Book Review – Colossians – One Jesus, One People by Jay Y. Kim

Colossians – One Jesus, One People by Jay Y. Kim

Colossians – One Jesus, One People by Jay Y. Kim

Synopsis:

In this six-session study (streaming video included), author and pastor Jay Kim guides small-group members through Paul’s letter to the believers in Colossae, revealing what his words meant to his original readers . . . and how they apply to us today.

The letter to the believers in Colossae contains a message that’s urgent today—a message of unity among the followers of Christ; a message of thanksgiving and spiritual fullness in a broken world; a message that shows us how to live as the people who are made alive in the one true Christ.

This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including:
The study guide itself—a 40 Day reading plan through Colossians with discussion and personal reflection questions, video notes, and a leader’s guide.

An individual access code to stream all six video sessions online (you don’t need to buy a DVD!).

Participants will be encouraged as they listen to Jay’s teachings and, through the accompanying study guide, challenged to read Colossians on their own during the forty days in the study. (Taken from GoodReads page)

Review

This devotional on the book of Colossians is a straightforward study that gives you a selection of text to read and some questions to cover. The readings and questions are set out for every day, however, the study is mostly to be conducted for the purposes of a group study. This won’t really be an asset for a family study depending on the ages in the family and might be a struggle for those of age or even spiritual age. The study is one that wants to focus on looking at other people like those in the church, the Church, and others in the world. Unless you’re brand new to Bible study or want something very light for a group study, I didn’t get much from this study other than the reading from Colossians.

Let me be clear and say that there’s nothing heretical or outright wrong in the book. Kim’s videos are well-produced but that portion could have easily been added to the text of the book. This seems to be the trend for many lay people-led studies. The questions tend to be pretty superficial such as “what impacted you from the teaching” or “tell about a time when Jesus was at the center of your journey” or “what’s your attitude towards your work”. A Bible study shouldn’t divorce feelings from knowledge or in the sanctification process, but this study is heavy on that type of application. The study gets a person into the Word which is what’s needed and positive, but as a daily study, the breakdowns are really short if you meet with the group every week. If you’ve never done a Bible study before or are a brand new Christian this might be a good introduction to Colossians – just know that you can go deeper and there’s more to focus on than feelings-based application.

Final Grade