the gospel in v.26? The believers reading this leƩer did not personally know Paul. They had heard about Jesus from his spiritual offspring — Epaphras. But now they could hear Paul’s passion for the saints as he described his calling to spread the gospel. I would guess they were inspired by him. · Do you surround yourself with people who inspire you? · In what ways do you think you may be an inspiraƟon to others? Week Four — Colossians 1:24—2:7 Day 1:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier · In what specific ways might you consider yourself a ‘minister of the gospel’ in the sphere God has placed you? Rejoice in Sufferings: Read v.24 again. If we’re not careful, it can be another misunderstood verse. We know it’s NOT saying that Paul is somehow finishing what Jesus leŌ unfinished. That wouldn’t agree with the rest of Scripture. On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!” · Paul was suffering with what personal aƫtude? · He was suffering for whose sake? · To whose afflicƟons was he likening his sufferings? Read John 15:18-21. · How do you think Paul’s life was a fulfillment of what Jesus said in this passage? Is there a place in your life to suffer, in idenƟficaƟon with Christ’s afflicƟons, for the sake of His body the church? We’re not called to be Apostles like Paul, but we are called to be servants of Jesus. Meditate on this — ask the Lord to show you His plan for being like Him in His sufferings. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake. Philippians 1:29
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 1:27-29 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline ‘mystery’ and ‘in Christ’. Circle ‘Him’ at the beginning of v.28. q With a pink pencil, circle ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’. GoƩa Love a Mystery: The phrases underlined in purple all represent concepts that were unknown in former Ɵmes — they were hidden — they were a mystery. Consider God’s covenant with Abraham — the above phrases had no presence in that first covenant — but they have everything to do with the NEW covenant, which can be summarized by the last seven words in v.27. Write it out here: ________________________________________________________ Jesus lives IN ME! This is what gives me stability for today and hope for tomorrow! It’s All About Him: We circled the first word in v.28 — HIM. It would be inappropriate to replace “Him we proclaim” with anything else like “this we proclaim” because our faith rests on a PERSON, not an idea! Everyone Mature in Christ: Paul’s desire was to develop mature followers of Christ. He wasn’t interested in merely hearing professions of faith, but in forming grown-ups in the faith. List three things that come to mind that enable a believer to grow from a child-in-Christ to a grown-up-in-Christ. · · · Day 2:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Were the words warning or teaching included in your bullet points? They were included in Paul’s sentence (v.28). · What benefit do you think warning and teaching produce in an effort to make mature followers of Christ? His Energy: Take note of the effort-related words in v.29: wtoil wstruggling wenergy wpowerfully wworks As we consider the effort required to make something stable in the natural world around us, we shouldn’t be surprised to also find effort required for spiritual stability. In Paul’s life, ministry meant persecu- Ɵon, pain, and prison. In our lives, these words remind us that: · ...there is toil and struggle in the life of a ChrisƟan. · ...because we have Christ in us, we can rely on the energy offered by the Holy Spirit rather than merely our own energy. · ...He will work powerfully in us. Paul was toiling to proclaim Christ and make mature believers. · What is YOUR calling—what area has God called you to toil in right now? Ask God to meet the needs of your mission with HIS power and energy through the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 2:1-5 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, underline the phrases: ‘hearts may be encouraged’, ‘knit together in love’, ‘full assurance of under- standing’, and ‘firmness of your faith’. q With a green pencil, circle ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’. It Takes Work: Remember those effort-related words from the end of chapter one? Paul said, [because of the gospel of Christ] “I toil, strug‐ gling with all his energy.” Chapter two picks up the same theme and goes on to share the purpose of this effort. · What did Paul want his readers to know in v.1? Remember, he had never met these people, so apart from wriƟng this leƩer, how do you think he may have been toiling? Has the Lord nudged your heart to labor in prayer for someone? Do you find that you need endurance to toil in this way? These words encourage me that it’s okay when prayer feels like work! Prayer someƟmes requires toil and endurance — but I need to re- member that I’m laboring with the strength that God supplies. Full Assurance and Firm Faith: I appreciate that Paul made his mission clear. His goals were the phrases that you underlined in pink. We oŌen think that sin is our greatest enemy, but doubt leading to unbelief can be tragic. Don’t get me wrong, sin causes a riŌ between us and God, and it needs to be dealt with. But the slow creep of doubt, with it’s potenƟal to give birth to unbelief, is something all ChrisƟans need to be strengthened to resist. Who are the people in your world that you want to see forƟfied against unbelief and strengthened in understanding and knowledge? Day 3:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Paul had been laboring in prayer AND now in communicaƟon so that the believers would be strong in their understanding of Jesus Christ, whom he called God’s ________________ . (v.2) Jesus isn’t really a mystery