Ephesians 4:17-32 Study Prompts #1

I am currently preaching a sermon series on Sunday mornings at Wildwood Community Church called “Packed” – based out of Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. During this series, I am using my blog to post study prompts, devotionals, sermon audio/video, and discussion questions to help facilitate personal or group study of this book. NOTE: At the bottom of this post, I have a set of links to previous resources in this series.

Ephesians 4:17-32 – Study Prompts #1

As you pray for your study today, ask God to use His Word in your life as the writer of Hebrews prayed in Hebrews 13:20-21: “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Read Ephesians 4:17-32.
Before diving in to look at the specifics of Paul’s argument in Ephesians 4:17-24, it is important to first get a sense for the big picture of the point he is making. If you were to summarize the general gist of 4:17-24 in one sentence, what would it be?
We saw last week in Ephesians 4:1-16 that Paul first was urging the Ephesian Christians to unpack the unity they had in Christ. In 4:17-32, he is making a more general call to a moral code or lifestyle among Christians. This would call the Ephesian Christians (many of whom were from a Gentile background) to abandon their old lifestyle and live a new one. What are some of the ways Paul describes the “Gentile” way of life (without Christ) in 4:17-19?
For a moment, substitute your own culture in for the word “Gentile” in 4:17-19. If you are American, sub “American” for Gentile, etc. In what way is the lifestyle of our culture accurately described by Paul in 4:17-19?
What/Who changes one’s lifestyle in Ephesians 4:20-21?
STUDY NOTE: When a person trusts Jesus for the forgiveness of their sin, they experience a radical change. No longer are they the same sinner, but they are a new creation in Christ. The old has gone and the new has come (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). This transformation is more than just a legal declaration before our Divine judge, it is a change in who we are. Of this change, Dr. John MacArthur says this: “When a person believes and confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and is thereby born again, a transformation takes place in his basic nature. The change is even more basic and radical than the change that will take place at death. When a believer dies, he has already been fitted for heaven, already been made a citizen of the kingdom, already become a child of God. He simply begins to perfectly experience the divine nature he has had since his spiritual birth, because for the first time he is free from the unredeemed flesh. The future receiving of his glorified body will not make him better, since he is already perfected; but it will give him the full capacity for all that eternal resurrection life involves. Salvation is not a matter of improvement or perfection of what has previously existed. It is total transformation. The New Testament speaks of believers having a new mind, a new will, a new heart, a new inheritance, a new relationship, new power, new knowledge, new wisdom, new perception, new understanding, new righteousness, new love, new desire, new citizenship, and many other new things—all of which are summed up in newness of life (Rom. 6:4).”
In light of this radical change that has transformed the Christian, it is now crazy to imagine a Christian to continue to live in their old manner of life. Paul is not arguing here for spiritual perfectionism, but he is saying that if we know Christ, there will be a change in our lives that others will be able to notice. Our faith not only impacts our eternal destination, but it changes our daily pattern of living, with Jesus now as our Lord. We are called to “put on the new self” in 4:24. What do you think it means for us to “put on” our new lifestyle in Christ?
In 4:17-24, Paul employs an analogy for Christian living that looks like “taking off” old “clothes” and putting on Christ’s “clothes.” In what way do you think that this clothing analogy is an apt description of Christian living?

For more resources related to this study of Ephesians click on the following links:

Packed #7 Sermon Audio/Video

On Sunday, June 29, I preached a message at Wildwood Community Church based out of Ephesians 4:1-16. This message was the seventh in the “Packed” sermon series. Below you will see audio and video files of the sermon for listening or download.

To download the audio to listen to later, click on this link:

Packed #7

To listen to the audio online, use the media player below:

To watch the video of the sermon, view via Vimeo below:

For more resources related to this study of Ephesians click on the following links:

Packed #7 Sermon Discussion Questions

On Sunday, June 29, 2014, I preached a message based out of Ephesians 4:1-16 at Wildwood Community Church. Below you will see a list of questions for group discussion tied to this sermon.

