Thursday Bible Study

  [Grace and Peace] EPHESIANS_   [Activity] Spend some time exploring the logical flow of Ephesians 3:1-13…   [Read Ephesians 3:1-13]   In the first section of this chapter, how does Paul describe God’s secret plan?   In verses 2-5 how did God reveal this plan?   What three privileges did the Gentiles attain (together with the Jews) within this plan?       Imagine hearing the news that a family in your street has come into a big inheritance… and then being told that you’re going to become members of that family and instant inheritors of the same wealth and privileges as them! That’s the situation that Christian Gentiles now find themselves in…   In verse 7, how did God accomplish this plan?     What does this plan of God’s (the plan itself, the fact that God kept it hidden and then revealed it, the way God accomplished it) reveal about the character of God?   In verses 8-9, what t...

  [Grace and Peace] EPHESIANS_   [Activity] Spend some time exploring the logical flow of Ephesians 2:11-22…   When have you tried (or wanted to) join a new group… an new circle of friends or a new job or club. Describe your experience…   [Read Ephesians 2:11-16]   Spiritually, Paul tells us that we become part of a new group too. In verses 11-13, how does Paul describe the Gentiles before they became part of this new group?   The word that Paul uses, in verse 12, to describe them as having no god is the word we get our modern word ‘atheists’. This is ironic because this is the same word that Gentiles used to refer to Jews (and then later Christians) because they refused to acknowledge the Gentile’s pantheon of gods and goddesses. What did Jesus do specifically for the Gentiles on the one hand (verses 12-14) and for the Jewish people on the other (verses 14-15)?   How might the original audience of this letter reacted to thes...

  [Grace and Peace] EPHESIANS_   [Activity] Spend some time exploring the logical flow of Ephesians 2:1-10…   Describe a time when you chose a wrong direction, whether it was while driving, in a relationship or some other situation.   [Read Ephesians 2:1-7]   We live in a world where human beings, if left to their own devices, not only chose the wrong direction, but continue along as if it is the right direction. In verses 1-2, what do we see as the forces that lure us (or compel us) to go in the wrong direction spiritually?     What reasons have you heard other people give for the direction that they’re going in their life?     In verse 3, according to Paul, what characterises people who are going in the wrong direction?     What does verses 4-6 tell us about what God has done to get us back on the right path?   Why does God love us so much?     In verses 4-6 we’re told t...

  [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 vers...

  [Grace and Peace] EPHESIANS_   [Activity] Spend some time exploring the ‘logical flow’ of Ephesians 1:1-14…     [Read Ephesians 1:1-10]   This opening prayer of Paul’s letter is a celebration of the bigger story that every Christian’s story is a part of. Only by understanding and celebrating the bigger story can we understand what’s going on in our smaller individual stories. In verses 1-2, why might Paul start by stating his credentials?   Before Paul writes about any specific prayers, he starts (in verses 2-3) with worship and adoration of the God who loves us. Why is God to be worshiped and adored in this way? What has God done for us in and through Jesus?     In verses 4-6, what does it mean to be chosen by grace? Just like Abraham, we are all blessed to be a blessing. In what ways might God want to bless (or is already blessing) others through you and your Christian community?     In verses...

  There has been a real rise in the popularity of knowing your background and where/who’ve you have come from in recent years. With websites like Ancestry.com and DNA-based genealogy tests. And with the growing popularity of TV shows like ‘Who do you think you are?’ This isn’t a coincidence… history and genealogy and knowing your past and telling stories as a way of remembering have always been here. As this love story concludes, the author of the book of Ruth tells us that Obed “was the father of Jesse, the father of David”. The author also includes a genealogy that traces the roots of this particular family line as far back as Perez, 900 years of history! Perez’s story is told in Genesis 38 (which we’ve already looked at) is referred to by the townspeople’s prayer… along with the ‘guardian-redeemer’ and ‘levirate marriage’ connections, there is a third reason why this particular genealogy is traced back to him… Read Genesis 49:10. How does this connect to the love stor...

As an ancient ‘influencer’ and wealthy ‘guardian-redeemer’, Boaz can easily redeem the land for Elimelek. But he also marries Ruth. While in Moab, as Mahlon’s wife for 10 years, Ruth didn’t conceive. The ancient understanding of infertility was that it was judgement (or a ‘curse’) from God. If Ruth remains childless and cannot produce an heir, the family line is doomed… no pressure! [Read Ruth 4:13] In this verse, we read that “God intervened”. This is the second time that we read about God taking this kind of direct divine action. The first time is found in Ruth 1:6. What do both of these instances tell us about the nature of God?     Recalling the prayers/blessing in the last part of the story, how do we see God answering both the prayers of Ruth and Boaz?     With God stepping into the story and directly providing for Ruth, she joins a long list of other women who have had similar experiences. Can you think of any examples?   By j...