Colossians – Shema 10

Engage

Passage: Colossians 3:22-4:6

Disciples and Work

The why and value of work

• Do it all in the name of Jesus v 17 
• Give thanks to God v17
• As for the Lord v23
• You are serving the Lord Christ v24
• Receive reward v24 (1:12)
• Titus 2:10 so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive.

Shema listen and do

What is your vision for work?

The how of work

• Obey v23
  • Listen and do
• Give best at all times
  • With sincerity of heart & reverence to the Lord v22
  • Work with all your heart/soul/life v23
  • Not a people pleaser to win their favour v22
• Employers 4v1
  • Right/just and fair/equal

Shema listen and do

Call to prayer

• Watchfulness
• Thankfulness
• Intercession

Prayer for Paul

• Door to open
• Declare Jesus 
• Make it clear

Challenge to the church 

• Walk in wisdom to outsiders
• Make the best use of time 
• Speech
  • Gracious
  • Seasoned with salt
• Know how to answer everyone

Shema listen and do

Extend

In your group discuss the why and value of our work?

Why is it important that we reframe our work in the way we see in “engage” above?

How will this change our attitude and and work places?

The challenge of Titus 2:10 is powerful, discuss how living out Colossians 3:1-17 will help us be a positive witness.

Come up with a short vision statement for work.

We are to work with all our hearts what are the things that divide our hearts and therefore stop us giving our best?

Paul warns us against a false work ethic, why is it so tempting to work hard when the boss is around and slack of at other times?

Discuss how what Paul says in 4:2-6 can help us to work and fulfil the challenge of Titus 2:10?

Relationship Builder

Lingering on Our Frontlines

The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity has coined the term  ‘frontlines’ to describe the contexts in which we spend the majority of our waking time each week – for some maybe the workplace, for others among family and friends.

Frontlines – Our Work

Spend some time this week meditating on verses 3:22-4:1, in relationship to your own life and to the life of anyone else you feel drawn to pray for.

💡Read and re-read and think; listen (Shema) to Paul’s words over and over; ask God questions; speak or write or draw your reactions to God – do whatever helps you to linger with these words… … …

💡Dwell for a while on how this advice might look, if it were worked out in practice in your own life. To help you consider how doing what Paul says in verses 4:2-6 will help you on your frontlines.

💡After a couple of days with these verses, you may find it helpful to add into your reflection these thoughts from Dorothy L. Sayers’ essay, Why work?, written between the two world wars.

“How can anyone remain interested in a religion which seems to have no concern with nine-tenths of his life? The Church’s approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables. Church by all means, and decent forms of amusement, certainly – but what use is all that if in the very centre of his life and occupation he is insulting God with bad carpentry? No crooked table legs or ill-fitting drawers ever, I dare swear, came out of the carpenter’s shop at Nazareth. Nor, if they did, could anyone believe that they were made by the same hand that made Heaven and earth. No piety in the worker will compensate for work that is not true to itself; for any work that is untrue to its own technique is a living lie.”