Colossians 4:2-18 Gospel Ministry

Discussion notes based on the sermon preached the morning of 28-8-22

STUDY MATERIAL

Read the passage again and don’t forget to start your meeting in prayer.

Particularly ask that the Holy Spirit would guide your discussion and help you to apply what is said in Scripture to your lives today. Sermons are available on the St John’s website or YouTube channel.

Sermon Outline

Colossians 4.2-18 ‘Gospel ministry’

Introduction: ‘behind the scenes’ of gospel ministry

1. Purpose of the local church (vv. 2-6)

– their prayers show what really matters!

2. Fellowship of the local church (vv. 7-17)

– no one man band, a mixed bunch of servants

3. Cost to the local church (v 3 and 18)

– yet they didn’t see it as a cost!

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. What are your own prayer habits like?  Based on verses 2-6, what changes do you think you might make to the content, frequency and attitude of your prayers?

2. According to Paul’s prayer request, what is the primary purpose of the local church?  What does that mean for us?

3. Verse 5 instructs us to ‘be wise in the way you act to outsiders…’, in the following examples what do you think Paul means when it comes to a) ‘make the most of every opportunity’ and b) in ‘your conversations…full of grace, seasoned with salt’?  What does this mean as we seek to SPEAK of Jesus?

4. From Verses 7-17, what do we discover about Paul’s relationship with his fellow workers?  What does this mean for the local church like ours?

5. Aristarchus was a Macedonian Jew; Onesimus was a runaway slave; Epaphras was a native Colossian minister; Nympha was a Laodicean woman; Mark was a past failure; Luke had been with Paul a long time. What do these facts tell you about the effect of the gospel and those involved?

6. From the passage, what costs are there to being a fellow worker of the gospel? Discuss what this might look like today for our witness?   

7. Looking back over the entire letter, what specific things have spoken to you and what applications are you making?  Spend a moment writing these down so you can come back to them.

Prayer:

Pray for God’s help to grasp the purpose of the local church and to be spurred on to speak of Jesus more in your everyday life.

Praise God that we are all involved with gospel ministry together as a church.