Hello!
I trust you all are challenged to be a holy people this week. God has blessed us with spouses and a family as an ‘accountability’ group each day. I trust you are opening up to that group without falsehood as we talked about in Chapter 4 (v 25).
This week we will be continuing the study in Ephesians 5 and I will work from where we left off at verse 7. We finished verse 7 in class but didn’t finalize the point.
Read Ephesians 5:3-20 in its entirety.
Paul has epitomized the Christian behavior pattern as “a life of love” (v. 2). Now he turns to another theme “Live as children of light” (v 8). But they can be “light in the Lord” only because Christ is the world’s true light (v 14). Note what we covered a few weeks ago about us being a reflection of Jesus even to the angels bringing more glory to Him as we are.
Read verse 7 –
What are we supposed to do with those that act the way discussed in v 3 to 6?
This is an unambiguous admonition that rounds off the paragraph begun at v.3. Christians are not to get mixed up with those who have excluded themselves from the kingdom by their impurity. The word “partners” (symmethochoi) is the same one Paul used in 3:6 to describe the way in which the Gentiles now share in the messianic promise.
Do you think we will be able to live entirely separate from those who live outright defiance of God? Why or why not?
Does this verse tell us to become munks or similar? Why or why not?
Read verse 8 –
Remember what we discussed in class a bit. The entirety of light and 1 John 1:5 where there is NO darkness in God. To live as Children of light we have to get rid of darkness. What does that mean to you?
Here Paul enlarges on the contrast between darkness and light. As in 2:1-3 and 3:17-24, he reminds his readers of what they once were. One word suffice by way of summary – “darkness”. Not only did we live IN darkness: we WERE darkness. But we have been rescued from the dominion of darkness and inherit the kingdom of light (1 Cor 1:12, 13). We are not only to live in the light but ARE the light. This is possible ONLY in union with Christ who is Himself the light. Calvin writes “Apart from Christ Satan occupies everything”. Barclay says “Henceforth they must behave as those who are at home in the light”.
Are you at home in the light? Why or why not?
Read verse 9 –
Light is known by its effects. When the light of Christ shines in the live of believers it produces what?
These qualities counteract the dark influence of malice (4:31), injustice and falsehood (4:25). Goodness (agathosyne) is the achievement of moral excellence combined with a generouse spirit. Righteouseness (dikaisoyne) was understood by the greeks as giving all their due. Among a wide range of meanings “truth” stands for genuineness and honesty. It is not only something to be said but something to be done.
Read 1 John 1:6 –
How does this verse coincide with the Ephesians verses?
Read verse 10 –
Do you want to live in the light? Really?
Literally “finding out” [dokimazontes] what is well pleasing to the Lord is what is asked here. The verb has to do with testing of metals and so can mean to discover by examination, verify, or approve. Here and in 1 Timothy 3:10 the examination seem to be appropriate translation. Those who live as children of light will be continually endeavoring to ascertain what is the will of God in every situation so that they may satisfy Him.
Examining your life TODAY – as you read this – what situation comes to mind that challenges if you want that situation to be something YOU want or something HE wants?
Read verse 11-20-
List out what you are to do:
List out what you are not to do:
Discuss with your spouse or accountability partner what this would mean in your life and examine a situation you are challenged in right now.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Study Questions for July 27, 2008
Study Questions for the week prior to July 13, 2008
Hello everyone. I trust that the get to know you session on Sunday was enjoyable and a testimony to the Lord who has brought us together. It was hot at Kid’s camp but the boys we had were great. The “green team” as we were called kept up with the older kids in both expressing their faith and physically competing. They were a great witness. We also had a few kids that don’t go to church, any church, that came. Much discussion and searching for Christ were found in our small groups.
This week we will take up some great verses in Ephesians 5. We left off in chapter 4 with the admonition both personally and as a group to be kind and compassionate to one another. We were also challenged with several specifics around how we talk and how we are to get rid of falsehood. The challenges were also overlayed with what God continues to tell us – without Him we just can’t do anything. This is, of course, a perfect lead in to what we are challenged to do both individually and corporately as a body.
Read Ephesians 5:1-2
The summary of chapters 5 and 6 start here.
Look at verse 1 – what are we to do?
What is the difference between a child that is dearly loved and one that is not? Why would this be called out separately?
What would it mean to imitate God?
Do children imitate us? Give some examples of how your children or others imitate their parents.
Look at verse 2 – how does this verse begin? What does a life of love look like? Give specific examples.
What would be different from someone that lives a life of love and someone that does not?
Why does verse 2 call out fragrant offering? What can we give to the Lord that is good?
Where in the old testament would you find a fragrant offering? What was it?
Read Ephesians 5:3-4
What is the overall need for these verses?
