Faith Foundations Study Guides - …

1 Faith Foundations Study Guides Chosen in Christ A Journey of Discovery in the Book of ephesians Alan Perkins 2011. All rights reserved. Printed in Scriptures taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2010 by Biblica, IncTM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. How to Use This Book Welcome to the Faith Foundations Study guide on You may choose to include a mix of married and ephesians ! Whether you are just beginning your new single, older and younger members, or you may life with Christ, or have been a Christian for many organize your groups by age or marital status.

2 Years, this Study guide is for you. It is designed to help There are benefits to homogeneous groups in you discover, through personal Study and group which the members are going through similar life discussion, the incredible riches of God's Word, and experiences, but there are also benefits of a diverse to help you grow in your walk with God by applying group in which the younger members can benefit what you learn. This book is divided into 12 lessons, from the experience of the older. each of which contains the full NIV text of the Scripture passage, several Study and discussion Each group needs to have a recognized leader, questions, and a verse-by-verse commentary.

3 So, preferably one selected and trained by the pastor or together with a Bible to look up cross-references, church leadership. This person's role during the you have everything you need for your "journey of meeting is not primarily to teach (although discovery" in ephesians . preparation of the lesson is a must), but to guide the discussion and keep the group from getting bogged Why Small Groups? down on side issues. He or she does not need to be the host; in fact, it is preferable that group These materials can be used profitably in responsibilities, such as providing a home in which personal Study or in an adult Sunday School class.

4 To meet and organizing refreshments, be shared But their value will be best realized when they are among the members. used in small groups, meeting either at church during the Sunday School hour or in homes during Finally, membership in the group should be the week. There are several reasons for this. based on three commitments: To prepare for each First, no one has perfect insight into every meeting by completing the lesson in advance, passage of Scripture; we can all benefit from which takes from 1/2 to 2 hours (but come to the hearing the perspectives of other believers as we meeting even if you haven't done the lesson); to seek to understand and apply the Bible.

5 A small place a high priority on regular attendance and group gathering, using the discussion questions come to the meetings except in case of emergency;. included in this book, is an ideal way to stimulate a and to keep confidential anything of a personal sharing of observations and ideas. nature which is shared during the meetings (except Second, a small group provides a community of when it is necessary to communicate concerns to fellow travelers who, along with us, are seeking to the pastor). follow Christ in the midst of family responsibilities, job pressures, and personal struggles.

6 In today's What Is the Group Meeting Like? fragmented and mobile society, the natural networks of neighborhoods and family no longer provide the Each group meeting should last from 1 1/2 to 2. support they once did. We need some way of making hours, and provide time for discussion of the connections with others for mutual support, people lesson, prayer, and fellowship. A problem in many with whom we can share our joys and sorrows groups is for the lesson to take up most of the time, people who will listen, who will pray with us, who with only a few minutes left over for prayer and will offer a helping hand and a word of fellowship.

7 This must be avoided for the goal of encouragement, and who will confront us in love building relationships to be achieved. when we've gotten off track. Finally, a small group combines the benefits of Here is a suggested schedule: Biblical insight and community support by keeping 15 minutes: Gathering us accountable. If we only Study the Scriptures 30-45 minutes: Discussion of the lesson alone, or listen to them taught in a large group, it's 20-30 minutes: Prayer easy to let them go "in one ear and out the other". 15-30 minutes: Refreshments But when a small group of people are learning the same things at the same time, they can help one As for child care, experience has shown that in another to apply the things they are learning.

8 Order to receive the maximum benefit from time spent in the meeting, all members of the group How Are the Groups Organized? need to be free to focus on the discussion, rather than caring for children. Therefore, with the The groups should be composed of 6-14 people: possible exception of infants under one year, if they are smaller, any absences can make it parents should make arrangements for child care difficult to maintain the discussion; if they are during the meetings. Some options include larger, not everyone can participate. You can meet "trading" child care with parents whose group from two to four times a month; if the group meets meets on a different night, having a baby sitter care less than twice a month, the members aren't for children in another room during the meeting, or spending enough time together to build relationships.

9 Providing child care for all the groups at the church. Some groups find that meeting three times a month during the school year, with a break during the summer, provides a good rhythm of involvement and time off. Introduction to ephesians Author vocabulary, and to write in a somewhat different style, depending on his topic, purpose, and The author of this epistle identifies himself audience; such matters could also be influenced by as, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of his use of an amanuensis, or secretary, who may God (1:1; see 3:1-3).

10 The testimony of the early have had some freedom in word choice and church was unanimous in support of the view that sentence structure (see Rom. 16:22; Col. 4:18). this letter had come from the hand of Paul. It was Such variation is not sufficient in this case to quoted and referred to often in the writings of the overturn the witness of the church fathers. church fathers, including Clement, Ignatius, and Third, it is argued that the obvious Polycarp, who quotes ephesians 4:26 as similarities between ephesians and Colossians scripture . Irenaeus explicitly identifies Paul as mean that ephesians must have been copied the author of ephesians , as does Marcion.