Study Questions: Ephesians #8

Kyle Bartholic   -   September 26, 2024

Gifts to Serve

Ephesians 4:7-16 (CGS#8)

INTRODUCTION:  Paul keeps driving his main point home. What we were is no longer because we are something new in Christ. How will he reinforce this idea now? He’ll tell us that God has given us gifts. The purpose of those gifts is not for our glory but for God to be glorified. And how will God be glorified through those gifts? When we serve one another with them and grow up into maturity. Then, as we grow up into maturity, we will come to find that we are built up in love. That is love for God and one another. That is not something that will happen if we remain immature in our faith. Immaturity will leave us being tossed to and fro by every new idea, philosophy, or political agenda that tickles our ears. You can imagine believers living in Ephesus with all of its cosmopolitan amenities, material excesses, political dignitaries, and religious ideas, and they would need to take to heart what Paul is saying. There would be no shortage of human cunning or ideas to blow them off course. Maturity wasn’t a nice idea or a secondary value. It was essential. So it is for you and me. We, too, have no shortage of ideas, philosophies, or material luxuries to blow us off course. Discipleship, that is, following Jesus in a life-defining way, is the process of apprenticing into mature conformity with Christ. This is tough work, but remember, God is the one who gives us the strength to do it.

 

God also gives us one another in community to spur each other on in growth and maturity. Another way to think about it is that community shouldn’t let us stagnate; it should help us grow. Remember, Ephesians is a letter about the church, the redeemed people of God. In this community, we are given gifts to serve, and as Paul says, “building up the body of Christ, until we all attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood.” Those gifts are apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher. We all have one of these gifts. How do I know that? Because Paul tells us. So our job is not to be convinced that we have a gift but is to figure out which it is and how we are to use it. Here’s a little secret, your gift can be used in multiple ways, in every season, and in every context you find yourself. That means two believers with the same gift are going to serve in different ways and with different expressions. But, the gifts are always to bring the body into maturity and build up in love. Let’s understand the gifts and our S.H.A.P.E.

 

  1. Apostle – Pioneer, entrepreneur, visionary – (Peter, Paul, John, Priscilla & Aquilla)
  2. Prophet – Preaching, gives clarity to truth, calls to obedience – (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Anna)
  3. Evangelist – Sharing the gospel & conversations with non-Christians – (Philip)
  4. Shepherd – Care, counsel, empathy, and concern – (Barnabas, James)
  5. Teacher – Those who explain tough concepts – (Apollos, Philip)

 

Your SHAPE helps you to figure out how and where to use your gift.  (*SHAPE is from Pastor Brent’s class – Discipleship 301.)

 

  • S = Spiritual Gift (Which gift resonates with you?)
  • H – Heart (What stirs your emotions, positively/negatively?)
  • A = Abilities (What could you teach a class on? What is your occupation? What special skills do you have? Etc.)
  • P = Personality (Are you an introvert/extrovert? Prefer church people or non-believers?)
  • E = Experiences (What tough things have you been through? What have you seen? Where have you been? What have you done? Etc. )

 

Remember, using your gift is not optional in Paul’s mind. It is a normal and needed thing.

GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question. What excites you about the idea of having a spiritual gift? What makes you nervous about having a spiritual gift?

 

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.

  1. Paul stresses the need for maturity. What markers does he list in Ephesians so far that helps us to define what a mature believer looks like? What markers would you list for a mature believer?
  2. How do the virtues of humility, gentleness, and patience factor into the life of a mature believer? How are they visible in your life, or how are you growing in those virtues?
  3. Look at the APEST gift list above and the descriptions. What gift do you think you have?
  4. Take time to discuss with your group what gift they think you have.
  5. Now, look at your SHAPE. How might you use your gift in your SHAPE to build up and mature the body?