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.

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.

Children of God (Galatians 3:26-29)

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What makes us children of God? (v.26)
2) What have those who have been baptized into Christ done? (v.27)
3) Who is one in Christ Jesus, Abraham's seed, and heirs of God's promise? (v.28-29)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) Are you a child of God? If so, how do you know? If not, what will you do to become God's child?

LIFE LESSONS
5) All who have faith in Jesus Christ belong to Him and are children of God.

The Way of Faith (Galatians 3:10-14 NLT)

10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God's Book of the Law." 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, "It is through obeying the law that a person has life." 13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What do the Scriptures say about those who under the Law and depend upon their obedience to the law to be made right with God? (v.10)
2) If the Law does not make us right with God, what does? (v.11)
3) How does the "way of Faith" differ from the "way of the Law"? (v.12-13)
4) How and why do we receive the blessing promised to Abraham? (v.14)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
5) Are you in right relationship with God? 
6) How do you know that you are a child of God?

LIFE LESSONS
7) Faith in Jesus Christ is what puts believers in right relationship with God.
8) Obedience to the law can never justify a child of God.