Today’s passage: Ephesians 6:21-24

Helpful thoughts:

• The idea of missionaries or ministers writing and travelling to share with partnering churches is biblical.  It is wonderful to host our missionaries to encourage them and to hear of the Lord’s work through them.
• The church was right to care about Paul’s ministry AND Paul’s well-being.  We as a church don’t just want our missionaries to be fruitful in ministry output.  We also want them to be growing personally and taken care of physically.
• Paul prays for peace, love, faith and grace for the church at Ephesus.

Questions to consider:

1. What needs might missionaries (Both domestic and international) have that could get overlooked?  What hardships do they experience that are the same as everyone else’s?
2. How could we as a church encourage our missionaries while they are with us?  How might you be able to share with them how their faithfulness has encouraged your faith?
3. What is a love that is incorruptible?  What caused us to have that kind of love for Jesus?

Today’s passage: Ephesians 6:14-20

Helpful thoughts:

• The armor:
  • Truth (The defensive use of the Word of God)
  • Righteousness
  • Readiness given by the gospel of peace (Meaning: Gospel-Centered thinking produces Gospel-Centered actions)
  • Faith
  • Salvation
  • Word of God (As a sword, the offensive use of the Word of God)
• This armor is to be taken on with prayer which is characterized as alert, persevering, for all other believers, for boldness, and all of this in the Spirit.
  • Being “In the Spirit” means to be in step with the Spirit…in accord with or in agreement with.
    • One great way to do this is to pray the Scripture!
• Even the Apostle Paul requested boldness in proclaiming the Gospel.

Questions to consider:

1. Where does all this armor come from?  Who created it and gifted us with it?
2. What part of this armor doesn’t have to do with the Word of God and the Gospel? (The same Gospel-Centered thinking that unites us also defends us!)
3. How does a passage like this (“The Armor of God”) help us to respond with more compassion and better help when we see a brother or sister struggling?

Today’s passage: Ephesians 6:10-13

Helpful thoughts:

• Our strength and might come from the Lord.  We didn’t get picked for the team by God for being strong.  He is our strength.
• We (The Church-Individually and corporately) have an actively scheming, wrestling, powerful enemy who is a force of evil and wants to destroy…and he has company.
• Our command is to take up the armor that God provides and with it, resist and stand firm.

Questions to consider:

1. Since a major theme in the book of Ephesians is unity, what might be a major target or goal for our enemy?
2. If our unity is found in Christ through the Gospel, what kinds of things would Satan want us to focus on instead?
3. If our unity as a church comes from Christ through the Gospel, what won’t it come from?

Today’s passage: Ephesians 6:5-9

Helpful thoughts:

• There are examples of abusive and non-abusive (Even voluntary) slavery throughout Scripture and history.  The slavery in the United States was certainly abusive.
  • The Bible never affirms abusive slavery. It did however give instructions to those who were currently in the midst of it.
  • If a slave master were to have been graciously saved and then read this passage, he was instructed to stop any and all abuse and to respect and treat his slaves as human beings who were just as valuable as him.  And, when the Gospel was shared with them, they could become his brothers or sisters in Christ and joint-heirs in the kingdom! (See Philemon)
• Verse 8 confirms that the instructions in this passage can be applied by all who work under a boss (Bondservant or free).
• There is no partiality with God.  No socioeconomic class is superior or inferior to any other.

Questions to consider:

1. All bosses and employees, how are you doing in the workplace?  How is your work and leadership/servitude honoring God and potentially even pointing people to Jesus?
2. How has the sin of the slavery in our nation’s history impacted the life of the church?  What would have to happen in the hearts of a congregation (Regardless of their initial majority ethnicity), along with the hearts of new members, to allow for their membership to be as multi-ethnic as Heaven is going to be?
3. Ephesians 5:21 commanded mutual submission for all who are in Christ.  How does this final passage regarding bondservants/employees and masters/employers display mutual submission?  How do employers serve their employees?  How does that service exemplify Christ?

Today’s passage: Ephesians 6:1-4

Helpful thoughts:

• Obedience is an action.  Honoring is an attitude.
  • The time of obedience comes to an end (e.g. Ephesians 5:31), but honoring lasts a lifetime (Matthew 15:1-6).
• The promised blessing that “It may go well with you and that you may live long in the land” was originally given to the Israelites (Exodus 20:12).
• The Greek word for “Fathers” in verse 4 could refer to both parents collectively.  Fathers and mothers can apply this verse.
  • Both discipline and instruction are to be used for correction for the growth of the child.
  • Selfishly motivated discipline and instruction provokes.

Questions to consider:

1. How does obedience “in the Lord” and the discipline and instruction “of the Lord” keep everyone in the family focused on the right goal?  For whom should a child obey and honor?  For whom should a parent discipline and instruct?
2. What are some selfishly motivated reasons for parents to discipline and instruct their children?  What is it that parents would want so much they are willing to provoke in order to get it?
3. Since children in the U.S.A. are most likely not going to grow up and inherit land in Israel, how could we best understand the promise that is given to those who obey and honor their father and mother?  How might things go well with them?

Today’s passage: Ephesians 5:25-33

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus didn’t love the Church because she was beautiful.  The Church is beautiful because Jesus loved her.
• The submissive role of the wife in a marriage does not result in the husband taking on the role of a taskmaster.  Quite the opposite is true.  Husbands are specifically called to take on the mind of Christ in Philippians 2:5-8.
• Ephesians 5:21 called for mutual submission in the church.  Both the husband and the wife sacrifice themselves for each other in different ways. Ephesians 5:33 calls these ways “love” and “respect”.

