Chapter 5 Verses 1-20
Paul encouraged the Ephesians to follow God’s example in verse one. He wanted them to walk in love. It is important for those who are children of God to remember that God is love. We are being like God the most when we love him above all else and our neighbors like ourselves. Jesus is the best example of walking in love. In verses three through five, Paul lists behaviors that will prevent a person from receiving an inheritance in the kingdom of God. Paul didn’t want the Ephesians to continue living a life full of darkness. He knew there would be pressure to keep doing what they used to do. We also get pressured to do the wrong things we used to do. That’s why it’s important to be careful. We are responsible for our actions and reactions. Our lives need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, not alcoholic beverages or other substances that limit our ability to do things pleasing according to God’s will. In verse nineteen Paul gave examples of positive things to say to other people. In verse twenty Paul gave a mindset that children of God must develop. Children of God should be grateful to God and always express it. Have we been or are we partners with people that are disobedient to God? How can we make the most of every opportunity? Chapter 5 Verses 21-33 In these verses Paul wrote about husbands and wives. He compared the relationship of a husband and wife to the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church. I want to highlight verse twenty-one. Paul wrote that the Ephesians should submit to each other in reverence for Christ. A lot of hurt could be avoided if we would remember Jesus when dealing with each other. How can we show people the love of Jesus? In verse thirty-two, Paul wrote to the Ephesians a revelation about the mystery of marriage. Marriage is an example of the relationship Jesus has with the church. In verse thirty-three, Paul encouraged the Ephesian husbands to love their wives as they love themselves and for wives to respect their husbands. Do we submit to others in reverence for Christ? Have we submitted to Christ?
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Chapter 4 Verses 1-16
Paul wrote to the Ephesians and to us about living a life worthy of the call we’ve received from God. In verses two and three he describes characteristics we should have: humility, gentleness, patience, loving, and peaceful. Paul wrote in verses four through six about a core belief children of God have. We don’t look for other ways to describe our belief other than what Paul wrote: one body, one Spirit (Holy Spirit), one hope, one Lord (Jesus Christ), one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all (creator of all). Jesus Christ has given every child of God gifts, so that we can serve others as we become more like Christ. Paul lists some of the ways people use their gifts to serve in verse eleven. We must use our gifts, because there are people that lead others wrong so they can get ahead in life. Children of God must speak the truth, in love, to build others up not take advantage of them. How have you worked on becoming more like Jesus Christ in this season? What gifts are you using to serve others? Chapter 4 Verses 17-32 Paul gave the Ephesians a warning in verses seventeen through nineteen. People that are in the world are living a life that is on a downward spiral. Their thoughts aren’t helpful to them and their hearts are hardened. They are numb emotionally and choose to try anything to feel something. Paul encouraged the Ephesians not to live like that. Once we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we can put away the old way we lived. We can talk different. We can walk different. We can live different. Verses twenty-five through thirty-two give examples of how we can and should be different after we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. What do you do to resist your deceitful desires that aren’t good for you? What are some things you are doing now after accepting Jesus? Chapter 3 Verses 1-13
In verse three, Paul reminded the Ephesians what he wrote earlier to them in the letter. He reminded them that God’s grace was now extended to Gentiles through Jesus Christ. We have to remind ourselves that our faith in Jesus will result in receiving God’s grace and mercy. Paul explained to the Ephesians and to us his call in verses eight and nine. In verse ten, Paul wrote the reason God hid how Gentiles and Jews would both be joint heirs of the promise he made long ago. God chose the specific time Jesus accomplished his will during human history so that his wisdom would be made known to the rulers in the heavenly realms. We must remember that God allows some things to happen on the Earth, because he is proving a point in the heavenly realms. Remember the conversation God had with Satan in Job chapters one and two. We may not know the details at the time things are happening in our lives, but we can know God’s character through his son Jesus Christ. Have we thanked God this week that he allows us to be part of his family? Do we approach God freely and with confidence through our faith in Jesus? Chapter 3 Verses 14-21 In these verses Paul wrote to the Ephesians what he prayed to God they would receive. The things he prayed for the Ephesians to receive, we need to ask God to give us today. We need God’s power to strengthen us in our inner being. We need Jesus to live in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. We need to be rooted and grounded in love. We need to understand how deep the love of Jesus is. We need to be filled with God. Paul wrote something incredible in verse twenty. He said God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power working inside of us. That statement and verse twenty-one raises some hard questions we have to look in the mirror and ask ourselves. Have we limited what we ask God for? Have we limited what we imagine our lives with God could look like? Is God’s power at work inside of us? Have we allowed the power of God to flow freely inside of us? Have we allowed our lives to be ordered by God’s word? Is God receiving glory or us receiving something from God more important? Have we asked God’s glory to be seen in our lives? Chapter 2 Verses 1-10
In verses one through three, Paul talked about life before Jesus for the Ephesians. In verse two he stated a fact about the spiritual world that we sometimes ignore. When we live a life of sin, we are following the ways of the ruler of the kingdom of air. This ruler and others like him are against God and his will. These spirits lead humans to be disobedient to God and live a life pursuing things pleasing to our flesh. Paul used a “but” in verse four to switch his focus. He explained God’s great love for the Ephesians and us in verses four through ten. Through Christ, we can be made alive. God did this according to his grace. Humans can’t earn God’s grace. Religion doesn’t grant us salvation and God’s grace. Religion doesn’t get us an eternity in heaven instead of the lake of fire. Humans receive God’s grace as a gift, because we’ve placed our faith in Jesus. Having faith in Jesus and a relationship with him is what allows a person to receive the great gifts God has in store. Children of God have work to do though. God has prepared tasks for all his children to do. There are no big tasks or small tasks. We complete the tasks God has given us as a way to pay it forward. God has shown us kindness and grace. The right response to God’s kindness and grace is to live showing others kindness and grace that reflects our heavenly Father. How often do you count the blessings that God has freely given you? What are some ways you can show others kindness and grace everyday? Chapter 2 Verses 11-22 In these verses Paul wrote to the Ephesians about the Gentiles and Jews. Before Jesus, there were two kinds of people; the people of God, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel and then everyone else. The Gentiles outnumbered the Jews and there were conflicts between the two groups. In verse thirteen, Paul wrote that Gentiles have been brought close to God and his promise through the blood of Jesus. Once Jesus died on the cross, the division between Gentile and Jew was destroyed. We all, regardless of our natural birth family, can be members of God’s family thanks to Jesus Christ. In verses twenty through twenty-two, Paul wrote using the image of building a temple. In the Old Testament the Jews first had the Tent of the Testimony, the tabernacle, while they were in the wilderness. The Jews then built a temple for God under King Solomon. God’s spirit stayed in the tabernacle and temple at different times in the Jew’s history. After Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom. Now God lives inside the hearts of people through his Holy Spirit, not inside a temple or building. The tabernacle and temple were foreshadowing what God would do through Jesus. That is why the church isn’t a building; it is the body of Christ made up of different people from all over the world. Have we thought about the size and scope of God’s family on the Earth? Are we willing to be the church even if a building is closed for services? |
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