First Be, Then Do

In one paragraph

This message was a review of Ephesians chapters one through three, pulling together threads from the previous weeks before turning the corner into chapter four. The central idea was that the first three chapters are inspiration and motivation, not a list of commands, and that the doing asked of Christians in chapters four through six only makes sense once the being is in place. The sermon closed...

Read together

1. Ephesians 1:1-2 Paul introduces himself as an apostle by the will of God, greeting the saints with grace and peace
2. Ephesians 1:3-14 described as a 202-word opening doxology about God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, summarizing God's will for his people
3. Ephesians 1:15-23 described as a prayer with a Trinitarian structure: Father wills, Son carries out, Spirit guarantees; the church as the body of Christ
4. Ephesians 2:1-10 dead in trespasses and sins, but God made us alive together with Christ; saved by grace through faith, his workmanship created for good works
5. Ephesians 2:8-9 saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves, the gift of God, so that no one could boast
6. Ephesians 2:10 we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand
7. Ephesians 2:11-22 Gentiles once separated from Christ, alienated and without hope, but now brought near by the blood of Christ; the dividing wall broken down
8. Ephesians 3:1-13 the mystery revealed that Gentiles are fellow heirs; Paul the least of the saints made a minister to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ; through the church the manifold wisdom of God made known
9. Ephesians 3:14-21 Paul's prayer that God would strengthen believers through his Spirit, that they would be rooted and grounded in love, knowing the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, filled with the fullness of God
10. Ephesians 4:1-3 Paul urges believers to walk worthy of their calling with humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit

Talk about it

1. Pastor asked whether you would rather have God work through your obedience or in spite of your disobedience. Which has been more common in your own experience, and what did you learn from it?
2. Paul lists three wrong turns a Christian can take after being saved: pride, escapism, and perfectionism. Which of those do you think is the easiest trap to fall into, and why?
3. The sermon said that remembering what it felt like to be lost is the only direct imperative in Ephesians one and two. How clearly do you still remember what it felt like, and how does that memory shape the way you treat people who do not yet know Jesus?
4. Eric shared that believers who had just lost fourteen team members to martyrdom responded by coming together to read God's word, forgive, and let love flow through them. What does that response challenge you about the way you handle your own suffering or loss?
5. Tim spoke about the struggle of trying to be a human being instead of a human doing, and someone else described catching a believer being short with a cashier over summer crowds. Where in your daily life is it hardest to let your being in Christ show up in the way you treat people around you?