Ephesians 6:10-24

Christian Warfare¹⁰ Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics^[a] of the Devil. ¹² For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. ¹³ This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.¹⁴ Stand, therefore,with truth like a belt around your waist,righteousness like armor on your chest,¹⁵ and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.^[b]16 In every situation take the shield of faith,and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation,and the sword of the Spirit,which is God’s word.¹⁸ Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. ²⁰ For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.Paul’s Farewell²¹ Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and faithful servant^[c] in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be informed. ²² I am sending him to you for this very reason, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.²³ Peace to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Questions:
1.        How can be strengthened by the Lord? Chase
A.     To ask him for strength, to pray, to know he is will be with you.
2.      Why is our battle against the spiritual realm? Ryan
A.     Because we are Saints, we belong to Christ and whoever Christ is against we are against.
3.      What are the necessary tools God gives us to battle our enemy? Carson
A.     Belt of truth, breast plate of righteousness, sandals or readiness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and Sword of the Spirit
4.      How do you put on the full armor of God? Pat
A.     Listen to God, Pray, do what he tells you to do.

Ephesians 6:1-9

Ephesians 6:1-9Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Children and Parents6 Children, obey your parents as you would the Lord,^[a] because this is right. ² Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment^[b] with a promise, ³ so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.^[c][d] 4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.Slaves and Masters⁵ Slaves, obey your human^[e] masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ. ⁶ Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart.^[f] 7 Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men, ⁸ knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. ⁹ And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.

Questions:

1.   How do we honor our father and mother?
A.   By obeying them, respecting them, do not talk badly about them, representing their last name.
2.   How do fathers raise their children in training and instruction of the Lord?
A.   They live out their faith, and teach from the Bible.
3.   Why do we all slave or non-slaves need to work hard all the times?
A.   When someone is looking at you work or when someone isn’t watching you work, you should be on your best behavior because Christ is watching us.  He is the ultimate observer of all things. 
4.   Why is this command unique?
A.   Because it is the first commandment with a promise.  That promise is a long life on earth that is well.
5.   God has no favorite.  How does that make you feel?
A.   ????

Ephesians 5:15-32

Ephesians 5:15-32Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)Consistency in the Christian Life

¹⁵ Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— ¹⁶ making the most of the time,^[a] because the days are evil. ¹⁷ So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit:¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord,²⁰ giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.Wives and Husbands²² Wives, submit^[b] to your own husbands as to the Lord, ²³ for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing^[c] her with the washing of water by the word. ²⁷ He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, ³⁰ since we are members of His body.^[d]31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.^[e]32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.

Questions
1.       Why should we be careful in the way we walk?
A.     How we act and what we believe in should represent Christ.  It’s our physical walk and our spiritual walk.

2.      Is it important to make the most of time?
A.     I’m a super procrastinator.  We need to spend our time telling people about Christ because we don’t know when He’s coming back.

 3.      What is the Lord’s will?
A.     The Lord’s will is what the Lord wants.  We need to pray and listen, read the Bible

4.      What are we to do and what are we not to do according to verse 18-21?
A.     Don’t be reckless, or drunk with wine, and to be kind in the way we speak, have the thought that the Holy Spirit is in control so you can speak to others with kindness like the psalms, praise like the hymns, and worship with songs.

5.      What does God tell wives to do? And do we still believe in this today?
A.     To submit to their husbands.

6.      Why does God tell wives to submit to their husbands?
A.     As the head leads the body and Christ leads the Church, husbands are to lead their wives and families.

7.      What does God tell husbands to do?
A.     To love their wives like Christ loved the Church.  Husbands are to make sacrifices for their family to seek out Christ.  

Ephesians 5:1-14

Ephesians 5:1-14Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)5 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. ² And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. ³ But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of^[a] among you, as is proper for saints. ⁴ Coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. ⁵ For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of the Messiah and of God.
Light versus Darkness
⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things.^[b] 7 Therefore, do not become their partners. ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light— ⁹ for the fruit of the light^[c] results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth— ¹⁰ discerning what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. ¹³ Everything exposed by the light is made clear, ¹⁴ for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said:
Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead,
and the Messiah will shine on you.^[d]

