What practical effect will submission to the Lordship and uniqueness of Christ have upon the Christian's life Colossians ? What evidence of submissiveness do you find in your life? Where do you need to improve in this area? While in prison at Rome, Paul had led Onesimus, a runaway slave, to the Lord. He discovered that this slave's master was Philemon, a personal friend of Paul's living at Colosse.
In those days, the penalty for a slave who had run away was either death or brutal punishment. Paul wrote Philemon asking him to forgive Onesimus for what he had done and to receive him as a Christian brother.
This Epistle stands as a great example of the profound change for good that Christ makes in all human relations. State in your own words at least three arguments Paul used to persuade Philemon to receive Onesimus in love. Who do you know that needs this kind of forgiveness? The first epistles Paul ever wrote were those to the church he had founded at Thessalonica in Macedonia. These were written from Corinth Acts soon after Paul had left Thessalonica.
Paul had had to leave Thessalonica very hastily because of persecution Acts The enemies of the gospel there had tried to disillusion the newly won Christians by charging that Paul was only a fair-weather friend who had left them alone because of difficult circumstances. To answer this charge Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians. What effect had the Thessalonian's conversion had on the Christians of the surrounding area I Thessalonians ? The lives of those to whom Paul wrote had been changed.
How did this prove that those who had preached the gospel to them were godly men I Thessalonians ? Give two ways in which Paul's ministry at Thessalonica made it impossible for him to be an insincere person I Thessalonians Think of someone who exemplifies qualities that Paul had.
What can you learn from that person's example? Some questions regarding the circumstances of Christ's second coming had arisen after the Thessalonians received Paul's first epistle. They were troubled because they had to unjustly endure great sufferings and persecutions for Christ II Thessalonians Some also had become slack in doing their work because they thought Christ's second coming would occur at any moment.
What is to be his attitude toward work II Thessalonians ? How can you apply this to your life? These letters were written in the period between Paul's first Roman imprisonment in A. He wrote 1 and 2 Timothy to help Timothy in his work with the church at Ephesus. Titus was written to Paul's co-worker on the island of Crete. Read I Timothy 6. What are the two things that are necessary for contentment in life 1 Timothy ?
What great danger confronts those who seek after riches verses ? What attitude should Christians who are wealthy have toward money verses ?
How does money tempt you? Which verse will help you overcome this wrong desire? Paul wrote 2 Timothy just before he was martyred. He writes as though it may be his last word to Timothy. What two means will help Timothy remain true to his calling after Paul has gone II Timothy ; ?
List several ways this Bible study has helped you remain true. Paul wrote this Epistle after his first imprisonment in Rome to encourage Titus and strengthen his ability to minister under opposition. Paul instructed Titus to admonish the people to be "sound in the faith" and hold to "sound doctrine. What are some of the things a Christian should be careful to do in the unbelieving world in which he lives Titus ?
How can you apply verses 1 and 2 to a situation in your life? What reason does Paul give for a Christian living this way Titus ? En dash not Hyphen.
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Please enter your account email below. Continue Cancel. Remind Me. Old Testament. Back Psalms 1. Paul tells the church members that Timothy will visit them in the near future and asks that they receive him with kindness. Interrupting the main course of his letter to warn against the propaganda being circulated by Jewish legalists, he reviews his own experiences with Judaism and his conversion to the Christian faith.
With a few practical admonitions and a prayer for God's blessing on the Philippian church, Paul closes the letter. The Epistle to Philemon, a very short letter dealing with only one topic, certainly was written by Paul. Onesimus, Philemon's runaway slave, had in some way contacted Paul and come under the influence of the Christian gospel.
For Paul, the situation was in some respects threatening: For a slave to desert his master was considered a very serious offense legally punishable by death, and anyone who apprehended a runaway slave was to return the slave immediately to the slave's master.
How long Paul knew about Onesimus we are not told, but evidently it was long enough for Onesimus to receive instruction concerning the meaning of the gospel. Once Onesimus accepted the Christian gospel, Paul insisted that the slave return to his master.
Paul's purpose in writing this letter is to request that Philemon not only take back Onesimus as his slave but that he treat him as a brother in Christ. The letter is written in a most tactful manner, for Paul knows that Philemon has a legal right to put Onesimus to death.
Paul therefore appeals to Philemon's conscience as a Christian brother to recognize that Onesimus is not only a slave but also a child of God. In the eyes of the Roman government, Onesimus is a criminal deserving of death, but as Christians, both he and his master are brothers in Christ. The Epistle to the Colossians is addressed to a church that Paul did not visit. Epaphras, a visitor from Colossae, came to see Paul and brought news and greetings from the Christians in that city.
Following a series of conversations with this visitor, Paul wrote his letter to the Colossian church. One of the main purposes of the letter is to warn the church members about a certain dangerous philosophy that was making inroads in that community. The particular doctrine that Paul apparently had in mind was a form of Gnosticism, a mixture of both philosophical and religious ideas.
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