Paul’s Epistles
A Rooted Yearlong Curriculum – $225
This 31-lesson curriculum walks students through Paul’s letters to the early church, emphasizing the power of the gospel and the importance of a relationship with Jesus.
BUY NOWWhy teach Paul’s Epistles?
Paul wrote over half of the New Testament, so the Pauline Epistles are a staple for any Christian– old or new. Though written to different churches centuries ago, Paul’s letters have timeless wisdom and encouragement for students today.
In Galatians, students will learn that Jesus’ grace really is enough. No new law, good works, or rule following could make God love them any less. In Ephesians, they will get a comprehensive look at how we are saved by grace through faith, brought into the family of God and delivered from the domain of darkness. Philippians will teach students about the joy that is found in following Christ, especially as they learn to walk by the Spirit. Colossians will remind students that Jesus is supreme over all; there is no aspect of their lives over which He is not sovereign.
With each epistle, students will be transformed by the inspired word of God through the Apostle Paul. Through Paul, the Holy Spirit will teach them more about who Jesus is, what He did for them, and how He can radically change their lives today.
Galatians: Written by Mac Harris, Edited by Elisabeth Elliott Hayes
Ephesians: Written by Kendal Conner, Edited by Elisabeth Elliott Hayes
Philippians: Written by Tucker Fleming, Edited by Elisabeth Elliott Hayes
Colossians: Written by Rebecca Lankford, Edited by Elisabeth Elliott Hayes
Lesson Outline
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Galatians
Written by Mac Harris, Edited by Elisabeth Elliott Hayes
THE TRUE GOSPEL (1-2)
- Lesson 1: No Other Gospel (1:1-24)
- Lesson 2: Acceptance, Conflict, and Identity in the Family of Christ (2:1-21)
THE GOSPEL AND THE LAW (3-4)
- Lesson 3: The Limitations of Living Under the Law and the Freedom Found in Faith (3:1-25)
- Lesson 4: More to the Promise: Gospel Adoption (3:26-4:31)
LIFE IN THE SPIRIT (5-6)
- Lesson 5: Freedom and Fruit (5:1-25)
- Lesson 6: A House Divided Cannot Stand: The Call for Christian Community (5:26-6:18)
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Ephesians
Written by Kendal Conner, Edited by Elisabeth Elliott Hayes
IN HIM: SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS KEPT IN CHRIST.
- Lesson 1: Before the Foundation of the World (1:1-14)
- Lesson 2: Above All (1:15-23)
DEAD MADE ALIVE AND TWO MADE ONE
- Lesson 3: By Grace through Faith (2:1-10)
- Lesson 4: Breaking the Dividing Wall (2:11-22)
MYSTERY OF THE GOSPEL REVEALED.
- Lesson 5: The Mystery Revealed (3:1-13)
- Lesson 6: Immeasurable Love and Unthinkable Power (3:14-21)
UNIFIED TO A NEW LIFE
- Lesson 7: One Body, One Purpose (4:1-16)
- Lesson 8: The Old Made New (4:17-32)
WALKING IN LOVE AND FREEDOM
- Lesson 9: Imitators of God (5:1-14)
- Lesson 10: The Gospel Changes Everything (5:15-6:9)
STAND FIRM AND BE ENCOURAGED
- Lesson 11: Preparing for the Real Battle (6:10–20)
- Lesson 12: Love Incorruptible (6:21-24)
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Philippians
Written by Tucker Fleming, Edited by Elisabeth Elliott Hayes
- Lesson 1: Greeting the Philippians (1:1-11)
- Lesson 2: Encouraging the Philippians (1:12-1:26)
- Lesson 3: The Identity of the Philippians (1:27-2:4)
- Lesson 4: The Savior of the Philippians (2:5-30)
- Lesson 5: The Salvation of the Philippians (3:1-21)
- Lesson 6: The Community of the Philippians (4:1-23)
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Colossians
Written by Rebecca Lankford, Edited by Elisabeth Elliott Hayes
- Lesson 1: Thanksgiving and Prayer (1:1-14)
- Lesson 2: Who is Jesus? What Has He Done? (1:15-29)
- Lesson 3: Alive in Christ (2:1-15)
- Lesson 4: Let No One Disqualify You; Put on the New Self (2:16-3:11)
- Lesson 5: Put on the New Self (3:12-17)
- Lesson 6: Rules for Christian Households (3:18-4:1)
- Lesson 7: Further Paul’s Parting Words (4:2-18)
Contributors
Mac Harris, Writer
After graduating from Davidson College, where he studied history and religious studies, Mac Harris worked for a year as a Charlotte Fellow. He interned in the youth ministries at two churches, both in Birmingham, AL. He currently serves as Assistant Coordinator of Youth and Families at Hope Community Church while working towards his M.Div at RTS Charlotte. An avid Alabama football fan, Mac also enjoys fly fishing, ultimate frisbee, and Bojangles’ fried chicken.
Kendal Conner, Writer
After spending 10 years working in youth ministry, Kendal currently serves as a Groups Minister at Redeemer Fellowship in Kansas City, MO. Originally from Memphis, Tenn. Kendal received her BA from Union University. After graduation, she served 2 years overseas working with youth in Central Asia. After returning to America, she spent several years working for a parachurch youth ministry before moving to Oklahoma to serve as a Girls Minister in a local church. Kendal loves to travel, and dreams of one day being able to say she has enjoyed coffee in every country.