1.      What does it mean to be imitators of God, and how can we?
A.   We can love everybody, try our best to not sin, pray over people, pray for people, pray pray pray, Talked to people about God, teach people of God.  Be doers of the Word not hearers.
2.    What does it mean to walk in love?
A.   God loved us, so we need to love others.  Walk in His love.  Reflect His love.
3.    What does it mean to talk foolishly, crude joking, and coarse talking?
A.   Talking bad about somebody, joking about somebody, Talking to hear your own voice.  You think you know what you are talking about.
4.    What does it mean that you were once darkness, but now you are light?
A.   Before you knew Christ you were darkness, but now that I know the Lord I am light.  Make sure that you shine your light on others.  Do not cover your Spirit.  Keep your light bright and open for all to see.
5.     What are the fruitless works of darkness?
A.   Anything that God would not want you to do.  Like, things that are wrong, drugs, being mean, cursing, Anything that doesn’t bare fruit
6.    What does Paul mean by saying, “Get up Sleeper and rise from the dead?”
A.   We are dead in sin.  We need to rise out of sin.  

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

12/20/13 Hey hey hey

We are going to make Christmas cards for Fernando, Selena, Adan, Alexis, and Ruben this Friday.

Friday after school please meet in my room before we leave for Target or T.J. MAX.  Our goal is to buy a warm outfit for each kid as well as a toy.  I hope and pray that you can come and help.  We will be delivering the unwrapped gifts to the parents this Saturday at 11:00am.  Here is their address
3728 E Huntington Blv Fresno, CA 93702.

A few FCA helpers! Great job guys.

Train.....passing cans down to each other.

Placing labels on cans so people know what they are eating!

FCA fun in a COLD storage warehouse

Some former Riverview FCA kids and some current FCA helpers

Ephesians 2:1-10

2 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins ² in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens,^[a] the spirit now working in the disobedient.^[b] 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us,^[c]5 made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!⁶ Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, ⁷ so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ⁹ not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.
1.      What does it mean to be dead in our trespasses and sins? Matthew
2.    What does it mean that we are children under wrath? Luke
3.    Why did God make us alive even if we are dead in our trespasses? Connor
4.    What is our sinful nature? Connor
5.     What is the difference between faith and works? Luke

Ephesians 1:15-23

Prayer for Spiritual Insight

¹⁵ This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,^[a] would give you a spirit^[b] of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. ¹⁸ I pray that the perception of your mind^[c] may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints,¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.

God’s Power in Christ

²⁰ He demonstrated this power in the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens— ²¹ far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given,^[d] not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²² And He put everything under His feet^[e] and appointed Him as head over everything for the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.

1.       Why does this chapter start off with “why’? Emma

2.      Why should we pray for the spirit of wisdom? Selah

3.      Why should we pray for revelation in the knowledge of Him? Emma

4.      What is the hope of His calling? Emma

5.      Why does Paul talk about Jesus’ position with God? Selah

Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will:
To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.^[a]2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Rich Blessings
³ Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. ⁴ For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.^[b] In love^[c] 5 He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, ⁶ to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.
⁷ We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹ He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him ¹⁰ for the administration^[d] of the days of fulfillment^[e]—to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him.
¹¹ We have also received an inheritance^[f] in Him, predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will, ¹² so that we who had already put our hope in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory.
¹³ When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. ¹⁴ He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession,^[g] to the praise of His glory.

1.       We are Saints and believe in Christ Jesus; what is the overarching spiritual blessing from the heavens?
2.       What does it mean to be adopted?
3.       What does predestined mean?
4.       We need to praise God.  How can we praise Him?
5.       What does redemption mean?
6.       What is an inheritance?
7.       We are sealed with the Holy Spirit.  Can the Holy Spirit leave you if you are a believer?

Serve Day

Join the FCA team for a day of service!

                                                          Saturday Sort Day

Saturday, December 7, 8:00AM-11:00AM

3403 E. Central Ave. Fresno, CA

·         Join the Fresno Food Bank sort food and pack meal boxes

·         Children as young as 5 can volunteer, they just need a parent or guardian with them.

·         Wear jeans (there is lots of dirt and even more moving things around) closed toed shoe are REQUIRED!

ALL ARE WELCOME, you do not have to be a member of FCA –Please come!

Let us know if you can join us! Text or call Kerri Curtis at 579-8096

“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Eph 6:7

Ephesians 1:1-14

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will:To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.[a]2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.God’s Rich Blessings3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. 4 For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.[b] In love[c] 5 He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.
7 We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him 10 for the administration[d] of the days of fulfillment[e]—to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him.
11 We have also received an inheritance[f] in Him, predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory.
¹³ When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. ¹⁴ He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession,^[g] to the praise of His glory.

