My Three: Slaves and Masters: Colossians 3:22-4:1
Today’s passage is Colossians 3:22-4:1.  Please join us in study.

Paul reminds us in these verses just who our ultimate Master is.  Although the traditional notion of master and slave is long gone, the same concept still applies to any of the other command hierarchies and structures that are prevalent in today’s society.  How do you treat your manager? How do you treat somebody working or reporting to you? Or even your co-worker? We need to keep in mind that we’re all working for Christ, our ultimate Master and our Head, who has a great plan for each of us regardless of what our current role happens to be. We just need to submit to Him.

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My Three: Rules for Christian Households: Colossians 3:18-21
Today’s passage is Colossians 3:18-21.  Please join us in study.

The hands are the tools we use to carry out the desires of our heart and mind. As our hearts and minds are purified in Christ, we need to use our hands to serve Him, who is our ultimate Master.  Only by knowing Him and allowing Him to work through us, can we live the life the He intends for us, which is far greater then any life that we can imagine. In the following verses, Paul gives us a few simple instructions to use as a starting point for our relationships, all of which are ultimately the foundation of the Body of Christ, regardless of whether they are in the home, at work or in the ‘church’.

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My Three: Holy Living (Part 2) – Colossians 3:12-17
Today’s passage is Colossians 3:12-17.  Please join us in study.

The crux of the biscuit is change, going from old to new, from operating under that old way of thinking to now choosing to operate under a new way of thinking.  That whole process requires that we get rid of the old ideas and assumptions and replace them with new and hopefully better ideas and assumptions.

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My Three: Rules for Holy Living – Colossians 3:1-11
Today’s passage is Colossians 3:1-11.  Please join us in study.

I don’t think that I agree that what Paul is talking about in these verses are ‘rules’ in the sense of hard and fast do’s and don’ts, but rather the dynamic application of the new understanding that we receive when we apply the death of Christ and what it means to our understanding of the world.

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My Three: Freedom (Part 2) – Colossians 2:16-23
Today’s passage is Colossians 2:16-23.  Please join us in study.

Apparently, the Colossian church was struggling with the reality of Christ and just how that is translated into the real world.  Paul is clear that they have faith in Christ (1:4; 2:6) and a fundamental grip on the Gospel (1:5; 1:23).  Their salvation is not an issue.  Their thinking about and understanding of Christ as reflected in their behavior is.

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My Three: Freedom from Regulation – Colossians 2:6-15
Today’s passage is Colossians 2:6-15.  Please join us in study.

In Western culture, the heart is seen as the seat of emotion, but in the ancient view, the heart is more than just emotion, it is that place where you thought and pondered on the knowledge that your head had gained and translated that knowledge into a view of the world around you.  It is that middle ground where head knowledge is translated into a world view that drives behavior and the work of one’s hands.  From that process the foundation for passion and emotion is built.  Paul’s passion for the Gospel was built on his understanding of who Christ was and just what that implied and meant for the world around him.  His was a world-view founded on Christ and worked out through his hands in the mission field.

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