Ephesians 4:17-32

Ephesians 4:17-32Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)Living the New Life¹⁷ Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. ¹⁹ They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.^[a]20 But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, ²¹ assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus. ²² You took off^[b] your former way of life, the old self^[c]that is corrupted by deceitful desires; ²³ you are being renewed^[d] in the spirit of your minds; ²⁴ you put on^[e] the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.²⁵ Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor,^[f] because we are members of one another. ²⁶ Be angry and do not sin.^[g] Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and don’t give the Devil an opportunity. ²⁸ The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. ²⁹ No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need,^[h] so that it gives grace to those who hear. ³⁰ And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him^[i] for the day of redemption. ³¹ All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. ³² And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you^[j] in Christ.

Questions:

1.   Why are Gentiles separated from a life of God?
A.   They are ignorant, excluded from God, gave themselves to promiscuity, and want more and more.  This is everyone with our old self.  Anyone can accept Christ’s love and put on the new self.
2.   What was our former life like?  How are we different now?
A.   We were separated from God’s love.  We can still go back to our old ways, but we need repent and ask God for forgiveness.
3.   What does it mean to take off your old self and put on your new self?
A.   Get rid of your bad habits and repent and start to do as Jesus did.  When you believe in Jesus you put on your new self without any help.  He does it for us.
4.   What does it mean to not let the sun go down on your anger?
A.   Do not go to sleep upset at a loved one.  Talk it out, resolve your problems5.   How easy is it to not be bitter, anger, shouting, slander, and malice?
A.   ????  Talk
6.   What causes us to be sealed in Him?
A.   The Holy Spirit, we repent and ask Him to stay in our hearts.  

Ephesians 4:1-16

Ephesians 4:1-16Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)Unity and Diversity in the Body of Christ4 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting^[a] one another in love, ³ diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope^[b] at your calling— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
⁷ Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the Messiah’s gift. ⁸ For it says:
When He ascended on high, He took prisoners into captivity;^[c] He gave gifts to people.^[d]9 But what does “He ascended” mean except that He^[e] descended to the lower parts of the earth?^[f]10 The One who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill^[g] all things. ¹¹ And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. ¹⁴ Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. ¹⁶ From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
Questions:1.      How is Paul a prisoner of the Lord?
A.   If you are a prisoner are you in charge? No, so Paul is saying that the Lord is in control of him.
2.    What does it mean to be above all, and through all, and in all?
A.   He is omnipresent and omniscient.
3.    What gifts is Paul talking about?
A.   I don’t know, but….Grace and salvation, spiritual gifts
4.    What is your role in your Christian life?
A.   ??????
5.     What do all these people do? Teachers, prophets, evangelists, and pastors?
A.6. What does verse 14 mean?  A. Group7. How do you tell the truth in love?  A. Group

Prayer time!!!!

We are reading Ephesians and Paul prays on his knees for his people.  We tried it out.  Awesome!

Worship 1/17/14

Saturday Sports

January 18, 2014, we will be playing with our friends at Jackson Elementary in Fresno.  Here is the itinerary.

8:30 Meet and prepare

9:00 Play

10:30 Worship and Messaeg

11:00 Lunch

11:30 Clean Up

Hope to see you there.  Our goal is to make 2 new friends.  Be prepared to share your favorite verse with your new friend and write down their prayer requests.  This will be a great event.  Hope to see you there.  

Jackson Elementary

3733 E. Kerckhoff Ave.

Fresno, CA 93702

Ephesians 3:14-21

Ephesians 3:14-21Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)Prayer for Spiritual Power¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father^[a] 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. ¹⁶ I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, ¹⁷ and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, ¹⁹ and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the powerthat works in us— ²¹ to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
1.   How is Paul praying for?
A.   He is praying for all the people who have accepted Christ into their hearts.
2.   Why do we kneel and pray before the Father?
A.   You kneel because we are showing respect, and because we are lower than God.  He is above us.
3.   How will God strengthen our inner man?
A.   When the Holy Spirit is in you He can strengthen us and support us and……..
4.   What is Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians?
A.   Strengthened with power, Christ may dwell in your heart through faith, you maybe rooted and grounded in love, strength to comprehend with all the Saints, to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, and that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
5.   When were we firmly established in love?
A.   Selah  answers!!!!!!!!!!!!
6.   What does Christ’s love do?
A.   Emma Answers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Helping out with the community

Here we have some FCA students helping out a family in need.  We purchased an outfit and a couple of toys per kid for a family in need in our community.  Thanks for all your help FCA.  You are the best!!!!

Ephesians 3:1-13

Ephesians 3:1-13

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles

3 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— ² you have heard, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that He gave to me for you? ³ The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. ⁴ By reading this you are able to understand my insight about the mystery of the Messiah. ⁵ This was not made known to people^[a] in other generations as it is now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: ⁶ The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ⁷ I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of His power.

⁸ This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of the Messiah, ⁹ and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. ¹⁰ This is so God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. ¹¹ This is according to His eternal purpose accomplished in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord. ¹² In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.^[b] 13 So then I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.

1.      Paul starts off saying, “For this reason” what is he referring to?

A.   Paul is referring to the gift Christ has given both the Jews and the Gentile.  The gift of the Holy Spirit, being adopted into His family, and Life after death.

2.    What is Paul’s revelation, or mystery?

A.   That God has made the Jews and Gentile equal.  God’s grace falls on everyone, not just the Jews

3.    What does it mean to be co-heirs?

A.   God creates everything, but the Jews believed they only belong to God.  Through Christ everything changed.  Christ accepted everyone from everywhere.  Now anyone can belong to Christ and have the Holy Spirit. 

4.    What are Paul’s afflictions on behalf of the gentiles?

A.   Paul is in prison because he spread the word to the gentiles and to everyone in the world, saying that Jesus was the true King.

“The mystery of Ephesians 3 is the equality of Jews and Gentiles in the body of Christ. This equality and this body were not revealed in the Old Testament. They were made known only after the coming of Christ by the Spirit to the apostles and prophets including Paul but not excluding others.” Soniclight.com