Last class was certainly an exciting and different way to look at God's word together. I appreciate everyone's participation and help in working through the logistics of splitting up and the debrief.
Read Ephesians 5:29- 33
What are the key messages you hear in these verses?
Who is Paul talking to in verse 29? Who is he talking to in verse 30?
29 –
30 –
Read Ephesians 5:29 to your spouse if you are a husband – ask them if you are loving them as part of yourself. If not (that would be all of us in some way) – ask them how else you could…
Read Ephesians 5:30 – This is for everyone – Why does Christ care about the Church?
The reason why Christ cares for the church is made clear in verse 30. It is because Christians are living parts of His body. In Ephesians 4:25 (remember the start of last Sunday’s lesson) Paul has dealt with the relationship of the member to one another individually. Here he is concerned with their relationship as a whole. Earlier in the letter he has spoken about the church as a body whose head is Christ (1:22, 23; 4:12; 16). Here he stresses the closeness of the Christian’s communion with Christ as a part (mele) of Himself, just as the branches are part of the vine.
Do we see our family as part of our own body?
Do we let our hand on our own body wither or do we take care of it?
How should we take care of our own body (our family and especially our spouse)? - What SPECIFIC things can you site about how you ensure the love for your family helps the family live?
Read verse 31 –
Why is this verse called the summary of everything before it around marriage?
What does this verse mean?
Why is this verse important?
Read Genesis 2:24
Paul introduces the verse from Genesis at this point to substantiate his argument from Scripture, as did Jesus himself. It had already been shaping his thought in this section.
“For this reason” (anti toutou) is not a preface to the quotation but part of it. When Adam recognized that Eve was part of himself (“bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” Gen 2:23), Genesis 24 adds: “Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife and they become one flesh”. The marriage tie takes precedence over every other human relationship and for this reason is to be regarded as inviolable. Nevertheless, what is basically a divine ordinance is graciously designed for mutual satisfaction and delight. “United” means closely joined (proskollesthesetai, literally, “will be glued”). It is because of this exalted biblical view of marital relations that the church has taken its stand on the indissolubility of the marital bond.
Read verse 32 –
What does this verse mean to you?
Why is it important to your walk with Christ?
The grammatically correct translation is “this mystery is great.” “Great” (mega) expresses magnitude rather than intensity. We might say “it is of far-reaching importance” or “has many implications” or “This is a profound mystery.” But what is meant by “mystery” here? Already we have seen that for Paul in this letter mysterion means a secret revelation made known through a special dispensation of grace (Eph 3:2,3). Usually it embraces the total sweep of God’s purposes in Christ (1:9, 3:3, 4, 9; 6:19), but it may also refer to some specific truth within that wider revelation (as in Rom 11:25 and 1 Cor 15:51). Genesis 2:24 enunciates a more profound truth than was realized till Christ came to win His bride, the church, by giving Himself for her on the cross (v.25).
Paul does not add the words “but I am talking about Christ and the church” as if he had been diverted from his theme. Rather, he is saying that so far, as he is concerned he refers to the mystery to the relation between Christ and the church. Although this verse enshrines the highest possible view of marriage, it does not support the Roman doctrine of marriage as a sacrament. The misunderstanding has arisen from the fact that sacramentum is the Latin equivalent of mysterion. The best Roman Catholic scholarship today repudiates any attempt to appeal to this verse.
Read verse 33 -
What does this verse mean and why are the specific words used important?
If you are a wife – concentrate on what this verse means – what are you to do? What does it mean? (if you are a husband, skip this question)
If you are a husband – concentrate on what this verse means – what are you to do? What does it mean? (if you are a wife, skip this question)
The final word in this section is a practical one (I TOLD YOU we would get there!). Whether or not Paul’s we have fully understood his allusions to the profound mystery in the last verse, we should at least get hold of the essential instructions he has been endeavoring to convey. Paul addresses every husband individually (literally, “you each, one by one”) without naming him as such. He is to go on loving his wife as his very self (vv 25, 28, 29). This is to be out of our great following and love for Christ that we can love our wives as we should.
The wife for her part is it give her husband the respect (phobetai) that is due him in the Lord (v.22). As v.21 has made plain, such respect is conditioned by and expressive of the reverence (phobos) of Christ.
Those who are puzzled because Paul does not tell wives that they are to love their husbands fail to appreciate the almost rabbinical precision with which the analogy is handled. Christ loves the church; the church’s love for Christ is expressed in submission.
