Episodes
23 hours ago
23 hours ago
Ephesians 5:21-33
Intro: Distorted Views of Marriage
Wife
Husband
Together
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. Cultural myths or stereotypes often portray submission as a sign of weakness or inferiority. How does the biblical concept of submission challenge these myths and invite us to a different understanding?
2. Paul’s command for husbands to love their wives “as Christ loved the church” emphasizes sacrificial love. What are some everyday ways that sacrificial love can be expressed in marriage or other close relationships?
3. What are some common obstacles to practicing submission and sacrificial love in marriage, and how can we overcome these challenges through God’s grace? (Consider sharing practical strategies that have helped in your marriage)
4. Discuss the visual aid below. How have you seen this play out in your own life?
Tuesday Nov 12, 2024
Tuesday Nov 12, 2024
Ephesians 5:1-21
Imitate God by Walking in Love (Put On)
Avoid Sin by Walking in Light (Put Off)
Be Filled with the Spirit (Renewing)
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. Go back and review the three main points of the sermon → ( 1. Imitate God by walking in love (put on), 2. Avoid sin by walking in light (Put off), 3. Be filled with the Spirit (Renewing). How do these 3 points help to flesh out the passage from last week in Ephesians 4:22-24?
2. Personal Reflection on Imitation: We are to imitate God (Eph. 5:1), but who do you know is imitating God in such a way that you would like to imitate them? (1 Cor. 11:1) Who in your life has been a “godly example” that you have tried to imitate? What qualities or practices stand out to you, and how might their example guide your spiritual growth?
3. Walking in Love: Think about a time when someone’s sacrificial love deeply impacted you. How did their actions reflect Christ’s love, and how can you intentionally imitate God’s love in your own relationships this week?
4. Gratitude vs. Sinful Speech: Paul calls believers to replace inappropriate speech with thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:4). How can cultivating an attitude of gratitude transform the way you speak and interact with others, especially in challenging situations?
5. Being Filled with the Spirit: In what areas of your life do you most sense a need for God’s Spirit to empower and fill you? How can you make space in your daily life for the Spirit’s renewing work? Why do you think Paul brings up alcohol and drunkenness?
6. Compare Col. 3:16-17 and Eph. 5:18-21. What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?
Tuesday Nov 05, 2024
Tuesday Nov 05, 2024
MESSAGE | PASTOR JORDAN MOODY
Renewing the Spirit of Your Mind
Ephesians 4:17-32
You Were (17-19)
But Not Anymore (20-21)
Take Off The Old Uniform (22)
Put on the New Uniform (25-32)
Renew Your Mind (23)
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. Leaving the Old Behind: Ephesians 4:22 calls us to “put off the old self” and its corrupt practices. What practical steps can you take to intentionally leave behind specific habits, patterns, or thoughts that no longer reflect who you are in Christ? How can the group support you in this?
2. Engaging with Past, Present, and Future Grace: The sermon references past(you have been saved), present(you are being saved), and future grace (you will be saved) in the journey of the Christian life and becoming like Christ. How do each of these aspects of grace impact your understanding of God’s work in your life? How does knowing that sanctification is an ongoing process help you to trust God in areas where growth seems slow?
3. Equipped with the Holy Spirit: The illustration of using “power tools” for spiritual growth suggests that self-effort alone isn’t enough. How do you experience the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? Are there areas where you’re relying on your strength alone, and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to work more actively in those areas? Remember, grace is not opposed to effort but earning.
4. Renewing: What does it mean “to be renewed in the spirit of our minds” and why is this the link between putting off and putting on? (compare to Romans 12:2 and Col. 3:9-10)
5. Spiritual Disciplines and Renewal:
Paul calls us to “renew the spirit of our minds.” What spiritual disciplines (such as prayer, Scripture reading, solitude, silence, fasting, etc.) have helped you reorient your mind and heart towards Christ recently? Are there disciplines you would like to add or practice more intentionally?
