Elias and I will be facilitating our TCOTW study on Colossians chapter 2 for the month of May. We will highlight the historical factors of that time period and dig into the keywords in each verse. Each week, I will add to this blog as we complete the entire chapter for the month of May. We are going to assign daily and/or weekly assignments to help you study the passage more deeply and practically engage with the Lord and/or with each other. Please maintain a journal or take personal notes during your assignments and be prepared to share them during our gatherings. We also would love for you to share any insights in our main text group.
Colossians chapter two is packed with warnings from our dear brother Paul, as he provides detailed guidance to the saints in Laodicea by the wisdom of God. Paul emphatically emphasizes the SUPREMACY of Christ! You heard me say again and again in our gatherings, "Christ is enough!" "Christ is sufficient!" "Get rid of the cotton candy!" This chapter makes it very clear that Christ is all we need and to NOT let others with persuasive speech delude (mislead, deceive or trick) you.
May 1-11:
Preparing your heart:
Pray for at least 5 minutes before reading the verses.
Ask the Lord for the same wisdom and revelation that He gave to Paul.
Specifically, ask the Lord to allow you to see the tremendous struggle that Paul was experiencing on behalf of the Church and how he wanted the Church to experience the true knowledge of God’s mystery, which is CHRIST HIMSELF!
Main Objective: That you would have the same struggle and the willingness to contend for the brothers and sisters at TCOTW, the Church you attend on Sundays, and the other people God has placed in your path.
The Assignment:
If you haven’t done so already, please play the video from the group chat.
Read Colossians 1:28-29 (Colossians 2 picks up right after those last two verses in chapter one).
After you read v28-29, write down any keywords or phrases that stick out to you.
In your own words, write a simple sentence about what those keywords and phrases mean.
Read Colossians 2:1-5.
NOTE: Don't freak out! LOL! Remember you have from May 1st-11th. However, I will be giving out other small assignments during this time, so don't wait until the last minute. Be not like the hummingbird that quickly sucks the nectar from each plant, but be like the bumble bee that takes its time feeding until its belly is totally full of the nectar. Then, it flies back to its hive to share with others in the honeycomb.
The Lesson:
Colossians 2:1 (NASB): "For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea ..."
Let’s pause right here and note some historical facts about what Paul was up against in Laodicea!
Please read Revelations 3:14-22. God knew the Laodiceans' deeds, that they were neither hot nor cold, but they were lukewarm. How did God react to them being lukewarm? God said he will spit them out! I know that God doesn’t want anyone to be cold or spat out. But there was a historical and deeper meaning for the word “lukewarm” that was relevant to the Laodiceans.
You can look this up on your own, but here's a little background: Laodicea was a banking center. The Laodiceans were very rich and self-sufficient. They had almost every resource, except for this major one, fresh-cold mountain water! They were not close to the mountains, like their neighbor Hierapolis. The cities that resided near the mountains had a great supply of cold water from the waterfalls. Other cities had hot spring water which was healing and therapeutic for the body. Laodicea had neither.
Laodicea had to rely on the aqueducts that were built to bring water into their city. However, because the water had to travel from the mountains to the city, by the time the water reached Laodicea, it had lost its coldness and freshness. It became lukewarm, and also contained sediments that spoiled the water and would get people sick. So, when Jesus used the example of lukewarmness in Revelations, the church clearly understood what Paul was referring to.
After you read Revelations 3:14-21, you will get a better understanding of the lukewarmness of the Laodiceans.
Question: Which of the following keywords gets God so sick that He will spit you out? (HINT: Read Revelations 3:17): Self-sufficiency, undisciplined, instability in faith, and/or lacking wisdom. Write your own word or phrase down and reason why the Lord would spit someone out. Be ready to share it in our next gathering.
Continue on and read Colossians 2:1-5.
Now, you should have a better understanding of the pressure, struggle, contention, and bare-knuckle spiritual warfare that Paul was up against on behalf of the Church, in Colossians chapter 2!
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