Warm Up and Reflect

10 minutes

As this is the last week of the study, if this is the first time you and your group are meeting, you should consider whether you and your group members want to continue meeting after this study is complete.

If you would like to continue meeting, we can provide you with curriculum recommendations. One option would be to utilize the Sunday Conversation Guides that we create weekly. We also have a library of great Group Studies you can check out.

Like any small group, you want to begin with some conversation, checking in on how people are doing. You can talk about whatever you’d like, but here are potential questions to get the conversation going.

• Share something that has encouraged your walk with Jesus this week.

• How has studying Colossians the past few weeks impacted your walk with Jesus?

Ask how last week’s assignment went. Just as a reminder, it was to “put on the new self” by reading a chapter of the Bible every day, making a list of 5 people you can encourage and build up this week, texting a different friend each day to let them know that you’re praying for them, or serving someone intentionally.

Discussion Questions

25 minutes

To get the most out of this group discussion, let’s agree to some ground rules:

• There are no perfect people allowed, so we won’t “fake fine” or pretend to be something we’re not.

• We aren’t here to fix each other, so we won’t advise each other unless asked. We’ll stick to listening and encouraging.

• We’ll keep our sharing short so that everyone is able to participate.

• We’ll keep what we hear to ourselves, since each person’s story is theirs alone to share.

• We’ll show up and join in, because everyone’s input matters and helps.

Below we’ve provided a number of questions that you can use to continue the conversation. Don’t try to work through all of these. Pick the ones you think will resonate most.

• Have someone read Colossians 3:15-17. How might our lives look differently if we all lived out these commands in verses 15-17? What seems to be missing in our Christian walks at times?

• What do you think it means to let peace make the call in your relationships? Share a time you were in a conflict and chose to let peace rule.

• Have someone read Colossians 3:18-21. Mike defined submission here in this passage as mutual submission where we put our ego and power games on the shelf and honor one another above our self. The Greek words used here for submission and love are that of hypotassō (submit or as it's also translated as not holding a grudge or living independently from) or agapaō (the type of love that represents God's sacrificial and never-ending love). What do you think our relationships would be like if we expressed both this type of love and submission? 

• If you are a parent, what are some tangible ways you can let your kids see that you are depending deeply on your heavenly Father?

• Read Colossians 3:23
  Have you ever thought of your work or daily life like this? Is it natural or challenging for you to make the connection between the two?

  • How would it change your work ethic if you viewed God as your primary boss?

• In Genesis 39:2-4 we read that Potiphar saw the Lord was with him. Would the people we work for say that about us? If not, what needs to change in your life?

• What does it mean for you to live well among your friends and co-workers who do not believe?

• What’s the purpose for social media in your life? What do you hope it accomplishes for you?

  • Would people say your conversation or social media posts are gracious and attractive? What can change to make your social media presence more gracious and attractive?