Colossians 1:4-5a

Home group questions.1. How would you explain to a new Christian what mature Christianity looks like (e.g. what should be the goal of our Christian journey)? How would you encourage/mentor a new Christian to pursue those things?   2. Someone once asked me, “Why is faith so important to God?” How would you answer that question (see Hebrews 11:6; Ephesians 2:8-9)? What are some ways God grows our faith? How can we work toward growing in our own faith, in both the invisible aspect (our relationship with God) and in the way we display our faith? How does Hebrews 11 help us understand faith?   3. Love for our Christian family is of utmost importance to God (see John 13:34-35; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:14-18). How have you experienced love from your fellow believers and how did/does that effect your faith? We display love in different ways; how do you feel you best display your love for your fellow Christians? In what ways do you sometimes show a lack of love for others? How do you think you could change that?   4. Paul uses the triad of faith, hope and love numerous times as a short hand for Christian maturity (see 1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 5:5-6; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 1:3, 5:8; 1 Tim 4:10-12). How would you describe the interrelationship between faith, hope and love?   5. Alexander Maclaren wrote, “hope [in Colossians 1:4] is best taken as meaning not the emotion, but the object on which the emotion is fixed; not the faculty, but the thing hoped for; or in other words, that it is objective, not subjective." Why is hope as an objective reality as well as the feeling of hopefulness so important to keep our faith strong? How would you explain Paul’s statement that a “hope laid up in heaven” creates love for all the saints?   6. Discuss how Jesus is the ultimate display of faith, love and hope (hope as an objective reality not a feeling, i.e. He knew His destination). Consider Hebrews 12:1-2; Luke 23:43,46; Matthew 20:18-19 & 26:29,39,42. Although you may not be able to recall specific verses, what can you recall of Jesus showing faith, hope and love?