Life Groups // Fall 2024 // Week 5
Posted October 4, 2024 — Lincoln Berean
The Unfathomable Riches of Christ // Ephesians 3:1-13
Introduction
In this passage, Paul reminds us that God has drawn up the blueprint for His worldwide family from the very beginning. But now, He is rolling out the plans for all to see – Jews and Gentiles alike are part of the family! With eager excitement, Paul lays out the privileges we all share and the responsibilities we fulfill.
To think through the main ideas in the sermon and prepare for your discussion together, we invite you to look over all the questions on the following pages and write your thoughts down before you meet with your group. Due to preferences over a wide range of groups, we do not expect you will cover every question each week.
Warm Up (Suggested time: 30 min)
1) Think about a holiday or event you celebrate with your family on a regular basis. What makes it meaningful to gather with your family at those times?
2) Last week the scripture focus directed you to think about what is true of you “in Christ”. What are some “in Christ” qualities that you are grateful for today?
Getting Started
Transition into group discussion.
1. Open group discussion with prayer. Here are a few potential prayer items:
a. For the Spirit of God to lead you in truth
b. For the fruit of the Spirit to be cultivated in your lives
c. For grace to hear and apply what the Spirit says to you
2. Choose someone to read the passage aloud for the group.
Study Questions (Suggested time: 40 min)
1) What did you take away from the weekend service that was meaningful to you?
2) Paul identifies himself as a prisoner in verse 1, but not just any kind of prisoner. What is he a prisoner of and why is he in prison?
Look back at Ephesians 2:21-22 and discuss why Paul might have emphasized his imprisonment in this part of the passage.
3) Ephesians 3:6 gets very specific about God’s plan. List out the benefits He offers:
Galatians 3:26-29 also spells out benefits believers enjoy. How do those compare to the list above?
Genesis 17:1-7 is the origin story of this promise of God. Reading that passage, what do you learn about God’s character?
Taking those related passages into account, what might be some reasons for God to keep his plan a secret from the time of Abraham to the time of Paul?
What does it mean for you to know this mystery today? How does it impact the way you value and live out your faith?
4) Paul not only reveals the mystery of God, but he also gives us the “why” in Ephesians 3:10-13.
Why is it important that the Church as a collective people of God displays His character to unseen authorities?
How do you see unseen forces of evil confronting the wisdom of God across cultures these days?
Consider that your Life Group is a small-scale expression of the Church to display the wisdom of God right where you are. How can you purpose to live with that goal in view this week? Pray for boldness to live wisely in the world.
5) Since this sermon title is the “Unfathomable Riches of Christ”, take a few minutes to ponder the ways you have experienced the richness of Christ in your life. List them out, take turns sharing them in your group, and even spend some time praying with gratitude for the things you’ve listed.
Personal Spiritual Exercises
Just like physical exercises help strengthen and stretch our bodies for healthy living, these spiritual exercises are meant to move us spiritually in ways that may be new so we might experience inner growth. Since God longs for us to experience Him with our whole selves—mind, body, spirit—we invite you along each week to strengthen your souls with suggestions and prompts. Next week in Life Group, take a few moments to share how the Lord may have used this exercise in your life.
Scripture Focus: These passages also address the ways the Church of Jesus Christ displays the multifaceted wisdom of God to angels in heavenly places: 1 Peter 1:10-12, Luke 15:10, 1 Corinthians 4:9. Read them, and take note of how we as the Church can make the angels (both good and bad) aware of God’s wisdom.
Prayer Focus: A traditional prayer that speaks to our passage this week is written below. Plan a time in prayer along these lines this week.
Almighty God, you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit. Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer (Suggested time: 20 min)
A significant part of “coming together” is being open and honest with our lives. Sitting in a group of people for prayer may be new or it may be familiar to you. If you would rather not pray aloud when it is your turn, feel free to pray silently and then say “Amen” aloud signaling the next person in the group to pray. Whether or not you choose to verbalize your prayer, everyone is a participant in sharing this time before God together.
Take a few moments to prepare a prayer request. What did the message, working through the above questions or the discussion cause you to notice about your own relationship with Jesus? Would you be willing to share your prayer request with the group?