Small Group Discussion Questions (Eph. 4:1-16)

Read Ephesians 4:1-16
What is one blessing that Christ has given you that you have not ever really “unpacked”? (i.e. the Bible says it is true, but you have never really experienced it or lived it out?)
One blessing that God gave us is unity in the church. Paul admonishes the Ephesians to put forth several attitudes that help maintain unity in the church in 4:1-3 (humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, wagering pursuing peace). How would being a part of a church where these attitudes were displayed help maintain unity?
What relationships in your life could be improved in your family and in the church if you acted according to Ephesians 4:1-3?
In Ephesians 4:4-6, a series of “one” statements are made that create the core of our unity. Which of these seven “one” statements specifically encourages you to pursue unity in the church?
According to Ephesians 4:7-16, if we know Christ we have been gifted by Him for the purpose of encouraging others to mature in their faith. How does God seem to use you to encourage others around you?
It is very easy for us to revert to a mindset that says we are a part of a church so that we can receive a benefit. While we do receive a lot by being a part of a congregation, we also need to remember that we have been placed inside a church to give our lives away to bless others. How are you intentionally serving and being a blessing to others?
Any particular application you took away from this passage this week?

For more resources related to this study of Ephesians click on the following links:

Unboxed, not just Purchased

There are so many ways to communicate in the digital age. You can communicate face to face, via snail mail, or with email. Alternately, you could use land lines, mobile phones, or fax machines. If you are even more tech savvy, you might use Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. If you want to broadcast your message even further, you could use a blog, youtube channel or podcast. There are simply so many options available today. It is staggering!

As someone whose communication patterns are a big part of what I do vocationally, I have explored most all of these options. I phone, fax, mail, email, tweet, text, Facebook, post to Instagram, etc. However, one thing I have not yet done much of is podcasting. Sure, our church podcasts our Sunday sermons, but as someone with a radio degree in my undergrad, I have long been fascinated by the possibility of hosting a podcast.

A few years ago, I purchased a good USB microphone to aid in the process of starting a podcast. All available info says that a good USB mic is needed for quality podcast creation, so I bought a mic that was recommended by many reviewers. After two years of owning the mic, I can really add nothing to the reviews I read . . . not because their reviews were complete, but because I have used the microphone so infrequently!

Isn’t it amazing the things in life that we purchase, fully intending to use them, but then never really get them out of the box. Fitness machines, health club memberships, tools, specialty clothing items, and many other things fit this description. That is why it is always good to buy these kinds of things off Craig’s List . . . there has to be a big resale market on hardly used stuff!

I was reflecting on this today as I read Ephesians 4:1-16. In these verses, Paul is admonishing the Ephesians to “walk in a manner worthy of their calling.” In context, it seems that specifically Paul was calling the Ephesians to live out in their church the unity that was purchased for them in Christ Jesus.

As we have seen over the last three weeks, the Ephesian church was divided between Jew and Gentile. Paul wanted to remind them that in Christ, the two different groups had been united in one body. In a sense, Jesus had purchased unity for the church . . . but in order for the church to fully utilize this unity, they had to “get it out of the box” and put it into practice.

In Ephesians 4:1-16, Paul gives the church various commands of what they should do to broadcast their unity inside the church and to the watching world. He wanted them to have attitudes of humility, meekness, and patience. He wanted them to be long suffering with one another and to aggressively pursue unity and peace. He wanted them to stop focusing on how they were different, but instead, gather around what they shared in common: one body, one Holy Spirt, the same Lord, a shared faith, a common baptism, and our heavenly Father. He wanted them to pursue this unity by working together to build up one another in Christ according to the differences and gifts that Jesus has built into His church. He wanted them to be the Body of Christ.

Jesus did not give them the gift of unity so it would stay boxed up on a shelf inside their theology books. He gave them unity so they would experience it and model it. The same is true for us.

Jesus has given us unity inside the church. This is not merely an abstract truth for us to tweet about, but a powerful reality we are to fight for with humility and patience. We are to serve one another, to build each other up, not tear each other down. This is what it means to be the church, and if you know Jesus, then you are a part of it!

Take some time to reflect on how Jesus wants to use you in the lives of those around you and what attitude you need to unpack in order to be used by Him to the fullest in this life.

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church, I will be exploring this section of Scripture in part 7 of our sermon series “Packed” based out of the book of Ephesians. If you are in the area, we would love to have you join us on Sunday in either our 9:30 or 10:50 worship service.

