LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION - WEEK 1

EPHESIANS:  God’s Plan for God’s People

Ephesians  1:1-23

1.  Take some time to catch up or get introduced to one another

2.  Read Ephesians 1:1-14

3.  As a group, list out the blessings we have from God in this section.

Share how one of these blessings has been particularly meaningful to you, or share one that is challenging for you to fully appreciate or receive.

4.  This section calls us to a response of praise. What are simple ways we can praise God all through our week?  What would it look like to praise God in all area’s of my life (not just singing)?

5.  Read Ephesians 1:15-23

Paul prays that they would grow in their knowledge of God, in their confident hope, and in their understanding of God’s power for them.  Why did Paul pray for these things and why should we?

6.  Is there anything else from this week’s reading that stood out to you or you want to discuss further?

PRAYER

How can we pray for one another this week?

Start your prayer time in the following way (then pray for the other requests voiced):

Ask one person to begin the prayer time by praising God for his blessings.

Ask a 2nd person to pray that we would grow in our knowledge of God. 

Ask a 3rd to pray that we would understand our confident Hope. 

Ask a 4th person to pray that we would understand the greatness of God’s power.

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION - WEEK 2

Ephesians:  God’s Plan for God’s People

Ephesians 2:1-10

1.  Read Ephesians 2:1-10.  What is a masterpiece you have experienced? (Art, Film, music, book, experience, etc)

2.  What is something from the passage that stood out to you?

3.  The “religion” of many people is the idea that if my good outweighs my bad, God will accept me.  God rewards nice people who try their best.  How is the gospel, as described in this passage, very different from that? 

4. What was it like when you first heard and received the gospel?  How does your experience reflect what Paul describes in these verses?  

5.  Pastor Paul challenged us to keep reminding ourselves of the good news.  What would it look like for me to do that?  Where do I tend to struggle with fully accepting grace?

6. Verse 10 says we are God’s masterpiece created in Christ Jesus to do the good things he planned for us.  Do I understand the good things he has planned for me and am I doing them?

PRAYER

How can we pray for one another?

If appropriate consider praying for what people shared in questions 5 and 6

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION - WEEK 3

Ephesians:  God’s Plan for God’s People

Ephesians 2:11-3:13

1.  Opener:  What do you know about your family heritage?

2.  Read Ephesians 2:11-18

Why is vertical peace with God necessary before we can have horizontal peace with others?

We don’t deal with the Jew-Gentile divide today, but what other kinds of division have you seen in the church?  What impact did it have?

3.  Read Ephesians 2:19-22

Share how one of the metaphors (fellow citizens, family members, and stones in a temple) gives you a new appreciation or understanding of the Church.

4.  Read Ephesians 3:1-13

Verse 10 says God is demonstrating the wisdom of reconciliation in the Church.  Where do you see Him doing that (either in the universal church or our local church)? 

Where could we work to increase it? 

What other observations or questions do you have about this passage?

5.  How can we pray for one another?

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

Ephesians:  God’s plan for God’s People

Ephesians 3:14-21

1.   What encouraged you from the testimony on Sunday?

2.   Paul ends the theological section of the letter like he began it, with Prayer and Praise.  Have someone in the group read Ephesians 3:14-21.

3.  In verse 16, Paul prays that believers would be strengthened spiritually.  Why is it important to focus on the condition of my heart while praying rather than just praying about external circumstances or problems in my life?

4.  In what way(s) does your spirit need strengthening (temptation, discouragement, weariness, etc)?  Pause and pray for what is shared.

5.  Verse 17 is a prayer for Christ to be at home in my heart as I trust him. That is an amazing thought!  Comment on it.  How does it make you feel?

6.  Verse 18-19 is a prayer to fully know and experience God’s love for us.  What makes us doubt God’s love?  

7.  Many Christians don’t experience the fullness of God in their lives.  Why is that?  What could I think/feel/do to experience it more?  

8.  Take time to pray for one another.  The leader can close by praying, in their own words, Ephesians 3:14-21 over the group.  

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

Ephesians:  God’s plan for God’s People

Ephesians 4:1-16

1.   When or where have you experienced the most unity in your life?

2.   Read Ephesians 4:1-6. Paul is making the case that the Church should be where we experience the greatest unity, but unfortunately that isn’t always the case. What should unity look like in the Church? What does it look like to make allowance for one another’s faults?

3.  Read Ephesians 4:7-12. Paul teaches that each of us have a unique gift or role to play within the context of the church. How are you fulfilling your role/using your gifting to nurture unity in the church?

4.  Read Ephesians 4:13-16. How do I know that I am maturing in Christ individually? What are the signs that a church is maturing collectively?

5.  What is the next right step for you in pursuing your own spiritual maturity and/or contributions to ministry? Note: If you are uncertain, we highly recommend the Growth Track Classes. 

6.  Is there anything else from Ephesians 4:1-16 that we haven’t discussed that you would like to bring up?

8.  Take time to pray for one another.  Specifically, pray for and encourage one another as you discern next steps in your maturity and ministry.  

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE - WEEK 6

Ephesians 4:17-5:20

“Live As Children of Light”

1. Read Ephesians 4:17-32.

What old things have you “put off” and what new things have you “put on” as you have grown in Christ?

What was that process like for you?

2.  Read Ephesians 5:1-14

Are we still tempted to excuse the sins of immorality and greed?  In what ways?

In verse 11, Paul calls us to expose the worthless deeds of evil.  How do we do that in a Christ like way?

3.  Read 5:15-20

What does it mean to “make the most of every opportunity in these evil days”?

What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?  What does a Spirit-filled life look like?

4.  What else stands out to you that we haven’t yet discussed?

5.  Take time to pray for one another

6.  Campus Serve Day is Saturday, March 28th.  How many in our group would be available to serve together that day?  You can register here:

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION - Week 7

Spirit-Guided Relationships

Ephesians 5:21-6:9

1.  Read Ephesians 5:18-33

How is the biblical idea of submission misunderstood (or even abused) in today’s culture?

What does submission look like practically in the context of a spirit-filled marriage?

What does it look like practically for a husband to love, nourish, and cherish his wife?

2.  Read Ephesians 6:1-4.

What does it look like to honor your parents as an adult?  Has this been easy or difficult in your own life?

How has the Lord disciplined and instructed you? How does this inform our own parenting?

3.  Read Ephesians 6:5-9

What does it look like practically to do your work as unto the Lord?

How can I be a better employee or employer? 

4.  How can we pray for one another?

5.  Campus Serve Day is Saturday, March 28th from 9-12.  A great way to serve together as a group.  Registering early helps, but showing up day of is great too!