The book of ephesians is a survival manualit equips believers to thrive in a. In this ephesians bible study we learn that paul tells of the great privilege of the ephesians. The epistle to the ephesians, also called the letter to the ephesians and often shortened to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new testament. Grace to you and peace from god our father and the lord jesus christ. Ephesians bible studies the gospel of john and the book of.
Understanding the book of ephesians and bible study guide. The deeper christian bible study series on ephesians is an indepth. This workbook was designed for bible class study, family study, or personal study. We will conclude our introductory study to the book of ephesians by glancing briefly at the extent of the victory wrought by god through paul in asia. The epistle focuses on the church, the body of christ. Dec, 2008 ephesians is a profound book, and our own dr. Teacher, to begin the study, find the best reader available. Bible study questions on ephesians and philippians introduction. Overview of the book of ephesians third millennium ministries. Paul wrote this letter we know as the book of ephesians to settle or establish the ephesians in the truth, and to acquaint them with the mystery of the gospel. God the father planned throughout history for jesus to create a multiethnic community of followers.
As we continue in our faith from day to day, month to month, and year to year, the temptation to get comfortable will always exist. You can find the best commentary on ephesians for you using the tools on the right side. If you could buy a book that contained a distillation of a lifetime of. Ephesians small group series lesson 1 introduction to. The mystery of the body of christ esv edition preaching the word. The conquest reached far beyond the city limits of ephesus. The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. The book of ephesians page 3 what we possess in christ our possessions the believers blessed life ephesians 1 key verse. Sabbath school study hour helping you get the most out of your sabbath school quarterly every week. The book of ephesians along with philippians and colossians, was written by the apostle paul while in prison in rome. The book of colossians is very similar to that of ephesians, in fact both books have passages with similar themes and phrases. Overview of the book of ephesians the letter opens with a sequence of statements about gods blessings, which are interspersed with a remarkable variety of expressions drawing attention to gods wisdom, forethought and purpose. Read ephesians prayerfully, objectively, thoughtfully, and attentively as you listen for god to speak. Tom constables expository notes on ephesians this is also available in the net.
Greetingpaul, an apostle of jesus christ by the will of god,to the saints who are in ephesus, and faithful in christ jesus. The purpose of the book of ephesians was to warn the church elders about the false teachers that were teaching a false gospel and to maintain their first love that they held when they first became believers. Theme the letter describes gods plan for mans salvation, with emphasis on the role of the church. Description before we dive into this study of the amazing book of ephesians, we are going to take some time this week to understand a little background about when, where, and why this book was written. Ephesians small group series lesson 1 introduction to ephesians. Lesson 2 ephesians 2 members of gods household read ephesians 2. That will begin when jesus returns with his saints to win the battle of armageddon. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to paul the apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as deuteropauline, that is, written in pauls name by a later author strongly influenced by pauls thought, probably by a loyal. Since his first book on the anvil was published in 1985, max lucado has been sharing the promises of god in sermons, books, articles and media interviews. In the book of ephesians, we see how the gospel story affects believers everyday lives. Watch our overview video on the book of ephesians, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.
E phesians is one of the most encouraging books in the new testament. The church has been brought from death to life in christ. Greear digs into the text of ephesians versebyverse and challenges believers to live out the gospel. Pastor steven cole sermons ephesians pastor steven. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament. Paul the apostle writes to encourage believers to live wellweve been lifted from the graveyard of sin and called to shout the gospel into the darkened world. What we intend to do is take a journey through the letter which the spirit guided the apostle paul to write to the saints of god in ephesus, the book. The book of ephesians was very likely written between a. May 12, 2017 the epistle to the ephesians, additionally called the letter to the ephesians and frequently abbreviated to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new testament. Students will discover that believers are called to a worthy walk.
Encounter ephesians, and get swept up into the story of jesus. Those that like to get into studying the bible and its heavy doctrines prefer to study the first part of pauls letters and often treat the latter part as secondary or of less value see the right diagram where a wall separates the two sections. Ephesus boasted international trade, a thriving silversmith guild, and a theater that seated 20,000 people. It is designed to help you discover, through personal study and group discussion, the incredible riches of gods word, and. Comprised of jews and nonjews, these followers form the covenant family god promised to abraham. To teach the christians at ephesus the wonder and practical implications of being the church in christ. Whether you are just beginning your new life with christ, or have been a christian for many years, this study guide is for you. Colossians aims at presenting the head of the church christ, ephesians focuses on the body of christ the church. Many people are turned off to the bible because they perceive it to be a book which addresses doctrinal issues they are unable to understand because they havent been to some religious school they think understanding the bible requires some theological degree. Ephesians 1 paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the. The reason is that this letter details the work of christ like no other one does. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries.
