Ephesians 3:1-13

Key Points:
1.  The Spirit of God reveals the mysteries of His grace through Jesus Christ
2.  The Lord charges every member of the body to share the gospel.
3.  God enables & empowers individuals through Jesus Christ to share the gospel so the body will be built.

Key Themes:
o God has charged Paul with sharing the mysteries of God's grace (1-2)
o God has revealed the mysteries of His grace through Jesus Christ (1-3)
o The mysteries of God's grace are revealed by the Spirit through the apostles and prophets (3-5)
o Non-Jews and Jews that have received the gospel of Jesus Christ are of one body(6)
o God's power enables Paul to proclaim the gospel (7)

o God extended grace to Paul to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles (8)

o God gifted Paul to teach and instruct everyone on the riches of God's grace (8-9)

o God will glorify Himself through the Church (10)

o The Church glorifies the Father by proclaiming Jesus as Lord (11)

o Believers confidence and boldness in the gospel lies in believing in Jesus (12-13)

o Paul assures the Ephesians that his suffering results in the glory of the Church, the Bride of Christ.(13)

Reflective Questions:
1.  Why has Paul been charged with sharing the gospel with Gentiles? (2:11-3:2)
2.  How was the mystery of God's grace demystified? (3)
a.  Why was the gospel/God's grace a mystery? (2:13, 3:4-5)
3.  Why does Paul instruct the Ephesians to read this letter? (4)
a.  What does Paul's admonishment to the Ephesians imply for us?
b.  How can we contextualize Paul's command?
4.  How does Paul say God reveals Himself today? (5)
a.  Does this statement negate or supersede the things God's already revealed through other means?
5.  What do the apostles and prophets reveal? (6)
a.  Why do people miss out on the point of vs 5-6?
6.  Who empowers Paul to be a servant of the gospel?(7)
a.  What are the means by which Paul is made a servant of the gospel?
b. What does vs. 7 imply about the type of relationship the recipients of grace have with God?

7.  Why did God extend grace to Paul?

a.  What does this imply about God's purpose in extending grace to us?

b.  What were Paul's outlets of ministry?

c.  What are your outlets of ministry? 

8.  What does the text say about why God kept the administration of His grace a mystery?(9-11)

a.  How does knowing that God has given you such a big part in His plan affect your outlook on life?

b.  How does this affect the way you view God?  How does it make you feel?

9.  What does the passage say that changes our perspective when we feel overwhelmed by the task?

a.  Why do people tend to become overwhelmed or legalistic when it comes to sharing?

b.  How do you guard against the anxiety and legalism?

Individual Challenge
How would your attitude toward sharing the gospel change if you knew you were demystifying the gospel?  Would you be more eager to share if you knew you were helping people?  Would you feel more confident knowing the Spirit is empowering you to speak?

Community Challenge
How would our community change if we were all confident and eager to demystify the gospel by sharing the truth?  How would this change the way our church interacts with our community?  Would people have a better understanding of God than if they hadn't met us?

Ephesians 2:11-22

Key Points:

1.  We submit to the authority of Christ by allowing the Spirit to shape us and use us to build the Church.

2.  We surrender ourselves to God because Christ died for us to give us peace.

3.  We were enemies of God destined for destruction.  

Key Themes:

o  All non Jews were without hope excluded from the promise of hope in God's Messiah(11-12)

o People have been brought into the family of God through Jesus sacrificial death(13)

o Christ makes peace before men and God and between the Chosen People of Israel and the Gentile believers (12-16)

o Christ reconciles us to God gives us access to the Father.  (16)

o Everyone that is in Christ is in the same family regardless of past or background(19)

o God shapes and places individual members of the body to build the Church. (21)

o The Spirit of God dwells among His people (22)

Reflective Questions:

1.  What does Paul tell us to remember in vs 11? (1-10)

a.  Why would Paul command believers to remember their sin and Christ's sacrifice?

2.  What does Paul contrast in vs 12 and 13?

a.  How does the contrast make vs 13 good news?

b.  What does this teach us about sharing the gospel with both believers and the lost?

3.  Why would Jesus have to make peace for us? (14)

a.  Who make up the two groups that Christ joins together? (14)

b.  How does the knowledge of Christ dying to 'make the two groups one' affect your understanding of unity in the  Church?

c.  What are some things that cause disunity in the Church?

d.  What causes individual people to be out of fellowship with the Church?

e.  What's the effect of Church disunity with an individual believer's relationship with God?

4.  How does Christ's sacrifice abolish the law?

a.  How does Christ's sacrifice re-frame the way a believer perceive the law? 

b.  What keeps people from having peace with God and His law? 

c.  According to vs 14-16 what is the key to maintaining the peace Christ has created through His sacrifice?

5.  What does vs 17 say Jesus did when he came?

a.  What is the 'good news of peace'?  

b.  How does the good news of Christ affect your perspective on life and priorities?

c.  Is the 'good news' of Christ something worth sharing with others?

d.  How do you share the 'good news of Christ' and what do you share?

6.  What do we learn about how we tell the good news from Christ's example of proclaiming to those both far and near? (17)

7.  How does vs 18 shape our understanding of how a person receives salvation?

a.  How does it affect the way we respond to other people's claims of how to receive salvation?

b.  How is the body of Christ built? (19-22)

c.  Who is responsible for building up the body?

d.  How does this affect our view of leadership in the church?

Individual Challenge:

How would your life change if you shared the good news of Christ's salvation?  How would it affect the tone of your conversations with believers?  How would it affect your unbelieving friends perception of God?

Community Challenge:

How would our community's perception of God change if we all talked more about the good news of Christ's salvation?