In preparation each week, take time to read the assigned passage and reflect on how it introduces you to the gospel. Ask yourself four questions:
- Who is God? What does this passage tell us about God’s character, motives, and identity?
The Bible is about Him. - What has He done? What do we see God doing in this passage? What work do we observe?
- Who are we? What does this passage tell us about our identity?
- How do we live? How is God calling us to live based on who we are, what he has done, and who he is?
Week 2 – Eph 1:1-14
(9/18/24)
Interesting discussion tonight. We may all be at different places on the curve, but we’re all “in Christ” – having trusted in him for the forgiveness of sins and salvation (Rom 10:13). Scripture assures us that we’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirt, authenticating that we truly belong to God and that none of the promises God has made to us will ever fail.
God also has given us (as the famous hymn says) “blessed assurance” about our salvation. Assurance is confidence in a guaranteed fact. God wants us to be sure, and He has given us Scriptures telling us with absolute certainty that we can know we have eternal life through Jesus Christ (see John 10:28-29; 1 John 5:11-13). So, take joy in what God’s Word is saying to you: instead of doubting, we can live with confidence! We can have the assurance from Christ’s own Word that our salvation will never be in question. Our assurance of salvation is based on the perfect and complete salvation God has provided for us through Jesus Christ.
Homework
Read Ephesians 1:15-23
No Meeting Next Week (Congregation Meeting)
Week 1 – Overview
(9/11/24)
Paul is writing this letter to the Ephesians during his imprisonment in Rome (A.D. 62), about five years or so after his final meeting with the Ephesians elders (see Acts 20). Christianity, at this point, is in its infancy (about 30 years after the death and resurrection of Christ). Unlike other New Testament letters, there is no error, conflict, or misunderstanding that prompts the writing of this letter. Paul is simply writing to advance Christian insight and maturity.
The letter is addressed to the Ephesians, but because the words “in Ephesus” are absent from three of the oldest Greek manuscripts, many scholars believe this letter was originally composed as a circular letter intended for all seven churches of Asia, i.e., those established by Paul or his followers during the time of his three-year ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19-20). The name Ephesus most likely became identified with this epistle because it was the chief city in the region (the “New York City” of Asia Minor). But, the fact that it’s in the Bible is a clear indication that the message is addressed to us as well.
Perhaps more than any other book of the Bible, the Book of Ephesians emphasizes the connection between sound doctrine and right practice in the Christian life. Far too many people ignore “theology” and instead want to only discuss things that are “practical.” In Ephesians, Paul argues that theology is practical. In order to live out God’s will for us in our lives practically, we must first understand who we are in Christ doctrinally.
Ephesians in a nutshell:
We are saved by grace through faith! We do not earn our salvation — it is the gift of God. This is the shocking good news of Ephesians. Even though we were dead in sin and fully deserved God’s wrath, he saved us and brought us into the body of Christ (the Church). It is a glorious privilege to be a part of Christ’s body, and it carries with it a glorious responsibility.
We are saved by grace, for good works. God saved us so that he could live in us and work through us. We are filled with his fullness and re-created in his likeness. We are imitators of God. His power works in us, making possible more than we could ever ask or imagine. We are strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. The message of Ephesians is a message of salvation: God gives it; man lives it.
Homework
Read Ephesians 1:1-14
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