Are you ready………?? Let’s follow up to last week’s triangle on the board…
Wives – are you looking to Christ alone and therefore worthy to be loved?
Husbands – are you looking to Christ alone and therefore worthy of respect?
Have a great week!
Andy
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
New Books
Just a reminder that the books for the next session are under the table in the Sunday School room. They are labeled "Know What you Believe" by Paul Little.
Please take one per couple for now. We ordered enough for that for now.
I am really excited about this study. If you have feedback about the study after that please let me know. I am wrestling with the study on Daniel and working through a book called Love and Respect which some of you are familiar with.
Please take one per couple for now. We ordered enough for that for now.
I am really excited about this study. If you have feedback about the study after that please let me know. I am wrestling with the study on Daniel and working through a book called Love and Respect which some of you are familiar with.
Question: "How are we to submit to God?"
From Gotquestions.org
Answer: In all the New Testament incidences where the word submit occurs, the word is translated from the Greek word hupotasso. The hupo means "under" and the tasso means "to arrange." This word and a root of it are also translated by the words subject and subjection. The word's full meaning is "to obey, put under, be subject to, submit oneself unto, put in subjection under or be under obedience or obedient to." The word was used as a military term meaning "to arrange troop divisions in a military fashion under the command of a leader." This word is a wonderful definition of what it means to "submit" to God. It means to arrange oneself under the command of divine viewpoint rather than to live according to one's old way of life based on a human viewpoint. It is a process surrendering our own will to that of our Father's.The Scripture has a great deal to say about being in submission to the "higher powers." This has reference to the establishment principles that God has ordained in our world—the government and the leaders, in whatever capacity, that God has placed in authority over us on this earth. Passages that teach this principle are Romans 13:1-7; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14; and Titus 3:1. The principle is that being in obedience to the authority over us, whatever that authority is, will bring a temporal blessing in real time here and now and, for the believer, reward later. The highest authority is God, and He delegates authority to others; so, in order submit to God, we submit to the authority He has placed over us. You will notice that there are no caveats that distinguish between good or bad authority or even just or unjust authority. We are just to humble ourselves and obey as "unto the Lord."We are also told to submit ourselves to God (James 4:7). In Ephesians we read the wife is to submit to her husband as unto the Lord and the husband is to "love" his wife (Ephesians 5:22-25). The Apostle Peter writes, “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5). The theme here is one of humility. One cannot submit to God without humility. Obedience requires us to humble ourselves to surrender to the authority of another, and we are told that God resists pride—the opposite of humility—and the arrogance that fosters that pride.Therefore, having a humble and submissive heart is a choice we make. That means as born-again believers we daily make a choice to submit ourselves to God for the work that the Holy Spirit does in us to "conform us to the image of Christ." God will use the situations of our lives to bring us the opportunity to submit to Him (Romans 8:28-29). The believer then accepts His grace and provision to walk in the Spirit and not after the manner of the old nature. That work is accomplished by choosing to apply ourselves to the Word of God and to learning about the provisions that God has made for us in Christ Jesus. From the moment we are born again, we have all the provisions we need, in Christ, to become a mature believer, but we have to make the choice to learn about those provisions through study of the Word and to apply those provisions to our daily walk.We have to choose to submit to God for the process of learning in order to grow spiritually. It is a process begun at salvation and ongoing with each and every choice that we make to submit ourselves to God. This process will continue until the Lord comes again or He calls us home. The wonderful thing about this is that, as the Apostle Paul so aptly states, "But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 3:18).God does not require us to submit because He is a tyrant, but because He is a loving Father and He knows what is best for us. The blessings and peace that we gain from humbly surrendering and submitting ourselves to Him daily are a gift of grace that nothing in this world can compare to.Recommended Resource: A Godward Life by John Piper.
