Bible Study Update

​It’s a wrap!  Over in the “Bible Study” section we’ve finally finished our adventure through the book of Hosea.  After five months and forty-four posts later, we’ve come out of our adventure with a greater appreciation for God’s holiness, His justice, and mostly His incredible love--how far He’s willing to go to pursue His wayward children.  At least that’s what I came away with and hope you did too!

​Now it’s time for a new book of study.  I generally leave some down time in between studies, but I’m really excited about the next book we’re going to go through!  So we’re going to jump right into something new. 
 
From Hosea, travel in time about seven hundred years and journey to the region of modern day Turkey.  Move about 100 miles inland from Ephesus and you’ll find a young church pouring over a priceless letter from the great Apostle, missionary, and spiritual father Paul.  After months of disturbing teachings and doctrines from out-of-town preachers, this loving, powerful letter was like a breath of fresh air and hope to these early Christians. 
 
What was in that letter?  What did Paul say?  Why did Paul write to them?  How could that letter bring so much hope to those believers?
 
Let’s find out!  Let’s journey across time, miles, cultures, and history and join these fellow believers and see what the renowned, dear loved Apostle Paul wrote them.  And let’s discover how those same words, written over a thousand years ago, still hold true and applicable for us today.

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​One of Paul’s Prison Epistles, Colossians was written to the believers located in the region of Colossae, a group of people Paul had never met.  It was written to encourage the believers and dispute the lies that were infiltrating the church—lies that Christ was not enough.  So Paul sent them a power-packed letter filled with invaluable doctrine and life-giving truth. 
 
At the time of its writing (circa A.D. 60), the Colossian Christians were battling with what is now known as the Colossae Heresy.  False teachers were coming into the church underneath the title of “Christian” and adding to the gospel, declaring that there were certain “secrets” or “mysteries” that had only been revealed to them.  In a day and age when all other religions had many layers or secret mysteries, this would have seemed plausible to the early church at Colossae.  But when Paul caught wind of what was happening, he was quick to remind them of the truth and to explain that the mystery or secret had already been revealed through Jesus Christ.  He warned them to not become so easily deceived by the teachings of man but to rather grow in Christ and in the knowledge of Him. 
 
While Colossians was written centuries ago, it remains relevant and holds many truths and applications for us today.  We might not be confronted with issues such as Gnosticism or the Colossae Heresy, but there are other false doctrines and teachers out there trying to inject lies into the church.  Our culture and society is saturated with false teachings and lies, and they are doing their best to share those lies and indoctrinate all who might be swayed from the truth.  So Paul’s first century letter to the Colossians and warning against being taken captive in thought and philosophy rings true now more than ever. 
 
Join me as we dive into the book of Colossians and discover how we can live out, take hold of, and apply its message, which could be summarized as:  the mystery revealed, Christ is enough, so walk in newness of life.  May this life-giving and power-packed epistle give your spiritual life and mindset a whole new perspective!  From the awesomeness of who Jesus was and is and what He’s done for us to the nitty-gritty of everyday life and how we should live it as followers of Christ, this book has something for everyone.  So let’s get started!

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ.  For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”
~Colossians 2:8-10
 
“The mystery hidden for ages and generation but now revealed to his saints.  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”
~Colossians 1:26-28

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​We’ll start this study on Wednesday and share new lessons, truths, life applications, and insights from this power-packed book each Wednesday and Saturday for the next ten weeks.  So I hope you will join us for this study in the pages of God’s Word!
 
 
(Note:  If you’re already subscribed to the “Bible Study” email list you’ll keep getting the emails for the new study.  But if you’re new to So I Fix My Eyes and would like to receive email updates as we go through Colossians, you can do so by subscribing to our email list and choosing the option “Bible Study”.)