to US, but Paul wanted them to know that it’s IN CHRIST where a believer finds things that are hidden from the world, namely (v.3) ALL the treasures of: __________________________ and _______________________. Read these Scriptures and comment regarding further insights on wisdom and knowledge: Proverbs 1:7 — Ephesians 4:17-18 — 2 Peter 1:3-4 — I pray that we will all be...steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord… so that our spiritual condiƟon might be de- scribed with the words that Paul used in v.5… In good order and firmness of your faith in Christ! a READ and WRITE Colossians 2:6-7 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline the phrase ‘in Him’ (2x). q With a pink pencil, circle the phrases ‘walk in him’, ‘rooted and built up in him’, ‘established in the faith’ and ‘abounding in thanksgiving’. The Colossians were ChrisƟans — they had received Christ the Lord. Being in Christ had created an iniƟal change in their lives and an opportunity for more change, more growth. Day 4:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier You circled four phrases in pink — the middle two phrases seem to describe that iniƟal change — while the first and last seem to be direcƟves for growth. · From v.7, list those two phrases that describe how our spiritual lives get off to a good start once we are in Christ: · ______________________________________________ · ______________________________________________ · From v.6-7 list the two phrases that give a direcƟve on how we should conƟnue the good start that Christ has given us: · ______________________________________________ · ______________________________________________ You’ve probably noƟced vegetables that grow at different rates due to soil, sun, or water (or at least you can imagine this to be true). Perhaps our spiritual lives aren’t so different, having been rooted in the same way, we then determine the rate at which we walk in Him. · What does it mean in pracƟcal terms to walk in Christ? Abounding in Thanksgiving: Those are the final words of our passage. Do you find that as intriguing as I do? We grow in stability by walking out our faith in Jesus through thankfulness! Before you close your Bible for today... q Thank God for His past work in your life. q Thank God for His present work in your life. q Thank God for the people, circumstances, and even difficulƟes he has allowed in your life that are causing you to be built up. Prepare to share an area of thankfulness with your discussion group.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Read MaƩhew 5:10-12. Jesus and the New Testament writers held a unique view of suffering that can be difficult for us to grasp. How can you embrace the blessing or rejoicing part of suffering for the cause of Christ? 2. Paul described part of his ministry in v.28 as warning and teach‐ ing. Read Colossians 3:16 where you’ll find that it’s our ministry as well. Discuss how this is carried out in the regular, everyday life of a ChrisƟan (as opposed to the formality of pulpit teaching). 3. We are oŌen prone to laziness. We like to convince ourselves that if God is in something it should come together quite nicely. How do the Apostle’s words about toiling and laboring confront that noƟon? What has been your personal experience? 4. If a friend tells you that she’s uncertain about God’s Word or doubts God’s intenƟons, how would you go about encouraging her heart toward full assurance of understanding (v.2)? 5. It’s common today for people to claim a knowledge of God apart from the revelaƟon of Jesus Christ. How has the first secƟon of Colossians convinced you otherwise?
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Four
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Four
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Day 1: Week Five — Colossians 2:8-23 a READ and WRITE Colossians 2:8-11 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline the phrases ‘in Him’ (3x). q With a green pencil, circle the word ‘filled’. See to it: This Biblical phrase always grabs my aƩenƟon. It’s a gentle but firm warning to pay parƟcular heed. · In v.8, what potenƟal harm could happen to us as we are walking out our faith? From v.8, list enemies we are warned about that could capture our minds (use another translaƟon or two for more insight or clarity). · ____________________________________________________ · ____________________________________________________ · ____________________________________________________ · ____________________________________________________ What are some ways that we can be taken capƟve in our thinking? List some specific real-life baƩlegrounds (i.e., classroom, family influence, etc.) Are you living near any of the baƩlegrounds that you listed? We can’t always move or change our posiƟon in order to put distance between us and the baƩle. But we can be alert, armed, and ready.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier · Is there a specific area that the Holy Spirit has revealed to you where you must improve your guard? In Him: You may have noƟced the phrase In Him appeared five Ɵmes between verses 6 and 11. Paul will go on to use with Him three Ɵmes in verses 12 and 13. This is a key thought in the baƩle for our minds — to remember who we are and how we are connected to Him! As we walk in Him, we will encounter the tricks of the enemy, but we are protected in him because He lives in us. v.10 We have been ___________ in Him (Jesus) v.9 In Him (Jesus) the whole fullness of the _________ dwells This tells us that ... · all of God (the whole fullness) is in Jesus, · we are in Jesus and He (through his Holy Spirit) is in us! That means we have access to all the power of God as we face enemies that want to capture our thinking. Circumcision: The Apostle someƟmes used graphic metaphors to get his point across — for example, poinƟng out the spiritual metaphor associated with physical circumcision. What was the point of circumcision? Þ It was introduced as an outward sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham and all of his descendants aŌer him — a sort of ethnic badge. Þ But it was always intended to symbolize an inward change of the heart as a person makes a choice to surrender their life to God.