Part 1
Part 1
Faithful in the Church
The Apostle Paul praised the Colossians for being a faithful church. He had never visited Colossae but had heard of the church’s faithfulness from others.
They were not merely ‘playing church’ but were being the church. The church demonstrated four key characteristics: possessing a passionate faith, extending an inclusive love, sharing a dynamic message, and clinging to a motivating hope.
A faithful church is made up of faithful people who take seriously Jesus’s mandate to go and make disciples. It is startling that globally, someone dies every three seconds and most die without Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in their lives. What does it look like to be a faithful church and proclaim a dynamic message?
Read Colossians 1:1-6
Discuss
Bearing Fruit
- Read Acts 2:36-39. In the early days of the Church, the Apostle Peter preached a powerful and impactful message to those gathered in Jerusalem. What happened when people heard the dynamic message of God’s grace? What makes a message impactful for you?
- Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. What did Paul do to ensure everyone had a chance to engage in hearing the good news? When the Gospel is presented in a way that people can relate to and is culturally relevant to them, it significantly impacts them. How can you share faith in a dynamic way?
Growing Church
- Can a church be too big? Read Acts 2:40-47. What is God’s heart for all people, and what was the early church’s response to this? Read Revelation 20:15. How do you respond to the statement, ‘The problem is not that the church is getting too big, it is that hell is getting too big and too many people are going to be there’?
- Read Romans 10:11-15. What does Paul urge believers to do? Do you have friends, colleagues or family who don’t know Jesus? What impact does this have on you? Does it motivate you to pray for them, change the conversations you have with them, and impact the way you get involved in the church’s mission?
Joyful Church
- Have you ever lost something of great value to you and then found it? How did you feel? Read Luke 15:8-10. How do you feel when you know someone doesn’t have Jesus in their life? What is heaven’s response when someone comes to faith in Jesus?
- Do you know someone who has had a life-transforming encounter with Jesus? What is it like to be around them? Read Mark 5:18-20. What did the man do after he encountered Jesus and was freed from demonic possession? Have you experienced sharing the gospel message with someone and seen a change in them? Is there anything more joyful than experiencing someone coming to faith?
Respond
“I built a crowd, but I did not build a church”– Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, major figure in British Evangelicalism in the 20th century.
It is easy for us to fall into the trap of playing church rather than being the faithful Church. Paul knew the church in Colossae by their reputation for faithfulness. Discuss how we want Crossway to be known across our cities, nation, and the nations. As a follower of Jesus, what reputation do you want to have?
A faithful church is made of faithful people who are faithful to Jesus until he returns, no matter the cost. An important part of being faithful is passionately sharing the good news about Jesus. Pray for one another that you will have an opportunity to share your love of Jesus with someone in your life this week.