A Study in Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians Teacher Copy Friends & Fellowship Community Group McLean Bible Church

Study Overview Session Date Session Title Applicable Verses 1 05/14/2017 The Road to Salvation God Did All the Hard Work Our Part is Easy Ephesians 1:3 – 12; Romans 8:28 – 30 Eph. 1:13 – 14; John 11:25 – 26; Romans 10:8 – 13; 1 Cor. 12:3 2 05/21/2017 Our Identity in Christ Ephesians 2 & 3; 1 Peter 3 05/28/2017 Discipleship Empowered by the Holy Spirit Ephesians 4; 1 Corinthians 12 4 06/05/2017 Disciple's Walk with Christ Ephesians 5:1 – 6:9 5 06/11/2017 Disciple's Place in God's Army Ephesians 6:10 – 18; Job 1 & 2; Joshua 5:13 – 6:5; Revelation 19:11 – 21 6 06/18/2017 The Rise and Fall of the Church in Ephesus: A Warning to Make Disciples Acts 18:18 – 19:41; Ephesians 1:15 ; Revelation 2:1 – 7

Session 2: Our Identity in Christ (Continued)

Quick Recap of Session 2 So Far Ignorantly in Conflict with God Dead in trespasses and sins in our hearts Walking according the ways of this world Fulfilling the lust of our flesh and wayward mind Having the nature of the children of wrath God Showed His Love and Mercy Jesus breached the wall that separated us from God Gave us new life through Jesus Christ By grace we are saved through faith Brought nigh to God by the blood of Christ Gave us peace with God Revealed the mystery, that we (as Gentiles) are fellow heirs with the Jews.

Mystery of God's Purpose Why has this been such a mystery? Read Ephesians 3:8 – 12 Discussion (5 min.) List the reasons for the mystery found in the passage. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Mystery of God's Purpose Why has this been such a mystery? Read Ephesians 3:8 – 12 Discussion (5 min.) List the reasons for the mystery found in the passage. 1 Reveal the unsearchable riches of Christ 2 Reveal the fellowship (with God) inherent in the mystery 3 Make known the manifold wisdom of God 4 Give the church the ability to make God known to others in this world 5 Use the church to reveal God's manifold wisdom to powers and principalities in heavenly places 6 Reveal the eternal purposes accomplished through Christ 7 Give His church boldness through faith 8 Give His church access (to be with God) with confidence

Mystery of God's Purpose – So What!? What does knowing this mystery mean for us? Read Ephesians 3:14 – 21 Discussion: (5 min) List what knowing this mystery means for us, as identified in this passage. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Mystery of God's Purpose – So What!? What does knowing this mystery mean for us? Read Ephesians 3:14 – 21 Discussion: (10 min) List what knowing this mystery means for us, as identified in this passage. 1 The Holy Spirit strengthens our inner man (new âdâm) to be mighty 2 Grant us the riches of His glory 3 Christ dwells in our hearts through faith 4 We are rooted and grounded in love (ăgăpā – unconditional love) 5 Receive comprehension (understanding) [not just knowledge] of the full dimension of God's love 6 Be filled with the fullness of God 7 Receive exceedingly abundantly from God 8 Have the Power (of the Holy Spirit) working in us

Conclusion Purpose behind Session 2: Our Identity in Christ Growth in faith comes from understanding From understanding comes wisdom Theme that we followed God's love and mercy resulted in God providing a means to come to Him. Made us alive in Christ Jesus Gave us a place in Heaven Breached the wall that separated us from God Provided His (one and only) path for us to follow Jesus into Heaven God intent is for us (Jews and Gentiles) to join together to be His temple. Jesus is the corner stone of the living temple of God We are the precious stones used to build the living temple

Session 3: Discipleship Empowered by the Holy Spirit

The Oneness of God Keeping the Unity of the Spirit Read Ephesians 4:1 – 6 Discussion: (5 mins.) List all the “ones” of God 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 How do we achieve unity?

The Oneness of God Keeping the Unity of the Spirit Read Ephesians 4:1 – 6 Discussion: (5 mins.) List all the “ones” of God 1 One body 2 One Spirit 3 One hope 4 One Lord 5 One faith 6 One baptism 7 One God 8 One Father How do we achieve unity? with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love

Gift of Christ Maturing in the Spirit Read Ephesians 4:7 – 16 Discussion: (5 min) Why did Jesus give the gift? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Gift of Christ Maturing in the Spirit Read Ephesians 4:7 – 16 Discussion: (5 min) Why did Jesus give the gift? 1 for the equipping of saints 2 for the work of ministry 3 for the edifying (building) of the body of Christ 4 so we can come to the unity of faith 5 so we can attain the full discernment (knowledge) of the Son of God 6 to become fully mature 7 so we are no longer babes (little children) 8 so we are not tossed to & fro by false doctrine 9 so we speak the Truth in Christ Jesus 10 so we grow up in all things Christ 11 so we are joined and knit together

Gift of Christ Maturing in the Spirit Read 1 Corinthians 12:1 – 13 Discussion: (5 mins.) What is the key to the spiritual gifts? What benefits do the gifts serve? 1 2 3 What do we do to have spiritual gifts?

