In Christ – Ephesians

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?

Read Ephesians 2.1-10. What does this text tell you about God’s character? What do you learn about His nature? How do you sense His love in these verses? 

Review the introduction to the letter. Who is Paul’s primary audience? What’s the difference between Paul writing a general letter to all people, and him writing specifically to Christ followers? 

As you’ve considered being “In Christ,” what beliefs about God are beginning to change? What beliefs about yourself are beginning to change? 

At the beginning of chapter 2 Paul writes, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions.” What does Paul mean by that? 

What do you believe was the primary mission of Jesus? 

Read and reflect on Dane Ortlund’s comments regarding this text: “Christ was sent not to mend wounded people or wake sleepy people or advise confused people or inspire bored people or spur on lazy people or educate ignorant people, but to raise dead people.”

In verses 1-3, Paul makes it clear we were dead in our sins. Describe what it was like for you to be dead in your sins. What were your relationships like? What did you think of the future? How did you navigate suffering? 

Read Ephesians 2.4-6. What speaks most personally to you in these verses? 

How is it possible for you to at once be seated in the heavenly realms and living on earth? 

God is described in verse 4 as being “rich in mercy.” What does “rich in mercy” mean? 

Where do you most profoundly see the evidence that God is “rich in mercy”? 

Read and reflect on Dane Ortlund’s comments regarding this text: “That God is rich in mercy means that your regions of deepest shame and regret are not heels through which divine mercy passes but homes in which divine mercy abides.

It means the things about you that make you cringe the most, make him hug the hardest.

It means his mercy is not calculating and cautious like ours. It is unrestrained, flood-like, sweeping, magnanimous.

It means our haunting shame is not a problem for him, but the very thing he loves most to work with.

It means our sins do not cause his love to take a hit. Our sins cause his love to surge forward all the more.

It means on that day when we stand before him, quietly, unhurriedly, we will weep with relief, shocked at how impoverished a view of his mercy-rich heart we had.“

Read Ephesians 2.7. How do you sense God showing you the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness?

When you picture God, where do you see and sense kindness? In your everyday life, how do you experience God’s kindness? 

Read Romans 2.1-4. His kindness leads us to repentance. How is this truth being lived out in your life today? How is it not? 

Read Ephesians 2.8-10. In your own words, describe what Paul is saying here. How have you been a giver or a conduit of God’s grace? How have you been a recipient of God’s grace? What in your life does grace not cover? Because His grace covers everything in your life, where do you sense a need to simply live in the reality of His grace that sets you free?

Ephesians 2.10 says your life is a “work of art.” In what ways do you embrace that truth? Where do you find it hard to live into that truth? 

What is the primary implication of these verses for you? In what ways could your brothers or sisters in your Faith Family come alongside you here? 

Read John 1.16. Rest in His grace upon grace.