Answer: In all the New Testament incidences where the word submit occurs, the word is translated from the Greek word hupotasso. The hupo means "under" and the tasso means "to arrange." This word and a root of it are also translated by the words subject and subjection. The word's full meaning is "to obey, put under, be subject to, submit oneself unto, put in subjection under or be under obedience or obedient to." The word was used as a military term meaning "to arrange troop divisions in a military fashion under the command of a leader." This word is a wonderful definition of what it means to "submit" to God. It means to arrange oneself under the command of divine viewpoint rather than to live according to one's old way of life based on a human viewpoint. It is a process surrendering our own will to that of our Father's.The Scripture has a great deal to say about being in submission to the "higher powers." This has reference to the establishment principles that God has ordained in our world—the government and the leaders, in whatever capacity, that God has placed in authority over us on this earth. Passages that teach this principle are Romans 13:1-7; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14; and Titus 3:1. The principle is that being in obedience to the authority over us, whatever that authority is, will bring a temporal blessing in real time here and now and, for the believer, reward later. The highest authority is God, and He delegates authority to others; so, in order submit to God, we submit to the authority He has placed over us. You will notice that there are no caveats that distinguish between good or bad authority or even just or unjust authority. We are just to humble ourselves and obey as "unto the Lord."We are also told to submit ourselves to God (James 4:7). In Ephesians we read the wife is to submit to her husband as unto the Lord and the husband is to "love" his wife (Ephesians 5:22-25). The Apostle Peter writes, “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5). The theme here is one of humility. One cannot submit to God without humility. Obedience requires us to humble ourselves to surrender to the authority of another, and we are told that God resists pride—the opposite of humility—and the arrogance that fosters that pride.Therefore, having a humble and submissive heart is a choice we make. That means as born-again believers we daily make a choice to submit ourselves to God for the work that the Holy Spirit does in us to "conform us to the image of Christ." God will use the situations of our lives to bring us the opportunity to submit to Him (Romans 8:28-29). The believer then accepts His grace and provision to walk in the Spirit and not after the manner of the old nature. That work is accomplished by choosing to apply ourselves to the Word of God and to learning about the provisions that God has made for us in Christ Jesus. From the moment we are born again, we have all the provisions we need, in Christ, to become a mature believer, but we have to make the choice to learn about those provisions through study of the Word and to apply those provisions to our daily walk.We have to choose to submit to God for the process of learning in order to grow spiritually. It is a process begun at salvation and ongoing with each and every choice that we make to submit ourselves to God. This process will continue until the Lord comes again or He calls us home. The wonderful thing about this is that, as the Apostle Paul so aptly states, "But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 3:18).God does not require us to submit because He is a tyrant, but because He is a loving Father and He knows what is best for us. The blessings and peace that we gain from humbly surrendering and submitting ourselves to Him daily are a gift of grace that nothing in this world can compare to.Recommended Resource: A Godward Life by John Piper.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Study Notes and Questions for August 10, 2008
Study Notes and Questions for August 10, 2008
Hello everyone! I trust the week is showing you more about what God is doing in your life and you are in awe of His mercy and grace. I saw a bumper sticker today that said: “Kansan by birth, Jayhawk by the grace of God”. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone knew that we are both because of the grace of God? Our fears and concerns each day will be different when we know He is with us.
What a great testimony of God’s work from David Swisher and his Romania trip last Sunday. Thank you so much David for your preparation and testimony! It was very uplifting and challenging around having God set the plan and go to where He is working.
We finished Ephesians 5 through verse 14 on Sunday. Note verse 14 to begin this week. Are you sleeping? Have you risen from the death of sin into the life with Christ? Once you process that begin in verse 15.
Read Ephesians 5:15- 20
What are the key messages you heard in these verses?
Who is Paul talking to? (hint – read Eph 1:2)
Read Ephesians 5:15 to your spouse – ask them what would be something that would be different in you if you were careful to live wise rather than unwise? Write the answers below:
Because of the illumination in verse 14, the believer will pay the most scrupulous attention to his personal behavior. Here the expression for “see to it” (Bleptete) is combined with “accurately” or “carefully” (akribos) to underline the need for the utmost concentration on leading an irreproachable life. The verb translated “to live” (peripateo) has been used four times in Ephesians 4 and 5. The metaphorical contrast between light and darkness is now replaced by that between wisdom and folly. Christians must no longer act like simpletons, since God’s own wisdom is always available to them.
What excuses to you see people using for not living as God would want them to?
Read Ephesians 5:16
What does this verse mean?
Where did you see a time TODAY that you could have made more out of an opportunity with your kids, your spouse, your neighbor, your coworker, your boss, etc? Think on a specific example…
Do you ‘waste’ time each day? If so, on what?
