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5

Set your minds on things above

Colossians 3:1-12

  • Session: 5
  • Week: 1
  • Day: 3
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Introduction

In this session, Colossians chapter 3: 1-12, we will focus on understanding how individual believers and members of the community of faith who are seated with Christ in heavenly places should practically respond (walk) here on earth. Ie, how a male, female, husband, wife, child, slave, master should practically do here on earth.

Objectives

By the end of this session, the learner will have:

  • Understood the dynamics of being a dual citizen by highlighting what to put to death and what to clothe on to rule the world we live in.
  • Appreciated 5 specific relationships of the new community and how to relate to rule and influence their world.

Outline

  • How members of the new community walk on earth
  • What to put to death in our walk
  • Set your mind on things above
  • Dual citizenship

Group Study Time

Colossians 3:1-12

Connecting

  • Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
  • Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
  • Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
  • Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.

Comprehending

  • What do you understand by our dual citizenship status? (Our new life in Christ)
  • Read Colossians 3:1-6. As dual citizens (seated with Christ and walking with Christ), how do those made alive in Christ ought to live a victorious life in a dark world? List the 4 main actions
  • Read Colossians 3: 5-7. List the 3, specific earthly natural things to put to death to inherit the kingdom of God? Why do you put them to death?
  • Because you have put off the old self and put on the new self, list some specific practices you should get rid of. Colossians 3:8-10
  • What does it mean to be a New, One, chosen, beloved, and Holy community of Faith? Colossians 3:11-12.

Committing

  • Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
  • List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
  • Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
  • Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
    • Sin to confess
    • Promise to claim
    • Attitude to change
    • Command to keep
    • Error to change
    • Prayer to make
    • Example to copy
    • Truth to obey and
    • Something praiseworthy

Communicating

  • Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
  • Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
  • Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.

Post Lesson Teaching Summary

Great job completing the study! Take a moment to listen to this summary to reinforce your group’s understanding of the text and ensure you’re all on the same page. We’re here to support your learning journey!

Set your minds on things above

Colossians 3:1-12

Colossians 3:1-12

Context

  • This session addresses practical instructions in Colossians 3:1-12, following personal and theological instructions given earlier.
  • Personal instructions encourage believers to live in Christ since they are raised with Him, while theological instructions provide knowledge about Christ’s heavenly position, His death, and redemption.
  • Having been transferred to the kingdom of light with dual citizenship, believers must respond practically to live out their faith.
  • The instructions focus on setting hearts and minds on heavenly things, putting to death the earthly nature, and adopting the new self in Christ’s image.

Practical Instructions (Colossians 3:1-12)

  • Set Hearts Above: Since believers have been raised with Christ, they should set their hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at God’s right hand.
  • Set Minds Above: Believers should set their minds on heavenly things, not on earthly matters.
  • Died and Hidden: Believers have died, and their life is now hidden with Christ in God; when Christ, who is their life, appears, they will also appear with Him in glory.
  • Put to Death Earthly Nature: Believers should put to death whatever belongs to their earthly nature, including sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry, because God’s wrath is coming due to these sins.
  • Former Way of Life: Believers used to walk in these sinful ways in their former life, but now they must rid themselves of anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from their lips.
  • Do Not Lie: Believers should not lie to each other, having taken off the old self with its sinful practices.
  • Put on New Self: Believers have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
  • No Distinctions: In Christ, there is no distinction between Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, for Christ is all and is in all.
  • Clothe as Chosen: As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, believers should clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
  • Bear and Forgive: Believers should bear with each other and forgive one another if anyone has a grievance against someone, forgiving as the Lord forgave them.
  • Put on Love: Above all virtues, believers should put on love, which binds all virtues together in perfect unity.

Application

  • Believers should live together as God’s children by putting off old sinful habits and putting on heavenly virtues, such as compassion and love, to access God’s power and exercise kingdom authority.
Close

How to use these studies

These lessons are designed as short, 25-minute studies based on Bible truths, and meant for self-learning or small group study. The study sets systematically cover different books of the Bible. 

Each lesson follows a simple structure:

  • Introduction (Including the outline and objectives)
  • Step 1: Connecting
  • Step 2: Comprehending
  • Step 3: Committing
  • Step 4: Communicating

These sections include questions to help you reflect on the bible passage and how it applies to your life. 

Use these lessons to disciple others by journeying together over time and allowing God’s word to penetrate your heart and bring transforming change to your life. As a leader, pray for wisdom in leading and for modelling the truths in your own life.

Sharing offline

  • Mobile Friendly PDF
  • Print Friendly PDF
  • Full Study PDF

Each lesson has three buttons allowing you to download a easily saveable and shareable PDF version of the study. You can choose either a Mobile-friendly PDF version, and Print-friendly PDF version, or a print version of the Full Study PDF (for example all the lessons in the current book of the Bible).

These are free and can be easily copied and shared from one person to another!

Gathering a Small Group

Start small to build a safe space for sharing and growth.

  • Pray first: Ask God to show you 3-6 people who need encouragement in faith, like family, neighbors, or fellow believers facing hardship.
  • Invite personally: Meet one-on-one, explain how the lessons are designed to help people grow in their faith and knowledge of God and his Word.
  • Keep it simple: Meet in a home or quiet spot; no need for fancy setup – just willing hearts.
  • Aim for consistency: Suggest weekly meetings, but be flexible for busy lives or safety concerns in persecuted areas.

Trust helps everyone open up, reflect, and apply truths without fear.

  • Start with sharing: In the first meeting, share simple stories of your own faith struggles to show vulnerability.
  • Set ground rules: Agree to listen without judging, keep stories private, and focus on encouraging each other.
  • Build bonds: Begin each session with a short prayer or song inviting God to be present with you.
  • Be patient: Trust grows over time – encourage quiet members gently, and celebrate small steps of honesty.

Good preparation makes the lesson flow and helps discipleship.

  • Read ahead: Study the lesson before; pray over the Bible passage and think how it fits your group’s challenges.
  • Adapt for the group: Use simple words; if literacy is low, read aloud slowly and explain questions or stories.
  • Gather basics: Have a Bible (in your language) and paper for notes.
  • Reflect personally: Ask yourself the study questions first – lead from your own growth and experience.
  • Pray: Pray for your group members.

Guide the group through the lesson structure to encourage discovery and commitment.

  • Step 1 – Connecting: Start the group meeting by praying together. Thank God for his Word and ask for open hearts to receive it. Read the Bible passage together (Read it aloud twice; ask someone to repeat in their words.)
  • Step 2: Comprehending: Use the provided questions to help you grapple with the truth of the Bible passage.
  • Step 3 – Committing: Consider how the passage might apply to your lives and what simple steps of obedience you can commit to. The goal of these studies if life-change! Not just knowledge!
  • Step 4 – Communicating:  Think of who you can share the truths you have learned with.
  • Close with Prayer: Let group members pray short prayers of thanks or commitment. Pray for one another.

For many of the lessons, there is a short summary teaching voice-note at the end of the lesson (together with a text summary). This is designed to be a recap and reminder of the key lessons you should have learned through the lesson. 

As a leader, you might like to use these summary teaching resources to help you in preparation for leading your group, though ideally not before you have spent time prayerfully reflecting on the passage.

This is an ongoing discipleship journey aiming to transform lives and help people to live victorious Christian lives. Focus on growth, not just finishing lessons.

  • Meet regularly: Join together at least once a week. Review past actions at each start to build accountability.
  • Encourage reflection: Between meetings, urge personal time with the lesson – read, pray, and try complete commitments made.
  • Support one another: If your group members are facing challenges, use lessons to pray together and share burdens; become “agents of change” by helping others in your community.
  • Multiply groups: As trust grows, encourage members to start their own small groups with family or friends.
  • Keep it short: Stick to 15 – 25 minutes per lesson to fit busy, challenging lives.
  • Handle challenges: If fear or hardship arise, encourage members by always pointing back to God’s love. 
  • Stay safe: In persecuted areas, meet discreetly; focus on heart change over big displays.
  • Celebrate progress: Note how people have grown in faith; allow time for sharing testimonies of what God has done. Take note of what you pray for, and give thanks when God answers prayer.

Final encouragement

Leading these lessons is serving like Jesus – humble, loving, and truthful. As you journey together, God will build growing faith into each person’s life. Pray often, and watch lives transform!

If you would like to share stories of faith from your own communities, please get in touch with us!