For those of you who had to miss meeting together this week- or you are simply following along via the blog- we are so glad that you are joining us. One of the themes that appeared over and over in our discussion on Thursday was Paul's encouragement to be praying for ALL the saints and that includes praying for YOU! So, let us know how we can be lifting you up throughout our study.
Let's begin with prayer and ask for the Lord's direction over our times of study.
As we did our homework, several of us felt overwhelmed with the amount of material. The first week of a Precept study can feel like drinking from a fire-hose, but we hope that you will press on and be patient with yourself. God's Word will not return void.
Day Two {pages 5-7}
As you made your list of observations about the author, did you learn anything new about Paul?
We talked about two different ways to list our observations.
- You can simply read through Ephesians and note the reference and observation.
(1:1) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God(1:15) Paul heard of the Ephesians faith and their love for the saints
(1:15) Paul does not cease giving thanks for them in his prayers..
-or-
2. You can make a separate list for the 5 W's (Who, What, Why, When, Where)and H (How).
WHO
Apostle of Christ Jesus (1:1)
Prisoner (3:1; 4:1; 6:20)
Written letters before (3:3)
Received tribulation on their behalf (3:13)
Recipient of God's Grace (3:2,7)
Recipient of insight into the mystery of Christ (3:4)
Minister to the Gentiles (3:7-8)
Very least of all the saints (3:8)
Prays a LOT (1:15; 3:14)
These two different methods can be helpful for you to see Paul in a different light. I particularly enjoyed making my list of WHY Paul wrote the letter because it helped me have a little more insight into the theme and context of the book.
Day Three {pages 7-9}
The same approach that we used on observing Paul can be used on the recipients: the saints of Ephesus.
Day Four: Historical Background {page 8-9}
The Ephesians were surrounded with idol worship of Artemis, and their whole economy was heavily weighted in the sales and tourism surrounding Artemis. No wonder there was a riot when Paul proclaimed that Artemis was not the true God! Our society has many idols too- money, movies, music, technology, etc. Are we willing to take a stand for the true God while we are surrounded with idol worship?
Day Five: Letter Summary {page 9-12}
We spent a large amount of time here as we divided into small groups to talk about this day's homework. Here are some of the answers the ladies shared:
a. Ephesians 1:3-14: What is Paul generally talking about in these verses?
- Redemption all throughout God's plan
- God chose us
- What we have "In Him"
- Don't cease giving thanks
- He's praying that they would understand who/what they are "In Him"
- Gentiles, in the flesh, remember who you were before and who you are now
- Through God's grace they have been saved (2:5-9)
- They are part of God's family (2:19)
- Gentiles are fellow heirs...
- God's grace in equipping Paul and extending salvation to the Gentiles
- Paul wants to convey his insight into the mystery of Christ
- Paul models what prayer for the saints looks like. He prays that they would know the love of Christ and be filled up to ALL the fullness of God.
- Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. Think on that for a moment. What does it mean to walk in a manner worthy of the calling? That's heavy stuff there, ladies!
- Paul focuses on their unity as a body and to walk no longer as Gentiles walk
- lay aside the old, be renewed in their minds, and put on the new self
- walk in Christ
- (5:2) walk in love
- (5:8) walk as children of Light
- (5:15) be careful how you walk
- Showing the model of the church and Christ through the lens of marriage.
- Introduction on how to treat each other and why.
- How to obey and show no partiality
- Addressing interpersonal relationships and unity in them
- How to stand firm in the faith and the power of His might
- You and me!
- Be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for ALL the saints!
- I am sending Tychicus to you- so that you may know how I (Paul) am doing
Now that we have summarized the book, let's look at our Ephesians At A Glance chart {page 159}. Using pencil, fill in as much as you can, but don't worry if you are unsure of certain sections. We will continue to build and change this chart throughout our study of Ephesians. I forgot to write down the other ladies' themes, so, I will just list mine. Keep in mind, these are not the "right" answers- you are just looking for a phrase or subject that will bring to your mind what that chapter is about when you recall it in the future.
Also, you will note that I did not keep my chapter headings in clean breaks. Remember that the chapter and verse breaks are man-made to help us find and identify different sections of the Bible. Ephesians, in it's original form, was merely a letter to the church.
Chapter 1: Motivation for faith
He chose us (1:4) and lavished us with riches (1:7-ff)
What we have "In Him" (1:18)
Chapter 2: Through grace we are all saved (2:5,8)
Chapter 3: Paul's prayer for them to know Christ
Chapter 4: God's plan for the believer's walk
Walk worthy of the calling (4:1)
Chapter 5:1-16: Walk in the light
Chapter 5:22- 6:9: How to treat others and why
Chapter 6:10-20: How to stand firm in the faith
6:21-24: Closing
Segment Divisions
Segment divisions are just another way of summarizing chunks of the book together. I simply chose to group Chapters 1-3 together as "Who we are" and Chapters 4-6 together as "How we walk". Once again, there is no right or wrong answer, this is to remind you of what you have learned thus far.
Can I just say, I'm really proud of you?!? Taking this step to study God's Word in depth is sometimes a scary step, but I cannot tell you how limitless the rewards will be! It is worth it, beloved. So, keep it up. Feel free to email me or Kim anytime with questions or thoughts. We love hearing from you.
Preview to Lesson Two
We will learn how to do Word Studies in Lesson Two. See click here or go to the home page for instructions on how to do a word study.
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