People of Light (Ephesians 5:8-14 NLT)

8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. 10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What were we at one time, what are we now, and how are we to behave as a result? (v.8-10)
2) What are we to "take no part in" and what are we to do instead? (v.11-12)
3) What does the light do concerning the deeds of ungodly people? (v.13-14)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) Are you a child of the light or of the darkness? Why?

LIFE LESSONS
5) The light of Christ exposes the thoughts and intents of the human heart.

Imitate Christ (Ephesians 5:1-7 NLT)

1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. 3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God's people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes--these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don't participate in the things these people do.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) Why should believers imitate God? (v.1)
2) As followers of Jesus Christ, how should we live our lives? (v.2a)
3) How did Christ demonstrate His love for us? (v.3)
4) What are we to refrain from doing? Why? (v.4a,5-7)
5) How are we to behave instead? (v.4b)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
6) How do you know that you are a child of God?

LIFE LESSONS
7) Children of God consistently manifest the love of Christ.

Grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:25-32 NLT)

25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil. 28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What does the Apostle Paul tell the Galatians to stop doing and do instead? Why? (v.25-32)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
2) Have you, or anyone you know, grieved the Holy Spirit by your/their actions?

LIFE LESSONS
3) Sinful actions grieve the Holy Spirit.

New Man (Ephesians 4:17-24 NLT)

17 With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that isn't what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What does the Apostle Paul write to his readers under the Lord's authority? (v.17a)
2) Why are some gentiles confused? (v.17b-19)
3) What does the apostle write concerning the disciples of Christ? (v.20-21)
4) What does Paul encourage his readers to do instead? (v.22-23)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
5) Have you "thrown off" the old man and put on the "new nature"? If so, how do you know?
6) Do you personally know of any professing believer who is overcome by the darkness within him/her/them? If so, what, if anything do you do to help him/her/them?

LIFE LESSONS
7) Putting off the "old" nature and putting on the "new" nature can only be done through the grace of God and in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual Gifts (Ephesians 4:7-16 NLT)

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say, "When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people." 9 Notice that it says "he ascended." This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. 11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What will God give each of His people? (v.7)
2) What Scripture does the Apostle Paul quote and why? (v.8-10)
3) What spiritual gifts have been given to the church and for what purpose(s)? (v.11-12)
4) Why are these gifts given, how long will it continue and why? (v.13-14)
5) What else does the Apostle Paul write about the body of Christ? (v.15-16) 

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
6) What spiritual gift(s) have you been given and how do you use it in your local church body and/or ministry?

LIFE LESSONS
7) Every member of the body of Christ has a spiritual gift to impart to the rest of the members of the body.

Unity in the Body (Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT)

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) How did the Apostle Paul refer to himself in this passage of the epistle? (v.1)
2) What did Paul urge the readers of this epistle to do? (v.2-3)
3) Why did the apostle urge Christ's disciples to behave in such ways? (v.4-6)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) Generally speaking, how patient, gentle and humble are you toward your brothers and sisters in Christ?

LIFE LESSONS
5) It is necessary for all members of the body of Christ to maintain unity through love, humility and patience.

Love of God! (Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT)

14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What does the Apostle Paul pray for the readers of this epistle? Why? (v.14-19)
2) Why does the apostle glorify God? (v.20)
3) How does Paul conclude this passage in his epistle? (v.21)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) How do you pray for new converts to Christianity?

LIFE LESSONS
5) As disciples of the Lord Jesus, we are commanded to teach them how to live as Christians.

The Least Likely (Ephesians 3:8-13 NLT)

8 Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. 10 God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence. 13 So please don't lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) How did the Apostle Paul describe himself in this passage of Scripture? (v.8a)
2) Despite Paul's shortcomings, what did the Lord entrust Him to do and why? (v.8b-11)
3) What can we do because of our faith in Christ? (v.12)
4) What does the apostle tell his readers to refrain from doing? Why? (v.13)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
5) Have you ever questionned whether the Lord could use you despite your past? If so, briefly describe one such time.
6) Has the Lord ever used you despite your own feelings of inadequacy? If so, please describe one instance in which you were used by the Lord.

LIFE LESSONS
7) Our abilities have little to do with the Lord's calling on our lives.
8) Our inadequacies do not negate the Lord's purpose in calling us to a specific ministry.

