Colossians Overview

Happy Good Friday!
For the index for the Colossians Study, click here.

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Here's what my overview of of Colossians looks like.  Don't worry if yours looks differently than mine; it's about digging into the Word!

Additionally, I looked over the markings for each chapter and picked a theme and key verse:

I also noticed four main sections of the letter:  Intro (1:1-2), Doctrine (1:3-2:23), Praxis/Practical Application (3:1-4:6), and Closing (4:7-18).

Moving Forward

Now that we have an overview of the book, we can move forward to the last step in OBSERVE: chapter-by-chapter study.

Start by reading through Colossians 1 a few times this weekend (at least twice) and try to get an idea of what the chapter is about.

Bonus Study:
If you did not see the themes or sections I found of the book, take some time to do that this weekend!  While the chapter themes may change through our chapter-by-chapter study, it's nice to have an idea of what each is about before jumping in.

Commands to the Colossians

For the index for the Colossians Study, click here.

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Chapters 2-4 are full of commands to the Colossians; below is a basic list of the commands and the passages associated.  As you probably noticed, many of these pair up with the warnings given previously.

1. Know that I (Paul) struggle for you (2:1-5)
2. Walk in Him (Jesus Christ) (2:6-7)
3. See to it you are not deceived, but stand in Christ (2:8)
4. Keep seeking and set your mind on things above (3:1-2)
5. Consider your old self dead; put aside sin (3:5-9)
6. Put on the new self; do all in the name of Jesus, whatever the task (3:10-4:1)
7. Pray always (4:2-4)
8. Conduct yourself well with others (4:5-6, 10)
9.  Share this letter and my (Paul's) message (4:16-17)
10. Remember me (Paul) (4:18)

Moving Forward
We have covered most of our overview of Colossians!  It's now time to look for any other significant literary devices (locations, allusions to time (before, after, when, soon), conclusion terms, etc) to mark or list in our Bibles.

When we move into the chapter studies, we can use this overview to keep in mind the whole of Paul's message.  Of course, if we uncover more detailed results, we can update our overview to reflect these findings.

Warnings to the Colossians

Having trouble finding your place in the study?  Check out the Colossians Study Index here.

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From the end of chapter 1 through chapter 2, Paul warns the Colossians against dangerous beliefs; here is my list of those warnings.

Many of the warnings match up with instructions and commands from Paul.

I am marking mine with a blue box, or you can make a list.

Key Words and Phrases in Colossians

For the index for the Colossians Study, click here.

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I listed over 30 key words and phrases in my study, but I narrowed my list down to a few that seemed to pop up throughout all four chapters and seemed to be "cornerstone" words, words on which the author's main point are built.

You may pick different words, or more or less than I did.  These words are the ones I think will best help me discover the book theme and chapter themes.  I would suggest keeping your list to 5-10 words.

I am marking warnings with a red stop sign with a "W."  Make a list or mark your Bible when you come across these.

What does Colossians reveal about Jesus Christ?

Merry Monday!  It's officially Week 2 of our study in Colossians!
For the index for the Colossians Study, click here.

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There is so much to learn about Christ in the book of Colossians that I actually made four lists in my study, one for each chapter of the book.

I noticed that I had a very long list for chapter 1 (20+ things), medium-sized lists for chapters 2 and 3 (about 15 each), and a very short list for chapter 4 (only 4 things).  This tells me that we will probably learn the most about Christ in the beginning parts of the book and other themes/people will be emphasized at the end of the book.  This is something to tuck away as we move forward in our study.

Again, I morphed my lists into a few key points:

While there is much more to learn about Jesus through the book of Colossians, this short list is certainly a head start!

This list will reveal the theme of the book and prepare us to move forward.

Look for repeated words (like "gospel" and "pray/prayer") or ideas (being dead and made alive) to get started.

To my readers: Thank you so much for joining me in this study!  Don't be afraid to leave comments with any questions or thoughts as we journey together!  I would love to hear what ideas and information you learned through your personal study.

What do we know about the Colossians?