Tuesday Oct 29, 2024
Tuesday Oct 29, 2024
MESSAGE | PASTOR JORDAN MOODY
Ephesians: Sticking Together
Eph. 4:1-16
1. STAY TOGETHER (unity) 1-6
2. WORK TOGETHER (diversity) 7-13
3. WALK TOGETHER (maturity) 13-16
Conclusion:
To Stay Together, We Need to Live Out Our Unity
To Work Together, We Need to Embrace Our Diversity
To Walk Together, We Need to Grow and Mature in Christ’s Love
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. “Walking Worthy”: Paul urges us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling.” What practical ways can we demonstrate humility, gentleness, patience, and love in our daily lives? Which of these traits do you find the most challenging, and why?
2. Unity in Diversity: How have you seen different gifts, talents, or callings contribute to the unity of the church or community? What unique gifts do you feel you bring to the body of Christ, and how might God be calling you to use them? (Rom. 12 and 1 Cor. 12)
3. Spiritual Maturity: Paul talks about growing to maturity in our faith (13-15). What does spiritual maturity look like to you? And how can we encourage one another “to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ?” (15)
4. Christ as the Head: How does viewing Christ as the “head” of the body affect the way we relate to one another in the church? How can we become more unified under Christ’s leadership, then under church leadership, and then in our individual lives?
5. Walking Together: To Stay Together, We Need to Live Out Our Unity; To Work Together, We Need to Embrace Our Diversity; To Walk Together, We Need to Grow and Mature in Christ’s Love. What does this look like at Hope Fellowship Church for the next 20 years?
Tuesday Oct 22, 2024
Tuesday Oct 22, 2024
MESSAGE | PASTOR JORDAN MOODY
Ephesians. 3:1-21
Reveal the Mystery of the Gospel (1-6)
Preach the Unsearchable Riches of Christ (7-13)
Know the Love of Christ (14-19)
To God Be the Glory (20-21)
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. Mystery. What does Paul mean by mystery? How have you experienced the mystery of the gospel unfolding in your life or the lives of others?
2. Unsearchable. Paul’s mission is to preach the “unsearchable riches of Christ” to the Gentiles. What does it mean that these riches are “unsearchable”?
3. Experiencing God’s Love: Paul describes God’s love as surpassing knowledge and, at the same time, prays that they would know his love. Why and how is this possible?
4. God’s Power and Glory: Ephesians 3:20 speaks of God doing “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.” What does this verse mean to you personally, and how can we trust in God’s limitless power in the midst of our own limitations or struggles?
5. Prayer. Read through Paul’s prayer in verses 14-21. How can this prayer shape your prayers and hopes for the future?
Doxology. Read Ephesians 3:20-21 and Jude 24-25 as you close as a prayer of praise.
Tuesday Oct 15, 2024
Tuesday Oct 15, 2024
Eph. 2:11-22
At One Time I Was (11-12)
But Now In Christ I Have (13-18)
So Then I Am No Longer (19-22)
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. Paul reminds the Ephesians not to forget their past state of alienation from God. How does remembering where you came from spiritually shape your walk with Christ today?
2. Reflect on your own experiences of alienation. How does understanding the alienation between God and humanity deepen your appreciation for the work of Christ on the cross?
3. What does reconciliation mean in your life? How does it differ from simply resolving a conflict or disagreement?
4. How does Ephesians 2:11-13 speak to the barriers between different groups of people today? How can we as a church work towards breaking down these walls of hostility?
5. In what ways do you see Jesus “killing the hostility” in your own life? How can we actively pursue peace and reconciliation in our relationships with others?
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Ephesians: The Walking Dead
Pastor Josh Prather Eph. 2:1-10
The Life We’re Saved From (1-3)
The Life We’re Saved For (8-10)
How We Get From Here To There (4-7)
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. In what ways can we recognize the signs of being enslaved to the ‘passions of our flesh’ in our daily actions?
