Colossians 4:2-6

GO DEEP

(Colossians 4:2-6)

What must I believe (about God, myself, and my circumstances) if I am to “continue steadfastly in” (be on-call for) “prayer”?

What is Paul expecting Christians to do when he writes, “being watchful in it”? What is it that we are watching for?

Why is thanksgiving necessary? Imagine two people, one thankful, the other not, who are trying to live by this verse. What might their respective experiences be?

If a Christian is not thankful, what can he or she do to become thankful?

Do you think Christians should be more thankful than other people? Do you think they are? Are you more or less thankful than you were in the past?

If we pray for God to “open a door for the word,” what exactly will we be asking for? Is this an appropriate prayer for us to pray? Why?

The apostle asks the Colossians to pray that he can make the message of Christ clear to people. Have you ever thought about praying this for your pastor? Yourself?

Paul instructs the Colossians to walk in wisdom toward outsiders. Who are these outsiders? What might this wisdom entail? What might “making the best use of the time” require?

What is the opposite of the gracious speech of verse 6? How can speech be “seasoned with salt”?

Paul speaks of answering people (v. 6). What are they asking? And why are they asking it? (Compare 1 Peter 3:14-16).

What is more important: the content of our answers or our conduct in giving them? Can we accurately represent God with right answers if we give them in an argumentative manner?

Based on the texts above, are there changes that you might want to make in your life?