The Theme: God’s eternal purpose to establish and complete His body, the church of Christ.  Listen for continuing words like: in Him, in Christ, His glory, His body, through Him, His Spirit, and just as Christ.
Paul visited Ephesus on his first missionary journey, then stayed there for about 3 years on his second missionary journey.  Timothy and the Apostle John were in charge of the church in Ephesus after Paul left. 

What does it mean to be a Saint?What are our blessing?What does adopted mean?what does predestined mean?He sealed us with a promise... what does that mean?

Summary of 2 Peter

2 Peter 1:1-11  (Ryan)

Peter is talking to people who believe in Christ Jesus.  These verses are about our belief in Jesus not being just about our words but also our actions.  Peter challenges us believers to grow in their faith.

2 Peter 1:12-21  (Matthew)

Peter wants the church to remember everything he had taught them about Jesus Christ, salvation, and the blessings of salvation because he knew he was going to die and come back to save the earth.  Peter also wanted to remind the church that what he taught them was not made up stories because he was an eye witness to Christ. 

2 Peter 2:1-10  (Carson)

Peter first explains that false teachers follow the path of the unrighteous, and are of this world.  They will deny God the Father, and will bring destruction on themselves.  They ignore the one who created them, so they separate themselves from God.  Peter gives several examples of righteous people being saved from the ungodly.  Angels, Noah, and Lot were all saved from extremely ungodly people.  God will save his people. 

2 Peter 2:11-22  (Patrick)

Peter is telling us to walk the path with God, and don’t go the other way.  He is talking about Christians who are doing very horrible things.  We don’t want to be a pig going back to the mud after our bath, or a dog that returns to its vomit.  We need to be Christians who follow Jesus and preach his word.

2 Peter 3:1-7  (Emma)

Peter is saying don’t be shocked when people mock you for believing that Jesus is coming back by saying, ”Nobody has ever come back from the dead, and nobody ever will.”  What they willfully ignore is that things don’t always happen the same way every time.  By God’s command dry land rose above the earth’s water.  God later used earth’s water to destroy everyone but Noah’s family.  Someday, after He returns, he will use fire to destroy all those who have not put their faith in Him. 

2 Peter 3:8-18  (Luke and Selah)

The Lord has given us time to tell others about the good news of Christ.  The day will come when He returned, but no one knows when that day will come.  Make every effort to be found righteous in front of the Lord.  Follow the Bible and repent of our sins.  Grow is grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

2 Peter 3:14-18

2 Peter 3:14-18Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)Conclusion¹⁴ Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found at peace with Him without spot or blemish. ¹⁵ Also, regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him.¹⁶ He speaks about these things in all his letters in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stability. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.  Amen.1.     How can we be found at peace with Him without spot or blemish? Carson
2.     How can we avoid the people that twist God’s word and how do we know that people are twisting God’s word? Ryan
3.     What does it mean to regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation? Carson

4.     How can we be on guard? Pat 

2 Peter 3:8-13

2 Peter 3:8-13Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)⁸ Dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. ⁹ The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.
¹⁰ But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief;^[a] on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.^[b]11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness ¹² as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming^[c] of the day of God. The heavens will be on fire and be dissolved because of it, and the elements will melt with the heat.¹³ But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell.

1.     What does it mean by 1 day is 1000 years and 1000 years is one day? Connor
2.    What is Peter’s reason for God’s delay? Matthew
3.    What does it mean that the Lord is coming like a thief? Luke
4.    What does it mean that earth and its works will be disclosed? Connor
5.    What are the elements they are talking about? Luke
6.    What do you think the new heavens and earth will be like? Matthew

2 Peter 3:1-7

The Day of the Lord3 Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to develop a genuine understanding with a reminder, ² so that you can remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. ³ First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, living according to their own desires,⁴ saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” ⁵ They willfully ignore this: Long ago the heavens and the earth were brought about from water and through water by the word of God. ⁶ Through these waters the world of that time perished when it was flooded. ⁷ But by the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Questions
1.     What is this genuine understanding, the command the Lord and Savior has given to us? Selah
2.    What is a scoffer? Brenna
3.    How do we know that Jesus is coming back? How do other people make us doubt him? Emma
4.    The earth was once full of water, a water vapor covered the whole earth, then God flooded the earth because of evil people.  God will come again with fire from heaven.  Judgment and destruction will come to the ungodly.  Why are we thankful for his patience?