Ephesians: Online

(for individual, one-on-one discipleship, or community groups)

Now what?

Easter has come and gone. We are so grateful that Christ came but what now? How are we to live now that Christ has died and risen again? How are we to live while we wait for His return?

To answer those questions, we just kicked off a new series titled made for more. We are using the book of Ephesians as our guide to discover how God, in Christ, has more for us. Easter is just the beginning of the abundant life that is promised in Christ (John 10:10).

We hope you're joining us online or in-person each weekend but we also want to encourage and challenge you to not just listen to a message but to do more with what you hear. We want to invite you to join us each week online as we offer some simple tools, guides, and questions to help you read and apply Scripture.

You can use each week's post for your own personal study or invite someone to do it with you and discuss at the park, on the phone, or over video. You can also use these posts in your community groups as you grow together with others.

Let's Not Overcomplicate It

We do that sometimes when we study Scripture. So let's keep this simple.

Open your Bible (hardcopy or app) and go to Ephesians 1.

Now just take a few minutes and read through it once (seriously, we promise it will only take a few minutes). And remember you're not trying to understand it, just familiarize yourself with it on this first read.

Got that done? Great!

Now go back and read just a little slower and look for words/ideas/themes that are repeated. Look for patterns and words that connect. You can use a piece of paper to do this. You can even circle and underline words in your Bible; we promise it's not a sin.

To help you get started, check out this example below:

Let's Talk

So now let's talk. Here are some questions to get you thinking:

• What words, phrases or ideas are repeated? Do you see any other ideas or words repeated?

• What do we learn about God (his character) as a result of seeing that everything that has happened in Christ is because of a plan?

• What all has God given us through Christ? What all does Paul pray we will receive?

• How is the last paragraph connected to the first two paragraphs? How is Paul's prayer connected with what Christ has done?

• Have you ever thought of yourself or others as holy? Why or why not?

Keep it Going

Talk to someone else about what you've read. These are great questions we'll use each week to apply the message and book of Ephesians to our daily lives.

1. Summarize what you've read in a couple words or sentences.

2. What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?

3. What do you need to do about it?

4. How can we help you do what you said you needed to do?

Feel free to share what you're learning in the comments below.

Did you know with this little blog post and those 4 questions at the end you could lead a community group or study with one other person? Seriously! You could! If you're interested, let us know and we'll help you get connected and get started.