2. How does the concept of ‘Incurvatus in se’ help us comprehend our self-centered nature? How can this awareness influence our behavior and intentions?
3. What does it mean to view God’s grace as a gift, and how can we live in response to that gift?
4. How does the idea of being ‘raised up and seated with Christ’ impact your understanding of your identity as a believer? What implications does this have for daily living?
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
MESSAGE | PASTOR JORDAN MOODY
Ephesians: See and Believe
Eph. 1:15-23
1. Praying (Spirit) (15-16)
2. Seeing (Light) (17-18)
3. Believing (Power) (18-21)
– Know the Hope
– Know the Riches
– Know the Power
4. Praising (Jesus) (22-23)
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. Paul’s Prayer vs. Our Prayers
When you read Paul’s prayer, what stands out to you as being different from how we typically approach prayer today? How might his focus and priorities challenge or inspire the way we think about and practice prayer in our own lives?
2. The Struggle Between Seeing and Believing
Have you ever felt a disconnect between seeing something in your faith and truly believing it in a way that transforms your life? Paul seems to be praying for the church to not only see spiritual truths but to really believe them in a way that makes an impact. Can you share a time when you knew something about God intellectually, but struggled to let it truly shape your life?
3. Spiritual Illumination: Turning on the Light
In verses 17-18, Paul describes a kind of spiritual “illumination” where the eyes of our hearts are enlightened. How would you explain this concept in your own words? Have you experienced a moment when God “turned the light on” for you spiritually? If so, could you share an example of how it affected you?
4. Knowing Hope, Riches, and Power
Paul prays for the church to deeply understand and believe three key things: hope, riches, and power (verses 18-19). What do you think he means by each of these, and why would these be especially important for the believers to grasp? Why do you think it’s crucial that we not only know these truths but truly believe and live them out? How can forgetting these impact our spiritual walk?
Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
MESSAGE | PASTOR JORDAN MOODY
Ephesians: Truth That Sings – Eph. 1:7-14
1. You Have Redemption (7-8)
– Redemption
– Purchased Through His Blood
– Results in Forgiveness
– Because of His Lavish Grace
2. You Will Be Complete (9-10)
– Time
– Unity of Heaven & Earth
3. You Are Sealed (11-14)
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. In what ways do we take God’s lavish grace and spiritual blessings for granted? (Matt. 13:44-46)
2. Look at the three main points of the sermon. How does knowing these truths alter our perspective on life today and our hope for tomorrow?
3. God has a plan for history, and we are part of his plan. He will unite heaven and earth once again one day when he returns. What does this mean for you today? (Eph. 1:9-10, Gal. 4:4-5, Phil. 1:6)
4. Why do you think the Holy Spirit is described as a seal and a guarantee? What does this mean?
5. Close your group by reading aloud verses 3-14 as a time of meditation on the spiritual blessings of God’s glorious lavish grace upon his chosen people. Praise him!
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
MESSAGE | PASTOR JORDAN MOODY
Ephesians: Anthem of Christianity
Eph. 1:1-6
The Intro to the Letter
This Sentence Can Sing
The Anthem of Christianity
Sings Praise to God
Sings of Spiritual Blessings
Sings of Being Chosen
Sings of Love
Sings of Adoption
Sings of Grace
Sings of Jesus
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. Walk through the major headings and themes mentioned in the whole book of Ephesians. What is the general theme of this letter, and how does Paul lay this out?
2. “This letter is pure music; truth that sings; Doctrine set to music.” (John Mackay) John Mackay is talking about Ephesians when he says this. Why do you think he describes this letter in this way, and what do you think he means?
3. What spiritual blessings is Paul “singing” about specifically in verses 3-6? (many more in verses 3-14 as well)
4. What are the implications of being adopted in love by God? How does this truth affect our daily lives?
5. Try writing one sentence/song called the Anthem of Christianity that describes the core of the Christian faith. What would you include in your anthem and why?
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