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Read Romans 2:28-29 and Philippians 3:3. · How do these passages support the idea that our hearts are fundamentally changed when we come to Christ? Now, let’s add the reality of spiritual circumcision to our growing list of ‘in Him’ metaphors that help stabilize our faith: ¨ We received Christ and now have an opportunity to walk in Him. ¨ We have been rooted in Him so that we can be built up and grow. ¨ Even though He is the ruler and authority of all things, we have been filled in Him. ¨ In Him we have allowed our heart to be forever, spiritually, surgi- cally changed to reflect our relaƟonship with God our maker. a READ and WRITE Colossians 2:12-15 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline all the phrases ‘with Him’ (3x). q With a blue pencil draw a down-arrow over ‘buried’ and ‘dead’ and an up-arrow over ‘raised’ and ‘alive’. Also underline the acƟon phrases ‘forgiven our trespasses’, ‘canceling the record of debt’, ‘disarmed the rulers and authoriƟes’. You’ve probably noƟced that the words and phrases you marked in blue describe an acƟon or a change that happens because of Christ. For example: delivered, transferred, filled, and now buried and raised. These all describe the powerful working of God (v.12) on our behalf. BapƟsm: Here is another metaphor of death and life in v.12 which is also a symbolic act for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. · What are the two acƟons that are symbolized by bapƟsm? __________________ with Him __________________ with Him Day 2:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier · What are the two realiƟes that describe our spiritual life before and aŌer Christ? _____________ in your trespasses; ___________ together with Him Dead people can’t make themselves alive again. However, people try to make themselves acceptable to God without Christ all the Ɵme — like a dead corpse aƩempƟng self-improvement. · Have you ever felt the need to clean yourself up first in order to be forgiven and in good-standing with God? How do these verses challenge that thinking? Paul liberally used the phrase ‘with Him’ to remind us that we are connected to His power. ¨ V.12 buried with Him — raised with Him. ¨ V.13 made alive together with Him. It is important to realize that the same power that accomplished all that we underlined in blue, is the same power that will help us accom- plish what is underlined in pink: walk in Him, and become built up. · Read 2 Peter 1:3-4 and note any addiƟonal insights: MeditaƟng on these realiƟes will shape our thinking and protect us from being taken capƟve by deceiƞul philosophies!
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 2:16-19 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline ‘the Head’, and ’the whole body’. Therefore: With our second therefore, we again ask what is it there for? Well, the Apostle has been carefully reminding us that we are not only in Christ, but he has triumphed over every enemy that would want to capture our thinking — therefore we can triumph too. The purpose of this leƩer was to address a crisis that had formed against the church — ideas and philosophies that had seeped in and aƩempted to blend and blur the message of Christ. We can apply this same inspiraƟon to modern lies circulaƟng in our culture. · In v.16 what would you guess were some of the religious/cultural expectaƟons and ideas directed at the believers? · What comes to your mind as contemporary counterparts, based on your own life experiences? · In v.17 what was Paul’s argument as to why devoƟon to these things shouldn’t be the main focus in their life in Christ? Day 3:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Our passage opened with ‘let no one pass judgment on you’. If we read ahead a few words into tomorrow’s reading we find, ‘let no one disqualify you’. How do you think that disqualificaƟon could happen? It’s Ɵme to reflect on our own life now. If you have embraced any twisted ideas or philosophies of what you must do to make yourself acceptable to God, now is the Ɵme to really pour over these Scrip- tures to confront any false narraƟves and preach the gospel to your- self that the reality is found in Christ (v.17 NIV). More Fine Sounding Arguments: Earlier in this chapter Paul warned against plausible arguments (fine-sounding arguments NIV). These are man-made religious ideas, acƟviƟes, or aƩenƟon to spiritual details that can consume a person and turn their focus away from Jesus and on to their accomplishments. · List the religious threats to the Colossian church you see in v.18: · Look up and define asceƟcism:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier · In v.18 what did Paul point out as a natural result to devoƟng one- self to religious requirements: · Add anything that you have observed along these lines from your own experiences in life. Hold fast to the Head: Paul gave an anƟdote to this messy business of following religious methods — hold fast to the Head — meaning Christ Jesus rather than holding onto legal requirements. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. · Keeping in mind the analogy of a head and a body, which repre- sents Jesus (the head) and his church (the body), reword v.19 to explain how ChrisƟans are intended to grow… · As a member, a part of the whole body, what is your parƟcular responsibility in this growth?