For more resources related to this study of Ephesians click on the following links:

Ephesians 4:1-16 Study Prompts #3

Ephesians 4:1-16 – Study Prompts #3

Take a moment to pray. Praise God for His Word and ask Him to teach you its truth, just as the psalmist prayed in Psalm 119:12-16, “Praise be to You, O Lord; teach me Your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth. I rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways. I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your Word.”
Read Ephesians 4:1-16
In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul defines the unity of the church and encourages the Ephesians (and us) to live a life consistent with the unity purchased for us in Christ. Beginning in 4:7 and following, Paul talks of the intentional diversity inside the unity of the church — a diversity that Jesus not only appreciates, but created for a particular purpose. According to Ephesians 4:7, how many Christians are given a gift from Jesus? According to this verse, were you given a gift from Jesus?
Ephesians 4:8 loosely quotes Psalm 68:18. In the Psalm, God is seen as a conquering King, ascending a mountain and receiving gifts of praise. In Ephesians 4:8, however, the triumphal Jesus does not merely emerge from the grave victorious and demand praise from people, He also gathered to Himself those who were “captivated” by His love, gifted them, then gave them back to the churches to help accomplish His work in the world. The main idea in this reference is that Jesus gave to the church people who He would work through to further HIs mission. In a sense, therefore, all Christians are “God’s gift to the church.” How has God blessed your life through fellow Christians you have met?
STUDY NOTE: While there is some debate as to the meaning of Ephesians 4:9-10, the primary meaning of this passage seems to be that Jesus “descending to the lower regions, the earth” speaks merely of His incarnation. To leave heaven and come to earth to die for the sins of humanity was an act of coming to our “lower regions.” Some have wanted to imply that this verse speaks of Jesus descending into hell in the days between His death and resurrection, but that is not the case. This passage merely speaks of Jesus arrival on earth (or possibly His arrival in the tomb), not a metaphysical journey to the underworld after His death.
No where in the New Testament do we get a definitive set of spiritual gifts. In the gift lists in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12 and here in Ephesians 4, differences between the lists are readily apparent. The important thing about a spiritual gift is not so much what you call it, but what effect it has on those around you. According to Ephesians 4:12-14, what is the effect of God giving the church gifted people?
While there are a number of spiritual gifts tests available, perhaps the greatest way to find out how God has gifted you for ministry would be to ask those around you, “How does God seem to use me in your life?” Take some time this week to ask four friends who have regular contact with that question. Their answers may help clarify for you your spiritual gifting.
People are given by Jesus to the church in order to help mature others in their faith according to 4:12-14. This means that the reason you are not in heaven right now is because God wants to use you in someone else’s life. Many times our perspective of life implodes around ourselves (our happiness, our interest, our plans). How different is our mission in life according to these verses. We are placed within churches, not for our entertainment, edification, or education (though all these things may also happen in our churches). We are placed in our church to minister to others. How does this reality square with how you currently envision your church involvement?
According to 4:15-16, the church was designed to work together and to grow, just as a human body is designed to do the same. This means that every part of the Body has its purpose and was strategically placed there by God Himself. This purpose and strategic design is not conditional . . . it has already been implemented by God Himself. What does this tell you about other Christians you worship, fellowship, and serve with at church? What does God want to do in you through their strategic presence in your life?

For more resources related to this study of Ephesians click on the following links:

