Ephesians #2 – Study Questions
Posture & Prayer
Ephesians 1:15-22 (CGS#2)
INTRODUCTION: Paul opened his letter to the Ephesian church in a typical fashion for that time with a greeting (1:1-2). Then, he moved into a less common convention, a poem rooted in Hebrew worship styles. This poem (1:3-14) centered on the one who is praiseworthy, God. As we saw last week, this poem Is placed here to lay the right theological foundation for everything that will come in the letter. Especially when Paul makes the turn in chapter 4 to focus on the ethical reality of following Jesus. If they are to know who they are and how they are to live, they must first know God. Moving into the second half of chapter 1, Paul tells the Ephesian believers how he fervently prays for them and rejoices in their faithfulness. We need to pay attention to Paul’s posture here in this section. He is genuinely rooting for them. Why is this? Well, he tells us in v.15. It is because of their faith and love in Christ. It is Jesus that binds Paul and the Ephesians. When they are living faithful lives that point to and make Jesus clear to those around them, it is the very same thing Paul hopes to do because Christ has set them free to do that very thing. Paul is unified with them around the banner of Jesus. We would be well served to pause and reflect on Paul’s posture in this passage. Do we share the same posture for other believers and other churches? Are we unified around the work of Christ in our lives or around denominational and cultural distinctiveness? Do we talk more about what other churches are doing well or about what we don’t like about them? What about other believers? Paul is going to give corrective counsel in the sections to come. So, it isn’t as if he is praising them with rose-colored glasses. But he is genuinely praising God for them and rooting for them. Too often in our world, our posture towards other believers isn’t in the same vein as Paul’s with the Ephesians.
What, then, is the outflow of Paul’s posture? Prayer. He prays for these local churches that certainly have their issues and differences. But he’s rooting for them because they are all under Christ, and for that reason, he prays for their strengthening and connection to God. Paul is in awe of God for his work in and through these believers, and his written prayer here reminds them of who God is. Again, Paul is drawing awareness to their theological and salvific foundation. And in prayer, he joined God in the struggle against the desires of this age and for righteousness for the Ephesian believers. There is something beautiful and rich to Paul’s prayer life here in this section. It is something that should challenge us as we consider our own prayer lives. It isn’t just merely the content of his prayer or the time he spends in prayer. Too often, we reflect, “I don’t pray enough.” Which we usually mean, “I don’t pray long enough.” Instead, Paul’s prayer life for the Ephesian believers is rooted in the same source as his unity with them, Jesus. Paul’s posture in prayer and towards these believers all flows from what Christ has done for him and them. A point that he again reminds them of when he says that there is nothing and no one greater than Jesus (vv.22-23).
Paul’s prayer is theologically rich and personally instructive. But we should not miss who is still at the center of it all, Jesus. Paul’s posture and practice of prayer are both rooted in his identity in Christ. This teaches us that our posture towards others reflects the way we see ourselves. When you see yourself as a child of grace, you will be more likely to extend grace to others. When you see yourself as one being transformed into the image of Jesus, you will want to look like Jesus in your everyday experiences. Posture is a reflection of identity.
GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question. How have you seen yourself over different periods of your life? What “identities” did you hold to over the years? Athlete? Scholar? Musician? Husband? Wife? Vocation? Etc.
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage(s). It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions.
- What has stood out to you about the character and nature of God in these passages so far?
- What has stood out to you about your new character and identity in Christ from these passages so far?
- When you look at Paul’s posture towards other believers, what stands out to you? How is Paul able to speak both truth and love? What is a step of growth in your posture towards other believers?
- What does prayer look like in your life? How would you define prayer?
- Who could you commit to praying for each day for the next year, that they would know God better and find him more and more to be their deepest satisfaction and joy?