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 2:20-23 in your journal. Do not … do not … do not: This is a perfect descripƟon of legalisƟc religion — oŌen defined more by what we don't do than what we do. Adhering to rules that promise the way to really know God, or the way to really please God, they actually please our ego instead. Read MaƩhew 15:1-20. · Write a brief statement summarizing what Jesus said about the relaƟonship between food/mouth/words: The Apostle Paul warned the believers in that century, about the false teachings coming at them. Now, we should consider our experience. To tell you the truth, I don’t see much asceƟcism invading my world — maybe in some countries, but I don’t think we Americans like to deny ourselves anything. So it’s not a popular false-gospel here. But the opposite — a message of health, wealth and happiness — is certainly a relevant foe of the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s invesƟgate what God’s Word says about the idea that God wants you wealthy, healthy, and happy. Consider these passages and note observaƟons about how it applies to your life: · MaƩhew 6:19 · MaƩhew 6:24 · Luke 12:15 Day 4:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier · 1 Timothy 6:10 · Hebrews 13:5 As we wrap up the warnings from chapter two, let’s remember the main point of this leƩer: “That you may be filled with the knowledge of Jesus and strengthened in him, so as to walk in a way that pleases God and become fruiƞul in this life.” (my paraphrase) · All self-made religious ideas have an appearance of what (v.23)? · But they are not able to do what (v.23)? If we desire to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (v.10), it must be accomplished by His power working through us. Puƫng our energy into these dos and do nots produces no ability to stop the flesh and actually feeds it and makes it stronger. So we ask: how do we walk in the power of God? It comes down to a new nature — a divine nature! His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature. 2 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV) When we believe in Christ for salvaƟon we become God’s children and he shares with us his divine ________________ (v.4) · birds fly due to the nature of their species; · lions are carnivorous — it’s their nature; The strength we need to please God actually comes from the nature He has imparted to us at our new birth. Meditate on the 2 Peter passage above today and ask God to help you grasp the reality of partaking of the divine nature.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. It’s been said, ‘before we get someone saved, we have to get them lost.’ V.13 says ‘you were dead in your trespasses.’ What does that mean and why is it such an important message for people to un- derstand? 2. The term Progressive ChrisƟanity hadn’t been thought of in the days of this leƩer, but it would have described what was happen- ing. What types of philosophy and human tradiƟon are wanƟng to merge into our churches today? 3. There is something about devoƟon to religious rules that tends to make people feel superior to others. What is the ulƟmate danger of excessive adherence to these types of rules? 4. We said that asceƟcism isn’t as popular of a religious temptaƟon today as materialism has become. Times change. The full Ɵtle for this Bible study is “Finding Stability in a Changing World”. How does the simplicity of holding fast to the Head promote stability in your life and in the life of the church through the ages? 5. Are there any ‘do nots’ that you grew up with that have been a challenge to weed out of your relaƟonship with the Lord? Explain.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Five
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Five
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 3:1-2 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline the phrase ‘with Christ’. q With a blue pencil draw an up-arrow over ‘raised’ and ‘above’. The first word of this chapter ‘If’ could be beƩer understood ‘Since’. We know Paul didn’t write in chapter divisions, so a glance back at the final verses of chapter two remind us that regulaƟons only provide an illusion of victory over sin while not restraining our sinful nature at all. We need a completely new empowered and stable nature to not only avoid the capƟvaƟng philosophies of the world, but to avoid sin. Read Ephesians 1:18-22. · Based on this passage and v.1 in our current text, why do you think it makes sense for a child of God to be focusing on and seeking out things above? What does this look like? How does a ChrisƟan women ‘set her mind on things above’? List at least three pracƟcal and specific ways: · · · In order to set our minds on things above, we need to turn our minds away from things on earth. What does that mean? How does a Chris- Ɵan women ‘set her mind away from things that are on earth? List at least three pracƟcal and specific ways: Week Six — Colossians 3:1-11 Day 1: Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier · · · How can the ‘seƫng of our minds’ enable us to curb the temptaƟons we face from our flesh, the world around us, and the devil? a READ and WRITE Colossians 3:3-4 in your journal. q With a purple pencil, underline the phrases ‘with Christ’ and ‘with Him’. Dead and Hidden: As we set our minds on things above, we become less focused on things below. The reason is... · (v.3) you have ____________. How much consideraƟon to her environment do you think a corpse pays? I know, that’s morbid, but hopefully, it helps us understand the text! · (v.3) and your life is _________ with Christ in God. People keep coin collecƟons or family treasures hidden from plain sight where they’re protected and safe, rather than exposed and vulnerable. Again, maybe this illustraƟon helps us understand the text! Read Ephesians 1:13-14. · List other words used for the same protecƟon. Explain their meaning: Day 2:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Note: This hidden condiƟon doesn’t mean that people can’t detect that you are a believer. Your tesƟmony should not be hidden, and your lamp should not be under a basket. Rather, we should think of this similar to the root of a plant — that porƟon that is unseen and hidden underground. Even if the above-ground, exposed porƟon is affected somehow, the hidden porƟon of the plant is sustained and will recover and bring forth more growth.) Now appearing: The promise we have, as children of God, is that we share in Jesus’ inheritance. Fill in these missing words: · (v.4) When Christ ____________________ appears, then you also will ________________ with Him in glory. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. · In v.17 we are told the length of Ɵme we will be with the Lord. How long will it be? · In v.18 we’re instructed what to do with this informaƟon. What is it? · Look for an opportunity to stabilize someone else’s faith today by encouraging them in the way this passage describes and record your experience here:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Let’s bring Colossians 3:1-4 around full circle. Because our life is hidden in Christ, we are idenƟfied as belonging to him, and we will be seated with him in heaven and inherit with him. Now return to v.1-2 and write out the direcƟve we have been given: a READ and WRITE Colossians 3:5-7 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, underline the phrase ‘put to death’. Slay the Earthly: Don’t you appreciate how the Apostle plainly and graphically tells how we should walk through this life. We’re not told to ignore, or avoid, or reject the earthly, but to put it to death! Verse 5 contains a list of what we call sensual sins because they arise from our senses. · List the sins from v.5 that we are to rid our lives of: · Now, write some things that are not listed in this passage, but come to your mind. Things that are of our earthly nature and are out of agreement with the life of a believer: Day 3:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 · v.6 tells us that it is because of these things that ______________ is coming. · v.7 tells us that we too once ____________________ in them (the earthly passions). But the key to puƫng these sensual sins out of our life doesn’t lie in knowledge, or self-control, or just trying a bit harder to avoid them. The key lies back in the beginning of this chapter. Fill in the missing words from these two verses: (V.1) IF then you have been _________________ with Christ... (V.5) Put to death therefore what is _______________ in you. Read Romans 7:5-6. You see, as ChrisƟans, our relaƟonship to sin has completely changed. We were once slaves to sin, but now, we no longer have to obey the pull and persuasion of sin. We have been raised with Christ, raised above capƟvity to our sensual desires. What are some helpful steps as we desire to walk in our new nature in Christ, and put to death the elements of our old nature? Step One: Reckon yourself dead to sin. This is the essence of the verse at the boƩom of this page. Realize it is a possibility to not obey the voice of sin in your life. Because we have died with Christ, we have the spiritual power to slay the earthly, fleshly desires that want to control us. Paul called this "reckoning" ourselves dead to sin but alive in Christ. Bible Exposition Commentary1
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Step Two: Take acƟon against sin. This is the essence of passages like Colossians 3:5. The acƟon of ‘puƫng to death’ or ‘puƫng away’ is what we call repentance — changing your mind, and walking in the other direcƟon. There are some pracƟcal things we can do to help us with step two, depending on what parƟcular struggles you have... v If it’s a place, don’t go there. v If it’s an image, turn away. v If it’s a liquid, don’t drink it. v If it’s social media, don’t click. v If it’s a person, part company. That may sound overly simplisƟc, but it helps to remember that the temptaƟon to sin is not the same thing as actually engaging in sin. TemptaƟons will come and go throughout our life, but we no longer need to obey them — we can turn away! · What is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart? What needs to be slain? Now ask God for strength and wisdom to be successful with God’s awesome power! a READ and WRITE Colossians 2:8-11 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, underline the phrases ‘put them all away’, and ‘put on’. Take off the Old, Put on the New: One more day of self-confrontaƟon! · From v.8-9, list the social sins to be removed from our lives: Day 4:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier These sins may be more difficult to detect than the sensual sins we faced yesterday, because we may classify these as sins in good stand‐ ing — hardly even sins at all. We may raƟonalize that everyone does a liƩle bit of deceiving, a liƩle losing of the temper, a liƩle repeaƟng of informaƟon about someone. When we don’t really believe an aƫtude is all that terrible, it becomes easy to form a habit, and before we know it, we have a habit of anger, a habit of slander, or a habit of lying. · List any social sins (which you might euphemisƟcally call bad habits) that you have been struggling with but you know God has been speaking to you about ‘puƫng off’: Confess these to the Lord. Ask for His strength to conƟnue to idenƟfy what is not pleasing to Him and provide you the power to take appropriate acƟon! Paul encourages believers in Christ to remove those habits like we might remove muddy work clothes. Then we are to dress ourselves with aƫtudes that are in agreement with our new nature! · What are some of the habits that would be in keeping with our new nature? There is one final concept today that should bring us hope. When we are born again, we are made new — that is called our jusƟficaƟon before God. It only happens ONCE. But V.10 reminds us that we are also being ___________________ in knowledge aŌer the image of our creator. This is our sancƟficaƟon and it can happen EVERY DAY! One blessing of being In Christ is that He is renewing us day by day into His likeness.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Why do the aƩempts menƟoned in the previous chapter (do not handle, do not taste, do not touch) bear no lasƟng success in helping us say no to the sins menƟoned in this chapter? 2. Read Mark 8:31-33. How is Peter an example of someone who was seƫng their mind on earthly things in this passage? 3. Do you believe the sins listed in v.5-8 to be equal in offense? Why or why not? Do you live and act as if they are all equal? 4. What would you say to a friend who confided in you, ‘I HAVE tried to put off the old self with its pracƟces before, but I sƟll struggle with those things, what’s wrong with me?’ 5. Seƫng our minds on things above isn’t a hard concept to under- stand. That’s where Jesus is and He is our treasure. But we live here and there is a gravitaƟonal pull toward the things on earth. Share one pracƟcal strategy to take pleasure in our future with Christ over our present pleasure on earth. 6. What was your most significant discovery from Colossians 3:1-11?