Ephesians 4:1-16 Study Prompts #2

Ephesians 4:1-16 – Study Prompts #2

As you prepare your heart for study, know that God desires to reveal Himself to you, and He has given you His Holy Spirit to guide you into truth. Before you open in prayer, consider Jeremiah 9:23-24. “This is what the Lord declares: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” Pray for this understanding and knowledge of God with the Holy Spirit as your guide.
Read Ephesians 4:1-16
Biblical scholars have often called Ephesians 4:1-16 one of the strongest sections of the New Testament teaching about unity. That this passage is about unity is clearly seen in 4:4-6 where the word “one” is repeated seven times identifying seven “unifiers” in the church. Make a quick list of the seven “ones” in the space below.
According to Ephesians 4:4, the church is united in “one body.” The Ephesians (like many of us) would have been tempted to divide into various camps (namely Jew/Gentile), but Paul was reminding them of the shared identity they had in Christ. Think of the church you currently attend. In what way does your church do well at unifying as one body? In what ways does it struggle?
In Ephesians 1:13, 2:22, and 3:16, Paul reminds the Ephesians that the Holy Spirit is present and active in their lives. In 4:4, they are reminded that this Spirit is “one.” In what way does understanding this help facilitate unity in church?
Paul continues and reminds them of a singular “hope” that they are called to (4:4). To the best of your understanding, what is the believer’s hope for the future? In what way will this hope be shared between all who are in Christ?
Imagine a parade. All who participate in a parade are following the same “leader.” The leader of the parade marks the path and everyone follows. Jesus is said to be the one Lord over the church (4:5). How does following Jesus as our leader unite different Christians that you know?
The word “faith” can be used to indicate trust and reliance upon something. It can also be used as a noun indicating a body of truth that a group of people believe. In Ephesians 4:5, it seems that the one “faith” mentioned here is the body of truth that the church believes. How does doctrine provide unity in the church?
STUDY NOTE: There is much debate among biblical scholars about the meaning of the “one baptism” in 4:5. Some believe this is referring to people’s water baptism. Others believe it is referring to a “Spirit baptism.” Still others see it as a general mention of people’s identification with Christ. I think the main intention behind Paul’s statement here is to remind believers that regardless of who they were baptized by, where they were baptized, or who they were before they were baptized, they are now singularly identified in Christ. They are no longer Jews or Gentiles, they are Christians. They are no longer Ephesians or Palestinians, they are Christians . . . identified with Christ. In this way, Paul is using baptism to speak of the sum total of a believer’s identification with Christ. This would include their water baptism, but not be limited to it.
The final “one” in 4:6 refers to the one Heavenly Father who is over all. How does a good father unite the members of an earthly family? In what way does having God as our Heavenly Father, unite followers of Jesus today?

For more resources related to this study of Ephesians click on the following links:

Ephesians 4:1-16 Study Prompts #1

Ephesians 4:1-16 – Study Prompts #1

As you pray for your study today, ask God to use His Word in your life as the writer of Hebrews prayed in Hebrews 13:20-21: “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Read Ephesians 4:1-16.
One consistent tip when studying the Bible is to pay attention to the “therefores.” As someone once said, it is always good to ask what the “therefore” is there for. 4:1 begins with a “therefore.” Based on the context, what do you think Paul is connecting with this “therefore?”
One of Paul’s favorite pictures of the Christian life is a “walk.” Why do you think a “walk” is such an effective analogy of the Christian life?
We are called to walk in a “manner worthy of our calling.” To say that something is “worthy” is to say that it is of equal weight or balance. Based on what you have seen already from the book of Ephesians, what does it mean to walk worthy of the blessings God has packed inside our lives?
In 4:2-3, Paul describes the life worthy of our calling with a series of descriptors. All these terms point to unity among Christians (“preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”). What are some of the chief enemies of unity in the Ephesian church alluded to in Ephesians 2:11-3:21?
A walk worthy of our calling pursues unity by exhibiting various character traits. Take a moment and reflect on these character traits and their expression in your own life. Which of these traits do you struggle with? Why or why not?

“humility” – Not thinking more highly of yourself than you should
“gentleness” – Controlled emotion & power. Not demanding or manipulative.
“patience” – Allowing time for things to develop
“bearing with one another in love” – Not holding everyone’s differences against them
“eager to maintain unity” – Actively pursuing peace in all relationships

8. The Christian life is a life lived in community with people who are very different than us. This creates tension, frustration, and difficulty. It also creates great opportunity to see our differences complement each other as we live on mission for Christ in this world. Think of a time when you were on a team, a part of a work group, or in a family where people were operating from very different personalities, gifts, etc. What about those differences made things difficult? What about those differences made that team/group/family stronger?

For more resources related to this study of Ephesians click on the following links:

Packed #6 Sermon Audio/Video

On Sunday, June 22, I preached a message at Wildwood Community Church based out of Ephesians 3:14-21. This message was the sixth in the “Packed” sermon series. Below you will see audio and video files of the sermon for listening or download.

To download the audio to listen to later, click on this link:

Packed #6

To listen to the audio online, use the media player below:

To watch the video of the sermon, view via Vimeo below:

For more resources related to this study of Ephesians click on the following links:

Packed #6 Discussion Questions

On Sunday, June 22, 2014, I preached a message based out of Ephesians 3:14-21 at Wildwood Community Church. Below you will see a list of questions for group discussion tied to this sermon.

