Ephesians Week 9

Day 1 

READ 

Ephesians 4:14-15 

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 

When gifted people equip believers to do the work of the ministry, Paul tells of the result. Younger ones in the faith will not be misled by counterfeit religious groups. Paul tells of speaking the truth but doing it with love. Even in disputes over Bible teaching it should be done as Christ would do it. After all, Jesus is the head of the Church so followers should imitate His character.  

REFLECT 

Do you rely on those older in the faith that you know when needing answers to your Bible questions? 

RESPOND 

Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and notice that Paul told Timothy to trust those he knew who had taught him biblical truths. 

Day 2 

READ 

Ephesians 4:16 

16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. 

Paul referred to Jesus as the head of the Church, the body of Christ. Now he tells what Jesus does. He makes the entire body fit together. This is only possible as each member does its part. Each person in the body of Christ needs to help other members grow. In this way all believers will be healthy, growing and full of love. This should serve as a check list for each believer to ask, “Am I helping other believers to grow spiritually?” 

REFLECT 

How would you answer the question? Are you helping others grow spiritually? 

RESPOND 

Read 1 Corinthians 12:14-26 to see what Paul wrote about different members of the body of Christ helping others.   

Day 3 

READ 

Ephesians 4:17-18 

17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 

Paul is writing to Gentiles so when he tells believers not to live like Gentiles, he refers to unbelievers. Then he describes what these Christ rejecters are like. Their minds are confused, full of darkness, and closed. Their minds and hearts are hardened against the Lord Jesus. These would be difficult people to witness to. This also describes what the apostle Paul was like before he became a believer on the road to Damascus. Although a Jew, his heart was also hardened toward God. 

REFLECT 

Do you have friends like these Paul describes who have hardened hearts toward Jesus? Are you praying for them? 

RESPOND 

Read Acts 9:1-19 to read what Paul, also known as Saul, went through before he became a believer.  

Day 4 

READ 

Ephesians 4:19-20 

19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 

Still referring to Gentile unbelievers, Paul says they have no shame about their immoral behavior. In contrast to such, Paul reminds the Ephesian believers that have not learned that about Christ. Believers who sin have the indwelling Holy Spirit to convict them. Unbelievers have no such restraint so are not troubled about their immoral behavior. They continue on in “every kind of impurity.” 

REFLECT 

The first-century world was a sin-saturated society. Those who trusted in Jesus and lived moral lives prominently stood out. Is this true of you? 

RESPOND 

Read Romans 1:18-32 to see what the world was like in Paul’s time and why he said people were without excuse. 

Day 5 

READ 

Ephesians 4:21-23 

21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 

Paul appeals to believers to live significantly different than unbelievers. Unbelievers do not know the truth, but believers have learned truth that comes from Jesus. As a result, believers should put off their old way of life that they had before salvation. That old life was characterized by lust and deception. Unbelievers should be able to look at them and realize believers are different. This is because they have trusted in Jesus as Savior who has delivered from both the penalty and power of sin over them. 

REFLECT 

Do your unbelieving friends see something different about you? They probably do not understand what makes you so different. Pray that God will give you an opportunity to tell them why. 

RESPOND 

With your disciple, talk and pray about how you can express to unbelievers why you live a different lifestyle than they do. If you do not know what to say to them, ask God to give you wisdom about how to answer.