Life Groups // Fall 2024 // Week 10
Posted November 8, 2024 — Lincoln Berean
Walk as Children of Light // Ephesians 5:1-21
Introduction
In our passage this week Paul again reminds us of our identity as beloved children of God who are light in the Lord. He then urges us to walk according to that identity in three specific ways and also discusses the results of walking in these ways.
This is our last week for the Fall Session. Winter Session starts January 12th through the week of March 16th (10 Weeks). Perhaps your group will gather a few times between now and then to stay connected in each other’s lives. Chat with your group about it and decide!
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) What kind of kids did you hang out with in high school?
2) What do you think are some methods God uses to communicate with people?
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) We have seen throughout our study in Ephesians that Paul is intent on us understanding our identity in Christ. He spends the first 3 chapters outlining the glorious riches of our inheritance in Christ before he tells us how to live (walk) in this new identity (Chapters 4-6). In our passage this week there are at least 2 identity statements in conjunction with Paul’s exhortations on how to walk. What are these identity statements and walk commands? (Hint: verses 1-2, 8, & 15)
Why do you think Paul creates this relationship between his identity messages and these “walk” commands?
2) A proper definition of love is essential to understanding this passage. In your opinion, how does our culture define love and what is a proper definition of love?
Do you struggle to see yourself as loved by God?
How does Paul define what it means to walk in love in this passage? Compare this to Philippians 2:3-11.
What makes the behaviors listed in verses 3-6 inappropriate as children of God?
Are verses 5-6 saying, if you commit these sins you aren’t saved?
3) In verses 7-10 Paul declares that the believers in Ephesus (and us!) are light. What is the difference between saying “you are in the light” and “you are light”?
Do you struggle to see yourself as light in the Lord?
In verses 11-14, how does living our lives as light expose what is happening in the darkness? Compare to John 3:19-21.
4) In verses 15-16, what does it look like to walk as a wise person, making the most of your time?
For verses 17-18, Pastor Bryan mentioned that God’s will for every believer is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? (Hint: It must be somehow similar to what Paul contrasts it to, being drunk with wine). How do verses 19-20 help us understand being filled with the Spirit?
What does being filled with the Spirit look like in your life?
5) What does submitting to one another look like in your life?
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.
Scripture Focus: Our passage this week discussed the idea of being filled with the Spirit. For further insight read the following passage Galatians 5:16-26. Read it several times this week listening for what the Spirit might be saying to you in this passage. You might consider reading it from other translations, The Message paraphrase is particularly beautiful and challenging for this passage.
Prayer Focus: A large part of being filled with the Spirit is yielding our control to the Spirit. Pray the following prayer each day as a way of yielding to the Holy Spirit.
Lord, I welcome everything coming to me today, letting go of my desire for security, approval and control, surrendering to you and your will.
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?