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.
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.
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 request and they relate to ones 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 was 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.
