Session 3: Colossians 1:24–2:5
18/03/2025, 14:43 RightNow Media
SESSION GOALS
Every session has a point—what each
participant should walk away from the
discussion knowing, feeling, and doing.
Main Idea: The mystery of God—the gospel—
proclaims the good news of salvation through
Jesus, roots us in the future hope of His return
and coming glory, and compels us toward
spiritual maturity in Christ.
Head Change: To know what it means to have
Christ in us and how that truth impacts our
lives.
Heart Change: To feel encouraged to pursue
Christian maturity.
Life Change: To act in a way that reflects that
Christ is in us.
OPEN
What’s your favorite mystery book, TV
show, or movie? Why is that one your
favorite?
In this session, we’re studying verses in
Colossians that talk about the mystery of God.
The good news is we don’t have to look far to
figure out the mystery—it’s already been
revealed to us through Christ.
READ
Read Colossians 1:24–2:5.
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WATCH
Before viewing the session, here are a few
important things to look for in Louie’s
teaching. As you watch, pay attention to how
Louie answers the following questions.
What’s the significance of both Jews and
Gentiles being a part of God’s family?
What’s the mystery of God Paul talks about
in these verses?
What’s the difference between Christ and
us and Christ in us?
Show Session 3: Colossians 1:24–2:5 (15
minutes)
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DISCUSS
We pick up this section of Colossians after
Paul exalted Jesus as supreme over all things
in the previous verses. Jesus is supreme,
sufficient, and the sustainer of all things. Paul
surrendered His life to serving Jesus and His
Church, so much so that he ended up in prison
for proclaiming the gospel. Even though he’s
in prison, how does Paul describe his
attitude in verse 24? (He rejoices in his
suffering.) Is that your typical response to
suffering? What do you think empowered
Paul to be able to rejoice in prison?
Paul counted it a joy to suffer for Jesus
because Jesus suffered so much for him. How
could Jesus’s suffering for you shape the
way you personally view pain and hardship?
Paul rejoiced in prison because he knew he
was joining in the sufferings of Christ. When
he says the afflictions of Christ were “lacking,”
he doesn’t mean Jesus’s suffering on the
cross wasn’t enough to save us. Instead, he’s
talking about the suffering of the Church—we
endure tribulation until the suffering of
believers ends when Christ returns. Jesus
suffers alongside us and grounds our hope
that one day it will all come to an end. How
does Jesus’s return bring you hope in times
of suffering?
What truths of Scripture have helped you in
times of suffering?
Read verses 25–27.
Paul had a firm foundation in the gospel truth
and his calling from God, which he describes
in verse 25. With this foundation and
conviction, he was able to look past his
current situation to focus on God. Describe
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an instance where the gospel helped you
look to God in the midst of a difficult time.
Paul knew God had called him to take the
gospel to the Gentiles—to those who were
outside the Jewish faith. Verses 26 and 27
remind us that the gospel isn’t for an elite
group of people. It’s for all people who put
their faith in Jesus, Jew and Gentile alike.
What difference does it make in your life
knowing that God chose to bring you into
His family? How could that truth impact the
way you treat believers you don’t naturally
click with?
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GO DEEPER
Learn more about how the Gentiles have
been brought into the family of God from
the following verses: Acts 10:34–35, 44–
45; Acts 11:15–18; Gal. 3:26–28; Eph.
3:1–6
Did the believers in the early church
think Gentiles could be part of God’s
family at first?
How did Peter’s experience change
their minds?
Why would Paul encourage the church
to be one in Christ? How might have
unity been difficult for Jews and
Gentiles?
How do we still face disunity today?
What do these verses have to say
about it?
God desires a unified and diverse people.
As members of His family, we should
strive to be unified as one. Each of us
partakes in the mystery—Christ is in each
of us. We can be united through Him.
The mystery of God is that Christ now unifies
God’s people—both Jews and Gentiles—by
being in them. Christ in us is the hope of glory
—the hope that we will one day share in
Jesus’s glory when He returns. Louie
explained the difference between Christ and
us and Christ in us. How would you describe
the difference between the two? Would you
add anything to Louie’s explanation?
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PEEK AT THE GREEK
The Greek word translated as “mystery”
is mysterion. Our English word, mystery,
implies there’s a secret that people have
been trying to uncover but failed to do so.
The Greek word mysterion speaks to a
deeper meaning—it’s something
previously unknown but God has
disclosed it to His people. Through
Jesus’s death and resurrection, God
revealed the mystery of His redemptive
plan that involves both Jews and Gentiles.