Believers are to make “the most of every opportunity” (exagorazomenoi ton kairon). The verb “to buy back” or “to take off the market” is used in Galatians 3:13 and 4:5 in connection with redemption fro the law. Here and in Colossians 4:5 it is of less certain interpretation. It has nothing to do with gaining time, as in Danial 2:8. It is not to be treated allegorically, as if time were being snatched from the devil or from evil men. What is meant simply to make the best possible use of all circumstances like prudent merchants. “Opportunity” (kairos) is the right moment, which Paul urges us to grasp lest it be wasted. The days are evil (ponerai, “wicked”) in a moral sense, not necessarily by reason of hardship and distress, though this may be an accompaniment.
Are you a “merchant of time”? Do you see every bit of time and every situation as an opportunity to act as Christ in speech and action? Give a simple example of this with your children or spouse…
Why don’t we live this way all the time? Why is everything else a waste?
Read Ephesians 5:17
What does it mean not to be foolish? What have you done this week that was foolish in the eyes of God?
What does it mean to understand God’s will? Take your time here… Go through 1) Where do you find and know God’s will; 2) What do you do once you understand it is His will? Is there anything you should/could do?
“Therefore” (dia touto) resumes the thought in verse 15 with its exhortation to be wise. “Foolish” (aphron) is a stronger word than asophoi in v 15, alluding to stupid imprudence or senseless folly in action. To “understand” (syniemi) is to give the mind to something so as to get ahold of it. It implies that an effort has to be made: so it has the sense of “try to grasp.” The object of this determined attempt at apprehension is the Lord’s will (v 10). Paul recognizes the divine will as the regulative principle of the Christian life (Eph 1:1, 5, 9). Here he refers to the will of the Lord because Christ left us an example.
Read Ephesians 5:18
What does this verse mean?
Why is there energy and tension about this verse in society today?
Did God create us the way we should be? Do we need to alter ourselves to be who God wants us to be?
Do YOU need wine or similar to be somebody else or relax? Why?
Do YOU believe that God has given you what you need through the Holy Spirit so that you don’t have to alter yourself to be who he wants you to be?
What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Does this imply at certain times or all the time? If you are filled with the Holy Spirit at all times what decisions will you make about other things getting in the way of His decisions and help?
What would be different if you didn’t drink wine or similar? Write down specifics:
I would have more of God’s money for: __________________
I would_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Read Proverbs 23:30. Paul warns us against the follow of overindulgence in strong drink. Drunkeness was all too common in the pagan world and cautions in the NT show that it presented a serious temptation for Christians. The danger of drunkenness (Gal 5:21) lies not only in itself but in what it may induce. Debauchery (asotia) in the NT means dissoluteness or dissipation. It is the “wild living” of the prodigal son (Luke 15:13, adverb). In classical Greek it signified extravagant squandering both of money and of the physical appetites. If they are wise (remember our previous verses), Christians will avoid all such excess.
How much is excess for YOU? When do you change who you ARE and become something else? When do you focus your money, time, and mind all to be filled by Him?
Instead of continuing in drunkenness, they are to go on being filled with the Spirit. That is a surprising alternative. We might have expected the apostle to plead for abstinence as over against intemperance. But he takes a more startling and positive line. He urges his readers to draw on the reinvigorating resources of the Holy Spirit. One the day of Pentecost the effect of such an experience was mistaken for drunkenness. The Sprit does produce a genuine exhilaration (and rest) other vainly seek from alcohol.
“With the Spirit” is actually “in Spirit” (en pneumati). The theologigal implications of “be filled” (plerousthe) are crucial for a biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The imperative makes it clear that this is a command for all Christians. The present tense rules out any once-for-all reception of the Spirit but points to a continuous replenishment (literally, “go on being filled”). Nor does it appear that Paul is urging us to enter into a new experience. Rather, he is inviting us to gon on as we began (if we have, in fact, turned over Lordship to Christ).
Read Ephesians 5:19
How are we to speak to one another?
What is to be in our hearts?
Give an example of speaking this way…
The outcome of being filled with the Spirit in described in verses 19 and 20 in a series of 4 participles that virtually amount to imperatives. It is noticeable that each of these expressions of the Spirit’s fullness has to do with praise. The verb “to speak” (laleo) is not confined to normal conversation but covers utterance of any kind and so is perfectly applicable to the medium of psalms, hymns, and songs. Such communication is with one another (heautois) not “to yourselves”. “Psalms” seems to refer to the OT Psalter, which was integrated with Christian worship from the first. “Hymns” in the pagan circules were sung to eulogize some god or cultic hero. Christian hymns exalted the name of Christ (v19) or God (v20). Such canticles appear in the NT itself. “Spiritual songs” (odai pneumatikai) may be so designated either to differentiate them from secular compositions or because they represent spontaneous singing in the Spirit.
