Week 8 – Colossians 2:16-23“We are FREE in Christ Jesus”

1. We are FREE in Christ Jesus, no longer under the _______.

2. We are FREE in Christ Jesus, by holding fast to ______ as the head, not puffed up by _________ ways of thinking.

3. We are FREE in Christ Jesus; we _______ to the ways of the world.

4. We are FREE in Christ Jesus; He is the One Who sets us free from our own __________.

Week 8 ~ Day 1 “Slaves & Sons”Please handwrite Colossians 2:16-17Please turn to Galatians chapter 4 and read verses 3-7.

What were we slaves to before Jesus?

But, when Jesus sent His Son (v.4), He was born under what?

Why? (v.5)

Because we have received adoptions as sons & daughters, what did God send into our hearts (v.6)?

Please write Galatians 4:7 here in ALL CAPS in the first person:

Because of Jesus Christ, YOU are no longer a slave, but YOU are a son/daughter!!! If YOU are God’s son or daughter, then YOU are an HEIR through God!!! Do not ever doubt it, my fellow heiress! Our Abba Father loves us, we are His, and He will never let go of us. Let’s

pour out our lives to serve Him today. Let’s let go of everything that is not of Him and receive the full assurance of His love and never-ending goodness toward us, His children. Thank You, Father!

Week 8 ~ Day 2 “For Freedom”Please handwrite Colossians 2:18

Today we will focus on Galatians 5:1, but for context, please read Galatians 4:21-5:1. And please write Galatians 5:1 here:

Why has Christ set us free?

What is His command to us in this scripture?

I want to give you a couple other translations to meditate on, circle the things that the Holy Spirit highlights for you as you read:

NLT: So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.

HCSB: Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don't submit again to a yoke of slavery.

AMP: In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be

hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].

Use the space below to respond to God about Galatians 5:1.

Week 8 ~ Day 3 “Growing with a growth that is from God”

Please handwrite Colossians 2:19

Since v.19 is talking about the body of Christ and the fact that it is God who makes it grow, I wanted us to look at another reference to God growing the body. He is a God who nourishes us and gives us everything we need, amen?!

Please read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. Paul is talking to the believers in Corinth about how they should mature in the Lord, not settle for living in the flesh, and not to say they follow anyone person, but Jesus Christ alone. He does not want them attaching themselves to any teacher/pastor/preacher/evangelist, etc., but only to give that credit for their growth (I believe it’s safe to say both individually and corporately) to God.

Have you ever been tempted to attach yourself or “follow” a certain deliverer of the message of Christ rather than ONLY to Christ Himself? If so, explain:

Praise God for sending workers to plant and water the seeds of truth in our lives! We need them. Praise God for allowing us to be good soil so that we can eventually bear good fruit! But, we must be constantly aware and sure to keep any idols out of our lives. Even the people who have poured into our lives can become idols if we are not careful.

I want to give you vv.6-9 in the Amplified Bible on the other side of this page, because I believe it gives such clarity to the passage: (cont..)1 Corinthians 3:6-9 AMP6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow and [He] gave the increase. 7 So neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but [only] God Who makes it grow and become greater. 8 He who plants and he who waters are equal (one in aim, of the same importance and esteem), yet each shall receive his own reward (wages), according to his own labor. 9 For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; you are God’s garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God’s building.

Now, look at v.7-8, what does he say about the workers, those who plant and water?

Who gave the growth?

v.8-9. What does Paul say that the workers are?

We are co-workers as servants of Christ. We should all have one aim. We are of the same importance and

esteem under the Name of Jesus. Unity in the body is Christ is so important. Let’s commit to working well together for the cause of the Kingdom of God. Make no mistake, He will grow it, but we are to work in His fields. Jesus is coming soon! Let’s grow up spiritually and go forth being the workers who are planting, watering and going out into the harvest fields, not just settling for being the harvest field ourselves. Mature us, Lord, we want to be those who are, spiritually speaking, ready for solid food!

Please write what Jesus said in Matthew 9:38 here:

(cont..)When I read this article, I knew I wanted to share it with you to read this week in your homework. You’ll see when you read that it’s Colossians 2:19 in living color. The body of Christ grows with a growth that is from God, as a result of Matt 9:38!

