This Sunday we’ll keep reading Ephesians together, covering ch 1:15-23. Paul will be moving from singing to praying in the opening of his letter. In the section we’ll be reading, Paul will be praying for his fellow believers – and the import of what he prays for is what we’ll be focusing on in our study.

Once again, the word Apokalupsis is used – a Greek word which means “something hidden that gets revealed”. Paul wants us to have a revelation concerning three areas of our lives effected by the Gospel.

In v15-17 Paul prays that we’d grow in our knowledge of God. What does that mean to you? Do you think he wants us to have a large amount of information stored up about the Divine? What kind of knowledge might he be referring to, and how would it be apprehended in our own lives and experiences? What are some sources we could consider which would provide us a deeper knowledge of God?

V18 is Paul’s prayer that we would be enlightened concerning hope. What does he anchor that hope in at the end of the verse? What inheritance do you believe he’s talking about? Can you think of any important issues of inheritance in the Old Testament that might shed light on what Paul means?

V19-23 provide us with a bold declaration of Christ’s transcendence over every power or authority, in this world or the next. What does he cite as the source of that power? In what way does the resurrection demonstrate God’s power – and what might it be forecasting for this world?

This is a complex bit of Scripture – but I’m looking forward to digging into it together and finding ourselves in a life of ongoing discovery. Hope you can join us!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.