What I Learned When I Studied Ephesians

Hello, Lovely Ones!

Some friends and I spent the last 6 weeks immersed in the book of Ephesians. Having read the book several times before, many of the verses were somewhat familiar. However, when you spend concentrated time reading the same passages over and over and over, asking Holy Spirit to reveal to you what you need to know, everything changes. 

If you decide to study that way, prepare to be challenged!

THE WORD is different from any other word and I long for THE WORD to be so ingrained in me that my words reflect it. 

Studying scripture is like entering a wonderful tunnel that has no ending. The wisdom, the treasures, the goodness is revealed layer by layer. (Well…the word “tunnel” doesn’t sound all that fun. Maybe we should change that to “dimension”!)

It never gets old. 

As our study of Ephesians ends, I want to seal in my heart what I have learned, to allow the Lord to use it for my transformation, for my upward spiral toward walking in His purpose for me, to learn more about the character of GOD.  I want to not only be a learner, but also a do-er. 

You, too?

News Flash: Digging deep into the scriptures results in unexpected treasures.

Here are 10 things I learned from Ephesians:

One…

The books of the Bible need to be read as an entire document and STUDIED.

Spending weeks immersed in the study of one book has been the best thing ever to teach me the way I want to study scripture from now on. 

Jumping from verse to verse all over the Bible doesn’t help me to see the big picture of how it all fits together. Topical studies are great, too, but I have loved resting in one book for a long time, reading it over and over. Asking Holy Spirit to teach me first, instead of relying totally on commentaries and footnotes has been interesting, too. 

Two….

A quick summary of a “word” from each chapter that I want to remember:

Treasure.

Kindness.

Mystery.

Maturity.

Gratitude.

Armor. 

Three….

The Gospel impacts EVERY Culture and EVERY false teaching and it is just as relevant today as ever.

I loved learning the background of Ephesus and how the church there was operating. Idol worship was in full force and no one was hiding it, unlike today where we may “worship” all kinds of false gods in all kinds of places.  

The temple of Diana was located in this city,  and the worship of this false goddess was many people’s bread and butter. A huge section of their economy was centered around providing for the people who would come to worship there.

Paul, in his brilliance, was able to meet the people where they were, help them see things differently, and bring them to Christ, the truth. The Holy Spirit showed him how-Paul asked the believers in his letter to them  to pray he would have the right words.

Boy, oh boy, if Paul needed prayer for the right words, I know I sure do! And, amazingly, Holy Spirit  will give us the words, too. Ask Him for them. 

Four….

God will fulfill all of my deep needs so I can let others off the hook to do it for me.

There are so many wonderful descriptions of our identity in Christ in the first three chapters of Ephesians. I want to repeat those descriptions to myself, get them into my bones, so I am 100% secure. As I fully accept who I am in Christ, I am fully free to love my neighbor as myself and to operate in emotional maturity. 

No more people pleasing or worrying about “this person’s” opinion of me or about making “that person” disappointed because of what I say “yes” or “no” to. Trying to please man is a fool’s errand. Instead, I get to listen to Holy Spirit and follow His direction. I get to concentrate on doing what God wants me to do!

This is sooooo different becauses He LOVES me and promises me an ABUNDANT LIFE filled with fruit of the Spirit. No man offers that.

God is so much easier to please than man. Woohoo!!!!  

Five…

We need the CHURCH.

It is God’s plan for his kids and trying to operate as a believer apart from communion with a local body will weaken us. Today, it seems to be popular to think we can do it alone. Covid isolated us and separated us and scared us and now threatens to divide us. We cannot let it. 

Ephesians makes it very clear that we are meant to do life together. The battle we are fighting against evil cannot be fought in isolation; believers need to come together for encouragement and growth. 

When I speak poorly of the church or think I can operate on my own, I am cutting myself off from CHRIST’S BODY.  An amputated body part serves no purpose and can do no good. Why in the world would I do that?

Six….

As believers, we are filled with DYNAMITE.

The Holy Spirit lives in me and is waiting to be unleashed for God’s glory and my growth. Transformation is mine if I am willing to surrender my life, receive it and not run from the work that will bring it. Paul is a perfect example of what God wants to do with all of us. 

Paul’s Superpower was being fully Paul. He accepted his past and God’s forgiveness of his mistakes, became teachable, believed he was forgiven and accepted, moved forward in truth, listened to Holy Spirit, and obeyed. 

Our Superpower is being Ourselves….how can we be more who He CREATED US TO BE? How can we unleash Holy Spirit power in us? Where do I need to allow His Healing so I can stop focusing on myself and start focusing more and more on loving God and loving others? 

Seven…

What is happening on the inside of me must manifest itself in another way of living.

Absolutely, we can’t just be hearers of the word, but do-ers of it, too. No more living like the world-dead, unfruitful, asleep, buffering with all kinds of good and bad things.

All of us were created for a holy purpose, given gifts that may turn out to be work for us but are meant as a blessing for someone else. GET BUSY USING YOUR GIFTS. Stop downplaying them, discounting them, hiding them. 

Eight…

Watch my mouth and what is going on in my head. 

Our words are so powerful. We are warned to not let even one rotten word come out of our mouths. Instead- offer only words that build others up. To have that goodness come out, I must be soaking up truth. What goes in, comes out.

It is time to stop bringing grief to the Holy Spirit: banish bitterness, rage, anger, shouting, slander, any and all malicious THOUGHTS. THESE ARE POISON. How am I poisoning myself with my thoughts?

Don’t take the gift of the Holy Spirit for granted. How are my thoughts and actions breaking God’s heart? 

Instead: be kind and compassionate, graciously forgiving one another just as we have been forgiven by God through Christ’s sacrifice. #goals

Nine…

Praise. Praise. Praise.

And make the most of every living breathing moment. We have probably all seen the quote about arriving in heaven having used ALL that GOD blessed us with. I think I need to be more intentional about noticing and really pray about how I am spending each moment of my day.

Ten…

Armor up because my enemy is REAL and wants to destroy me.

The descriptions of our enemy-which is not flesh and blood, by the way-sure makes one sit up and take notice. We are fighting against tyrants, authorities, supernatural powers and demon princes and against spiritual armies. 

Gulp.

No wonder Paul tells us to pray, and pray, and pray, and pray and then pray some more. Sharon, who facilitated Chapter Six, encouraged us to think of pray as the 7th piece of spiritual armor. 

I am so, so, so thankful for the Bible and the way it encourages, convicts and shows us how to live. Hopefully, some of this resonates with you, too. What have you learned from Ephesians?

Please tell us what you are studying and what God is showing you! Let’s spur one another on toward love and good deeds!

Much love,

Susan

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