Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

In Ephesians 5:18–20, Paul imagines Christians gathered to worship. What does he depict them as doing in that worship? In his final argument in Ephesians 5:1–20, Paul urges believers to turn away from the mind-numbing use of wine and instead experience together the presence and power of the Spirit. Paul bans drunkenness (probably with a quotation from Proverbs 23:31 in the Greek version of the Old...

Paul concludes Ephesians 5:1–20 with two clusters of exhortations, Ephesians 5:15–17 and Ephesians 5:18–20, completing a section with sustained interest in sexual purity. The first cluster begins with the exhortation, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise” (Eph. 5:15, ESV), restated as “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17, ESV). In betw...

Read Ephesians 5:11–14. What powerful warning is Paul giving here, and how does this apply to our present situation? To understand Ephesians 5:11–14, it is helpful to observe that Paul repeatedly offers two exhortations, alternating between them: (1) live a God-honoring lifestyle as “children of light” (Eph. 5:8; see also Eph. 5:1, 2, 4, 9–10, 11, 13, 14); and (2) don’t live a sexually immoral, Go...

Paul writes, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6, NKJV).Paul has identified those who practice various sins without shame or repentance, the “sexually immoral, or impure, or who is covetous” (Eph. 5:5, ESV). He has offered a blunt assessment: Those who are in Christ and destined to be participants in...

In what sense does Paul intend believers to be “imitators of God”? See Ephesians 5:1, 2, NKJV.Paul urges the believers in Ephesus to walk in love, a call important to this section (see Eph. 5:8, 15). This “walking in love” (see Eph. 5:2) is to be modeled after Christ’s own love for us (compare Eph. 4:32), expressed in His atoning sacrifice. Paul affirms four things about that sacrifice: (1) It is...

Read for This Week’s StudyEph. 5:1–20, 1 Cor. 5:1–11, Rev. 16:1–16, Col. 4:5, Prov. 20:1, Prov. 23:29–35, Acts 16:25.Memory Text:“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15–17, ESV).Not long ago a crystal jug was placed on auction i...

“Let your conversation be of such a nature that you will have no need of repentance. ‘Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ . . . If you have love in your heart, you will seek to establish and build up your brother in the most holy faith. If a word is dropped that is detrimental to the character of your friend or brother, do not encourage this evil-s...

By referring to “the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30), Paul has just invited his readers to consider their uses of speech in the context of Christ’s second coming. Ephesians 4:31, 32, then, may be understood as addressing the use of speech as we approach that grand event. In the light of Christ’s return, what attitudes and behaviors, related to speech, should be discarded? What attitudes and behavio...

In discussing sins of speech within the Christian community, what exhortation does Paul share about the presence of the Holy Spirit with believers? Eph. 4:30.Paul simultaneously offers a daunting warning and a heartwarming promise. Our sins against one another in the church are not minor misdeeds with little consequence: what grieves the Holy Spirit is our misuse of God’s gift of speech to tear do...

Which of Paul’s words of counsel with regard to the use of speech among believers is the most important to you just now? Why? Eph. 4:25–29.Paul repeatedly uses an interesting structure in Ephesians 4:25–32, which is illustrated by Ephesians 4:25 (NKJV): a negative command (“putting away lying”); a positive command next (“ ‘let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor’ ”); and then a rationale...

In retelling the story of the conversion of his audience, what essential main point is Paul getting across to them? Eph. 4:20–24.Having described their former, Gentile existence (Eph. 4:17–19), Paul does not say, “That is not the way you learned about Christ.” Instead, he exclaims, “That is not the way you learned Christ!” (Eph. 4:20, ESV). Noting that the addressees “heard Him” [Christ] (NKJV), a...

EXTRA BONUS SONG: The Father’s House (Cory Asbury) / Lyrics (Today is Fathers’ Day in Brazil - wishing you dads everywhere a great day and our thank you for trying to emulate your Heavenly Father🤗👔❤️🛐📖👨🏼‍💼 Sometimes on this journey, I get lost in my mistakes What looks to me like weakness is a canvas for Your strength And my story isn't over, my story's just begun And failure won't define m...