How doe these verses overlay with verses 1-2? These are back to back for a reason.
Why would you want to stay away from sexual immorality?
What does it mean to have a hint of impurity or of greed?
Read 1 John 1:5. God is holy – how much darkness is in Him?
If we are God’s holy people why would we not want to be holy? What keeps you from being holy?
Read verse 4 – What does this verse tell us?
Ask your spouse what foolish talk and coarse joking are. Share with each other when you have experienced this.
Why would we be constantly giving thanks? What would the thankgiving be about? (Hint: Note verse 2)
Who would we give thanks to and for what?
Read verse 5 – Paul brings these last verses to a final conclusion – what do you call a person with immorality or greed?
Does this person have an inheritance?
Have a great week!
Andy
Hello everyone. I trust that the get to know you session on Sunday was enjoyable and a testimony to the Lord who has brought us together. It was hot at Kid’s camp but the boys we had were great. The “green team” as we were called kept up with the older kids in both expressing their faith and physically competing. They were a great witness. We also had a few kids that don’t go to church, any church, that came. Much discussion and searching for Christ were found in our small groups.
This week we will take up some great verses in Ephesians 5. We left off in chapter 4 with the admonition both personally and as a group to be kind and compassionate to one another. We were also challenged with several specifics around how we talk and how we are to get rid of falsehood. The challenges were also overlayed with what God continues to tell us – without Him we just can’t do anything. This is, of course, a perfect lead in to what we are challenged to do both individually and corporately as a body.
Read Ephesians 5:1-2
The summary of chapters 5 and 6 start here.
Look at verse 1 – what are we to do?
What is the difference between a child that is dearly loved and one that is not? Why would this be called out separately?
What would it mean to imitate God?
Do children imitate us? Give some examples of how your children or others imitate their parents.
Look at verse 2 – how does this verse begin? What does a life of love look like? Give specific examples.
What would be different from someone that lives a life of love and someone that does not?
Why does verse 2 call out fragrant offering? What can we give to the Lord that is good?
Where in the old testament would you find a fragrant offering? What was it?
Read Ephesians 5:3-4
What is the overall need for these verses?
How doe these verses overlay with verses 1-2? These are back to back for a reason.
Why would you want to stay away from sexual immorality?
What does it mean to have a hint of impurity or of greed?
Read 1 John 1:5. God is holy – how much darkness is in Him?
If we are God’s holy people why would we not want to be holy? What keeps you from being holy?
Read verse 4 – What does this verse tell us?
Ask your spouse what foolish talk and coarse joking are. Share with each other when you have experienced this.
Why would we be constantly giving thanks? What would the thankgiving be about? (Hint: Note verse 2)
Who would we give thanks to and for what?
Read verse 5 – Paul brings these last verses to a final conclusion – what do you call a person with immorality or greed?
Does this person have an inheritance?
Have a great week!
Andy
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Class Notes and Study Questions for July 13, 2008
Study Notes and Questions for the week prior to July 13, 2008
Read again Ephesians 4:15 and 4:16
Who should be the head and the 'brains'?
From Him we are to be built up in what?
What is the purpose of 'growing' in the body?
Read again Ephesians 4:17-24
What are we to walk like? What did we walk like before we had Christ as our head?
Are you a new creation with Christ as your head?
Read Ephesians 4:25-32
Pick out the top 5 things you see in these verses that you are NOT to do (rank order them for yourself)...
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Pick out the top 5 things you see in these verses that you ARE to do (rank order them for yourself)...
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Share these lists with your spouse. Do they match? Discuss them with your spouse as to why you ranked them the way you did.
Read verse 25 -
Look up Zechariah 8:16 - Why would it would be appropriate to speak truth to one another?
Is there ever an occasion we should lie? What biblical verse do you have to support your answer?
Speculate on what would happen if everyone told the truth at all times?
Why are we supposed to tell the truth? How does this relate to 4:16?
Read verse 26 and 27 together -
What does it look like to be angry but not sin?
What does it mean to let the sun go down on your anger? Why are we not to do that?
Read verse 28 -
What does it mean to be a thief? What have you stolen in your life? Think on this one a bit - have you stolen time from someone, pens from the office, joy from a child...?
What is the thief supposed to do?
Read verse 29 -
What is rotten talk?
Read Galations 6:9-10
Read James 3:9
What are people to hear from us?
Read verse 30 -
You are now sealed for the Lord once He indwells you. How can you grieve the Holy Spirit?
Read verse 31 -
Big deal here. You are to remove all these things. List what things are to be removed:
All ________________ - Which is what?
Anger and _____________ - Which looks like what?
Insult and _____________ - What does this look like?
All ___________________ - What does this look like?
Verse 32 tells us what we ARE supposed to be like.
