Colossians and Philemon

These studies offer a guide into deeper study of God's Word, one whole book at a time. Five days of questions in each lesson lead the way to careful textual study, with helpful context and commentary woven throughout. The aim is to read the Scriptures--and to learn to read the Scriptures--with ever increasing discernment, delight, and conviction.

About the Author :
Kathleen Nielson is an author and speaker who loves working with women in studying the Scriptures. She has taught literature (PhD, Vanderbilt University), directed women's Bible studies in local churches, and served as director of The Gospel Coalition's Women's Initiatives from 2010 to 2017. She and her husband, Niel, make their home partly in Wheaton, Illinois, and partly in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Niel helps to lead a network of Christian schools and universities. They have three sons, three daughters-in-law, and eight grandchildren.

Review :
As a lay leader who has led women's Bible studies for over 15 years, I have found the studies by Kathleen Nielson to be the best available. The women in our small groups, whether in the church or neighborhood setting, always comment on how comprehensive and meaningful they are for them. When we moved to the Colorado Springs area, I brought Kathleen's studies with me and they have become a favorite among our women. They are unlike any studies available on the market today. Digging into the scripture, with Kathleen's guidance, is a rich experience; the inductive study method; the background, the cross-references, the application pages are all relevant and help to bring the Biblical teachings into practical context for life today. I have observed lives changed as women involved in these studies are excited each week to see what God has for them.--Kathy Ladd, Village 7 Presbyterian Church, Women's Bible study small group leader Dr. Kathleen Nielson has a special gift for understanding the Bible as literature, which makes her a superb guide for understanding any passage in the Old or New Testament. She is also a big-picture thinkinger who sees how each part of the Bible fits into the whole story of salvation. Her practical, Christ-centered Bible study guides will help you dig deeper into the Scriptures and go deeper in the knowledge of God.--Philip Graham Ryken Dr. Kathleen Nielson uses her great love and understanding of literature to lead us into rich study of Holy Scripture. Her studies highlight the importance of meditation and self-discovery while providing just enough gentle guidance always to steer us to the Good Shepherd as our hope and strength. These studies will open minds to understanding the excellencies of God's Word and open hearts to the wonders of his salvation.--Bryan Chapell, President, Covenant Theological Seminary Dr. Kathleen Nielson's study in Proverbs is valuable for the life lessons it reveals. This study stimulates your mind with timely questions that bring you up close and personal with the riches of God's Word. Anyone longing for a deeper understanding of Proverbs will benefit greatly from this study.--Marivi Isaac (Women's Bible Study Teacher, Annual Women's Conference Coordinator & Pastor's wife), Christ the King PCA, El Paso, TX General Endorsement for the whole series: Kathleen Nielson has given a real gift to students of the Bible everywhere. What began as a series of Bible studies for a church women's group, has now been made available to a wider audience, and we are all the richer for it. Pastors and Christian Educators are always on the lookout for rich, well-researched, reliable, helpful, clear teaching material that will get our people into the word together, helping us to understand its meaning, to see its implications for us in all of life and to pray it back to God. These studies supply us with precisely that. Dr. Nielson is brilliant and gifted, unapologetically and joyfully complementarian, sound and thorough in her theology, lucid in her presentation and learned in her subject matter. Bible teachers looking for ideas and structure for lesson material, excellent study guides and questions, and stimulation for teaching, illustration and application will find much to be thankful for here.--Ligon Duncan, Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary It is rare to find a Bible study that encourages us to look at the Bible as God's authoritative Word, to study the people and the cultural context for which it was first written, and then make applications where appropriate to our current lives. Kathleen's insights and thought-provoking lessons meet a desperate need in the world of Bible studies today.--Mrs. Cindy Cochrum, Women's Bible Study, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois Kathleen is a gifted communicator. I love to hear her teach and would love to read her books. However, in these studies, with quiet restraint, Kathleen puts her communications skills to use by carefully crafting questions so that it is not her voice you hear. Rather, the student is drawn into Scripture, given the opportunity to study the very words of God, and learns to hear the Savior speak.--Teren Sechrist, Women's Bible Study Teacher, Berean Baptist Church, Livonia, Michigan Kathleen Nielson has given us a series of superb guides to in-depth Bible study. Her studies bring together sound insights from the Scriptures and practical wisdom for daily Christian living. An excellent way to hear God's Word afresh.--Timothy George, is dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University and an executive editor of Christianity Today. Kathleen Nielson is a born teacher. In these studies she strikes a wise balance between providing Bible students what they need to know, and wooing them into the study of the biblical text for themselves. It's a strategy that offers a rich spiritual payoff to all who will follow Dr. Nielson's lead. Not only will they gain a deeper understanding of what God has to say to us in the Scriptures; they will also see more clearly what difference He expects this truth to make in our lives.--Duane Litfin Kathleen Nielson's Bible studies provide a veritable feast for those who hunger and thirst for God's Word. With rich insight and wisdom, she invites her students 'to grapple with the text' as she provides helpful contexts and comments interspersed throughout stimulating study questions. Kathleen's studies are good food for the soul--challenging, convicting, and very, very encouraging. I highly recommend them.