The purpose of these pages is to engage in some group study focussing specifically on the mid-week period of Tuesday to Thursday. We will post some scripture verses, and a few thoughts before throwing the conversation over to you. This is not a teaching session, use the prompts (and google) to explore scripture and share relevant verses.
Log in to the conversation as often or as infrequently as you like and if you wish to join in put your thoughts in the comments box at the bottom of the page.
As we start the study take a few moments to calm your spirit. Get comfortable with your beverage of choice, your Bible and something to write with. Pray that God would give you the time to study and put to one side the concerns of the day.
Breathe deeply for a few seconds and focus on who Jesus said he was…. When you are ready, listen to the most recent (at time of writing) contribution from one of our praise bands….
Last time, we looked at sheltering in the shade of the Father God. This week, we are going to look at what it actually means to be loved by the Creator God. Take a few moments and read the first chapter of Ephesians. Pause after a few verses to consider what you have just read.
Put the letter in context…
Dividing the passage into three sections…
vs 3-10
This section describes the blessings. It contains a number of actions – make a list… He…
- blessed us
- chose us
There are about nine or ten in the passage.
vs 11-14
Here, Paul points out that all of this has been done through and in Christ because we believed. The sign of our belief is the gift of the Holy Spirit; to those who are a possession – suggestion: those who have given their lives and now belong to…
vs 15-
The last part of this passage is where we are focussing our study, as Paul gives the reasons why he is constantly praising God and giving thanks for the believers at Ephesus. What does Paul mean by the phrase ‘the eyes of your heart may be opened’? He prays that we might have understanding – obviously something that we think we have but probably don’t. The unwritten suggestion here is that we have no clue what it actually means to be a child of God. He prays that the full scale of it might be revealed to us. What? The hope, riches and power…
Paul prays that we would understand what it is to be a child of the Sovereign (all powerful) God. Pick the five greatest demonstrations of God’s power from the scriptures. Make a list. John Piper writes…
“If we believed this, if we really let this truth of God’s omnipotence get hold of us, what a difference it would make in our personal lives and in our ministries! How humble and powerful we would become for the saving purposes of God! The omnipotence of God means refuge for the people of God. And when you really believe that your refuge is the omnipotence of God Almighty, there is a joy and a freedom and a power that spills over in a life of radical obedience to Jesus Christ.
Matt 28:18, Matt 8:26, Jn10:18, Psalm 46
Do you believe God is omnipotent? In control? How does freewill fit into this picture. God is in control, but does not always take control – discuss…. Gen 18:13, Rom 7:19, 2Cor 10:3,