What holds you back from being this way? Mark the top 3 things in the below list:
1. Fear
2. Doubt
3. Bitterness
4. Hurt
5. Anger
6. ? (Fill in your answer)
7. ? (Fill in your answer)
8. ? (Fill in your answer)
Read Ephesians 3:14-15 again - Are you letting the Father lead your family and you? Are you bowing to Him?
What does this passage of scripture mean for you this week? What specifically is God calling you to do?
Have a great week!
Andy
Read again Ephesians 4:15 and 4:16
Who should be the head and the 'brains'?
From Him we are to be built up in what?
What is the purpose of 'growing' in the body?
Read again Ephesians 4:17-24
What are we to walk like? What did we walk like before we had Christ as our head?
Are you a new creation with Christ as your head?
Read Ephesians 4:25-32
Pick out the top 5 things you see in these verses that you are NOT to do (rank order them for yourself)...
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Pick out the top 5 things you see in these verses that you ARE to do (rank order them for yourself)...
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Share these lists with your spouse. Do they match? Discuss them with your spouse as to why you ranked them the way you did.
Read verse 25 -
Look up Zechariah 8:16 - Why would it would be appropriate to speak truth to one another?
Is there ever an occasion we should lie? What biblical verse do you have to support your answer?
Speculate on what would happen if everyone told the truth at all times?
Why are we supposed to tell the truth? How does this relate to 4:16?
Read verse 26 and 27 together -
What does it look like to be angry but not sin?
What does it mean to let the sun go down on your anger? Why are we not to do that?
Read verse 28 -
What does it mean to be a thief? What have you stolen in your life? Think on this one a bit - have you stolen time from someone, pens from the office, joy from a child...?
What is the thief supposed to do?
Read verse 29 -
What is rotten talk?
Read Galations 6:9-10
Read James 3:9
What are people to hear from us?
Read verse 30 -
You are now sealed for the Lord once He indwells you. How can you grieve the Holy Spirit?
Read verse 31 -
Big deal here. You are to remove all these things. List what things are to be removed:
All ________________ - Which is what?
Anger and _____________ - Which looks like what?
Insult and _____________ - What does this look like?
All ___________________ - What does this look like?
Verse 32 tells us what we ARE supposed to be like.
What holds you back from being this way? Mark the top 3 things in the below list:
1. Fear
2. Doubt
3. Bitterness
4. Hurt
5. Anger
6. ? (Fill in your answer)
7. ? (Fill in your answer)
8. ? (Fill in your answer)
Read Ephesians 3:14-15 again - Are you letting the Father lead your family and you? Are you bowing to Him?
What does this passage of scripture mean for you this week? What specifically is God calling you to do?
Have a great week!
Andy
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Class Notes for July 6, 2008
Ephesians 4:14-16
Read Verse 14 –
What comes to mind when you think about infants? What do they need and how are they to be treated?
What comes to mind when you think of being tossed back and forth by the waves?
What teaching or current day example can you give for false teaching to Christians?
What is the main reason why this teaching is so damaging?
The metaphor of maturity is carried over from v.13. There must be no symptoms of arrested development among believers, who are to abandon childish attitudes and be their age (1 Cor 13:11). Paul switches from one metaphor to another as he depicts the features of spiritual infantilism. Its victims will be tossed to and fro like a cork in surging sea (James 1:6) and whirled about by every chance gust of a fashionable heterodoxy. “Blown here and there” (peripheromenoi) is literally “swung around.” It is used of spinning tops and feeling dizzy. Such is the confusing affect of false doctrine.
When you think of cunning and crafty what comes to mind?
What are the general themes of false doctrine you see?
Why do people preach false doctrine? What is their motive?
What example do you have of someone teaching Christians that was/is heretical or is done not for the motives God desires?
What should be the motives of teaching the bible only (hint, see verses 12 and 13)
The source of this dangerous teaching is to be traced in the “slick cleverness of men, craftily calculated to lead us astray”. “Cunning” (kybeia) is cheating at dice and so, by extension, trickery of every kind. “Craftiness” (Panourgia) is the unscrpulousness that stops at nothing. Error is organized with a deliberate policy to undermine the truth of God. Paul may well be tilting at emergent Gnosticism (Col 2:8).
What is the contrast you see between a teacher in verse 12 and 13 motives and those in verse 14?
Read verse 15
What are you supposed to do?
Why do we speak the truth in love? What is the purpose and reason to do this?
If we are to grow in Christ what is the first thing that we are instructed to do (read the first part of the verse again)?
