Outline & Questions for meditation
Outline and Questions for meditation
Greetings (1:1-2)
(1:1) a. Can you identify the form of official letter?
b. Why would Paul claim himself “apostle” by the will of God at the beginning?
c. Who are qualified to be called “saints”?
(1:2) a. How are “grace” and “peace” linked together?
b. When you call “the Lord”, what do you think you are? (Meditate on Jesus’ saying in Matt 7:21-27.)
c. How do you expound the title “the Lord Jesus Christ”?
d. Try to search all the verses in this Letter for the phrase “in the Lord/Jesus/Christ” and list the statements
connected with this phrase and see what you discover.
God's plan of unity (1:3-23)
God's plan (1:3-14)
(1:3-4) a. How can you identify 1:3-14 as a song of “praise”?
b. Find out the spiritual blessings stated in 1:3-14.
c. In your thanksgiving prayers, do you thank God for spiritual or material blessings more? Which kind of
blessings do you want more?
d. What did God choose us for?
(1:5) Does “predestinated” have any contradiction with our freewill choice of believing in Jesus?
(1:6) When we say that we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, does it mean that we accept God’s salvation
first before God accepts us?
(1:7) What does “redemption” mean and imply?
(1:9) What is a mystery? What does the mystery refer to in this verse?
(1:10) Can you search out all the “one” concepts of church doctrine in this epistle?
(1:13) What is the importance of being “sealed”?
Pray for saints to know God's plan (1:15-23)
(1:15) Do you see any relationship between faith and love in this verse?
(1:17) What do we need in order to know God more?
(1:18) a. With the eyes of our understanding enlightened, we will increase the knowledge of God. What kind of
understanding is Paul talking about--head or heart knowledge?
b. When the eyes of our hearts are enlightened, what does Paul want us to see with our spiritual eyes?
How the church is formed—by reconciliation (2:1-3:13)
Our past status (2:1-3)
(2:1) Why does Paul use the word ‘dead’ to describe our past?
(2:2) a. How many times does the phrase “in time past” appear? What is Paul comparing?
b. Can you name some examples of following the course of this world?
c. Who does Paul refer to as “the prince of the power of the air”? Why does Paul call him prince?
d. Why does human by nature disobey God but obey Satan?
(2:3) What does Paul mean when he uses the term the children of “wrath”?
God's saving grace (2:4-7)
(2:4) What is the difference between mercy and love?
(2:5) What is the difference between 2:5 and 2:8 regarding “by grace ye are saved”?
(2:5-7) What is Paul saying about our past, present and future?
Grace, not works (2:8-10)
(2:8-9) Regarding salvation of mankind, what is Paul emphasizing here?
(2:10) What is God’s work and what is our work?
(2:1-10) Compare the passage 2:4-10 with 2:1-3. What do you see about our past and present?
Both reconciled and built into one body, the church (2:11-22)
(2:11) Compare the passage 2:11-13 with 2:19. What do you see about our past and present?
(2:13) Who brought about the change of our status and how?
(2:14) What kind of peace did Christ make?
(2:15) Did Christ abolish God’s law?
(2:20) Is the church simply a physical building?
Paul's ministry (3:1-13)
(3:1-13) What are the two main issues that this passage covers?
(3:3) What is the mystery that Paul means?
(3:7-8) How does Paul view himself as a minister?
(3:9-10) What effect does the church make in unfolding the mystery?
Church is grounded and built in Christ’s love (3:14-4:16)
Pray for saints (3:14-21)
(3:14) What is important regarding the form of prayer?
(3:15) Do we still keep our names when we go to heaven?
(3:16-19) What are the key things in Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians?
(3:20-21) How does Paul end his prayer? Do we have the same practice in our personal prayers?
Grow into maturity in love (4:1-16)
(4:1) a. How many times does Paul mention of his imprisonment? What message does he want to bring about?
b. What does this verse tell you about the change of the theme?
(4:2-3) How to keep the unity of peace?
(4:4-6) What’s the importance of having all those “ones”?
(4:8-10) Why does Paul add this part to the topic about gifts?
(4:11) Why does Paul mention 5 types of gifts only?
(4:14-16) What if the church does not grow? How can the church grow?
Behavioral change—old man vs new man (4:17-6:9)
Walk not as Gentiles (4:17-19)
(4:17-19) What is the life of a Gentile?
Put on the new man (4:20-24)
(4:20-24) What does Paul have in mind about old and new person?
Deeds of conversion (do's and don'ts) (4:25-5:21)
(4:25-32) What are the do’s and don’ts for the believers?
(5:1-21) a. How is our status or identity different from the non-believers?
b. What are the do’s and don’ts in this passage?
Wives and husbands (5:22-33)
(5:22-33) What are the reasons Paul stated for the wives to submit to husbands and for the husbands to love their
wives?
Children and fathers (6:1-4)
(6:1) How do you interpret “obey your parents in the Lord”?
(6:4) What is Paul’s instruction for the parents?
Servants and masters (6:5-9)
(6:5-8) What is the instruction for the servants?
(6:9) What is the instruction for the masters?
(5:22-6:9) How do you evaluate your past and present attitude and behavior in the various roles mentioned above?
Stand firm with the armour of God (6:10-20)
Get ready to fight the spiritual battle (6:10-13)
Fight for Truth in the world without Truth (6:14a)
Fight for Peace in the world without Peace (6:15)
Fight for Faith in the world without Faith (6:14b, 16-17)
Fight for Victory with the final weapon of Prayer (6:18-20)
Plan to send Tychicus to bring letter (6:21-22)
Benediction (6:23-24)