CONNECT: What do you need to abandon in your life in favour of walking in God’s light?

WARM-UP

1. Is the idea of submission a popular concept in our culture? Why or why not is that the case?

READ Ephesians 5:21-33

1. In what way is the wife to submit? What does this ultimately point to? What are the limits?
2. What is the standard of love in marriage? If so, why would submission be so safe in this context?
3. How is submission different from being taken advantage of or abused? How can submission, especially mutual submission, actually be a counter-cultural demonstration of God’s love?
4. What is the role of marriage? How is the love of husband and wife meant to be an act of evangelism?
5. If you’re married, how do you think (if you’re married) grow in this? If you’re not married, but hope to be one day, how might this passage shape how you discern a potential spouse?
6. When husbands and wives lay down their lives for one another, how does this advance the Gospel?

READ Ephesians 6:1-4

1. What do you think it looks like for children to obey their parents?
2. What does it mean for fathers not to exasperate their children? Does this also apply to mums?
3. How does the parent have a key role in the discipling of their children? How can we be a church that helps one another in this endeavour?

READ Ephesians 6:5-9

1. Is this section an endorsement of slavery? Why or why not?
2. How is Paul actually planting subversive seeds that will contribute to the eventual abolition of slavery?
3. If Paul thinks even being a slave is a way of serving God, how does this counter the modern lies that work is merely “a necessity to get to rest” or “the sum total of our identity”?
4. Does work matter to God? If you work, how is your work - ultimately - a form of serving the Lord?
5. On your frontlines this week, what does it look like to submit in love? If you have a boss, what does it look like to demonstrate the love of God to them? If you are the boss, what does it look like to show the love of God to those who work for you?
6. How is Jesus the ultimate example of submission?

APPLY: Are there any other relationships in which you have the potential to demonstrate God’s radical love more richly?

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On Your Frontline This Week: Offering to say grace before a meal might be a simple and powerful way to point to the amazing news of Jesus this Christmas.

Listen, Watch, and Read:          

• Many people have been continuing to think about what it means to live as a Christian example in their workplace. An excellent resource to consult is ‘Fruitfulness on the Frontline’. You can find out more at: https://www.licc.org.uk/resources/discover-fruitfulness-on-the-frontline/
• AUDIO: “Christian Parenting”
• AUDIO: “Work and Family” from Redeemer
• AUDIO: “Marriage in Christ” by Tim Keller
  
• For information on Domestic Violence, for both men and women, DV Connect is an excellent source for help, visit http://www.dvconnect.org
  

Series Resources:

Some helpful resources for our Ephesians Series:

• St Bart’s Ephesians Guide and Weekly Overview
• VIDEO: The Bible Project Ephesians Overview
• COMMENTARY: “Paul for Everyone, the Prison Letters” by Tom Wright
• COMMENTARY: “The Story of God Bible Commentary, Ephesians” by Mark Roberts
• RESOURCES: Gospel Coalition Ephesian Courses
• COURSE (PAID): “Paul and his Letter to the Ephesians” by Tom Wright

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