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As Louie explained, having a Christ-and-us
mentality makes us think we have to do all the
work to be the perfect Christian. He used the
illustration of a joint wrestling match.
Sometimes we think we have to fight through
life on our own and tag Jesus in when we’re
spent. What is it like when you live out the
Christ-and-you mentality? How does it
impact your thoughts and actions?
How does the Christ-and-you mentality fall
short of the true gospel? What’s the actual
truth? (The actual truth is Christ in you.)
Louie described living as Christ-in-you as
letting go of a rope. We sometimes strain to
hold our faith in our own hands. But the reality
is God is the one who’s done all the work and
He is the one to sustain us to follow Him every
day. How would you describe your attitude
towards your relationships with God? Do
you have an “and” mentality or an “in”
attitude?
What does it look like to walk in the reality
that Christ is in you? How does it differ
from living like it’s Christ and you?
Does believing the Christ-in-you truth
mean you stop everything you’re doing?
Why not?
Read verses 28–29.
What’s Paul’s goal for those he leads? (He
wants them to be fully mature in Christ.)
Where does Paul find his energy to make
that goal a reality? (He finds his energy in
Jesus.)
How does Paul’s goal and source of energy
prove that Christians aren’t supposed to
simply sit back and be lazy?
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Louie took us to these two verses to show that
just because Christ is in us doesn’t mean we
stop obeying and following Him. Our obedient
actions shouldn’t change much when we
realize Christ is in us. Instead, our attitude
changes: we obey because we know and love
Christ and realize He is in us, not because we
want to earn His favor or follow Him in our own
power.
Who do you know who best represents a
mature follower of Christ? What about them
shows they are mature?
For Paul, Christian maturity is a big deal. He’s
already talked about how he prays the
Colossians would grow in their faith in
Colossians 1:9–12. He begins chapter two by
explaining further what how he hopes the
Colossians will grow. R
Read Colossians 2:1–5.
Even though Paul never met the Colossians
(and the Laodiceans—church members from a
neighboring town), he wanted them to know
he cared about them and their spiritual
growth. What is Paul’s ultimate goal in the
Colossians’ maturity? (That they would not
be deceived by arguments that sounded good
but were actually lies.)
Verses 2 and 3 talk about the love,
understanding, wisdom, knowledge, and unity
that come with knowing Christ. How might
each of those things help someone stand
up against false teaching?
How have you grown in discernment since
you first followed Jesus? What do you do to
discern if something is true?
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Paul ends this section by mentioning that the
Colossians have a firm faith. What does it
mean to have a firm faith? What does a firm
faith have to do with Christian maturity?
As we grow in these truths—that there’s hope
beyond suffering, Christ is in us, and we
should be discerning—we will become mature
followers of Jesus. What are some practical
ways you could pursue growth in your
faith?
How could you remind yourself this week
that Christ is in you?
LAST WORD
Paul’s words in this passage remind us of the
hope found in the gospel message. In Jesus,
we know there’s an end to suffering—one day
He will return and renew all things. Through
Jesus, we’ve been given understanding to the
mystery of God. People of all nations can put
their trust in Him and He lives in every believer.
With these truths in mind, we can embrace the
challenge Paul gives to the Colossians to
pursue maturity. We can stand firm in our faith
and grow in knowledge, understanding, and
wisdom. We can begin by internalizing the
truth that Jesus is in us—we don’t have to
strive to earn salvation or God’s approval.
Instead, we obey from a place of love and an
intimate relationship with God.
This week, take a moment to sit in the truth of
the mystery of God. Ask Him to transform how
you perceive the Christian walk and empower
you to pursue maturity in Him. Let’s thank Him
for all He’s done for us as we close this
session.
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LIVE IT OUT
Pray: Ask God to transform the way you think
about following Him. Pray the truth that Christ
is in you would settle into your heart and mind
this week.
Write: Make two columns on a sheet of paper.
On one side, write what it’s like to live with the
Christ-and-me mentality Louie talked about.
One the other side, write what it means that
Christ is in you. Reflect on those differences
this week.
Ask: Talk to someone you consider a mature
Christian this week. Ask them what God has
used to mature them as they’ve followed
Christ. Take a moment to pray for them and
their walk with Jesus.
Study: Read John 15 this week and take note
of the attributes of Christ that appear in the
text. As you study, pray God would grow you in
the characteristics of Jesus.
Encourage: Share the truths discussed in this
section of Colossians with another Christian
this week. Encourage them that Christ is in
them by talking about the mystery of God.
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