My Three: Introduction

Welcome to the study of the New Testament book of Colossians.  Over the next two weeks we are going to take a flying trip through Colossians in conjunction with Pastors Bart and Jeff as they preach a three Sunday series call ‘My Three’.  My Three will be looking at three of the most important possessions we have, our heads, our hearts and our hands and how through the practice of spiritual disciplines we must continually sharpen our use of each in order to be and do all that God desires.  We would encourage you to read each passage with an open and inquiring mind, asking questions of the text, pondering what they might mean and ultimately asking yourself how you can apply the wisdom in Colossians to your personal view of Christ, the world and your day-to-day faith and behavior.

The book of Colossians was written by the apostle Paul around 60 AD during his first imprisonment in Rome.  Paul’s authorship of this letter to the church at Colosse has been challenged, but none of those challenges has been convincing and the majority of scholars have no reason to doubt that Paul wrote this letter.

The city of Colosse was in the Lycus river valley of the Roman province of Asia in what we know as southwest Turkey.  Colosse in the first century AD was a city in decline.  It had rose to prominence as a major stop on the trade route from Ephesus in the west to the Euphrates River in the east but due to changes in the road system and politics had lost the prominence that it had once had.

The church at Colosse was one that Paul had not founded and he probably hadn’t visited at the time of his writing.  In all probability, the church had been founded during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus by Epaphras, who has come to Paul in Rome with news of the church which, in turn, has moved Paul to write this letter.

The Flatland Research Team is excited to be going on this spiritual journey with you.  We would welcome any comments or questions you might have regarding this study or anything else that might be on your mind.  Please feel free to post any questions or comments that you might have.

Be prepared to be challenged in your faith and view of just who Christ is as we ask Him to reveal Himself and His Truth to each of us.