Ephesians Part 1 Week 8 Study Guide Ephesians 3:14-21 1. In Eph. 3:1, Paul uses this phrase—‘For this reason’ to point back to the reality that God has created unity between Jews and Gentiles. Now, in Eph. 3:14, after elaborating on the amazing mystery that has been revealed in , he once again emphasizes unity. How does the significance of the mystery of the gospel of Jesus influence your understanding of Paul’s prayer? How does this prayer influence your understanding of the unity we have in Jesus?

I think that if we are able to put ourselves in the shoes of a 1st century Jew, where we don’t fully understand who Jesus is, and what the plan of salvation is, then we will be able to better grapple with the mystery of the gospel. In last week’s study we learnt about how unthinkable the gospel is from our point of view. Who could have ever imagined that God himself would come and die on the cross to redeem his creation? How could it be? Once this mystery is revealed, however, what else is the to do but praise God?

This is where we find Paul. He has just explained the mystery of the gospel, and now he is going into a prayer for the believers—that they would fully understand this great mystery. Through this prayer we are drawn in with Paul to praise God for all he has done for us. And we cry out with Paul, that God would reveal this mystery to us more and more.

Through this prayer we are reminded that we all share the family name of Jesus . We are reminded of the great power at work within us. We are reminded that through the church God is given glory and praise. May we continue to search out this endless love of Christ in our communities as we strive to bring glory to our God. 2. What’s the connection between the ’s dwelling and being filled with the fullness of God? Describe in your words the love of Christ and its surpassing breadth, length, height and depth? What do you feel when you try to wrap your mind around the love of Christ?

For this question it would be great to read out the passages on the side column. Paul writes a lot about being filled with the Holy Spirit, and obviously goes to great lengths to stress its importance. As we consider what it means to be filled with the fullness of God, and as we read that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, it becomes more and more amazing. As we grow in our Christian lives, and as we yield our lives to the Holy Spirit’s work within us, we becomes filled up with the fullness of God. The great thing about the fullness of God, however, is that there is no end, which means for our entire existence we will get to experience an increasing measure of the fullness of God in our lives.

For the second part of this question, ask your group to explain what it means to them to be filled with the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. This question is meant to draw us in to worshipping God for the amazing gift of his love. Help your group to go deeper into grappling with the love of God. Find ways to encourage your group to mirror the love of Christ in their relationships, based on their responses to the question. 3. Go back and read verse 19 again. Name some obvious obstacles that would make it difficult for the fullness of God to be in you? Are you an obstacle to someone’s comprehension of the love of Christ?

This is meant to make our groups uncomfortable. The reality is that we will never be able to contain the fullness of God within us, because we are finite, and God is infinite. All of us have room for improvement, and as brothers and sisters we are called to walk with each other in becoming more Christ-like. As a leader, share some ways that you hinder God’s fullness in you. As you demonstrate vulnerability to your group, your group will learn that it is acceptable and safe to be vulnerable as well. That being said, if you’re unwilling to be vulnerable with your group, you cannot expect the people in your group to be vulnerable either. I encourage you—go deep, and share some concrete obstacles in your life that make it difficult to experience all that God has for you.

The second part of the question is along the same lines, but asks if our lives could actually be pushing people away from knowing Jesus. Am I harsh in the workplace? How do I act at my child’s sporting events? Do my neighbours see Christ in me? These are tough questions, but they’re good questions. Discuss them with your group, and be ready to model vulnerability with them.

Side note: As you model vulnerability, find ways to also model encouragement. If someone shares something personal, find ways to encourage and inspire. Sharing our failures and set-backs is not an end in itself. As we share we should be calling one another to pursue Christ in the midst of our failures. Do not stop at confession, but help walk with each other towards growth. 4. Many of us often wrestle with feeling powerless in this life. In Eph 3:16, 20-21 Paul reminds Christians that they have God’s power at work within them. Reflect on the significance of this power that has been given to us. What can you do in your life to acknowledge this power at work within you? What excuses do people make about being powerless in their life?

Do we live with the knowledge that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within us? I know that when we sing about it in church I remember it—“The same power that conquered the grave lives in me!”—but I find that in my week to week I’m often forgetful. When temptation comes do we acknowledge that there is power in Jesus’ name, and that the Holy Spirit within us is more powerful than death?

As we reflect on our lives and how we can make room for the power of the Holy Spirit within us, what are some concrete things that we can do? I think that there are some basics: reading the , spending time in prayer, serving the church—to name a few. I know that these things take time, and our time is valuable; I’m right there with you, but allow me to share a challenge that I was given this week. I was reading a book on prayer, and the author was talking about being too busy for prayer. He writes: “None of us is too busy for the things that we regard as priorities. We are only too busy for those things that have a low order of importance in our daily schedules.”1 That was a sobering thing for me to read. So I ask again, what are some things we can do to make room for the Spirit’s power in our lives? I

1 James M. Houston, The Prayer: Deepening Your Friendship With God (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2007), 26. think that for me, and possibly for your group, it means taking a moment to consider what our priorities are. Make room for God to work in your life.

The last part of the question deals with excuses we make for feeling powerless in this life. I think that the above conversation will naturally help with this question. In the end, if we trusted the Holy Spirit, and spent time seeking God, we wouldn’t feel powerless. Or, we would understand that through our feelings of powerlessness God was actually working. 5. What do these passages tell you about Christ’s love? What is it about Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge?

I absolutely adore these passages because they remind me about Christ’s incomprehensible love for us. The way he loves us is so much more than I could ever imagine. While we were still sinners he died for us. I have trouble feeling love towards someone when they cut me off in traffic. If I wrestle to love someone who “offends” me, how amazing is it that Christ loved me in spite of my sin?! This love is so amazing, and beyond understanding because it is divine. In my human limitations I cannot love the way that Christ does, because I am selfish and sinful. But, God is able to love because of who he is. His love is so much greater than we could ever imagine.

Read the passages in your group and reflect on what they say. We were sinners. Christ died for us while we were sinners. I was worth dying for. Share how these truths make you feel. Worship. 6. From our current cultural worldview, what is the greatest display of love? Why is it so hard to comprehend this ’s love, yet we can comprehend other forms of love? What is the difference?

Discuss in your group what “love” means in the world around us. What is the greatest expression of love in the world today? Many people around us have a heart for humanitarian aid. But, how many people would be willing to give up everything they have . . . even their life, if it meant saving someone else? That is the love of Christ, and it is incomprehensible to those who do not believe the gospel. In order to understand the great love of God, we must ask that God would reveal himself to us, and to those around us. Only by the Holy Spirit’s guidance will we be able to comprehend what love truly is. 7. Read the following passages in light of verse 15. Who did the Jews believe they had been named after? What is the difference between the old name and the new one?

This topic was discussed in the previous weeks, but it is good to return to it. The Jewish people believed that because they were descendants of Abraham they were blessed. That’s true, but it’s not the whole truth. There was always more to come, but they missed it. Jesus and Paul challenge the Jewish idea that their natural lineage would bring them into God’s family. Truly, it is only through faith in Jesus that anyone can enter into the family of God. The Jewish people had faith in the promises of Abraham, and understood that they had been set apart from the rest of the nations on earth. Through Jesus, however, all nations on earth are brought into the family of God. This is a challenge, not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles—for all people must find their family identity in Jesus Christ.