Colossians

Discovery Bible Study Facilitators’ Reference

Download the guide as a PDF

The method employed by Discovery Bible Study is meant to promote the idea that it is the Holy Spirit, not a person, who is leading and teaching the group. A facilitator is appointed each week to keep the group on track, and everyone in the group should take turns acting as the facilitator.

The questions below are meant to be a reference, both to help new facilitators remember the questions, and to help refresh the wording and intent of the questions in the minds of long-time facilitators.

CONNECT

Center Ourselves and the Group

Invite the group to do something to center themselves (and the group as a whole) to reflect a posture of openness and worship as they prepare to engage.

• Sing a worship song together
• Listen to a worship song together
• Have a moment of reflective meditation

Share God’s Work

How have you seen God at work recently?

• Helping you put into practice something we learned
• Giving you a chance to share something we learned
• Doing something to help you or someone else
• Speaking to you in a specific way
• Answering a specific prayer

Invite God’s Presence

Thank God for the ways he has been at work and invite him to speak to us as we read his word together.

DISCOVER

Read the Passage

Let’s read the passage together (preferably twice / in two different versions).

Restate the Author’s Message

If a story: Summarize the content of the story. If something else: Summarize what the author was trying to communicate to the original audience. Preferably, do this without looking at your Bible.

Note Your Response

How did you feel when you read this passage? For example, something that:

• Caught your attention
• You appreciated
• You were bothered by
• You found hard to understand

Uncover the Principles

What universal Biblical truths are being revealed in this passage?

How does this passage reflect the Bible’s central focus on Jesus?

What are the things we discover:

• About the nature of God or how he relates to people?
• About the nature of humanity or how we should relate to God?
• About how people should relate to each other?

ACT

Implement the Principles in Your Life

After reading this passage, what effect will it have on your life?

• How will you feel differently?
• How will you think differently?
• How will you behave differently?

What is one way you could put this passage into action in your life over the next week(s)?

Share What You Learned

Is there some way you can share what we talked about today with someone in your life?

• By telling them
• By demonstrating it in your life

Care for Those Around You

Is there some need you’re aware of that the group could help meet?

Unit 1: The Cosmic Christ (1:1–20)

Summary

Paul begins with a prayer of thanksgiving for the Colossians’ faith, which leads directly into the “Christ Hymn.”

Thematic Flow

By establishing Christ as the image of the invisible God and the reconciler of all things, Paul ensures that the practical instructions later in the book are grounded in cosmic reality.

Unit 2: The Mystery and the Labor (1:21–2:7)

Summary

Paul describes his ministry as a “steward” of the mystery: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” It ends with a call to “walk in Him.”

Thematic Flow

This section bridges the gap between the Cosmic Christ and the local church, showing that the King is intimately involved with their growth toward maturity.

Unit 3: Freedom from Shadows (2:8–23)

Summary

Paul warns against human traditions. Since the Colossians have been raised with Christ, they are no longer subject to legalistic rules.

Thematic Flow

Paul argues that religious rules are merely “shadows”; the “substance” is Christ. Finding spiritual “extra credit” in human systems is a step backward.

Unit 4: The Resurrected Life (3:1–17)

Summary

Paul tells the believers to “put on” the new self—clothed in compassion, kindness, and love.

Thematic Flow

This moves from belief to behavior. The “New Self” dissolves social barriers because Christ is all and in all.

Unit 5: New Relationships (3:18–4:6)

Summary

Includes “household codes” and instructions on interacting with the outside world through prayer and wise speech.

Thematic Flow

Paul subverts ancient status quos by giving dignity to those typically lacking it, demanding everyone answer to a higher Master.

Unit 6: The New Community (4:7–18)

Summary

Personal greetings involving a diverse group: Tychicus, Onesimus, Mark, Luke, and Nympha.

Thematic Flow

A living demonstration of the “New Community.” This diverse team proves that the Gospel is a new way of being human together.