Immersion Bible Studies: Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians - Softcover

Purdum, Stan; Withrow, Lisa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1426710852 ISBN 13: 9781426710858

Publisher: Abingdon Press, 2011

Synopsis

Journey inside the pages of Scripture to meet a personal God who enters individual lives and begins a creative work from the inside out. Shaped with the individual in mind, Immersion encourages simultaneous engagement both with the Word of God and with the God of the Word to become a new creation in Christ.

Immersion, inspired by a fresh translation--the Common English Bible--stands firmly on Scripture and helps readers explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of their personal faith. More importantly, they’ll be able to discover God’s revelation through readings and reflections.

About this title

About the Authors

Stan Purdum served as a full-time parish minister in Ohio for a number of years and retired recently after serving part-time as a pastor. He also works as a freelance writer and editor. He holds an education degree from Youngstown State University, a master of divinity from Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and a doctorate in ministry from Drew University.
Long an avid bicycle tourist, Stan has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including a cross-nation ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day and a trek that covered the entire length of US Route 62 (from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas), the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan is also the author of New Mercies I See, which is a collection of stories about God’s grace, and He Walked in Galilee, a study book on the ministry of Jesus. He writes regularly for Adult B

Lisa Withrow is an ordained Elder in East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, Professor of Christian Leadership and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. She recently has published Creating New Life: Creating a Process-Church for the Future (Chalice Press, 2008) and works with churches and judicatories on conflict and leadership issues.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians

Immersion Bible Studies

By Lisa R. Withrow, Stan Purdum

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2011 Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4267-1085-8

Contents

Immersion Bible Studies, 
1. Jesus Christ Is the Center, 
2. Christ at the Center Guides Our Actions, 
3. Living God's Message, 
4. Travelers Who Accompany Us Enliven Our Faith, 
5. Life Is Hard, But Hope Is Real, 
6. God's Future Speaks to Our Present, 
Leader Guide, 

CHAPTER 1

Jesus Christ Is the Center

Colossians 1–2

Claim Your Story

I find it very easy to be distracted by special offers, sales, deals, and desires to buy something new to "make me feel good." I like change. I was born with a sense of adventure, and I have trouble with routine. So the discipline of keeping Christ at the center of my life on a daily basis when life is percolating along nicely challenges me; I have to work to keep a discipline.

On the other hand, I have friends who do not like change (though they do not mind shopping). It is more comforting to live with the "known" rather than the "unknown." However, they too may have a challenge when it comes to keeping Christ at the center, because doing so often yields change in our lives. If change is unwelcome, then avoiding it may mean avoiding an in-depth relationship with Christ.

Ultimately, no matter where we land in terms of our attitude toward change, keeping Christ at the center of life is hard. To do so requires intentional thought and practice every day, which is no easy feat.

Are you a person who welcomes change or avoids it? What blocks you from living a disciplined life that includes prayer and relationship-building with Christ? What might happen if you could center on Christ more fully? How might your life change? Would that change be life-giving or frightening? Why?

If you were to develop a spiritual discipline, who might you turn to for help when you feel tempted to neglect it? Would it be easier to maintain a discipline by having a person or a small group walking alongside you? Might Christian life flow within a group as well as through individual prayer?

The doxology sung in many churches begins with the words, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow." What does this "flow of blessings" mean to Christians when Christ is our center? Are they personal blessings? Do they encompass more than blessings for ourselves? If so, whom do they include?

As we read the letter to the Colossians, we hear encouragement for a life centered in Christ. This life yields blessings that carry us through difficulty and joy day-by-day.

Enter the Bible Story

Introduction and Background

Scholars who study Paul's writings disagree about whether he wrote Colossians or one of his disciples did. The uncertainty is because Colossians has an emphasis different from other writings that are indisputedly Paul's. For example, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:20-24 about the tension between an only partly fulfilled realm of Christ in the present and the hoped-for, fully fulfilled future when Christ comes again. In contrast, Colossians focuses on transformation of the present by faith rather than emphasizing the future coming of Christ. Another difficulty in attributing this letter directly to Paul is that the words are presented in a celebratory way, in a poetic style rather than in Paul's usual confrontational manner.

So the question is whether Paul wrote this letter particularly for the Colossian and Laodicean Christians while he was in prison (where he might have changed his thinking), or whether a follower wrote in Pauline tradition, under Paul's name.

This practice of writing in a leader's name and using the leader's words was common in the era of the early church. We see this writer using Paul's typical benediction at the end of Colossians. We also see that this letter is similar in some ways to the letter to the Ephesians (written several decades later) in language and focus, indicating that the writer of Ephesians was familiar with the Colossian letter. Ultimately, we cannot be certain about the true authorship of this letter, though we know that it expresses Paul's concerns. However, for the sake of our study here, I will refer to the writer as Paul even though there are convincing arguments to the contrary, based on inconsistencies in style.