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Six
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Six
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 3:12-14 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, underline the phrase ‘put on’ (2x). A New Wardrobe: ConƟnuing the analogy of taking off the old clothes and puƫng on the new, there are actually eight new wardrobe pieces menƟoned in these three verses. · First, list the adjecƟves in v.12 that describe us, as God’s children: Read John 15:16, 19. · Write a sentence that explains God’s choice regarding you. Because He chose us to be His image bearers in this world and because we are set apart and loved and given a new nature, we can walk in agreement with HIS character and put on the wardrobe that expresses HIS beauty. List eight virtues in today’s passage: v v v v v v v v Which new wardrobe piece do you find the most challenging right now in your life? Week Seven — Colossians 3:12-4:1 Day 1:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Using a concordance, find that challenging virtue portrayed in the character of Jesus. For example, if compassion is most difficult, find an example of Jesus showing compassion for the crowds. Now, spend Ɵme in prayer, asking God to enable you to follow Him in this area. Forgiveness: In v.13, we are commanded to forgive offenses. · What is the reason given? Love: Above all, we are to put on love. · What is the funcƟon of love in v.14? Explain what this looks like in real-life situaƟons, maybe through a personal example. a READ and WRITE Colossians 3:15-17 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, underline the phrases ‘let the peace of Christ’, ‘let the word of Christ’, and ‘do everything’. I oŌen say, “it’s simple, just not easy.” Taking off the things that are not in agreement with Jesus, and puƫng on things that are in agree- ment is very simple — it’s just not always easy. It requires yielding to the Spirit of Jesus in order to let things happen. For example: · (v.15) Let the ___________________________________ rule in _____________________. · (v.16) Let the _______________________________ dwell in you ________________. Day 2:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Thankful Hearts: There is also a repeƟƟon of the habit of giving thanks in these verses. q With a pink pencil, underline ‘thankful’, ’thankfulness’, and ‘giving thanks’. · What do you think is significant about the pracƟce of graƟtude? List the pracƟces from v.16 that should be an acƟve part of our lives (either personally, or with other believers): Share some pracƟcal real-life applicaƟons for those acƟviƟes: Whatever you do: I dislike the response ‘whatever’ that young people someƟmes use; but, I love the phrase, ’whatever you do’ (v.17), it makes these concepts personal and pracƟcal. Whatever we do depends on who we are and what God has put in our lane. · What is God sƟrring up in your heart to do?
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier · What are your instrucƟons in v.17 with regard to what you do? a READ and WRITE Colossians 3:18-21 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, underline the words ‘submit’, ‘love’, and ‘obey’. One Happy Family: These two days of our study will be relaƟonal and pracƟcal! For many, these words aren’t new informaƟon, but God’s Word is living and acƟve, and even when we meet familiar passages, we can expect to be changed by our Ɵme spent in the Word! Read 1 Peter 3:1. · From that passage, and from v.18 in our current text, what is the command to wives? Fill in the qualifying adjecƟve before the word husbands in the Peter passage: “Wives, be subject to your _________ husbands.” · How does that one word shed more light on the direcƟve? Read Ephesians 5:22-24. · Who does the husband symbolize? · Who does the wife symbolize? Day 3:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier · With the Ephesians passage in mind, and the exhortaƟon to wives in our current text — why do you think it is ‘fiƫng in the Lord’ for a wife to hold this posiƟon or rank in the family? Read 1 Peter 3:7. · From that passage and from our current text in v.19, what is commanded of the husband? Since wives are exhorted to fall in rank in the family unit, and hus- bands are exhorted to love, show honor, and not being harsh, do you think it’s possible that our natural bent in our relaƟonships is toward the opposite? Read Genesis 3 about the Fall of Man, paying parƟcular aƩenƟon to the result or the curse of sin in v.16-19. · Now, write your thoughts on why we may naturally relate to one another in the family in the way we do: We must not think of submission as slavery or subjugation. The word comes from the military vocabulary and simply means "to arrange under rank." That one soldier is a pri- vate and another is a colonel does not mean that one man is necessarily better than the other. It only means that they have different ranks. Bible Exposition Commentary2