FROM: Denison Forum on Truth & Culture, 5/28/15

More people are coming to Christ today than ever before, many in areas especially dangerous for followers of Jesus. Some surveys put the number at 82,000 a day, others at 150,000 or even 175,000.  When I was in Beijing years ago, I was told that 100,000 people come to Christ every day in the People's Republic of China.  More than a million Cubans have trusted Christ in the last 10 years.

This spiritual awakening may have begun in South Korea, where five of the world's ten largest churches are now located.  It has spread to Central and South America, where evangelical Christianity is by far the fastest-growing demographic in the region.  If current trends continue, Brazil will be 50 percent born-again Christian by 2025.  As many as 28,000 trust Christ every day in sub-Saharan Africa.  Missionaries working in the Islamic world say that more Muslims have come to Christ in the last 15 years than the previous 15 centuries.How did this movement begin?  In prayer.

Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea began with six members in 1958.  Today it numbers more than 800,000 members.  At the heart of the church's ministry is its 4:00 A.M. prayer meeting.  Members pray through the evening every Friday.  Many Korean churches in the U.S. are following a similar pattern by praying all day each Saturday or on other days.

We find a similar pattern in other regions.  Cuban churches are filled for mid-week prayer services that last several hours.  It has been my privilege to attend many such services; each time I sensed the powerful anointing of God's Spirit.  When I was in Brazil, I was astounded by the deep commitment to intercession I witnessed.  In the Islamic world, I have encountered believers who are praying boldly and sacrificially for Jesus to reveal himself in visions and dreams to Muslims.  And multiplied thousands are coming to Christ as a result.

A. J. Gordon observed, "You can do more than pray after you have prayed; but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed."  John Wesley believed that "God does nothing except in response to believing prayer."  E. M. Bounds added, "God shapes the world by prayer."  And he noted, "Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still."

Are you praying every day for spiritual awakening to sweep your culture?  Can such an awakening begin with you?

Week 8 ~ Day 4 “Grace that is Greater”Please handwrite Colossians 2:20-22In these scriptures, Paul is talking about the legalistic rules that have been placed by man on other people in order to get closer to God. These things are non-sense, and Paul wants to make sure we know those rules are futile and useless. Things that perish with use, as v.22 says, and the things that are aligned with the commandments and doctrines of man, are to be ignored! It is God to Whom we answer.

Today, I want us to focus on a few things that we ARE told to stay away from by God’s Word. There are commandments, according to the Doctrine of the Most High God, that are not to be ignored. Refraining from these sins is the battle that rages daily. Our enemy the devil, the world, and our flesh war against righteousness. But, take heart, Jesus has overcome all 3!!! And by His power were are no longer slaves to sin!

Before we get into studying sin we need to avoid, let’s let this truth rest in our minds. Please write Romans 6:18 here:

Now, let’s read in Galatians again as we have this week, this time chapter 5:19-21. What are the acts of the sinful nature (the flesh)?

Take a moment and look at that list. Do you feel conviction over anything? If so, take a moment to confess it before your God:

(Cont…)Now, turn to Matthew 5:27-30. What is Jesus telling us about sin? Get rid of it, do not even toy with sin, it will lead to destruction!

Please turn to Romans 5. I assure you it will be worth it! As you read, if you mark in your Bible, highlight or mark the truths that The Lord presses into your heart.

Make a note of what things stand out to you as you read. Use this space below to do that. Please read Romans 5 now.

Week 8 ~ Day 5 “Life in the Spirit”Please handwrite Colossians 2:23Please read Romans 8:1-11If you are in Christ Jesus as a believer, what does v.1 promise you?

According to v.2, what has the law of the Spirit of life done for you and me and every other person who would call upon the Name of Jesus?

Vv.3-4 are so good! God did what the law could not do. The law was weakened by humanity because no one could fulfill it. So, God sent His own Son for us, BY sending His own Son to be sin, though not once did Jesus ever sin Himself. He is truly the spotless Lamb of God Who took away the sin of the world!

Please write 2 Corinthians 5:21 here:

Back to Romans 8:3-4, God condemned sin on the cross, so that the law would be fulfilled in us who are willing to walk by the Spirit and no longer by the flesh. When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His blood covers our sins once and for all. God sent Jesus to be the way to Him. There is no other way!

Now, let’s take a comparative look at Romans 8:5-11, note the differences between living by the Spirit versus living by the flesh. Go verse by verse and write what you learn about each. Turn the page over now, you’ll find the chart on the back.

(cont…)

Life in the Spirit vs. Life in the Flesh