Colossians & Philemon for You: Rooting You in Christian Confidence

God's Word for You

by Mark Meynell

Expository Bible-study guide to Paul’s letters to the Colossians and Philemon. Peace. Provision. Forgiveness. These are basic human needs. Yet who can truly be relied upon to deliver them? In his letter to the Colossians, Paul shows how these can never come to us through political, philosophical, mystical or religious systems. They only come through Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God. Mark Meynell unpacks Colossians and Philemon, verse by verse in this expository guide which can be used as a daily devotional or for studying this letter in your church. It will excite ordinary Christians in their faith, equip teachers and preachers in their work, and help us all to root our confidence in the right place.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Ebooks

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Mark Meynell is Director (Europe & Caribbean) for Langham Preaching (a programme of Langham Partnership). Prior to this, he was a part-time Whitehall Chaplain (for HM Treasury, HMRC & the Cabinet Office) and was for 9 years on the senior ministry team of All Souls Langham Place. He taught biblical studies at a small seminary in Kampala, Uganda between 2001-2005 after doing student ministry in Sheffield and Oxford churches.
He’s crazy about music (from Bach to Bono), art (from Raphael to Rothko), fiction (esp John le Carré & Graham Greene) and movies (from The Third Man to Grand Budapest Hotel). He has even allowed his son to convince him to join him as a Sheffield Wednesday supporter.

Reviews

[Kenny Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So grateful for Mark Meynell writing this book. Over the years I confess I feel I've become over-familiar with Colossians, but this devotional commentary brought it alive once more. Eminently readable, theologically rich, expertly applied with pastoral compassion. Did much good for my soul!

[C.H. Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great basic commentary, with plenty of application.

[Ashley Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was given this book by my pastor for the purpose of leading a Bible study. It was a hugely helpful resource for me. It is gospel rich and practical, helping me to personally be in awe of Jesus before leading people. Those who refresh others will be refreshed and this book refreshed me week by week. Will use a For You book again next time I lead a Bible study.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great and useful as an aid in leading a discussion, but I do not think I would recommend it outside that context. I do not think it engages in the ideas deeply enough or challenges the reader pointedly enough on its own merits. It's an overview of the book stretched to commentary length but never digging deeper than a sermon level understanding of the text. There are some useful points and observations that can be used to kickstart a discussion in a group though.

[Lindsey Hoobler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like this book as I have liked some of the others in the series. It seemed a bit more shallow and had too much fluff. I like the series and will still read others in the series, but I probably wouldn’t read another one by this author.

[Sarah Tummey]

Must admit I struggle to remember a lot of this book because I read it in two parts: The Colossians section, and then the last chapter (about the letter to Philemon) later on. I still learnt something from it though.

[Phil Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great devotional commentary from this series. Unpacks the meaning of both books and applies it to our hearts and lives and churches.

[Paula Ea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended bible help

My reformed pastor recommended this study for leading the short bible study portion of our fellowship group time. It’s helpful.

[Connor Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this commentary. It did a fantastic job pointing to the overall themes in the book of Colossians as well as showing how Philemon is written to an individual in the same area and how the messages are parallels to each other. There are wonderful diagrams and quotes throughout this commentary and my favorite quote came from a John Pollock who said, "I do not think that in the last forty years I have lived one conscious hour that was not influenced by the thought of our Lord's return." He does a great job showing the needs of the ancient Colossian culture, how our culture is similar, but also how we need to change our lens. I will definitely reference this commentary for any sermons that I would write from this book, but I found it especially helpful in my morning quiet times.

[Jestin James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a hard time getting through this book. Me and my wife have been using this series for our family prayer time. But this is the first book in the series that I really struggled to focus on.

[Mark D · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, but the format of this series works better (IMO) with longer books. It felt a bit of a slog going through this.

Bad? Certainly not. But not up to the level of others in the series.

[Matthew Procter · Rating 5 out of 5]

great study

Really loved the new insights I gained into these two books through this study! Succinct and deep. A very useful tool.

[Matt Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful, especially for help with application and illustrations.