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Overview
- 14 lessons to lead you through the book of Ephesians
- Thought-provoking questions and prompts
- Wide margins and extra space to journal your reflections
- Discussion questions for group study
- Applications to help you go deeper
- Helpful excerpts on the historical context
- Notes for further study
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780891090540 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tyndale House Publishers |
| Publication date: | 11/20/2018 |
| Series: | LifeChange , #13 |
| Pages: | 144 |
| Sales rank: | 1,136,848 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.38(d) |
| Age Range: | 12 Years |
About the Author
The Navigators is an interdenominational, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people "know Christ and make Him known” as they look to Him and His Word to chart their lives.
Navigators have invested their lives in people for more than seventy-five years, coming alongside them life on life to study the Bible, develop a deepening prayer life, and memorize and apply Scripture, The ultimate goal is to equip Christ followers to fulfill 2 Timothy 2:2—to teach what they have learned to others.
Today, tens of thousands of people worldwide are coming to know and grow in Jesus Christ through the various ministries of The Navigators. Internationally, more than 4,600 Navigator staff of 70 nationalities serve in more than 100 countries.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Lesson One
OVERVIEW AND EPHESIANS 1:1-2
To the Saints
Before you get immersed in the details of Paul's words, take an overview of the whole letter. Potentially confusing verses will be clearer later if you can see how they fit into Paul's overall message.
First impressions
1. The best preparation for grasping Ephesians is to read it through several times, comparing various versions. Try reading it aloud. Get a general impression.
2. Describe the mood (tone, feeling) of the letter. (Is Paul formal, intimate, angry, jubilant ...? Is he writing a story, a personal message, a sermon ...? Is he describing, giving direction, trying to persuade?) If the mood changes anywhere, note where it changes.
________________________________________
________________________________________
3. Repetition is a clue to the ideas a writer considers most important to his message. What words or ideas occur over and over in Paul's letter?
________________________________________ ________________________________________
Broad outline
4. Reread the letter, preferably in a fresh translation. This time, think of a short phrase or sentence to describe what each main section of the book is about. (These major sections are probably groups of paragraphs.)
1:1-2 Paul greets the saints.
1:3-14__________________________________ ________________________________________
1:15-23_________________________________ ________________________________________
2:1-10__________________________________ ________________________________________
2:11-22_________________________________ ________________________________________
3:1-13__________________________________ ________________________________________
3:14-21_________________________________ ________________________________________
4:1-16__________________________________ ________________________________________
4:17-32_________________________________ ________________________________________
5:1-20__________________________________ ________________________________________
5:21–6:9__________________________ ________________________________________
6:10-20_________________________________ ________________________________________
6:21-24_________________________________ ________________________________________
5. Paul's message seems to divide into two main sections, chapters 1–3 and 4–6. What do you think each section is about? What does the purpose of each seem to be?
1–3_______________________________ ________________________________________
4–6_______________________________ ________________________________________
Theme/purpose
6. What do you think was Paul's reason for writing this letter? What does its content suggest he was trying to accomplish? ________________________________________ ________________________________________
7. Try to state the main message of Paul's letter in one sentence. Think about the themes of each half of the letter. If you need more than one sentence at this point, use more. ________________________________________ ________________________________________
8. If you have not already done so, read the historical background. Is there any information that seems particularly helpful to you in understanding the book of Ephesians? Please explain briefly. ________________________________________ ________________________________________
Study Skill — Bible Study Aids
If you would like to study the background of Ephesians in greater depth, consult one of the sources listed on pages 123–127. These and similar commentaries will also be quite helpful to you if you decide to study another book of the Bible on your own.
Greetings
Jewish letters of Paul's day commonly opened with a sentence giving the titles of sender and addressee. Then came a sentence wishing peace and blessings to the addressee.
An apostle (verse 1) is "one who is sent." In its narrow sense, the word meant one of a small group of men whom the church recognized as having special authority from God to clarify the policy and teaching of the whole body. Paul may have been the only one of this group who was not one of Jesus' disciples, and he was conscious of his status.
Holy people (verse 1) were literally, "holy ones." The Greek Old Testament used the word for the people of Israel — God's chosen. Paul included all whom God had made holy, even gentile believers in Christ.
Grace (verse 2) is "favor shown by a superior to an inferior." It is especially God's free decision to include the Gentiles into His people. But Paul mentioned other gracious gifts in his letter (see 3:7; 4:7; 4:11). He used this term of God's kindness to humanity instead of the usual Greek greeting rejoice and in addition to the Jewish peace.
Peace (verse 2) is "wholeness," that is, "a gift of God affecting the totality of psychic, physical, personal, familial, economic, and political dimensions of man's life." Like grace, peace referred to social relationships, man-man and man-God. According to the Old Testament prophets, peace would be fulfilled when the Messiah ruled.
9. Is there any part of this lesson that specifically touches upon an area of your life in which you'd like to make a change? If so, write it down here, and try to come up with some practical ways you could begin to work on this area with God's help. ________________________________________ ________________________________________
10. In your initial readings of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, you may have come across concepts you'd like clarified or questions you'd like answered as you go deeper into this study. While your thoughts are still fresh, you may want to jot down your questions here to serve as personal objectives for your investigation of this letter. ________________________________________ ________________________________________
For the group
Unless you already know each other well, you might spend some time in your next few meetings establishing trust, common ground, and a sense of where each person is coming from. This may help you to discuss frankly how Ephesians applies to you later on. This meeting, share something of your histories — for example, what you remember about being nine years old, or the first place you lived. Discussing question 9 or the "Optional Application" will help to show each other how you see yourselves.
Compare your passage titles and theme statement to those in the chart below. There is no one right answer, so discuss why you prefer one title to another. Group members who felt successful with these projects should share how they went about thinking of titles and seeing themes.
1. Markus Barth, Ephesians 1-3, Anchor Bible, vol. 34 (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974), 74.
2. Barth, 74.
(Continues…)
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Table of Contents
How to Use This Study, 5,
Introduction: Paul and Ephesus, 9,
Map of the Roman Empire, 9,
One — To the Saints (Overview and 1:1-2), 13,
Two — Praise (1:3-14), 21,
Three — Thanksgiving and Prayer (1:15-23), 29,
Four — Death to Life (2:1-10), 37,
Five — Peace (2:11-22), 43,
Six — Paul's Mission (3:1-13), 51,
Seven — Prayer for Power (3:14-21), 59,
Eight — Unity Lived Out (4:1-16), 65,
Nine — Put Off ... Put On (4:17-32), 73,
Ten — Imitating God (5:1-20), 83,
Eleven — Submission 1 (5:21-33), 91,
Twelve — Submission 2 (6:1-9), 99,
Thirteen — Spiritual Warfare (6:10-20), 107,
Fourteen — Looking Back (6:21-24 and Review), 117,
Study Aids, 123,