Want to learn more about Ephesians? Use these Bible Studies for personal devotion, group Bible studies, or teaching a church class. Below are links to the lessons in this 14-part series.
My favorite Bible studies focus on a single book of the
Bible. Jumping around in the Bible to study a specific topic is
necessary at times – such as this week when we look at the background
for the letter to the Ephesians. But, studying the Word of God in the
order in which He inspired it helps us to know God better. This
quarter our lessons are on Paul’s letter to the group of believers
who lived in Ephesus. Let’s plunge right into our study!
This week we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the
Ephesians. (We will also see if I can quit writing “Ephesus” when I
mean “Ephesians!”) Paul’s introduction in his letter to the saints
reveals some themes for his entire letter and reveals some secrets
for saints today. To explore these secrets, let’s dive into our
study!
When I was growing up, it was very important to be
chosen when they picked sports teams. You never wanted to be among
the last two boys who were just “distributed,” as opposed to being
wanted on the team. Our lesson this week is about God choosing us to
be on His team. Let’s dive into our lesson and learn more!
We all love to be praised. How many of us equally
appreciate someone praying for us? What would your reaction be if
someone told you, “I’m going to pray that you get a lot smarter?” Is
that an example of both prayer and praise? In our study this week,
Paul praises the Ephesians, and then prays that they “get smarter.”
Let’s jump into our lesson to learn more!
Last week, Paul blessed us with his account of all of
the riches and power given to us by our Father in Heaven through
Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This week, Paul reminds us what we were
and what we had to deal with before God intervened in our life to
give us hope. Do you sometimes feel like you have no hope? Is life
getting you down? God has done great things for you. Let’s dive into
our study!
Have you ever felt like an “outsider?” How about in
high school? I took my driver’s training at a local public high
school. I recall walking up to the classroom and seeing a knot of
guys standing outside the door. I knew I was an outsider, but I
thought I knew one of them. Gathering my courage, I walked up to the
group and introduced myself. I did not like the feeling of being an
outsider, and wanted to move “in” as quickly as possible. Our lesson
today is about moving from an outsider to an insider. Let’s jump in
and find out how that is possible!
How do you like solving a mystery? How do you feel when
you can solve a mystery and others cannot? This week we learn about a
mystery of God. A mystery that the universe is looking to you to
reveal to it. Let’s plunge right into our mystery!
Unity has always been a good word. Diversity, on the
other hand, is about being different. Sometimes being different is
good, sometimes it is bad. Diversity can be an excuse for being
sinful, proud or both. Our study today is a blueprint for handling
diversity in a way which brings about a healthy, loving unity. Let’s
jump right into our study!
Last week Paul gave us the vision of what we could and
should become in Jesus. We are all a part of the church, each of us
fulfilling our specific role. The glue that holds us together so we
can work well with each other is “ligaments” of humility, gentleness
and love. What happens if one part of our church body is infected
with the cancer of sin? This week Paul talks to us about what we
should avoid in life to remain a healthy part of the church. God has
expectations for our life. Let’s jump in and learn about them!
Comparing our growth as Christians to a walk is a
wonderful way to help us understand what God desires of us. Maturing
in the Christian life is not a single act, a single sin, a single
good deed. It is the pattern and practice of our life. Let’s dive
into our lesson and learn what kind of patterns and practices God
desires of us!
Would you like to succeed in life and love? Christians
have many advantages in life. One of the most important advantage is
the Bible’s practical teaching on increasing our emotional
intelligence. Our lesson this week, if taken seriously, will give us
an emotional “I.Q.” boost for dealing with our job, our marriage, our
children and our friends. Let’s plunge right in!
In law school, students are taught to identify the
issues in a dispute. You cannot resolve a problem correctly if you
cannot determine what is in dispute. The title of this lesson
includes the word “warfare.” Clearly, that describes a dispute. The
question for us to resolve this week is “What is at issue in this
warfare?” This begins with figuring out who is the enemy and who is
our friend. Let’s plunge right into our study of warfare in
Ephesians!
Protection. We all like to be protected against bad
things. When it is cold outside, we protect ourselves with warm
clothes. When it is hot outside, we protect ourselves with sun block
and insect repellant. Our cars have all sorts of devices to protect
us from errors. At work, we hope our boss protects us from superiors
and the boss hopes the same from us. Last week we learned that Satan
has this huge, organized force of demons – and they are not a
peaceful bunch. It would seem like that bunch is something against
which we need extraordinary protection. Let’s charge into our study
and find out more about securing protection!
Last week we studied all the armor that God has created
for us except for the “Sword of the Spirit.” This week we finish up
both our armor study and our study of the book of Ephesians. I’m
sorry we are coming to the end of this great series. One last time
let’s jump into our study of Ephesians!
