And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [Colossians 3:15-16]
The apostle Paul challenged the community of Christians living in Colossae to let the word of Christ dwell richly in them. Not scarcely, but richly.
What dwells in us controls us
There is a connection between verses 15 and 16, between the peace of Christ ruling our hearts and the word of Christ dwelling among us. The peace of Christ will not rule and reign in your community if the word of Christ is not central and primary.
What dwells in us comes out of us
If you have a community that is built on the word of Christ, the result is a people who encourage one another, are filled with thankfulness, and rejoice together (verse 16). If you want a community like that, then the word of Christ must dwell in your community.
Community is going to be built on something, around something—and if it is not built on the foundation of God’s Word, it is shallow and fleeting.
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For this reason, I am very excited about our new Explore the Bible studies for groups of all ages. Explore the Bible is quite simply “book by book studies for groups of all ages.” We desire to help kids ministries, student ministries, and Bible study groups have the Word dwell deeply in them. Pastors and theologians such as David Jeremiah, Tony Evans, and George Guthrie are involved as each session is designed to help participants study the text in its context so they can obey the text in their context. You can preview sessions for kids, students, and adults here.
