Ephesians 3:1-21 Study Questions
I. Plan for the Mission (1-11) / Key Idea: God is faithful to reveal His mission, so we must seek His plan for us.1. Read 3:1-3. Who was the target for Paul’s mission (v1), and how had that happened (v2-3)? Where had that gotten him (v1), and what can we learn from his example? / The target of Paul’s mission from God was the Gentiles (all the nations of the earth except Jews), and Paul had come to that place because God had revealed His plan to him – he hadn’t chosen it for himself. Paul referred to God’s plan for his life as a “stewardship of grace”, meaning that Paul had been entrusted with God’s grace so that he might give it away to others on behalf of God. Even though this sounds like such a wonderful thing, this stewardship of grace had landed Paul in prison, showing us that although we may be in the very center of God’s will, and sacrificing our lives for the sake of others, the circumstances in which we find ourselves may not be very pleasant. However, as Jesus said, “a servant is not above his Master”. If Jesus had suffered while doing His Father’s will, then we, as His followers, can expect no less.
2. From 3:4-6 what “mystery of Christ” had God revealed to Paul (v6)? Why would this have been such a mystery to earlier Jews (v5), and such an unexpected truth to both Jews and Gentiles? / God had revealed the “mystery” (that which was previously concealed, but now has been revealed) of Christ, that Gentiles are fellow heirs with the Jews, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. The previous generations of God’s people, the Jews, would not have anticipated this, because they were God’s chosen people, in contrast to all others (the Gentiles). It made no sense to them that Gentiles could be heirs, members and partakers – they were outsiders. It also would not have been expected by the Gentiles, because they knew their place in Jewish understanding. In fact, the only way that Jews like Paul (or anyone else) understood this was because of God’s revelation – He had now revealed this mystery to the holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit.
3. According to 3:7 what was Paul’s ministry, and how did that occur (see also v2-3)? How should we follow this model for any ministry or service that we do for someone? / Paul’s ministry was the gospel – meaning that he was a servant (the word “ministry” is “diakonos”, which means “servant”) to the gospel. The “good news” (gospel) was that anyone, through faith in Jesus Christ, could be saved. This “cure” for man’s greatest problem that had been revealed to Paul made it incumbent on him to get this message out to everyone, especially Gentiles. Paul was given this “gift of God’s grace”, meaning he was given the privilege of serving God through the distribution of His grace to others according to the working of God’s power. This probably refers to his Damascus road experience when Jesus revealed Himself to Paul and powerfully saved him. The lesson here is that no one calls himself or herself to a particular ministry, or service; God does the calling, equipping and blessing. It is also important to remember that this service is a privilege, or honor, that God bestows on those of His choosing. Thus, if God leads us to serve someone else with His grace, we are to do it in His power, with a profound sense of humility and gratitude.
4. In 3:8-9 what was the form and content of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles (v8, 9)? How did Paul view his part in this (v8)? How can we apply this? / The form of Paul’s ministry was preaching, or proclamation – he primarily declared the gospel, and dialogued with others over the message of Christ. The content of this message was the unfathomable riches of Christ (which Paul has been spelling out in Ephesians), and the administration of this mystery (that Gentiles were one family with the Jews), now that it had been revealed. This “administration” is not clearly specified, but it would seem that Paul had in mind that the gospel was to be preserved and advanced by the church. It was no longer to be accomplished by the spiritually elite, such as only apostles and prophets and priests, but all members of Christ’s family were to function as God’s spokesmen (prophets), as God’s ambassadors (apostles), and as God’s mediators with the sinful world (priests). There is no caste system in God’s family anymore – we are all a royal priesthood, called forth to proclaim the praises of Him who has brought us into His glorious light (1 Pet 2:9-10). Paul viewed himself as the “very least of all the saints” with the special calling to preach the unfathomable riches of Christ to the Gentiles, and to help them understand God’s new administration of His grace (the church). Just as he saw his calling as unique, so each one of us, as God’s children, should receive God’s special call on our lives.
5. Based on 3:10-11 what was to be the outcome of Paul’s mission (v10), and what does this mean? What would insure this mission’s success (v11)? / The outcome of Paul’s mission would be that, through the church, all the rulers and the authorities in the heavens (angels) would know the manifold wisdom of God. This was in accordance with God’s eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus, the Lord; since God had purposed it, this was sure to happen. These verses imply that God’s plan of redemption had a larger audience that just mankind; He wanted the angels to know how He planned to resolve the issue of rebellion against His will that begin with Satan. This “angelic conflict” would ultimately be resolved through Christ’s death on the cross, and resurrection, defeating sin, Satan, death, and all rebellion. We are part of God’s cosmic mission to demonstrate His rightful position as King of Kings and Lord of Lords for all eternity.
II. Power for the Mission (12-19) / Key Idea: God has provided all the power, encouragement, and love we need to pursue His mission for us.
