Tonight our small group started a new Bible study on the book of Colossians. What the heck is a Colossian you say? Colossae was a city in what is today Turkey and home to one of very early Christian churches. They were having trouble trying to mix the message of Jesus Christ along with other religions and pagan rituals. Kind of like Oprah with her many paths to God philosophy that seem to be all the rage today. Seems not much has changed over the past 2,000 years!
The study material was designed by Stonecroft Ministries. If any of you have participated in a Stonecroft study you know they are primarily a women's based ministry, but after the first lesson, it seems to work just fine for everyone in our group, guys included. The cool thing is the study guide comes with its own New Testament and the study booklet refers to to scripture by page number as well as chapter and verse, so everyone can negotiate the Bible without getting lost or feeling embarrassed as they fumble through the pages looking for a passage.
Our small group has everyone in it from brand new believers to folks who have been in the word for many years. We all take turns reading and the study guide is very easy to use. The leaders guide is a great too and I would think anyone in our group could follow it and lead the Bible study. Hey if I can do it, believe me, anyone can. Colossians is a great study and we are all looking forward to it.
One of the best parts of the study for me is the prayer requests and praises session we have before we leave. Anyone in our group can ask the group to pray for a certain individual or issue that they are dealing with, our group is very confidential, what is said there stays there. That is the way it has to be to be effective. We also share our prayers that have been answered and any positive news we have.
We adjourn and have a cup of decaf and a desert, yea like I need that, but it is part of getting to know each other and a great way to end the evening.
If you attend a church, you really should join a small group, there are good ones out there and if you attend one and you don't feel comfortable, attend another until you find one that is right for you.
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