The verb “to make music” (psallo) from which “psalm” is derived can mean playing a stringed instrument (literally, “to pluck”) or singing praise to the accompaniment of a harp. Here it describes the heart’s inner melody that keeps in tune with audible praise or may be independent of any outward expression. If it is offered “to the Lord,” it does not need to be heard by men.
Read Ephesians 5:20
What are we to do with ALL OF OUR TIME?
Who are we to give Thanks to?
What are we to give Thanks for?
What specifically do you give Thanks to God for this week? Name 10 things:
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
The perpetual accompaniment of all these outlets of the Spirit in the Christian life is thanksgiving. The context is not restricted to that of the church’s liturgy as indicated by “always” (pantote). Such gratitude to God is to cover every circumstance even if disease or poverty (sorry Joel Olstein) and is to be addressed to God the Father – The Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Eph 1:3, 1:17), who is also”our God and Father (Gal 1:4) – in the name of the Son as the one who fully reveals Him.
Have a great week!
Andy
Hello everyone! I trust the week is showing you more about what God is doing in your life and you are in awe of His mercy and grace. I saw a bumper sticker today that said: “Kansan by birth, Jayhawk by the grace of God”. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone knew that we are both because of the grace of God? Our fears and concerns each day will be different when we know He is with us.
What a great testimony of God’s work from David Swisher and his Romania trip last Sunday. Thank you so much David for your preparation and testimony! It was very uplifting and challenging around having God set the plan and go to where He is working.
We finished Ephesians 5 through verse 14 on Sunday. Note verse 14 to begin this week. Are you sleeping? Have you risen from the death of sin into the life with Christ? Once you process that begin in verse 15.
Read Ephesians 5:15- 20
What are the key messages you heard in these verses?
Who is Paul talking to? (hint – read Eph 1:2)
Read Ephesians 5:15 to your spouse – ask them what would be something that would be different in you if you were careful to live wise rather than unwise? Write the answers below:
Because of the illumination in verse 14, the believer will pay the most scrupulous attention to his personal behavior. Here the expression for “see to it” (Bleptete) is combined with “accurately” or “carefully” (akribos) to underline the need for the utmost concentration on leading an irreproachable life. The verb translated “to live” (peripateo) has been used four times in Ephesians 4 and 5. The metaphorical contrast between light and darkness is now replaced by that between wisdom and folly. Christians must no longer act like simpletons, since God’s own wisdom is always available to them.
What excuses to you see people using for not living as God would want them to?
Read Ephesians 5:16
What does this verse mean?
Where did you see a time TODAY that you could have made more out of an opportunity with your kids, your spouse, your neighbor, your coworker, your boss, etc? Think on a specific example…
Do you ‘waste’ time each day? If so, on what?
Believers are to make “the most of every opportunity” (exagorazomenoi ton kairon). The verb “to buy back” or “to take off the market” is used in Galatians 3:13 and 4:5 in connection with redemption fro the law. Here and in Colossians 4:5 it is of less certain interpretation. It has nothing to do with gaining time, as in Danial 2:8. It is not to be treated allegorically, as if time were being snatched from the devil or from evil men. What is meant simply to make the best possible use of all circumstances like prudent merchants. “Opportunity” (kairos) is the right moment, which Paul urges us to grasp lest it be wasted. The days are evil (ponerai, “wicked”) in a moral sense, not necessarily by reason of hardship and distress, though this may be an accompaniment.
Are you a “merchant of time”? Do you see every bit of time and every situation as an opportunity to act as Christ in speech and action? Give a simple example of this with your children or spouse…
Why don’t we live this way all the time? Why is everything else a waste?
Read Ephesians 5:17
What does it mean not to be foolish? What have you done this week that was foolish in the eyes of God?
What does it mean to understand God’s will? Take your time here… Go through 1) Where do you find and know God’s will; 2) What do you do once you understand it is His will? Is there anything you should/could do?
