Community Group Study Notes
- Have someone in your group give a brief recap of Sunday’s message, highlighting the primary Scripture points and the main idea of the message.
- How did this message strengthen and/or correct your previous ideas about being a co-worker with Christ? Was there anything you heard for the first time or that caught your attention, challenged, or confused you? Did you learn anything new about God or yourself this week?
- The sermon opens with the analogy of being added to a group text where you don't know all the names or context. When you first read the list of names in Colossians 4:7-18, which ones were unfamiliar to you? How does understanding their stories change your perspective on this passage?
- Paul mentions several people with powerful backstories - Onesimus (the runaway slave), Mark (who had previously deserted Paul), and Epaphras (imprisoned for the gospel). Which of these stories resonates most with you and why? How do these examples encourage you in your own spiritual journey?
- The sermon uses the domino analogy to illustrate the gospel's ripple effect. Thinking about your own life, who were the "dominos" that brought the gospel to you? How are you positioned to be a domino for others in your family, workplace, or community?
- Epaphras was "always wrestling in prayer" for the Colossians' spiritual maturity. The sermon suggests that prayer keeps us "facing the right direction" like properly aligned dominos. How would you honestly assess your current prayer life? What would "wrestling in prayer" look like for you practically?
- Paul's charge to Archippus was to "complete the ministry you have received in the Lord." What specific ministry or calling do you sense God has given you? What gaps might you be leaving in the gospel's ripple effect through your sphere of influence?
- What action step do you need to take in response to this week’s message? How can your group hold you accountable to this step?
Action Step
- Establish or expand a daily prayer time. Commit to praying for 3 specific people by name each day this week, asking God to help them "stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured."
