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Ephesians 1:15-23

 

[Grace and Peace] EPHESIANS_

 

[Activity] Spend some time exploring the logical flow of Ephesians 1:15-23…

 

 


I was on holiday, in the middle of the countryside, and one night there was the most beautiful display of stars in the sky… it was breath-taking. I had never seen so many stars.
But then… Pete handed me his binoculars and WOW! All of a sudden, the sky just opened and lit up… now there were bright stars and dull stars, planets, shooting stars, clusters of stars… there was depth and layers and details that I never even knew existed!
I thought what I could see with my own eyes was impressive, but this was something else… the binoculars had this almost ‘magical’ power and ability to make things appear out of nowhere!

When, in your life, have you experienced something unexpectedly powerful?

 

[Read Ephesians 1:15-23]

 

Power is one of the great themes of Ephesians.
Why do you think this might be?

 

 

In verse 17, when Paul prays, how does he mix both praise and petition?

 

 

What are Paul’s specific prayer requests in verse 17-19?

 

 

Here Paul connects wisdom with getting to know God.
How does knowing Jesus more help us to see things differently?
What are some practical ways that we can do that?

In verse 20, what is the greatest display of power the world has ever seen?

 

 

At the heart of Paul’s prayer for the church is that they (we) would realise that the same Easter resurrection power seen in Jesus is now available for them (us).
Too many Christians today are unaware of this power… like how I was star-gazing before Pete’s binoculars, I simply didn’t know what was out there all along.

Paul doesn’t imagine that all Christians will automatically be able to recognise the power of God. It will take (as he says in verse 17) a fresh gift of wisdom… the ability to see things that people don’t normally see.

How have you experienced this power in your life?

 

 

In verses 21-22, what authority does Jesus have now?

 

 

Paul refers to Jesus as the head of the body and the church as the hands and feet. How can we, the church, act as his agents in the world today?

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