Students will learn from ephesians 4 what makes a believers walk worthy before the lord. Some who learn better from hearing than from reading really appreciate this. Ephesians bible study courses the book of ephesians this course is designed as an expository study of the epistle to the ephesians, taking the student through the entire epistle with cross references to other portions of scripture. This course is designed as an expository study of the epistle to the ephesians, taking the student through the entire epistle with cross references to other portions of scripture. Love and struggle tracing a biblical story through the generations march 1st, 2017 randy petersen bible engagers blog a popular tv drama follows different generations of a family in different times. The book of ephesians or the epistle to the ephesians, also called as the letter to the ephesians and very often shortened to ephesians, is the tenth book of the christian new testament authored by apostle paul, is one of the twelve letters written by apostle paul. Ephesians our blessings in christ importance this epistle was evidently addressed to the church in ephesus cf. Read the short background information for ephesians below. This summary of the book of ephesians provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of ephesians. Bible study of the letter to ephesians and the lessons individuals can apply to their lives and.
I recommend this volume to anyone who is not familiar with the basic themes of this epistle. It was written to encourage believers to walk as fruitful followers of christ and to serve in unity and love in the midst of persecution. Ephesians 2 1 and you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. All things together in christ the mystery of his will in acts 3. Mar 07, 2016 this letter, along with pauls letter to the colossians was delivered by pauls faithful fellowservant, tychicus. This book is divided into 12 lessons, each of which contains the full niv text of the scripture passage, several study and discussion questions, and a versebyverse commentary. This is the fourth lesson from the book of ephesians. Ephesians gives us wonderful examples and basic overviews of a christian life. Paul intended that all who long for christlike maturity would receive this writing. This follows the niv except for minor changes to heighten awareness of the greek structure and the occasional improvement praise be to the god and father of our lord jesus christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in christ in accordance with the fact that he chose us in him before the. Once you grasp the essence of the book to the ephesians other bible books will become more open to you. The others are philippians, colossians, and philemon.
In him you also were included in christ when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation. All the lessons are now available as an ebook or printed book for your convenience. Commentary on the book of ephesians by matthew henry new. The book of ephesians hits on a wide range of moral and ethical behaviors, designed to ensure believers are living up to our heavenly calling. He may not speak to you through every verse, but he will speak. The book of ephesians free online bible study lessons. The book of ephesians chapter one workbook eeonline biblestudy. This epistle is addressed to the saints at the church in ephesus, a prosperous port city in the roman province of asia minor. Lessons on the book of ephesians by alice marie stanback, ba.
A study in the book of ephesians fresh life series heitzig, lenya on. Acts 19, but may have been intended as a circular letter to be read by neighboring churches. In the book of ephesians, paul reminds us that jesus longs for the day he will be united with the churchhis bride in all her beauty. The book of ephesians christian powerpoint templates. But whereas colossians focuses on christ of the church, ephesians focuses on the church of christ. The purpose is to assist the student in gaining a greater comprehension of the biblical teaching contained in. Each lesson has a scripture passage, and inspirational reading, questions to answer, space for journaling, and a prayer. As we begin our leisurely devotional trek through ephesians, i thought i might whet your appetite a bit. In the book of ephesians, we learn how the gospel creates a new multiethnic, covenant family of god, and affects our story and how we live every day as a body of new humanity unified in love. It deals, however, not so much with a congregation in the city of ephesus in asia minor as with the worldwide church, the head of which is christ, the purpose of which is to be the instrument for making gods plan of salvation known throughout the universe eph 3. An introduction to the book of ephesians an argument of the book of ephesians selected bibliography on the book of ephesians. Ephesians is the great pauline letter about the church. If the people of your city, of your school, of your family are going to hear the gospel, its going to be from your mouth. Paul had spent nearly three years in ephesus acts 19.