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier If you are married, is there a parƟcular area of reverence to the Lord, through submission to your husband, that God is asking of you? Children and Parents: Note God’s created order for children and parents in v.20-21: · Children have a responsibility to: · Fathers (and mothers) have a responsibility to: · What is the reason? · Again, what do you think might be our natural inclinaƟon as parents because of our sinful nature? Can you tesƟfy as to how God has empowered you to overcome behaviors that were not encouraging to your children or your family; like yelling, losing your temper, frustraƟon, or loŌy expectaƟons? · Note any victories that God has given you in this area:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 3:22-25, and 4:1 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, underline the phrase ‘work hearƟly’. Servants & Masters; Employees & Employers: The cultural context of this passage existed in a society with many types of servants and masters. Western society is not the same, but I see no reason why these exhortaƟons cannot be just as viable in the workplace. If you are primarily an employee (or even a volunteer), make a list of three things that seem most significant in this conversaƟon. If you are primarily a boss (master), make your list from your perspecƟve. · · · In the same way that husbands and wives were not to only offer re- spect IF the spouse was a ChrisƟan; so too, workers are exhorted to work hard, honor, and please, no maƩer the spiritual condiƟon of their superior. (v.23)They are to work hearƟly ____________________________ and not ________________ . Does it come naturally at your job to think you are working for the Lord? What pracƟcal advice would you give a friend who is struggling in their work environment with a boss or employee? Day 4: And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Of the traits listed in v.12, which two would you crave the most, or appreciate the most in a spouse or even a friend? 2. What does it mean to bear with one another (v.13)? 3. Share some Godly trait that the Holy Spirit encouraged you to put on more of during your study this week. How are you planning to accomplish that? 4. Explain why it’s Biblically fiƫng in the Lord for a wife to submit to her husband’s leadership and are there any boundary lines for that submission? 5. How should a wife respond to a husband’s harshness or lack of love? How should a husband respond to a wife’s lack of respect? 6. In what way can the mandate to do everything in the name of the Lord shape your work ethic, either for paid employment or as a volunteer?
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Seven
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Seven
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 4:2-4 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, underline the phrase ‘conƟnue steadfastly’, ‘watchful’, ‘thanksgiving’. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY: Adverbs are words that ADD to the verb. They may tell us how or when something was/is done. · What words add to the subject of prayer in v.2? Since you know that God is sovereign, you might wonder, “Isn’t God going to do what He’s going to do anyway? Why so much focus on prayer?” Well, God has chosen to govern the world in fellowship with His people. We are now the Body of Christ and we are partners with God, or as Peter said (1 Peter 1:4), partakers of the divine nature. What do these passages add to the how, the when, and the quanƟty of prayer? · MaƩhew 6:5-13 · Luke 10:2 · Ephesians 6:18-20 · 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Week Eight — Colossians 4:2-18 Day 1:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Where is our focus: Of all the things that Paul could have requested prayer for, put into your own words his request in v.4: Paul’s was an eternity-centered prayer request. I so wish more of my requests had that focus. · List one or two eternity-centered prayer requests that spring up from your current circumstances in life: a READ and WRITE Colossians 4:5-6 in your journal. q With a pink pencil, underline the phrases ‘walk in wisdom’, and ‘let your speech be gracious’. What will they think? In general, it’s not a great idea to be concerned about what people think. However, in this context, Paul gave some good Ɵps for sharing our faith with outsiders, who may be watching and thinking about our lives. In the NIV, v.4 says “Pray that I may proclaim it [the gospel] clearly, as I should.” We know that proclaiming the Gospel was on his mind. With that in view, list some of the Ɵps he exhorted US to be thinking about from today’s verses: · · · Day 2:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier It’s been said that Ɵme is the one truly non-renewable commodity. Once that minute or hour has passed, it is never able to be retrieved. Oh, how easy it is for us to delay or postpone sharing something of ourselves, and our new life in Christ with outsiders — but we seem to find a hundred excuses. Perhaps, it’s best to stop right here, and ask God to show you how to make the best use of your Ɵme today. Write your thoughts and then do exactly what He shows you: Well-seasoned words: Do you have a friend, like I do, who always seems to know the perfect thing to say, especially when I don’t? Our words are important, our talk needs to match our walk. What do these Scriptures add to this concept? · Psalm 19:14 · Ephesians 4:15 · Ephesians 4:29 · 1 Peter 3:15
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 4:7-15 in your journal. Today’s verses contain a large amount of wriƟng — it just happened that way due to the long closing greeƟngs in this leƩer. If you need more Ɵme for wriƟng in your journal, just shiŌ a couple of verses to tomorrow’s wriƟng. Faithful Men: Epaphras was the one who brought Paul news from the Colossians, but it seems he would not return to them very soon, so Paul sent Tychicus and Onesimus on the return mission instead. (Tychicus is also menƟoned in Acts 20:4 and Ephesians 6:21-22.) · How did Paul describe Tychicus in this passage? · How did he describe Onesimus? A True Prayer Warrior: Since Epaphras spent Ɵme with Paul in con- finement in Rome, Paul was able to observe his character and daily prayer habits. When Epaphras prayed — Paul knew it and he wanted the believers back home to know it too. He