Sanctuary

Read Ephesians 4:1-16.  What is God saying to you through these passages?  Or how did God stir in you through the teaching of this passage on Sunday?

How or where do you feel like your freedom in Christ is most threatened?

Paul identifies himself in verse 1 as a “prisoner for the Lord”, focusing on his identity rather than his circumstance.  How would you best identify yourself right now?  Why?

Paul makes the assumption in verse 1 that all in the church are called.  Do you know your calling?  Do you know where the Lord has invited you to join him within the body of Christ? 

Read vs. 2-3 – Where have you experienced this within the church?  Where has this been challenged in you, or not lived out by another towards you within the church?

Read Galatians 5:13-15 – How does this verse speak to you or challenge you?
Where might God be reminding you to love first? Where/who in the church might He be reminding you to love first?

Who in the body of Christ helps to re-center you to oneness and unity with others in Christ?  Are there those who distract you from that?

Jesus calls and gives gifts to the church leaders to “equip the saints for the works of service” (vs. 12). The saints are called to “works of service.” In the Greek, (Diakonia) means to minister, serve, and proclaim to build up the body.  The result of a body being built up together is:

• The body is being built up (vs. 12) 
• Unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God (vs. 13)
• Spiritual maturity (vs. 14)
• Attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (vs. 14)
• Aware of the attacks of the enemy, and the deceit of men (vs. 15)
• Truth spoken in love (vs. 15)
• A mature body, with Christ as the head (vs. 15)
• Every part of the body working together to grow and build one another up in love (vs.16)

Where do you find yourself in these verses? How might God be inviting you to join Him in building this kind of church?

Read Ephesians 1-3. What do these verses tell you about the nature of God? What do they say about the love of God? What do these verses tell you about yourself?

Take a few moments to pray the two prayers included in these three chapters. Pray Ephesians 1.17-23 and 3.14-21.

Take a few moments to reflect on these two prayers. What do they have in common? How are they different?

What is the primary reason you pray? What is your motive in prayer? How do you sense God meeting you in spaces of prayer? What is one area you’d like to grow in understanding prayer or practicing prayer?

Notice Paul’s posture in his second prayer. His posture is not mentioned in the first prayer. Is this significant for any reason? What about your posture in prayer? What does it say about the posture or positioning of your heart as you come before our Holy God?

What happens in the spiritual realm when we pray? What doesn’t happen?

What is the primary reason for Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3? What is He asking God to do for the people of Ephesus?

It was said on Sunday that the conversion journey is from knowledge to knowing. Where do you sense you are on this journey? How is God inviting you to grow deeper still?

It was also mentioned on Sunday about a middle place on the conversion journey, that of “unknowing.” Are there things you might need to “unknow” in order to help you grow?

Read 3.18-19. How do you see Paul’s prayer both personally, and communally? How do you see this prayer for you and for those around you?

Paul refers to God’s “power” in the prayer. What is the power Paul prays for us to receive? Have you received this power? If so, what does His power enable you to believe and to do?

Spend a few moments considering the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8. How does this story speak to you about the love of God? How does Jesus express His love to the woman?

How often do you hide, hoping not to get caught? How tiring is it to continue to live so that you don’t get caught? Here, when the woman is caught, she experiences freedom, not judgment. How does this translate to your own journey?

Read the benediction of this prayer vs. 20-21. What do these verses mean to you? How might you live into the truth of these verses today?

In Ephesians 1:3-8, what stands out to you as evidence of love from God our Father? Take time to make a list that you can tuck in your Bible.

Do you like mystery or are you a person that likes answers? How do you feel about the mysteries of our God? Discuss.

What is the mystery that Paul is revealing in Ephesians 3?

Lets talk about the 3 parts to this gospel mystery…

• Prisoner: Read Ephesians 3:1-5
  • At the beginning of the letter, Paul refers to himself as an apostle of Christ, so why does he change to prisoner of Christ?
  • In Paul’s life, he has been a prisoner to many, so what does it mean that Paul is physically in prison, yet is a prisoner of Christ?
  • Is there something in your life that you feel you are a prisoner to?  What would it do in your life if you claimed to be a prisoner of Christ even though there are areas in your life trying to keep you in shackles?
• Plan and Purpose: Read Ephesians 3:6-11
  • In the NLT translation, the word “both” is used 3 times…why is this word so important when talking about the mystery of the good news of the gospel?
  • In this season, we have experienced division as a nation like never before. Do you sometimes feel like we forget to think about the word “both” when we look at other believers? How are we treating those that are in the family of God?
  • God’s purpose was to use the church…What do you think that means? How are we as a church displaying the wisdom to “the angels in heaven”?
• Presence: Read Ephesians 3:12
  • “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” – Ephesians 3:12
  • Do you believe this? Do you feel bold and confident when you enter into His presence? Why or why not.

Read Ephesians 1-2. As you read, note the blessings you have been given in love through Jesus. How do these two chapters grow your affection for Him? How do they encourage you to extend His love to those closest to you? 

What is the difference between having a “personal” relationship with God vs. a “private” relationship with God? Describe your personal relationship with God.

In these two chapters, Paul moves from a personal faith to a public faith to a communal faith. Where in the text do you see this most powerfully on display? 

Read Ephesians 2.11-13 and answer the following questions. What’s the primary difference between Jews and Gentiles? How were the Gentiles “separate” from the Jews? How were the Gentiles “brought near”? How are the Gentiles representative of all non-Jews? 

Read Ephesians 2.14-18 and answer the following questions. What has Jesus accomplished between these two people groups? How did He accomplish peace? What is the outcome of His sacrifice? What was created in Christ? What’s the relevance of His sacrifice and the “one new humanity” for us today, practically, relationally? 

Read Ephesians 2.19-22 and answer the following questions. What’s the primary implication of these verses on your life? What does Paul mean when He says we are a “dwelling in which God lives”?

Reflect on the following questions:

• Where in your life has Jesus already made peace but you are refusing to embrace?
• What would it look like for you to live in the peace that Jesus has come to give you?
• What belief about God, or others, or yourself would have to change in order to fully embrace His peace? 

Do a quick study of Jesus’ teachings on peace. How does Jesus call His followers to live? In real terms, what does that mean for you? In real terms, what does that mean for our Faith Family? 

Read and reflect on the comments of John Stott: “I wonder if anything is more urgent today, for the honour of Christ and for the spread of the gospel, than that the church should be, and should be seen to be, what by God’s purpose and Christ’s achievement it already is—a single new humanity, a model of human community, a family of reconciled brothers and sisters who love their Father and love each other, the evident dwelling place of God by his Spirit. Only then will the world believe in Christ as Peacemaker. Only then will God receive the glory due to his name.”

Read Ephesians 1.21-22; 2.21-22; 4.11-13. How is “the fullness of God” or “maturity” realized in these verses? 

How might Jesus be inviting you to grow in your faith from personal and private, to communal and corporate? What would be the greatest challenge to living this way? Who can join you on this journey of living out your faith with others?