Tucker Fleming, Writer
Tucker Fleming was raised in the Atlanta area and attended both Mississippi State University and Beeson Divinity School. He’s lived and worked throughout the country in schools and non-profit organizations, and has worked with students for a decade, with over half of that time being in the local church.
Rebecca Lankford, Writer
Rebecca serves as the Ministry Development Coordinator/Assistant Editor for Rooted. Previously, she has worked in both youth and young adult ministries. She is a graduate of Furman University and recently completed her Master’s in Theology at Beeson Divinity School. Rebecca is happiest on a porch swing, in a boat, or on the dance floor.
Elisabeth Elliott Hayes, Editor
Elisabeth Elliott Hayes worked in student ministry for 7 years – first as a youth minister in Birmingham, Alabama, and later as Director of Spiritual Formation at Nicaragua Christian Academy in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. She has been involved with Rooted since its humble beginnings in 2010. Elisabeth holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary and is pursuing a ThM in Theology and Ethics from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. She loves to travel, cook, garden, and explore Richmond with her friends and her husband, Will.
Rooted’s Scope & Sequence
Don’t know where to start? Check out our Scope & Sequence
All the lessons you need for your students’ entire time in your ministry — from brand new middle schooler to high school graduate. Whether you choose to walk through the Bible chronologically or you’d rather stick with a developmental stage approach, we have both plans written out for you, free of charge! Download the Scope & Sequence Plans for free, and purchase all the included curriculum in the Scope and Sequence Bundle to get started.
LEARN MORE“The Rooted Curriculum has been fantastic for our students and leaders. Typically during the summer we look at a book of the Bible and dive deep in small groups. The preparation that Rooted does for us, has helped us be more focused on applying it to our students and less on prep time. The material is relatable to students and encourages them to walk out the gospel in their lives.”
Zach M. | Youth Pastor | New City Church
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Try out our Philippians curriculum for free so you can see for yourself how the studies work!
Download NowWhat will students learn from Galatians?
God’s grace is sufficient; no amount of good works, rule following, or legalism will make God love you more. This good news allows us to rest from our striving and live freely in God’s grace. The gospel not only saves us, but it also sets us free and transforms us, making us into a completely new creation. There is great hope for newness and transformation in the gospel. Students are constantly bombarded by ideologies claiming to tell the truth about the world. Paul argues that the central truth about the world is the gospel. We can trust Paul as authoritative, sent, and taught directly by God.
What will students learn from Ephesians?
All people are dead because of sin. By our nature, all people are born spiritually dead. Just like a dead man can’t work to pay a monetary debt, spiritually dead people can’t work to earn salvation from their sins. No one can do anything to make themselves good. Whether they strive to live moral lives or not, all people were born into sin and are in need of the same mercy and grace.
It is by grace we are saved. The beauty of the gospel is that it is not by our effort that we are saved. Grace is when we are given something we do not deserve. It is by God’s grace that we are saved. Our salvation is not dependent on how often we go to church, or read our Bibles, or go to camp. Instead, it is a gift that we did not earn, and one that we do not have to prove worthy to receive.
In Christ, we have unity and peace. When we do not feel like we belong, Christ has made a place for us in a family tie that can never be broken. Through the blood of Christ, no matter our differences, we have been united as a family. We share the same Spirit, which means we can trust in the love and peace we also share.
New life in Christ is rooted in the gospel. Just as salvation is not rooted in our works, neither is our obedience. As we seek to faithfully follow Christ, we can look to the gospel as our source of strength.
God has given us everything we need in Christ. The world will tell us that there is always something more to strive after. The enemy will try to convince us that if we only had this or that we would be happy. However, it is only in Christ that we find everything we need. Through the Spirit, we have been given an inheritance far beyond anything this world could offer.
What will students learn from Philippians?
Philippians is especially relevant to our students who are coming of age in an environment characterized by faulty ideas of God as a divine wish granter on the one side, and as a tyrannical dictator on the other. Paul’s encouragement to avoid theological error is an invitation to think about God as He has revealed Himself in the Bible, rather than as we imagine Him to be. Second, Paul’s encouragement to stand firm in the Spirit in the midst of opposition matters for our students because they, like the Philippians of the first century, are confronted, in some cases, with very real religious persecution and, in others, with temptations to worship modern equivalents of false gods such as success, money and power.
What will students learn from Colossians?
In this letter, Paul focuses on the work and character of Christ, His finished work of redemption, and His final victory to come in the new heavens and the new earth. Colossians fits well in the framework of God’s plan to redeem His whole creation, or, as Paul would put it in Colossians 1, His plan to reconcile all things to Himself.
Our students face the temptation to follow false teaching, just as the Colossians did. Whether it be self-help books, a philosophy class, or a half-true Christianity that tells them they have to earn God’s approval through good behavior, they are bombarded with teaching that is contrary to the gospel of grace.
Knowing that Jesus is the supreme authority of the universe gives students peace and encouragement that He has already defeated the spiritual forces of evil on their behalf.
Paul encourages believers to grow in maturity in the Christian faith. Students today need similar encouragement as to how they can remain steadfast in their daily walk with the Lord.