Compare Ephesians 4:17–32 with Colossians 3:1–17. How does Paul advocate for believers to live in a way that encourages the unity of the church? In the prior section, Ephesians 4:1–16, Paul’s theme was the unity of the church. When we compare Ephesians 4:1 and Ephesians 4:17, we note how similar these two exhortations are about how to walk or to live. This resemblance suggests that Paul addresses...

Read for This Week’s StudyEph. 4:17–32; Col. 3:1–17; Zech. 3:3–5; Zech. 8:16; Isa. 63:10; Rom. 8:16, 26, 27.Memory Text:“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4...

Two notes help to expand our study of Ephesians 4:7–10.1. Translating Ephesians 4:9. Some translations indicate that the descent occurs before the ascent (e.g., NKJV, “He also first descended”; KJV, RSV, ESV, NASB). Other translations follow the Greek text more closely, leaving the issue of the timing of the ascent and descent open (e.g., NIV, “What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also desc...

What danger threatens the Christlike maturity of the church? Eph. 4:14.Paul perceives an environment not unlike our own in which various ideas, such as “every wind of doctrine” and “deceitful schemes” (ESV), are thrust upon believers. He uses three sets of images to describe the dangers of wayward theology: (1) the immaturity of childhood, “so that we may no longer be children” (ESV); (2) danger o...

Drawing on Psalm 68:18, Paul has just described the risen, exalted, conquering Jesus as giving gifts to His people from on high. What “gifts” does the exalted Jesus give, and for what purpose? Eph. 4:11–13.Paul identifies four groups of “gifted” people as part of the treasure trove of the exalted Jesus that He gives to His church: (1) apostles; (2) prophets; (3) evangelists; (4) shepherds (ESV) an...

“However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say,‘When he ascended to the heights,he led a crowd of captivesand gave gifts to his people.’“Notice that it says ‘he ascended.’ This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that...

What seven “ones” does Paul cite in support of his theme of the unity of the church? What point is he seeking to make with this list? Eph. 4:4–6.Paul’s list of seven “ones” has a poetic feel to it and may echo a hymn of affirmation used in Ephesus. The list begins by mentioning two “ones” together: “There is one body” (referring to the church as the body of Christ, Eph. 4:12, 16; Eph. 1:23; Eph. 5...

Read Ephesians 4:1–16. How does Paul encourage believers to nurture the unity of the church? Paul begins the second half of Ephesians (chapters 4–6) with a stirring call to unity, but in two major parts. First, in Ephesians 4:1–6 he asks believers to nurture “the unity of the Spirit” by exhibiting unity-building virtues (Eph. 4:1–3), a call he supports with a poetic list of seven “ones” (Eph. 4:4–...

Read for This Week’s StudyEph. 4:1–16; Phil. 2:3; Ps. 68:18; Acts 2; 1 Cor. 12:4–11, 27–30; Isa. 5:4.Memory Text:“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11, 12, ESV).One of Aesop’s fables is called “The Belly and the Feet.” It goes like this: “The belly and t...

Drawing on Psalm 68:18, Paul has just described the risen, exalted, conquering Jesus as giving gifts to His people from on high. What “gifts” does the exalted Jesus give, and for what purpose? Eph. 4:11–13.Paul identifies four groups of “gifted” people as part of the treasure trove of the exalted Jesus that He gives to His church: (1) apostles; (2) prophets; (3) evangelists; (4) shepherds (ESV) an...

However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say,‘When he ascended to the heights,he led a crowd of captivesand gave gifts to his people.’“Notice that it says ‘he ascended.’ This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that...

Ellen G. White, “Modern Revivals,” in The Great Controversy, pp. 461–478.“How can we harmonize our dwarfed spiritual condition with the presentation of our text [Eph. 3:14–19] that describes the fullness of knowledge it is our privilege to possess? How can Heaven look upon us, who have had every spiritual and temporal advantage that we might grow in grace, when we have not improved our opportuniti...

Paul concludes his prayer report with a doxology, a brief, poetic statement of praise to God. For what does he praise God? Eph. 3:20, 21.Paul has been recording his prayers for believers (Eph. 3:14–19). Now he prays directly and powerfully. Paul’s doxology raises two questions:Does the passage inappropriately elevate the church, placing it on a par with Christ, in the phrase “to him be glory in th...