Ephesians Week 7

Day 1 

READ 

Ephesians 3:16-17 

16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 

Paul tells believers what he is praying for in their regard. He prayed they would be empowered ”with inner strength through his Spirit.” Paul’s concern was not simply what God would do through them but in them. Notice Paul includes all three Persons of the Trinity in his prayer. He is praying to the Father, asking for inner strength through the Spirit, and that the Lord Jesus would be at home in their hearts. It is one thing for Jesus to be in you, quite another that He would be at home in every aspect of your life. 

REFLECT 

Think about having guests in your house. They are in your house but are they really at home there? The same is true with Jesus. 

RESPOND 

Talk with your disciple about the importance of Jesus being at home in your life. Read Colossians 1:27 to see that He is in each believer. Does He really have ownership of each aspect of your life? Read 1 Corinthians 10:31 in this regard. 

Day 2 

READ 

Ephesians 3:18-19 

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 

Paul continues his prayer for believers. He wants them to understand how great the love of God is. He admits it is impossible to completely understand it, but he wants them to experience it. When they have experienced God’s love, Paul said they would be filled with the fullness of God. This indicates that believers do not necessarily need to fully understand something or be able to fully explain it, but they can experience it. 

REFLECT 

Think of the things you have experienced by having God in your life even though you may not be able to explain it to others. 

READ 

Read Romans 8:31-39 where Paul expresses the love of God and that nothing can separate believers from it. You and your disciple should consider reading this passage when trying to comfort a suffering believer. 

Day 3 

READ 

Ephesians 3:20-21 

20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. 

At the end of his prayer, Paul breaks into a doxology praising God. Paul acknowledges that God is able to do more than believers ask or even think. Paul wants all glory be given to God. He gives both the locations he is praying for and the time period he wants this to continue. He mentions “in the church” and “in Christ Jesus”; then he wants it to go on “forever and ever!” This is to be done “through all generations.” This includes children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

REFLECT 

Who is at the top of your prayer list? Followed by your praise to God for what He has done for you should be your family. Pray that all generations would glorify God. 

RESPOND 

Read something from the last book in the Old Testament. The passage is Malachi 3:16-17. This describes who God considers to be His people. 

Day 4 

READ 

Ephesians 4:1-2 

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 

The first three chapters of Ephesians are considered to be foundational teaching; the last three have to do with practical victorious living for the believer. Paul mentions he is not a prisoner of the Roman government but a prisoner for serving the Lord. Paul lists how believers can live like they have been called of God. They can do this by being humble and gentle; patient with each other and showing their love by making allowance for each other’s faults. This was not to be done occasionally but “always,” he begged.  

REFLECT 

As a believer, how are you doing following Paul’s instructions? 

RESPOND 

With your disciple, use Paul’s list in this passage to evaluate how each of you is doing. Talk about what you might do to improve. 

Day 5 

READ 

Ephesians 4:3-4 

3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 

It was Paul’s desire that believers would live in peaceful harmony. Positionally in Christ they were perfectly united in the Holy Spirit. He wanted believers to live like it. He had told how the believing Jews and Gentiles are in one body by means of one Spirit. They had all been called to the same glorious hope for the future so there were no reasons for divisions.  

REFLECT 

Are you able to distinguish between primary and secondary differences? Legalism ties one in knots but grace allows freedom. 

RESPOND 

Read Philippians 2:1:11 to see what Paul wrote about having the same thinking as the Lord Jesus had. Spend time praying about not allowing secondary issues to become primary problems.