“Therefore” (dia touto) resumes the thought in verse 15 with its exhortation to be wise. “Foolish” (aphron) is a stronger word than asophoi in v 15, alluding to stupid imprudence or senseless folly in action. To “understand” (syniemi) is to give the mind to something so as to get ahold of it. It implies that an effort has to be made: so it has the sense of “try to grasp.” The object of this determined attempt at apprehension is the Lord’s will (v 10). Paul recognizes the divine will as the regulative principle of the Christian life (Eph 1:1, 5, 9). Here he refers to the will of the Lord because Christ left us an example.
Read Ephesians 5:18
What does this verse mean?
Why is there energy and tension about this verse in society today?
Did God create us the way we should be? Do we need to alter ourselves to be who God wants us to be?
Do YOU need wine or similar to be somebody else or relax? Why?
Do YOU believe that God has given you what you need through the Holy Spirit so that you don’t have to alter yourself to be who he wants you to be?
What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Does this imply at certain times or all the time? If you are filled with the Holy Spirit at all times what decisions will you make about other things getting in the way of His decisions and help?
What would be different if you didn’t drink wine or similar? Write down specifics:
I would have more of God’s money for: __________________
I would_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Read Proverbs 23:30. Paul warns us against the follow of overindulgence in strong drink. Drunkeness was all too common in the pagan world and cautions in the NT show that it presented a serious temptation for Christians. The danger of drunkenness (Gal 5:21) lies not only in itself but in what it may induce. Debauchery (asotia) in the NT means dissoluteness or dissipation. It is the “wild living” of the prodigal son (Luke 15:13, adverb). In classical Greek it signified extravagant squandering both of money and of the physical appetites. If they are wise (remember our previous verses), Christians will avoid all such excess.
How much is excess for YOU? When do you change who you ARE and become something else? When do you focus your money, time, and mind all to be filled by Him?
Instead of continuing in drunkenness, they are to go on being filled with the Spirit. That is a surprising alternative. We might have expected the apostle to plead for abstinence as over against intemperance. But he takes a more startling and positive line. He urges his readers to draw on the reinvigorating resources of the Holy Spirit. One the day of Pentecost the effect of such an experience was mistaken for drunkenness. The Sprit does produce a genuine exhilaration (and rest) other vainly seek from alcohol.
“With the Spirit” is actually “in Spirit” (en pneumati). The theologigal implications of “be filled” (plerousthe) are crucial for a biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The imperative makes it clear that this is a command for all Christians. The present tense rules out any once-for-all reception of the Spirit but points to a continuous replenishment (literally, “go on being filled”). Nor does it appear that Paul is urging us to enter into a new experience. Rather, he is inviting us to gon on as we began (if we have, in fact, turned over Lordship to Christ).
Read Ephesians 5:19
How are we to speak to one another?
What is to be in our hearts?
Give an example of speaking this way…
The outcome of being filled with the Spirit in described in verses 19 and 20 in a series of 4 participles that virtually amount to imperatives. It is noticeable that each of these expressions of the Spirit’s fullness has to do with praise. The verb “to speak” (laleo) is not confined to normal conversation but covers utterance of any kind and so is perfectly applicable to the medium of psalms, hymns, and songs. Such communication is with one another (heautois) not “to yourselves”. “Psalms” seems to refer to the OT Psalter, which was integrated with Christian worship from the first. “Hymns” in the pagan circules were sung to eulogize some god or cultic hero. Christian hymns exalted the name of Christ (v19) or God (v20). Such canticles appear in the NT itself. “Spiritual songs” (odai pneumatikai) may be so designated either to differentiate them from secular compositions or because they represent spontaneous singing in the Spirit.
The verb “to make music” (psallo) from which “psalm” is derived can mean playing a stringed instrument (literally, “to pluck”) or singing praise to the accompaniment of a harp. Here it describes the heart’s inner melody that keeps in tune with audible praise or may be independent of any outward expression. If it is offered “to the Lord,” it does not need to be heard by men.
Read Ephesians 5:20
What are we to do with ALL OF OUR TIME?
Who are we to give Thanks to?
What are we to give Thanks for?
What specifically do you give Thanks to God for this week? Name 10 things:
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
The perpetual accompaniment of all these outlets of the Spirit in the Christian life is thanksgiving. The context is not restricted to that of the church’s liturgy as indicated by “always” (pantote). Such gratitude to God is to cover every circumstance even if disease or poverty (sorry Joel Olstein) and is to be addressed to God the Father – The Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Eph 1:3, 1:17), who is also”our God and Father (Gal 1:4) – in the name of the Son as the one who fully reveals Him.
Have a great week!
Andy
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