Questions to consider:

1. What was the condition of my heart when God showed me His love? (Romans 5:8)  How should that impact a husband’s decision to love his wife proactively?  Should a husband wait for his wife to act a certain way before he chooses to show her love?
2. How does the love of Christ help us define love correctly?  Is it a feeling?  Is it only ever to be initiated by affection?  What is the goal of loving?  What should result from the love of a husband for his wife?
3. Who deserves the credit for the perfection that the church will possess when she is forever united with Christ?  Who died for her, redeemed her, washed her, etc.?  How does this truth elicit praise, thanksgiving, and respectful submission to God?

Today’s passage: Ephesians 5:22-24

Helpful thoughts:

• Husbands, don’t forget to keep reading… Verse 25 (Tomorrow) is coming.  Husbands, love your wives by becoming more and more like Jesus.  These verses do not condone chauvinism, and the next passage will command ultimate chivalry.
• The curse (Genesis 3:16) and sin make this command very hard to accept.  Obeying this command (As well as all other commands) is an act of faith.  No husband on the face of the earth is as good of a man as Jesus.  But, hard is not bad and it simply cannot excuse disobedience.
  • When any leadership is attempting to coerce sin against God, we obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).  It is not wrong to get help in any abusive situation!  Preventing an abusive husband from sinning again is also loving toward him.
• This command is not culturally universal (All men and all women).  It’s relational (Husband and wife).
  • Wives, you are commanded to follow your own husband.  Not anyone else’s.
  • Husbands, this means you are to lovingly lead your own wife. Not every other woman.

Questions to consider:

1. What are some of the hardest words in these verses?  (e.g. What does it mean for wives to submit to their husbands in “everything”?)
2. How would honest and humble reflection help husbands to dwell with their wives in an understanding way (1 Peter 3:7)?  How does the idea of progressive sanctification help temper your expectations?
3. If you are single and desire to be married one day, how should these truths and commands from Scripture guide your desire for a potential spouse?  What qualities should you be looking for?  What qualities should you be growing in for their future benefit?

Today’s passage: Ephesians 5:15-21

Helpful thoughts:

• We ALL must pursue wisdom and understanding from the Word of God so that we can be growing in wise discernment.
  • The opposite of “Look carefully” would be to live haphazardly or to “go with the flow”.
• Drunkenness takes away your inhibition to sin.  Being filled with the Spirit sharpens your resolve for righteousness.
  • Being filled with the Spirit is not holy drunkenness.
  • Spirit-filled Christians are not “loopy” for Jesus.  They are under control, being guided by Scriptural truth.
• Singing is given in Scripture as a way for the church to teach one another!
• A united church will be mutually submissive, everyone working to serve everyone, motivated by our worship of Jesus.

Questions to consider:

1. Are you living with purpose or does there seem to be a pattern in your life of continually falling prey to the latest “crisis”?  Are there “life lessons” that you are living by that aren’t from God’s Word?  Are you being “tossed to and fro” by the waves and currents of life and bad teaching?  How could you know?  Where would you get the answers?
2. Why do you think “spiritual experiences” like tongues, visions, voices, etc. seem to be held in higher regard than righteous living?  Which one is easier to “experience”?  Which one is actually a ministry of the Holy Spirit?
3. If singing songs during our worship is also a teaching ministry of the church, what should be true of every song we sing?  Why is it so important that we sing songs that are biblically and doctrinally sound?

Today’s passage: Ephesians 5:11-14

Helpful thoughts:

• It’s harder to take part in unfruitful sin when you are busy being fruitful.
• The method of confronting sin is found in Matthew 18:15-20.
  • The purpose is to win your brother, not to shame him.
  • Other people are only added to the conversation when necessary and in order to win them.
• It is not necessary to be explicit in content when exposing sin.  Wisdom and discretion are loving toward the sinner and toward any others who might have to hear about the sin.

Questions to consider:

1. How can our aversion to hurting people’s feelings prevent us from lovingly fighting sin?  How devastating is sin?  How important is it to work together toward victory in repentance?
2. How does holding up all actions against the light of the Word of God prevent us from being judgmental or “Holier than thou”?  How do you know you’re not just being personally offended before you rebuke someone (Meaning, they broke one of your laws…not God’s)?
3. Why is Matthew 7:1-5 so important in this area of obedience in the Christian life?  How do you do when others have confronted you about your sin? How can you be thankful for the love others have shown you in shedding light on your sin?

Today’s passage: Ephesians 5:3-10

Helpful thoughts:

• In comparison with the context of Ephesians 4:17, since Christians are changed and changing, it wouldn’t make sense for a person who is living like an unbeliever to be accepted as a member of the church.
  • A sinful lifestyle should not be characteristic of the members of the church.
  • A person who has no inheritance in the kingdom of God should not be falsely recognized as a child of God in the church.  That kind of acceptance would require “empty words”.
  • That kind of acceptance would result in automatic disunity.
    • The believers in the church would be seeking what is pleasing to the Lord.
    • The unbelievers who are accepted in the “roles” would be seeking what is pleasing to themselves (Verse 19, “Greedy”).

Questions to consider:

1. Why is thanksgiving mentioned as the opposite of all sin listed in this passage?  What are we to be thankful for?  Who are we to thank?  How does thanksgiving help us in our fight for purity and righteousness?
2. How do we learn what is pleasing to the Lord?  Where has He shared His values and will with us?  Why do we want to please Him?
3. How does this passage reaffirm the need for church membership and the blessing of accountability?  Why is it MORE loving to tell someone they are not in the church when/if they are unrepentant and rejecting the lordship of Jesus Christ?