6. From 3:12-13 what is our main source of encouragement as we carry out God’s mission (v12)? What is a second important source of encouragement (v13)? What does this tell us? / The main source of encouragement for us as we carry out God’s mission is Christ Himself. Because of Christ’s work of salvation we now have boldness and confident access to God Himself. There is nothing that can come against us that will be able to stand before God; we have confident access to the power, and the boldness to actually ask God for what we need. The second important source of encouragement is other believers, like Paul. Just as Paul asked the Ephesians to not lose heart at his tribulations on their behalf, so we must seek to encourage and build others up in the fight of faith. We must pray for each other, encourage each other, and ask for others to encourage us. We cannot do it without God, but He has arranged the Christian life so that we also cannot do it without each other as well.
7. Read 3:14-15. What was Paul’s response to God’s mission for him (v14)? What did he know about every family’s relationship with God, and how did this encourage him to pray for Gentiles? / Paul’s response to the gift of grace God had given him to perform His mission, was to humbly bow before God in prayer. This act of worship was in recognition of this gift, but also in recognition of the fact that every family in heaven and earth got its name from God Himself. In other words, there was no one and nothing outside the scope of God’s creative appointment. He had created all things, and, as a demon-stration of His sovereignty over all things, had named each of them. Since Paul knew, therefore, that even Gentiles were under God’s rule and care, he prayed for the Ephesians to fulfill God’s will for their lives. We should be moved in a similar way whenever we see any “family” in any nation in need – if we have been given the opportunity to be blessed by God, so all other nations and families that He has named should have the same opportunity. We must pray for them and share with them.
8. According to 3:16-17 what did Paul pray for the Ephesians (v16), and for what purpose (v17a)? What goal for the Christian life (and ministry) does this give us? / Paul prayed that the Ephesians would be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith. This tells us that the ultimate goal for our Christian life is that Christ dwell in our hearts. Here “hearts” probably refers to the deepest part of us, and the idea of His dwelling there means that we habitually and constantly are aware of His presence with us, and we are in fellowship with Him. Jesus lives inside of us, and we become aware of this as we are strengthened with power by His Spirit on the inside. This makes sense, because when He is doing “powerful” (transformational) things inside of us, we are very aware of His presence, and we are able to fellowship with Him more naturally. So, our immediate goal should be internal strengthening or growth, by His Spirit, so that the ultimate goal of the inner dwelling of Christ might be realized. Paul doesn’t say exactly how this happens here, but later He will refer both to choices that we must make, and the process of growth in which we must engage for the life of Christ to become a continuous reality in our lives.
9. Looking at 3:17-19 what must God’s people be “rooted and grounded” in (v17b, 19)? How do we come to “understand” this (v18), and what will be the twofold result (v19)? / God’s people must be rooted (an agricultural concept) and grounded (an architectural concept) in the love of Christ – His love must be the nutritional source of our walk with Him, and His love must be the foundation of our service. In other words, His love grows us up, and His love keeps us stable. When His love is our food and foundation, then we begin to understand all the dimensions of His love – how wide it is, how long it lasts, how high (beyond our capability) it is, and how deep it is. This, in turn, leads to an intimate or experiential knowledge of His love, and, consequently, fills us up to all the fullness of God. Love is the “whole nine yards”; when our basis is His love, we start understanding it, so that we start truly “knowing” His love. This is what leads to the full expression of God in our lives. Love is the key.
III. Purpose of the Mission (20-21) / Key Idea: The purpose of our mission is ultimately to bring glory to God in the church and in Christ Jesus.
10. From 3:20-21 what is the ultimate purpose of our mission (v21)? What must we remember about God, and praise Him for (v20)? How do these two truths go hand in hand? / The ultimate purpose of our mission throughout all generations of believers is to glorify God – in the church, and in Christ Jesus. We glorify Him in the church because it is the final expression of God’s family, and we are to glorify Him in Christ Jesus because He is the object of the Father’s affection. Since God is able to do far beyond what we can ask for, or even think of, and because He has given us the internal power to do this, He is to be glorified. God’s incredible desire to work in our lives, and bless us, should automatically lead all generations of His children to want to glorify Him. These two truths are, therefore, connected – what God continues to do for us should make us want to glorify Him.
11. From Paul’s example, how can we stay focused on God’s mission for us, and how do we stay energized as we try to do it? Specifically, how do we bring glory to God in Christ and in the church each day? / Practically, we can stay focused on God’s mission for us by regularly spending time with Him, enabling us to remember and receive His revelation. It is also helpful to spend time with others who are seeking Him, asking them to keep us accountable and to encourage us. The energy for staying with the mission comes from a constantly renewed awareness of the love of Christ for us, which happens as He does His work in us. To make this practical, we must be in the process of transformation by uncovering issues that keep us from intimacy with Him (and others, which is the inevitable red flag of low intimacy with God), and by bringing those issues to God for His transformation. This transformation also occurs when we step out in faith, and God strengthens us further with His power. This reinforces His love for us even more. Finally, we bring glory to God in the church by upholding the fellow members of our body in loving acts of service, encouragement and building up. We glorify Christ Jesus by sharing His story with those around us as we live out His life in our everyday relationships.