Gift of Christ Maturing in the Spirit Read 1 Corinthians 12:1 – 13 Discussion: (5 mins.) What is the key to the spiritual gifts? v7, 11 the spiritual gifts “is” the Holy Spirit manifesting Himself through each of us What benefits do the gifts serve? 1 Help each of us participate in the body 2 Help each individual be profitable to all 3 Give us wisdom and boldness to let the Holy Spirit show forth His power in the body. What do we do to have spiritual gifts? Be willing to let the Holy Spirit act through us, i.e. surrender. Reject jealousy of others' spiritual gifts Let the Holy Spirit direct and lead, not try to force matters.

Examples of the Spiritual Gifts at Work God Built the Tabernacle God gave instructions to Moses in the making of the tabernacle, the holy items, and holy vestments (Exodus 25 - 31) Read Exodus 35:30 – 36:4 God had given detailed instructions to Moses Moses relayed the instructions in great detail Many of the workers may have been craftsmen and craftswomen BUT God did not rely on the skill of human hands God directed the building of the tabernacle through His Holy Spirit

Examples of the Spiritual Gifts at Work Given to the Service of God Miracle of Samuel's birth (1 Samuel 1:1 – 2:11) Samuel's mother dedicates Samuel to the Lord's service (1 Samuel 2:18 – 21) Samuel called by the LORD (1 Samuel 3:1 – 18) Reading: 1 Samuel 3: 19 – 21 “... And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.” 1 Sam 3:1 “...and the Lord was with him [Samuel] and let none of his words fall to the ground.” Discussion (5 min.) What is the obvious fact(s) of this passage. What is the not-so obvious fact that is implied by vs 19?

Examples of the Spiritual Gifts at Work Given to the Service of God Miracle of Samuel's birth (1 Samuel 1:1 – 2:11) Samuel's mother dedicates Samuel to the Lord's service (1 Samuel 2:18 – 21) Samuel called by the LORD (1 Samuel 3:1 – 18) Reading: 1 Samuel 3: 19 – 21 “... And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.” 1 Sam 3:1 “...and the Lord was with him [Samuel] and let none of his words fall to the ground.” Discussion (5 min.) What is the obvious fact(s) of this passage. When Samuel prophesied, God fulfilled. What is the not-so obvious fact that is implied by v19? Samuel was filled with the Holy Spirit Samuel only said what God wanted him to say

Examples of the Spiritual Gifts at Work The Day of Pentecost Reading: Acts 2:1 – 13 Peter preaches his first sermon (Acts 2:14 – 40) Reading: Acts 2:41 Discussion (5 min.) What happened when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of Jesus? 1 2 3 What was the result of the events of Acts 2:1 – 13? What was the result of Peter's sermon? What was the end result of the Holy Spirit's manifestation?

Examples of the Spiritual Gifts at Work The Day of Pentecost Reading: Acts 2:1 – 13 Peter preaches his first sermon (Acts 2:14 – 40) Reading: Acts 2:41 Discussion (5 min.) What happened when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of Jesus? 1 They spoke out boldly concerning Christ Jesus 2 They spoke in languages they did not know 3 They captured each listeners' attention What was the result of the events of Acts 2:1 – 13? The disciples got people's attention. What was the result of Peter's sermon? People were convicted in their hearts, i.e. their conscience . What was the end result of the Holy Spirit's manifestation? 3000 were added to the church.

SO WHAT!?! We develop the understanding & wisdom: So that success comes through obedience. To understand that the spiritual gifts are not ours to use as we chose, but as the Holy Spirit directs! To rejoice that God chooses us to be His vessel. To participate in God's building of His church. Why Spiritual Gifts are important to us The Holy Spirit gives us power, authority, & boldness to serve our God and Father through Christ Jesus We are brought closer to God, because God acts through us … we get to help our Spiritual Daddy. It is no longer what I do, but what God and we do together in unity.

Appendix: Understanding the 3 – 1 Nature of God

A Model to Comprehend the Triune God A Water Model First consider all the water on earth All the water in the ocean, seas, lakes, and rivers All the water frozen as ice, snow, icebergs, and glaciers All the water in the aquifers, underground lakes and rivers, and in caves All the water vapor in the air. All the water locked in the earth's mantle transition zone in ringwoodite About 400 miles under the surface Scientists believe the equivalent of 3 oceans are in the mineral Now let's make it a little more complicated Water = H2O (2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen) Add/subtract neutrons from the atoms (heavy/light water) Add/subtract electrons from the atoms (ionized water) Now expand this to consider all the various forms of water throughout the universe. Given the above, can you see all the water in the universe? The vastness of water pales in comparison to God

A Model to Comprehend the Triune God Understanding the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit The water we cannot see through out the universe is water, the father. The water we can see, whether in a cup, or bottle or seashore, is “water, the son” Water, the son, reveals some of water, the father, and water in toto. Take a cup of water from the ocean, you have water, the son, in the cup. Now pour the cup of water back into the ocean, and refill the cup. You have water, the son, but is it the “same” son? Water you take into your body, is water, the spirit. When you breathe, you take in water vapor. When you are thirsty, you drink water. God, [̛ĕlôhîym], is one God, the Father, is God that we cannot see or comprehend God, the Son, is God revealed to His creation God, the Spirit, is God imparted or moving in His creation