A 13-Session Guided Study
Talking Through Ephesians
See the Big Picture
“Hint of Yellow and Black”
Introduction
Opening my backpack in High School, you’d probably find a bunch of embarrassing ‘90s-specific items: pogs, hacky sacks, maybe even a bottle of Cool Water cologne — for the ladies! But tucked away in my Trapper Keeper, you’d also have found a few yellow and black-striped CliffsNotes study guides. They summarized a book so I didn’t have to read the whole thing. Controversial, but definitely useful for an easily-distractible teenage boy.
Let’s face it, the Bible’s a big book! It can take years to read through the entirety of God’s revelation cover-to-cover. Even reading the New Testament is an almost-18-hour endeavor. Fortunately, a few Bible books have a distinct hint of yellow and black CliffsNotes striping, summarizing and explaining the central theme of God’s word. Let’s dig into one such letter: Paul’s writings to the Ephesian church. The Apostle’s ability to poetically and powerfully distill God’s saving work in Christ leaves us equipped to live transformed.
So follow along with this 13-session guided study, Talking Through Ephesians, and take in the big picture summary of the Bible’s message.
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Session 1: Introduction
The Big Idea: Your choices are central to God's eternal purpose for everything.
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Session 2: Spiritual Blessings
The Big Idea: Jesus brings us together into a new spiritual family who lives to honor God for his incredible salvation.
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Session 3: Enlightened Hearts
The Big Idea: Through faith, the eyes of your heart can perceive the hope awaiting you and God's power toward you.
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Session 4: By Grace
The Big Idea: Without God's love and grace, we'd still stumble through our days, dead in our sins.
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Session 5: One New Humanity
The Big Idea: People who once couldn't enter the temple have now become God's holy house.
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Session 6: Eternal Purpose
The Big Idea: Paul's suffering and imprisonment paled compared to the privilege of preaching God's eternal plan to the Gentiles.
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Session 7: Christ's Love
The Big Idea: Knowing Christ’s love renews and strengthens us.
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Session 8: One
The Big Idea: Though we all bring something unique to our role in the church, Jesus calls us to join forces and grow stronger together in love.
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Session 9: A New You
The Big Idea: A Christian's lifestyle change comes from a changed mind.
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Session 10: A New Walk
The Big Idea: God wants us to follow his lead by replacing destructive sinful activities with wholesome ones.
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Session 11: The Household
The Big Idea: The secret strength behind Christian relationships is our love and honor for Jesus.
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Session 12: Spiritual Warfare
The Big Idea: God equips us to stand firm with the same armor he wears in battle.
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Session 13: Conclusion
The Big Idea: God wants every Christian's life to overflow with peace, love, faith, and grace.
Guided Study FAQ
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If you’ve ever wanted to zoom out for a big-picture view of the greatest story ever told, this 13-session guided study of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians should help orient you to God’s cosmic plan for your life.
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This Guided Study lasts 13 sessions. Tackle them once a week, once a month, or at some other interval. It’s up to you how you’d like to break them down.
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Absolutely! Talking Through Ephesians is useful on your own, or with a group. Watch the conversation starter video together, take turns asking the questions, and make sure to get everyone involved in the study!
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Free. But you knew that!
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Not currently, but one of the best ways to see these conversations in action is to listen to Podcast episodes connected to each session. Hopefully, it’ll give you a good idea of what these conversations could sound like!