Colossians appears to have been written in response to a controversy brewing in the church in Colossae (in Asia Minor) that has no direct parallel in the church today. Yet the letter invites us into a discussion that is as relevant and timely now as it was then. The immediate issue in the Colossian church was its exposure to a philosophy that claimed itself as a higher and purer form of Christianity, but which, says the writer of Colossians, "conform[s] to human traditions and the way the world thinks and acts rather than Christ" (2:8). The topic connects for us in that the writer pushes for focus on the centrality of Christ in an unfocused world that pulls people in competing directions. The question of centering on Christ rather than the lures of the world is the thread running through Colossians.

We do not know who was applying the pressure to believe the philosophy the letter opposes, but we do know that Paul was concerned for the well-being of the church as it began to veer in directions that seemed unfaithful to Christ's message. Paul and his followers wanted the young church to notice what mattered, what was meaningful about a Christcentered faith and what fruits such a faith bears. This letter reminds them—and us—that meaning comes from living with Christ at our center no matter what our circumstances. Colossians provides us with a good picture of what Christ-centered living looks like in the midst of challenges and pressures.

Hymn to Christ

Without any information other than a letter and some historical fact-finding, it is difficult to understand exactly what question Paul was answering for the church in Colossae. We do know that the church founder and leader, Epaphras, was dealing with church conflict about Christian belief and practice there. The unsettled circumstances distracted members of the Colossae congregation from a focus on living in Christ. Paul wanted to support Epaphras as a leader in the congregation and did so by outlining right ways to think about faith and its meaning for life centered in Christ. In other words, the writer was calling for theological thinking or "doing" theology.

The letter aimed to expose false teachings familiar in the ancient world. These teachings were creeping into the Colossian Christian community, and some viewed them as a supplement to the gospel Paul proclaimed. Paul, however, reminded the church that they were born through baptism into a particular tradition that was directly related to the apostles of Christ. To do so, he employed theological thinking to create arguments meant to keep people from going astray from Christ as the center of their lives.

The letter begins with a Pauline-like greeting to the saints, the faithful of the church (1:1-2). Usually, Paul's letters and those written in his name open with thanksgiving and prayer, like many church services do today. Colossians offers an especially lovely introduction because it includes a hymn to Christ (1:15-20). This hymn and a few concluding remarks urge the faithful to remember the meaning of their conversion, the nature and role of Christ, and the significance of their baptism (1:15-23). As you read the hymn, what do you find there that speaks to your understanding of Christ? of your baptism? Do its words address why you are a Christian?

The hymn itself directly confronts the misleading teachings about the power and worthiness of other gods. It places Christ squarely and exclusively at the center of all time, creation, and power. Stay steadfast! urges the letter. Christ has accomplished your salvation through his death and you are worthy to stand before God (1:22-23)!

Having appealed to the tradition into which the Colossians were baptized, the writer moves to another reason for staying faithful to the gospel they'd originally received: Paul's authority as an apostle of Christ, which validates his proclamation. In the past, God's message may have seemed a mystery to most people, secret to all but a few elite persons. But now Paul, having been given divine authority to reveal God's message, makes it plainly known to everyone. Paul asserts that Christ in each person is the hope of glory and wholeness of life (1:24-29). Christ at the center of life is the meaning of life and brings meaning to daily living.

Misleading Teachings

The writer expounds further on Paul's ongoing relationship with the congregation, though Paul is not with them. Paul wants the Colossian Christians to know of his concern to strengthen them in love and provide instruction in the wisdom and knowledge of Christ. The writer urges the Colossians not to listen to the words of false teachers (2:1-5) and to stay true to the faith Paul has revealed to them.

Now we get to the arguments against specific erroneous teachings that the Colossians have encountered. Refuting those teachings is the main purpose of the letter, and what better way to counter them than to claim Paul's authority and the divine tradition from which it comes? Christ has revealed truth to the Christians. By contrast, human theories come and go. Further, Christ alone is the fullness of God, the giver of salvation and the supreme authority. No other gods can make this claim. Only in Christ can Christians find full maturity and wholeness (2:6-10). Other teachings are theories that dabble in the latest trends and ideas.

The writer next expounds on the centrality and truth of Christ as opposed to other teachings by addressing baptism. The writer compares baptism to circumcision (2:11-12). Through circumcision, an individual shed the body of flesh and was initiated into God's covenant with Israel. Through baptism, the individual sheds the body of flesh and is initiated into Christ's church. Baptism brings the person into the realm of God and out of the realm where the forces of evil work.

Another way to put it is to view baptism as a burial and rising again with Christ (2:12), an act through which God forgives sins and makes the individual spiritually alive through Christ (2:13). Therefore, salvation comes from Christ, not from rituals or rules that are enslaving. Christ rules over all other cosmic beings and earthly beings because Christ is the way of salvation (2:14). The writer seems to chortle a bit after driving home the point, claiming that God will put false teachers in a parade of disgrace for all to see (2:15)!

The writer speaks of dying to the old life through baptism and rising to a transformed life while we live on this earth. Salvation occurs when we do this (2:12-13). We are forgiven, delivered from death-dealing ways, and given new life. It is then up to us to continue in the way of salvation, inviting the ongoing transformations that are available to us as we move closer to the mind and heart of Christ.