Do you speak the truth in love? How do you and how do you not? Give an example to your spouse…
In verse 15 Paul contrasts the deception of heresy with the integrity of the gospel. The church cannot allow falsehood to go uncorrected, yet the truth must always be vindicated in the accents of love. “Speaking the truth” (aletheuontes; literally, “truthing”) is strictly “doing the truth” and may imply more than verbalization (“dealing truly”). This fundamental concern for the truth is the secret of maturity in the church. It is into Christ as the Head that the body grows up.
Have you ever spoke the truth about some heretical teaching?
Read verse 16 –
Do you see Christ as your head and you as just part of the body?
How does that show in your life?
Is there someone you can ask that will tell you if your reputation shows that the head of your life is Christ? (Is this apparent)?
What would be the reason someone would know that you serve Christ as the head?
Christ is at once the One into whom all Christians grow and out of whom (ex hou) the church consolidates itself in love. This process depends on the fact that the various parts of the body are interrelated. The whole is continually being integrated (synarmologoumenon) and kept firm (symbibazomenon) by each separate ligament (haphes) – “joined and held together by every supporting ligament.” The precision with with these medical terms are employed makes us wonder if Paul checked the details with Luke.
What part do you play in making the body work? At home with your family, at church, at work, etc?
It is only “when each part is working properly” that the body receives the support it needs. The word is really “furnishing” (epichoregia) or supply (Phil 1:19). From Calvin – “If we want to be considered members of Christ, let no man be anything for himself, but let us all be whatever we are for the benefit of each other”.
Have a great week and a great 4th of July holiday.
Andy
Read Verse 14 –
What comes to mind when you think about infants? What do they need and how are they to be treated?
What comes to mind when you think of being tossed back and forth by the waves?
What teaching or current day example can you give for false teaching to Christians?
What is the main reason why this teaching is so damaging?
The metaphor of maturity is carried over from v.13. There must be no symptoms of arrested development among believers, who are to abandon childish attitudes and be their age (1 Cor 13:11). Paul switches from one metaphor to another as he depicts the features of spiritual infantilism. Its victims will be tossed to and fro like a cork in surging sea (James 1:6) and whirled about by every chance gust of a fashionable heterodoxy. “Blown here and there” (peripheromenoi) is literally “swung around.” It is used of spinning tops and feeling dizzy. Such is the confusing affect of false doctrine.
When you think of cunning and crafty what comes to mind?
What are the general themes of false doctrine you see?
Why do people preach false doctrine? What is their motive?
What example do you have of someone teaching Christians that was/is heretical or is done not for the motives God desires?
What should be the motives of teaching the bible only (hint, see verses 12 and 13)
The source of this dangerous teaching is to be traced in the “slick cleverness of men, craftily calculated to lead us astray”. “Cunning” (kybeia) is cheating at dice and so, by extension, trickery of every kind. “Craftiness” (Panourgia) is the unscrpulousness that stops at nothing. Error is organized with a deliberate policy to undermine the truth of God. Paul may well be tilting at emergent Gnosticism (Col 2:8).
What is the contrast you see between a teacher in verse 12 and 13 motives and those in verse 14?
Read verse 15
What are you supposed to do?
Why do we speak the truth in love? What is the purpose and reason to do this?
If we are to grow in Christ what is the first thing that we are instructed to do (read the first part of the verse again)?
Do you speak the truth in love? How do you and how do you not? Give an example to your spouse…
In verse 15 Paul contrasts the deception of heresy with the integrity of the gospel. The church cannot allow falsehood to go uncorrected, yet the truth must always be vindicated in the accents of love. “Speaking the truth” (aletheuontes; literally, “truthing”) is strictly “doing the truth” and may imply more than verbalization (“dealing truly”). This fundamental concern for the truth is the secret of maturity in the church. It is into Christ as the Head that the body grows up.
Have you ever spoke the truth about some heretical teaching?
Read verse 16 –
Do you see Christ as your head and you as just part of the body?
How does that show in your life?
Is there someone you can ask that will tell you if your reputation shows that the head of your life is Christ? (Is this apparent)?
What would be the reason someone would know that you serve Christ as the head?
Christ is at once the One into whom all Christians grow and out of whom (ex hou) the church consolidates itself in love. This process depends on the fact that the various parts of the body are interrelated. The whole is continually being integrated (synarmologoumenon) and kept firm (symbibazomenon) by each separate ligament (haphes) – “joined and held together by every supporting ligament.” The precision with with these medical terms are employed makes us wonder if Paul checked the details with Luke.
What part do you play in making the body work? At home with your family, at church, at work, etc?
It is only “when each part is working properly” that the body receives the support it needs. The word is really “furnishing” (epichoregia) or supply (Phil 1:19). From Calvin – “If we want to be considered members of Christ, let no man be anything for himself, but let us all be whatever we are for the benefit of each other”.
Have a great week and a great 4th of July holiday.
Andy
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