We have just finished a six lesson study of Col.1:9 – 14 and I thought I would include a brief summary in this blog entry.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9 - 14 NASB)
In our first lesson we phrased the passage and arranged the phrases according to value as shown below. (I lost quality when trying to convert to a photo, but I wanted to keep the color and structure that would be lost if I sent text to the blog.)
As we look at the structure we see the word “pray” standing out by itself. This passage is about a prayer. At the next level in we see “asking” and “giving thanks”. This prayer has two major parts; making a request and giving of thanks. Under “asking” there are three points at the next level in. Those are the three requests and they relate to one's knowledge, their walk, and their strength. Under “giving thanks” there are also three points: being qualified, being delivered, and being transferred. Under each of the six points is information that describes the point.
It takes time and thought to phrase out a passage, but that is the purpose. The result is a visible outline you can learn and teach from. The first lesson was to form this structure and see the overview. That in itself was a good lesson. One lesson was assigned to each of the first four points and one lesson covered the last two points, resulting in six lessons of marvelous study that were rich, deep, and informative.
As I typed the period to the last sentence I sensed that I should write five more blog entries to cover the lessons and post them over the next three weeks.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9 - 14 NASB)
In our first lesson we phrased the passage and arranged the phrases according to value as shown below. (I lost quality when trying to convert to a photo, but I wanted to keep the color and structure that would be lost if I sent text to the blog.)
As we look at the structure we see the word “pray” standing out by itself. This passage is about a prayer. At the next level in we see “asking” and “giving thanks”. This prayer has two major parts; making a request and giving of thanks. Under “asking” there are three points at the next level in. Those are the three requests and they relate to one's knowledge, their walk, and their strength. Under “giving thanks” there are also three points: being qualified, being delivered, and being transferred. Under each of the six points is information that describes the point.
It takes time and thought to phrase out a passage, but that is the purpose. The result is a visible outline you can learn and teach from. The first lesson was to form this structure and see the overview. That in itself was a good lesson. One lesson was assigned to each of the first four points and one lesson covered the last two points, resulting in six lessons of marvelous study that were rich, deep, and informative.
As I typed the period to the last sentence I sensed that I should write five more blog entries to cover the lessons and post them over the next three weeks.