Small Group Discussion Questions (Eph. 3:14-21)

Read Ephesians 3:14-21
Based on the context, what is the “For this reason . . .” Paul begins to pray in Ephesians 3:14?
The Ephesians (and us) need prayer for the Spirit to empower us to do the hard things God has called us to in the Christian life. Think of a time recently when you needed strength in your spirit to do something you felt God was leading you to do?
God empowers us according to His riches. From the best of your understanding, what is the significance of being blessed “according to” the riches of God?
God has rooted and grounded us in love so that we might know, experience, and share God’s love. In what way does the love God has for us enable us to love others?
What are some things you can trust God to do that go “beyond what we can ask or think?”
Take a moment and praise God in response to the great truth of Ephesians 1-3. Remember, doctrine leads to doxology!
Any particular application you took away from this passage this week?

For more resources related to this study of Ephesians click on the following links:

The Power to Keep Up

This 1986 Honda Prelude looks similar to the one I drove during college.

On Spring Break 1994, a few friends and I headed west for our own version of “Manifest Destiny.” We were sophomores in college, which meant we were arrogant, adventurous, and . . . we could drive. So 3 of us piled inside my 1986 Honda Prelude (which we had affectionately nicknamed the “Silver Fox”) and we drove to Crested Butte for four days of skiing.

Somehow, the Silver Fox (a two door compact car) was chosen as one of the members of our auto caravan to the Rockies. I did not have a map of where we were going, but the 3 of us in my car simply had to keep up with the Chevy Tahoe ahead of us as we drove to Colorado. They knew the way, and in an age before GPS and smartphones, they were our only way to where we wanted to go.

As we drove along, the further west we went, the more difficult it became to keep up with the Tahoe. You see as the road grades jumped to 6% inclines, the engine inside the Silver Fox simply was not powerful enough to keep up with the 8 cylinders fueling our 4×4 lead horse. The best I could do was try to keep the taillights in view while traveling uphill! Eventually, they drove out of sight. There was simply no way for my small engine to move us fast enough far enough on such rigorous terrain. Thankfully, we just kept driving west and eventually parked next to the ski lift!

I was thinking about this today as I reflected upon Paul’s prayer and praise recorded in Ephesians 3:14-21. In these verses, Paul prays a very specific prayer for his Ephesian Christian friends. Though he mentions several things in this prayer, the primary thrust is that the Ephesians would be “strengthened with power through His Spirit in [their] inner being. (3:16).” This power would be given to Christians “according to the riches of His glory.” What it seems Paul is saying to the Ephesians (and by application to us as well) is that to accomplish the epic task of living the Christian life, and truly loving all God’s people – Jew and Gentile alike – requires a strength beyond what people would normally have “under the hood.”

It is as if Paul acknowledges that the Christian life is a 6% grade on a 4 cylinder engine . . . we simply cannot keep up with the pace Christ set on our own — we are under powered. In order to keep up in the Christian life, we need a brand new engine. The engine God provides for living out the Christian life is amazing, efficient, and with plenty of horse power to spare. The power that God gives, He gives according to His riches (which are limitless, therefore the power that He gives is limitless as well).

The implication of this prayer is that God can always provide the inner strength we need to follow Christ all the way up the mountain. Sometimes, we imagine the Christian life as something we drive on our own strength. If we get separated from Christ (so we think) we can simply keep driving upward in good works and eventually we will arrive at our eternal destination. The reality, though is that Jesus does not want us to separate from Him and live an independent life, driving in just a general direction. He does not even want us to just keep Him in a distant view on the horizon. What God has provided for us is a brand new engine of the Holy Spirit to empower us to see God do through us “infinitely, abundantly beyond all we can ask or think.”

So the next time you find yourself faced with a 6% grade, take heart! Like Paul pray for the inner strength provided by the Spirit of God to keep us connected to Christ throughout the journey.

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church, I will be preaching a sermon based on Ephesians 3:14-21 as part 6 of our “Packed” sermon series. If you are in the area, and would like to join us, we would love to see you Sunday in either our 9:30 or 10:50 worship service.

For more resources related to this study of Ephesians click on the following links: