ENGAGE INSPIRE

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Life Group Sermon Study

Built Up in Christ May 17-18, 2014

Break the Ice:

ENGAGE

(The purpose of these first questions is to help your group open up. Please don’t feel like you have to ask each question. Once you feel like the group is ready, move onto the “Inspire” section.)

• What’s your favorite hobby? What do you love about it? • What did God teach you during the message this weekend? Did anything in particular stand out? Prayer: Take some time to pray for God to speak to your group through this week’s study.

Questions:

IN SP IRE

(Since the group may need time to process each question, don’t let silence scare you. Try to avoid filling the space with unnecessary explanation or moving on from the question too quickly.)

• Can you think of something recently that you cared a lot about, but over time you lost momentum, care, or concern? What was it? Why did you lose interest?

1. Aaron talked about how there can be a “loss of power” as time goes on. He said, “By the time Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians, the church there was about 6 years old, which is enough time for them to have experienced a ‘loss of power’ in their walk with Christ.” • Can you think of a time that you experienced a “loss of power” in your walk with Christ? Are you there now? • Why do you think you experienced this “loss of power,” and how can you protect yourself against it? 2. Read Colossians 2:1-3. Aaron said, “The idea here is that there is a warehouse full with treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ. Most of us see Christ as sufficient to save us but we need something else to fulfill us. We think that we need Jesus and a good salary, Jesus and a boyfriend, or Jesus and a good golf game. Yet he is saying, ‘whatever issue is in front of you, Jesus has the wisdom and knowledge to equip you.’” • In what area of your life is Jesus not enough? Why? Read Colossians 2:4-5. Aaron said, “Satan’s favorite and most effective attack is the clever plausibility of teaching that is near enough to the truth to be respectable and far enough away to be devastating in how it affects our lives and the life of the church.” • Can you think of a time you heard a teaching that was far from the truth, but was close enough to be confusing? What made it far away enough to not be true? • Do you know Scripture well enough to be able to tell the difference? Why or why not?

3. Read Colossians 2:6-7. Aaron said, “You don’t graduate from the gospel and move on to something else. Rehearsing the gospel and exploring all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge of Christ is the way we grow. It’s how we stand firm. The goal is that we become bright, theologically informed, godly, rooted, established believers who feel and love deeply.” • How is your walk with Christ going? • In regards to your walk with Christ, where are you the weakest? (After everyone shares, pray over each person’s area of weakness.) • What is an area in your walk with Christ that encourages you? (As people share, encourage them in their areas of strength.) • Is it a priority of yours to spend time daily in God’s Word and prayer? Why or why not?

4. Read Colossians 2:8-11. • Verse 9 reads, “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him.” What does this mean and what implications does this have on our lives? • If Christ is in you and there is nothing more to add, and He is the head of all rule and authority, why do we run to other people and things to solve life’s problems and feel fulfilled?

Life Group Sermon Study

Built Up in Christ May 17-18, 2014

Application:

EQUIP

(These questions will challenge your group members to apply the study to their daily lives. It is highly important that you go over this section with your group each week for the group study to be a success. Set aside 15-20 minutes at the end of your study to go over this section.)

Read Colossians 2:12-15. Aaron said, “We are not saved because we are righteous, but because He is merciful. The penalty of sin is death. We were more than helpless. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. The whole story of how you got out of deadness is Jesus.” • Do you fully devote your life to Christ or are there certain areas of your life that you devote to other people or things? • What action steps can you take to fully devote your life to Christ? Prayer: Take some time to pray over each group member’s identified action steps and life issues. Equip Your Mind: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6-7, ESV)