God's Fellowship

Joy in Suffering

Colossians 1:24-2:5

The Bible doesn't sugarcoat things. It's very honest about how difficult life can be. The author of Colossians, Paul, was clear that followers of Jesus should expect to face troubles and challenges. But he was also clear that when we do, we somehow join with the sufferings of Jesus himself, which in a strange upside-down way is an undeserved honor.

Paul wrote from experience. He was imprisoned (more than once) for preaching the good news about Jesus being the promised Savior and Lord. He wasn’t just spouting words that sounded good or that he hoped were true. He knew they were true. He’d experienced the power of Jesus personally.

For Paul, being thrown in jail was worth it. He was determined to tell people the truth about Jesus Christ. He was determined to warn people about the world’s lies. He was determined to teach people the wisdom he had learned during many years of studying Scripture (for him that would have been the Hebrew scriptures, or Old Testament). He was determined to explain what it meant to fully follow Jesus.

He did all these things because of his love for Christ. Then he wrote about these things to churches all across the ancient world so that his listeners would grow and become mature followers of Jesus. Today, we get to listen in to those letters and learn from them, too.

Paul was committed to proclaiming the “entire message” of God so it would be “fully known.” Then God's children would have “full assurance” and “complete confidence” that they understand Christ — who he is, what he did during his life on earth, and what he is doing now.

Read & Reflect

Colossians 1:24-2:5

Paul willingly suffered and risked imprisonment so people would know God’s “full message.” What do you think the "full message" of God is? What parts of the good news might people be more interested in? What parts might people be less interested in? What might be dangerous about knowing only partial truths about God and faith?
Write about how you understand and experience “Christ in you."
Have you ever faced troubles or challenges because of your faith in Jesus? How do you deal with that?
What do you learn about God in these verses? (When Paul writes "God" he almost always means the Father.)
What do you learn about Jesus in these verses? (When Paul writes "Lord" he almost always means Jesus.)
What do you learn about the Holy Spirit in these verses?
What do you learn about humanity and yourself in these verses?

Extra Info

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Some people think following Jesus means life will be happy, easy, fun, successful, and full of earthly blessings like money, fame, good jobs good health, and lots of awesome possessions.

That idea doesn’t come from the Bible. Most often the Bible reminds us that life is full of difficulties and that following Jesus doesn’t necessarily eliminate those difficulties. In fact, following Jesus often includes its own set of difficulties — like giving up our selfish desires, loving all people even those who are considered enemies, humbly serving others, and so many more.

Dear brothers and sisters, WHEN troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy ... (read more in James 1).

Extra Verses

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Romans 5:3-5

James 1:2-4

Extra Things

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2103 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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