--Carol J. Ruvolo Kathleen's Bible studies encourage participants to dig deeply into the word of God on a daily basis. By pointing us to both the old and new testaments, we see God's redemptive plan throughout scripture, and how all points us to Christ.--Barbara Holt Chairman Bible Study Committee Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church My name is Kay Gabrysch and I am a Bible teacher for women at Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. For the past three years, we have been using Kathleen's studies and I wanted to heartily endorse them. When I began to teach in this church, desiring to engage the women in a daily study with questions written from a reformed perspective, I really struggled in finding valuable, thought-provoking material that would cause them to dig deeply and search for the covenantal truths of scripture. I found just what I was looking for in Kathleen's studies. We have completed the Joshua, Nehemiah, Colossians, Ecclesiates, Song of Songs studies and are in the process of completing Isaiah. The women of PCPC have been challenged, instructed, and grown by these studies. The content is never frivolous or irrelevent. It is consistently Christ-centered and has been an instrument in God's hands to turn us away from all the world's attempts to have women focus on "self". In particular the Colossians study made us aware of what it really means to be united to Christ, fixing our attention on Christ's enabling of what Christ requires and the true blessings that obedience brings. We need strong, soul-searching, scripture-answering questions in our studies today. In a world where Oprah has convinced millions that she can provide all the answers, we more studies like these that will shout "thus says the Lord". We pray for Kathleen to be given many more opportunities to write more.--Kay Gabrysch My wife, who has led and taught Bible studies for many years has repeatedly remarked about how difficult it is to find quality materials--but now "Kathleen Nielson's studies are at the top of my list because they are so biblical, so beautifully written and so applicable." Indeed, Dr. Nielson's love for the biblical text and her desire to convey its meaning in its context coupled with her literary acumen and engagement with everyday life have given the church a magnificent resource. Simply the very best!--R. Kent Hughes, Senior Pastor Emeritus, College Church in Wheaton One of the most significant challenges I face in my ministry is to provide high quality Bible study materials that we can trust to be consistent with our doctrinal standard, the Westminster Confession of Faith. Dr. Nielson's Bible studies have served us well in recent years. Our large weekly groups have used her book studies for both Proverbs and Colossians and have found that her well-written and insightful questions led our women to both a better bird's eye view while also enhancing their understanding of the themes of these books. The five-day study format fits our needs quite well. In addition, Dr. Nielson's methods allowed our women to develop as students. Studying Proverbs topically helped our women tame the particular challenge of the genre of that book. The study of Colossians led our women to stretch in their own growth about how to study God's Word as Kathleen facilitated their ability to outline, determine author's purposes, and highlight themes throughout the books studied. She has both taught and challenged them with her materials.--Joann White Director of Women's Ministries Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church Our ladies have used the Colossians and the Proverbs work books and I have found them true to scriptures as well as very instructional in every way. Mrs. Nielson has a unique way of explaining the scriptures while instructing the student in the tools of independent, inductive bible study.--Jane Harris Our ladies look forward to Kathleen's Bible studies. She asks great questions that invite us to pause and think about literary form, meaning in words and phrases, and the big picture in the overall text. She does this in an inductive format that is engaging and challenging. Colossians is no exception to her excellent series of studies.--Beth Wahl Front Range Alliance Church Women's Ministry Director Specific Endorsement for Colossians Kathleen Nielson understands the main point of Colossians, and how to explain it, and how it connects with everything else in that great letter. She also knows how to help a teacher teach the book, and that's why I'm so delighted that many will benefit from her concise introductions, suggestions on study helps and methods, well-conceived outlines, study questions and directions, and material for teaching, illustration and application. We live in a day when far too few evangelical Christians know their Bible. This book will help get you into the Book.--Ligon Duncan, Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary Through the study of the book of Colossians, Kathleen's questions help focus the eyes of our hearts on the one in whom she finds such great delight--the pinnacle of all study--the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Literally--a life giving study!--Teren Sechrist, Women's Bible Study Teacher, Berean Baptist Church, Livonia, Michigan To all these studies of varied books of the Bible, Kathleen Nielson brings her own personal reverence and love for the Scripture, her background as a scholar of literature, her experience as a leader in a variety of local church settings, and her zeal to see others apply God's word to their lives in a thoughtful manner. It's a vigorous and robust combination.--Joel Belz, Founder, World Magazine We have been using Kathleen's Bible Studies for several years in our Ladies Bible Studies at our church. Kathleen also spoke at our Women's Bible Conference several years ago. I believe we have done all of her studies - we are currently on her latest one on Isaiah. We find them to be challenging, true to scripture, and extremely well organized. The way she organized the Proverbs study was superb! Doing a topical study helped to organize both the book and our thoughts! She gives excellent background material, both historical and true to the culture of the times. She is careful to always point to Jesus Christ as our Savior, whenever it speaks of Him, and her studies are an excellent tool for evangelism. What I treasure most in her studies is her emphasis on God's plan of redemption throughout the ages - as seen in both the Old and New Testaments!--Anne Brown, Front Range Alliance Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado Former Senior Pastor's Wife