Grow Group Questions-In Him-Feb. 28, 2021
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GROW GROUP QUESTIONS
In Him – Colossians 2:1-15 – February 28, 2021
Conversation Starter/Questions (10 minutes)
Pastor Thad’s opener had to do with a funny Sunday School class joke (the squirrel joke). What is one of the funniest moments you can think of from either a Sunday School class or a small group you have attended?
BEFORE YOU START: Remember you do not need to do all these questions. They are here to help get the discussion going and get into the text from Sunday. The goal is to find what God is teaching us and how God is calling us to apply these in our lives as we strive toward Passionately Follow Christ Together.
Sermon Based Questions (15-20 minutes)
Read Colossians 2:1-15 as a review for discussion
Think back to the story of Athanasius of Alexandria. He was certainly a brave Christian and staunch defender of orthodox Christology.
Athanasius understood that the presence of God amid humankind and the incarnation of Jesus is the heart of Christianity and the central fact of all human history. -Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity
What does his life teach us about the nature or challenge of heresy and the importance of defending doctrine, particularly about the doctrine of Christ?
Why is the Doctrine of Christ of such high importance over some other doctrines we might be ok with having different perspectives on?
In Colossians 2, Paul’s desire to note the sufficiency of Christ is highlighted. Take a moment and read verses 6-7, 9-10 and notice the repetitions of “IN HIM”.
What is Paul telling us about Jesus in these examples? Why do you think he was so repetitive?
How should Paul telling us this impact our lives based on these truths?
4. Look at Colossians 2, verses 4 and 8.
What plausible arguments or philosophies in our culture today do you see contending with the truths we find in scriptures? Why do you think they look so “plausible” even to Christians?
How have any of these (or others) caused you trouble in your Christian life or in your faith? How did you deal with these challenges? Where did you find answers?
Digging Deeper (20-25 minutes)
Read the quote and discuss through some of the questions below
“Christians must not forfeit the realms of philosophy, morality, or science. Rather, Christians should be champions in these areas of higher thought unashamedly undergirded by our foundation of deeply held presuppositions of absolute truth, the truth that is Jesus, His divinity, and that truth that comes from His Word. Those who disagree with us will do no less with their own foundational presuppositional truths, of which they are certainly not ashamed. The beginning then is discovering or personally determining what we believe about where the foundation of truth lies. For the Christian, it is Jesus.”
Let’s define presuppositional truths: Presuppositional truth is the phenomena where a truth is assumed and taken for granted by the person presenting an argument without referencing those presuppositions, normally.
Why are these Truths important to identify in what we believe and how we talk about what we believe?
Why are these Truths important to identify in others through what they believe, both in agreement and in disagreement with our faith?
What do you think should be the interaction between faith and academic fields? Or, should Christians just read their Bibles?
Paul confronted heresy that delegitimized Christ and that would lead the Colossians away from a true faith. In the Evangelical Free Church, we say [Statement of Faith] “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, charity. In all things, Jesus Christ.”
What does this tell us about what Paul was doing in Colossians?
How do we know when Christians should confront heresy or incorrect doctrine versus being ok with something being a “non-essentials” where we can still find love and unity even in our differences”
Challenge and Prayer (10-15 minutes)
Read Colossians 2:6-7, 9; 2 Peter 3:17-18. This is both a call to growing in relational intimacy with God and growth in knowledge.
What is a way God is asking you to Grow in how you live this out in your life as you follow Him? (Share with each other for prayer)
Encouragement: Consider where you may have a friend or associate who struggles with the claims of Christianity. Would you consider studying in that area and see if you might be able to help them with their intellectual struggles. Perhaps this might also be a good challenge for your own struggles or places of doubt.
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