““We had the honor of hosting the debut of Encountering Colossians. It was tremendous! It was fascinating to see the ‘wise preacher’ in Colossae and Paul go head to head. Stephen does a masterful job of bringing Paul’s letters to life. He makes you feel like you are part of the first century house churches where they first were read. Experiencing Living Letters helps you hear Scripture in a fresh new way.”
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experience COLOSSIANS
Confusion about the gospel plagues our culture today just like it was plaguing the churches of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hieropolis in the first century.
The small churches in this region had encountered a wild, exciting, and smooth-talking "wise preacher" who was offering a more "complete” gospel than the one they had heard from Paul through his colleague Epaphras. In his introduction Stephen will bring to life the circumstances of the Colossian church, giving a taste of the “wise preacher’s" subtle, attractive, and persuasive “gospel” that deviated from Paul’s true gospel. By stepping into the shoes of Nympa, Philemon, Archippus, and others in Colossae, your congregation will experience how this contested debate threw them into disarray, guilt, and emptiness. After setting the stage, Stephen will perform the entire letter to the Colossians, in which Paul masterfully turns this false teaching on its head and declares the fullness of the true gospel of Jesus.
Through this immersive and imaginative performance, your congregation can encounter Paul’s words in their proper context and experience with power how the Colossians may have received God’s Word. As you see parallels between the experiences of the original audience and your own lives, you will be reawakened to the fullness of God in Christ, the victory won on the cross, and the radical new humanity that comes from the grace of the gospel (which can even reconcile a runaway slave and a master).
Performer: Stephen Trafton
Runtime: 40 mins.
““Stephen Trafton’s performances of Philippians, Colossians, and Ephesians drew me and my church into those letters in a way that’s unmatched. Paul is heard. His heart and mind are felt. An audience is moved. God’s Word lives!”
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