I can't believe we've made it through our first week!  Congrats!
For the index of the Colossians Study, click here.

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I had an even longer list about the Colossians (including all the recipients) than about Paul!  Again, I have pared-down my list to a few key points about the Colossians.

This week we have focused on the author and recipients; next week we will finish our overview of the key people and features of the book!

What's Next?
While many Divine names are used in the book, I am sure you have noticed the emphasis on Jesus Christ and His work.  I will be marking my Bible distinctively where I see Jesus Christ (or a pronoun); then I will make a list of what I learn about Him as I did with Paul and the Colossians for Monday.

I keep the markings for Divine names the same through each study I do; here is an example of my markings for Jesus and for God (along with my authors marked):

Again, if you don't like to mark your Bible, make a list or try printing out a copy of the book (in your chosen version) with adequate space for marking.

When working on lessons or projects, I keep my printed copy in a 3-ring binder along with loose-leaf paper for notes.  That way, all of my thoughts and notes on the book are bound together for later use.

Optional Weekend Addition
I would love for you to join me in Praying through the World!  Each Sunday, I will be posting information about the three countries I am praying for that week.  Join me through this blog and add these countries to your prayer list for the week.

What does Colossians say about Paul?

We've made it to Day 4!
Having trouble finding your place in the study?  Check out the Colossians Study Index here.

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I came up with about 25 facts/traits about Paul from the book of Colossians.

If you have more or less, don't worry!  Again, inductive study is about you taking the time to study the Word for yourself; there are no right or wrong answers.

I took my list of facts and grouped them into 3 main points

Through these three main points, Paul has both shown that he has a right to speak to them (credentials), he has earned a right to be heard (concern), and that He understands the position they are in (commonality).

While there were other things I learned about Paul, I can add this short list in my Bible margin as a reminder when I study this book.  (If you are using the Binder method, you can add in a page about Paul or make your note on the printed page.)

There is no need to categorize between the two groups of recipients; just note what is known about them as a whole.

Colossians Author and Recipients

We've made it to Day 3!  Don't forget to PREPARE each day before moving forward!
For the index of the Colossians study, click here.

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After looking over my Bible markings, I was able to make a brief listing for each category.

Author(s)

--Paul (1:1, wrote letter himself 4:18)

--Timothy (1:1)

Paul's Company

--Epaphras (1:7, 4:12)

--Tychicus (4:7, perhaps the letter carrier)

--Onesimus (4:9)

--Aristarchus (4:10)

--Mark (4:10)

--Justus (4:11)

--Luke (4:14)

--Demas (4:14)

Recipients

--Saints and brethren at Colossae (1:2)

--Those at Laodicea (2:1, 4:13, 16)

--Those in Hierapolis (4:13)

--Nympha and the church in her home (4:15)

--Archippus (4:17)

I wrote my lists in the margin of my printed copy of Colossians.  You can keep them in a notebook or make a sheet for your binder, too.

Make your list by writing down what you learned and noting the passage.  If you'd like, you can streamline your results into a few basic points or categories.

Basics of Colossians

Welcome to Day 2 of our Colossians Study!  Were you able to find a few key people or themes?
For an index of the Colossians study, click here.

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After reading through Colossians a few times, these were the key people I found:

Here are a few of the key words and terms used throughout the book:

Finally, this is the main thought I saw in the book of Colossians:

Did you find any other key words?  Maybe other characters or events?  There is no right or wrong answers here; just what you picked up as you were reading.

Moving Forward
I like to mark my Bible, so I am going to begin marking some of these important pieces.

I am going to mark all listings of the author (including pertinent pronouns) distinctively in my Bible by underlining the author in blue.  I'm also going to mark the recipients by underlining in orange. (For terms that apply to both, such as "we" and "our," I double underline, once with each color.)

Remember:  If you don't want to mark your Bible, you can make a list about the author(s) and recipients in a notebook.

When working on lessons or projects, I keep a printed copy of the book in a 3-ring binder along with loose-leaf paper for notes.  That way, all of my thoughts and notes on the book are bound together for later use.