wanted them to know how genuine he was toward them. The Christian's walk and talk must be in harmony with each other. When character, conduct, and conversation are all working together, it makes for a powerful witness. Bible Exposition Commentary3 Day 3:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier From v.12-13… · How did he pray? · What did he pray? · For whom did he pray? When we’re inspired by someone’s prayer life, we should take the opportunity to become apprenƟces! It would be a great waste to merely talk about prayer, we must become people who actually take Ɵme to pray! Today, once again, let’s take up this challenge, put down our pens and actually pray for those whom God has put into our realm of influence. v Pray specifically v Pray passionately v Pray Scripturally Follow the example found in these men of God, and use the tools you have learned from this study. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ and WRITE Colossians 4:16-18 in your journal. For the Many and For the One: Paul definitely embraced the apostolic ministry God had entrusted to him. His final instrucƟons in v.16-17 were directed first toward an enƟre region of people and then his comments narrowed to just one individual. To the masses, he said: “Hey, make sure this leƩer is circulated and read aloud and mulled over and taken to heart — that everyone would know the heart of the Lord on these maƩers” To the individual, he said: “Tell Archippus to make sure he carries out the ministry the Lord gave him to do” How would you feel if, out of an enƟre region of people, God called you out by name, saying, “__________________, be sure to fulfill the ministry that I’ve given you to do”? Prayerfully, list at least two general things that you know God has sƟrred up in your heart to fulfill. (These should be things that any ChrisƟan could list.) · · Day 4:
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Now, list at least two specific things that you sense God is calling you to walk out in your life — specific things that He has given ONLY to you to accomplish. · · That is the sense that I would hope to leave us all with, in this study. · We’ve asked God to stabilize us to conƟnue steadfastly · We have asked that we be filled with the knowledge of His will · We have considered the walk that God intends for us ...and now the last thing leŌ is just to — do it! In the same way that Paul closed this leƩer with, ‘Grace be with you’ my prayer for all of us is: “Lord, please enable our hearts and minds to be strengthened by your power to keep the ministry you have entrusted to us in focus, to be faithful doers of your word and your will and to bring glory to YOUR name here on earth — Amen”
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Paul menƟoned thankfulness a total of six Ɵmes in this leƩer. Explain why this is so important in the life of a believer. 2. What do you think seasoned with salt means in v.6? 3. In what ways has this study inspired your prayer life? 4. In what ways has the Holy Spirit brought clarity to some aspect of your ChrisƟan life through your study of Colossians? 5. Have you noƟced any areas that the Holy Spirit has caused a change in you during your study of this book? 6. I chose the Ɵtle Finding Stability for this study of Colossians. What Ɵtle might you have chosen?
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Eight
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching — Week Eight
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier RĊċĊėĊēĈĊĘ ESV Bible verses: Scripture quotaƟons are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Cross- way, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permis- sion. All rights reserved. NIV Bible verses: Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNA- TIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. 1— Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible ExposiƟon Commentary — New Testament, Vol 2. Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001 WORDsearch CROSS e-book. 2— Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible ExposiƟon Commentary — New Testament, Vol 2. Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001 WORDsearch CROSS e-book. 3— Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible ExposiƟon Commentary — New Testament, Vol 2. Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001 WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier Women of the Word Bible Studies The following WOW Bible Studies wriƩen by Sue LeBouƟllier are available through the Calvary Chapel Ontario bookstore, and through our online store at www.ccontario.com. Old Testament: · Genesis — Divine Design, From Eden to Egypt · Exodus — Divine Deliverance, From Egypt to Sinai · Numbers —The Wilderness Way, From Sinai to the Jordan · Joshua —The Path of Promise, From the Jordan into Canaan · Judges — A Time of Turning · Ruth — Rescue and Rest · 1 Samuel — The Coming King · 2 Samuel — The Reigning King · 1&2 Kings— Solomon and the House of the Lord · Jonah —The Call of Compassion New Testament: · The Way of Jesus — The Sermon on the Mount from MaƩhew · Simply Jesus — The “I AMs” of Christ in the Gospel of John · Acts — Walking in the Spirit, The First Days of the Last Days · GalaƟans — Finding Grace in a Demanding World · Philippians — Finding Joy in a Disjointed World · Colossians — Finding Stability in a Changing World · Titus — While We Wait · James — Real Faith for Daily Life · 1 & 2 Peter — Hope, Holiness and Humility in a HosƟle World · 1,2,3 John — Light, Love and Logic, Lessons from the Apostle John
Finding Stability — Copyright 2022 — Sue LeBoutillier
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