In our next study together i invite you to join me on this journey from the book of ephesians to discover gods eternal purpose, his plan for your life, and learn how to practically live out an abundant and fruitful christian life if you want to join me in these weekly studies, here are two things you can do this week to prepare for next weeks lesson. Ephesians with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. In him, when you believed, you were marked with a seal, the. Todays lesson overflows with all the blessings that we christians are blessed with.
Popular bible verses from ephesians share tweet save stay encouraged and united with christ with these popular bible verses from the tenth book of the new testament, ephesians. The questions contain minimal human commentary, but instead urge students to study to understand scripture. I believe that this book of scripture is desperately needed today. Paul basically opens the letter with praise god from whom all blessings flow. The book of ephesians speaks of several mysteries that are revealed to us. Ephesians 16 nkjv greeting paul, an apostle of jesus. The second chapter is about who we are as a result and how we come together as gods holy people. Ephesians bible study the christian church in the world.
Active inductive bible study of ephesians for youth page 3 of 42 by mama lorella, every child ministries beginning to study ephesians by the inductive method. I was recently teaching a group of young men and women who were training to be missionaries a class on the book of ephesians. The fundamental principles of grace and mans responsibility to abide by gods laws are thoroughly revealed in the old testament. Based on the contents of the book, it appears as though pauls purpose for writing the book of ephesians was to remind the ephesian believers of their high calling in christ chapters and to exhort them to live up to that calling chapters 46. Paul emphasizes that we have been saved, not only for our personal benefit, but also to bring praise and glory to god. Upon completion of the study, it is recommended that you discuss your answers and insights with other bible students who also completed the workbook. Ephesians 1 tlb dear christian friends at ephesus, ever. His plan for your life, and learn how to practically live out an abundant and fruitful christian life. The letter of ephesians, lucado says, celebrates the beauty of the church the bride of christ, redeemed by the his blood and wearing spotless his righteousness. I offer the following commentary and summary for ephesians in this article.
Enclosed within the book of ephesians is the discipline needed to develop into true children of god. Its origin has customarily been credited to paul the apostle however, beginning in 1792, this has been tested as deuteropauline, that is, composed in pauls name by a later creator. They will learn what a worthy walk of a believer looks like. A study in the book of ephesians fresh life series. In the book of ephesians, paul reminds us that jesus longs for the day. Ephesians bible studies the gospel of john and the book. Sproul has himself written a very helpful introductory level commentary on it titled the purpose of god. First, all they which dwelt in asia heard the word of the lord jesus, both jews and greeks gentiles acts 19. The traditional idea, that god deals in one manner with the gentile christians and in another with the jewish christians, and that the races are identifiable in christ, has created havoc in the interpretation of the scripturesparticularly the writings. The mystery of the body of christ esv edition preaching the word hughes, r. Paul shows us how to walk worthy of christ as we live our life for god. The book of ephesians overview of the book of ephesians the book of ephesians is a masterpiece of revelation that bridges the principles of grace and obedience into one solid irremovable form. In this study of the letter to the ephesians you will learn profound truths about. Keep a notebook handy with pencil to jot down questions, ideas and applications as you study ephesians.
The book of ephesians chapter three workbook eeonline biblestudy. The first chapter was about who god is and what he has done on our behalf. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly scripture. Sprouls work, the following are five of the most helpful commentaries on the book of ephesians. Disciple lessons from ephesians an online bible study jesuswalk. It was during this time that paul sat in rome undergoing his first roman imprisonment ephesians 3. This background helps shed light on verses like ephesians 6. Youth group lessons on ephesians ministry to youth. How to use this book welcome to the faith foundations study guide on ephesians. To really jump ahead in your study of ephesians, complete our how to study a book of the bible lesson using ephesians as your subject. When he does, record the verse number, what it is he seems to be saying to you and your response to him in this final step.
The lesson is prepared with older students in mind. The book is quite similar in many ways to colossians, but that book places more emphasis on the work of christ, where this book emphasizes more the. So, together with a bible to look up crossreferences, you have everything you need for your journey of discovery in ephesians. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in god. The concept that the elect jews and gentiles compose the one family of god, the one holy nation, is a central theme of the book of ephesians.
The church has received wondrous blessings in union with christ. Overview and outline of ephesians bible study deeper. Ephesians colossians philippians philemon paul remained in ephesus for nearly three years on his 3rd missionary journey. Ephesians 1, new international version niv the bible app. Students will learn the basic doctrines as they study and discuss the scriptures and as they master key scripture passages.