The Privilege of Servanthood (Ephesians 3:1-7 NLT)

1 When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . 2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. 3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. 4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. 5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. 6 And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. 7 By God's grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) How does the Apostle Paul refer to himself and what was his responsibility to the Gentiles? (v.1-2)
2) What did the Lord reveal to the apostle? Who else did the Lord reveal His plan to? (v.3-5)
3) What is God's plan and why did He give Paul the privilege of revealing it to others? (v.6-7)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) In what ministry, or ministries, has the Lord entrusted you to serve His people?

LIFE LESSONS
5) Followers of Christ are privileged to serve God through His grace

Family of God (Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT)

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What did the Apostle Paul write about Gentiles before and after their salvation? (v.19)
2) Who is the house and who is the cornerstone of the house? (v.20)
3) What are Gentile and Jewish believers being made into, according to Paul? (v.21-22)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) Does the Holy Spirit of God live within you? If so, how do you know?

LIFE LESSONS
5) The Holy Spirit resides within every born again believer and unites the members of Christ's body, whether Jew or Gentile.

One New People (Ephesians 2:11-18 NLT)

11 Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called "uncircumcised heathens" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. 14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) How does the Apostle Paul describe the Gentiles prior to their salvation and how the Jews treated them? (v.11-12)
2) What happened to the Gentiles after professing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? (v.13)
3) What did Christ's sacrifice on the cross accomplish for the Gentiles, as well as for the Jews? (v.14-17)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) What was your relationship with Jesus Christ like before you were saved?

LIFE LESSONS
5) Prior to salvation we were all enemies of God.
6) The plan of salvation was to create "one new people."
7) Every believer is united to God, and to one another, through Christ's sacrifice and the infilling of His Holy Spirit.

Saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:1-10 NLT)

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil--the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.


OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) How does the Apostle Paul describe our condition before we were saved and why we were in that condition? (v.1-3)
2) What did God do for us when we were still dead in our sins? Why? (v.4-7)
3) Who is responsible for our becoming new creations in Christ? (v.8-10)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) How do you know that God brought you out of darkness into His marvelous light?

LIFE LESSONS
5) After the Lord has saved us there is an undeniable and noteworthy change within us that cannot be attributed to human effort or willpower.

Prayer for Disciples (Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT)

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called--his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. 19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else--not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What does the Apostle Paul pray for the disciples at Ephesus? Why? (v.15-19b)
2) What does the apostle write about the power that is at work in the believers he wrote to? (v.19c-20)
3) What does Paul write about our Lord Jesus Christ and His authority? (v.21-23)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) How do you typically pray for those with whom you fellowship at your local church or in ministry?

LIFE LESSONS
5) One aspect of loving others, as ourselves, is to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ to grow spiritually.

God's Plan Revealed (Ephesians 1:11-14 NLT)

11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. 12 God's purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.


OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What have we received because we are united with Christ? Why? (v.11)
2) What was God's purpose in sending His Son to save us? (v.12-13)
3) For what purpose was the Holy Spirit given to the people of God? (v.14)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) What does the Holy Spirit do through you to glorify the Father?

LIFE LESSONS
5) The Father is glorified as those who believe in Christ are transformed into His image through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

God's Mysterious Plan (Ephesians 1:6-10 NLT)

6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. 9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ--everything in heaven and on earth. 

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) Why should we praise God? (v.6-8)
2) What has God revealed to us? (v.9-10)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
3) How has the Lord's myerious plan impacted your life?
4) Who else have you shared this plan with?

LIFE LESSONS
5) The mysteries of God are revealed to those who belong to Him and to those who will belong to Him.
6) The Lord's plan, from the dawning of time, has been to bring everything under Christ's authority.
7) Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Chosen (Ephesians 1:1-5 NLT)

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God's holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. 2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) Who wrote this letter? (v.1a)
2) Who chose Paul to be an apostle of Jesus Christ and why? (v.1b)
3) Who was this letter written to? (v.1c)
4) What did Paul want God to do for the disciples at Ephesus? (v.2)
5) Who did the apostle praise? Why? (v.3)
6) When did God choose us to be in Christ? (v.4a)
7) What are the blessings of being "in Christ"? (v.4b)
8) What did it please the Father to do for us through Christ? Why?  (v.5) 

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
9) How do you know that you are in the family of God?

LIFE LESSONS
10) We are children of God because He chose us from the foundation of the world to be His!

11) We know that we belong to God because He blesses us to become more like Jesus as we mature spiritually.

12) We did not choose God. God chose us.