Intention and Practice

Christ becomes the center of our lives as we live as Christ would have us live, think as Christ would have us think, pray as Christ would have us pray—even for enemies' well-being. As we do so, we grow deeper in knowledge, perseverance, and faith. Strangely enough, the purpose for our lives becomes clearer when we focus on Christ at the center rather than the cries of the world to hitch on to the success wagon or the latest and greatest trend. To keep Christ at the center requires intention and practice.

The letter continues now with specific examples. The advocates of the erroneous philosophy were telling the Colossians to follow certain dietary laws, a sacred calendar, rituals, and life-practices as the means to salvation. In other words, the church members were being invited to earn salvation in an elite group of the saved by following particular rules or seeing visions set out by the false teachers. "Nonsense!" claims our writer. Christ and Christ alone is the source of salvation (2:16-19).

For us in our time, it is easy to practice religion as a set of rules of right-living, accomplished only by the "pure" Christians, without infusing our actions with a spiritual life that is sustained in Christ's love and grace. Living in Christ's love bears fruit: growth in the knowledge of God, strength of patience and endurance, and joy in God's power (1:9-12). No one who desires salvation is to be excluded, and no works can "buy" salvation. It is through Christ that God's grace provides salvation.

As in the early church, we find today that there are many voices around us, enticing us into a life that others tell us will lead to success, prestige, or riches. A phenomenon that began in the United States and now has spread around the globe has been dubbed the "prosperity gospel." The warnings in Colossians could just as easily apply to the prosperity gospel as they did to the erroneous philosophy of its day. The prosperity gospel distorts Christian teachings, claiming that if we pray correctly, ask the right things of God, and live in accordance to the Scriptures, God will bless us with riches and success. To many people who are poor and hungry or who have lived hard lives in other ways, this distorted gospel sounds like good news indeed. The evidence that this technique works seems clear when the preacher promoting it lives in a multimillion dollar home. People want that life, or at least a life that is a little easier, a little less burdened. These preachers seem to know how to get it and entice others into their elite circles.

However, many people find that though they pray as directed, ask the "right" things of God, and live lives in accordance to the Scriptures, their circumstances do not change. "Pray harder!" the voices cry; "You must not be doing the right thing! God wants you to be rich and successful!" Eventually, for those who do not see these promised results, one of two things occurs: They either become disillusioned with Christianity or they see through the false teachings about rituals and success and try to find a faith that has more meaning than earthly rewards.

At the end of Chapter 2, the writer wonders why the Colossians are still bound to the worldly understanding of faith rather than to Christ. False religion, practices that are attempts to secure elite status before God, and public displays of prayer all are signs of self-indulgence.

So we learn in the first two chapters of Colossians what it means to remain steadfast in faith even when external pressures push us to live more centered on the world than on Christ. The writer claims that one cannot live this way and be faithful to Christ. What is required of us is that we are intentional about centering on Christ from whom all blessings flow.

Live the Story

The letter to the Colossians encourages us to keep Christ at the center of our lives. Christ died; and in that death, Christ brought us salvation and new life. This good news calls us to focus on what Christ means for us and how our life flows from Christ in the center.

What barriers keep Christ from being at the center of your life? How do these barriers stay in place? What might it take in terms of prayer and community support to address these barriers? What life-changes are you willing to make to address them?

What does new life mean for you? What will new life in Christ lead you to do differently? How might you invite others into new life? How would you describe the meaning of life with Christ at the center? What matters most based on what you have learned in the letter to the Colossians? What are your blessings flowing from Christ?

CHAPTER 2

Christ at the Center Guides Our Actions

Colossians 3–4

Claim Your Story

I am usually uncomfortable with personal conflict, especially when another person is raging at me. But my thinking about conflict changed when a friend suggested that the aggressor's actions might say more about that person than about me. That perspective helped me stop being so threatened and listen for what was causing the person discomfort or pain. To this day, anger and challenge still draw me up short; but after years of practice, I can ask myself, "What does this person need?"

All of us experience discord, sometimes even in the Christian community. Colossians reminds us that even though we may claim Christ, we sometimes find ourselves claiming things that are not of Christ as well. It's human nature to do so.

Imagine yourself managing a disagreement about the future of a group or of a congregation itself. You are trying to help folks find a way forward. But people are angry at each other; some want things to stay the way they have always been because the traditions are so meaningful while others want change in hope of bringing new life to the community. You notice that division occurs along age, gender, and in one case, family lines. You are aware that the conflict is escalating and people are beginning to displace their anger onto you. You ask, "What would Jesus do?" But the answer does not seem obvious.

How do you function in conflicted situations, when people are choosing sides? How do you treat them? How do you make decisions and help them make decisions? Are the answers to these questions what you want them to be?

What do you understand the Christian community to be? What is its purpose for the future? What is Christ doing in the world that calls for the church's help? What pain in the church community needs attention? What are you learning about people as they function in conflict?

The writer of Colossians does some theological work with the church in Colossae about these kinds of questions. Reliance on Christ's work in us and on the instruction found in this letter provide a way forward through difficult times, even those that leave us feeling like we live in disequilibrium.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians by Lisa R. Withrow, Stan Purdum. Copyright © 2011 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1426710852
• ISBN 13: 9781426710858
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 48