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Well done, Lesson 1! Moving right along.

Please complete Lesson 2, Ephesians 1:15-23, Questions 1-7
​
​for discussion Tuesday, January 31.

Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:15-23
​


1. J.D. summarized Paul’s prayer in four parts. What four things did Paul

​want the Ephesians to see?



2. What specific actions have happened, or are happening—just in

Ephesians 1:15–16?



3. How does viewing Paul’s prayer as a story change the way you might

use
prayer-as-story?



4. What does Paul mean in Ephesians 1:17? How do we “know God”?


5. How does God’s Spirit make us know God?


6. How would you define “the hope to which He has called you”?


7. What’s the best thing you can do for someone else to help them have

this kind of hope?



8. Are there times when you feel that you aren’t loved by God?


9. How can verse 18 change your mind about hope?


10. In verses 19–20, we find the next main point of Paul’s prayer. What is

​it?



11. How does Paul describe God’s power?


12. Think of that part of your life that needs a touch of God’s power. Your

attitude? Your health? Your struggle with temptation? Your relationships?

How could God use His resurrection power to transform that?



13. Is there one phrase that stands out for you in verses 20-23? What does

​that mean to you?



LIVE IT OUT

Prayer: At least four days in the coming week, pray for other Christians

you know, using Paul’s prayer as a model.


Encouragement: Do you know someone who is losing hope? What could you

say to them, inspired by this passage, to open their eyes to God’s love and

power? Find a way to say that this week.


Resolve: Is there a struggle in your life where you need to rely on God’s

power? Temptation? Attitude? A thorny relationship? Is there some difficult

thing you need to do—saying “no,” saying “yes,” or saying “sorry”? Review

Paul’s prayer, ask for God’s guidance, and act in God’s power.
​

Memorize: Commit verses Ephesians 1:17–23 to memory (so you can use it as a

model for your own prayers forever). Alternatively, write out 5-7 “bullet points”

from the prayer and memorize those. Check yourself by reading through the

whole prayer each day. (And you might just find that you’ve learned the

whole thing anyway.)
​

Gather: Talk with a few friends about getting together this week for a prayer

time, based on this passage, in which you specifically pray for the spiritual

vitality of your church or your community. 

Lesson 1: Ephesians 1:1-14
​

1. What were the last three things J.D. mentioned—three things we can

take away from this text?


2. According to Ephesians 1:3–10, what has God done, what is He doing,

what will He do?


3. According to 1:3-10, what do we “have”? What blessings has He blessed

us with?


4. What does adoption mean when God is doing it?

5. How would you define grace?

6. What “riches” has God lavished on us?

7. What’s mysterious about God’s will?

8. According verse 10, what is the mystery?

9. According to Ephesians 1:11–14, who are we?

10. What does our identity as Christians mean to you? How can we bring

Him praise?


11. If you began to see bringing Him praise as your purpose in life, how

would that change things?


12. How are you doing with bringing Him praise?

LIVE IT OUT

Prayer:
At least four days in the coming week, thank God that He has

included you in His great plan.


Encouragement:
If you know a fellow Christian who is going through tough

times, offer a word of hope. God has plans for us.


Conversation:
Talk with somebody who isn’t a Christian (as far as you know).

Ask them about their beliefs. If they ask about yours, be ready to tell them

God’s story.


Journaling:
Write out the text of Ephesians 1:1–14, a few verses at a time,

jotting down your questions and reactions.


Worship:
If you exist “for the praise of His glory,” then throw yourself into

worship. Take time on your own to sing and dance and pray and shout, but

​also join with the church or youth group in a gathering of praise.
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​Aloha! Our new Puna Baptist Church Ladies’ Zoom Bible Study is about to begin.

Along with this Instruction sheet is the Handout for Lesson 1.
The next couple of weeks will be challenging because we’ll be getting used to this new format, signing up for Puna Baptist’s RightNow Media account (if you choose) and answering some hard questions about the Scriptures. So pray before you even start! If you have not received an Invitation from RightNow Media, contact the Office at 808-965-9970 to reach Victoria.
This week, January 10-16, login to your RightNow account, watch the Trailer and Video #1 – highly recommended, excellent biblical teaching by the President of the Southern Baptist Convention! This is not a requirement but you will benefit greatly from it, and you will be able to answer Question #1 on the Handout – BUT IT IS NOT REQUIRED! I really like the fact that J.D. begins by reading the Scripture portion – nice touch.
Okay, so you can turn off your computer, pick up a Bible and read Ephesians 1:1-14.
Read over the entire Handout first. Then go back and answer just one or two questions a day if you like, just so you answer Questions 1-6, and maybe make some comments about the Live It Out section, before we meet on Tuesday, January 17 at 9am.
Tuesday, January 17 at 9am join the meeting by phone or online in Zoom, your choice.
​C
ontact the Office at 808-965-9970 for information on how to sign in to Zoom, or to reach Victoria.
We’ll pray together, read the passage of Scripture referenced on the Handout, and then we’ll discuss our answers to Questions 1-6 on the Handout.
A lot of prayer for wisdom, guidance and direction has gone into the choice for this study. Upon many endorsements from such places as Baptist universities, other churches, pastors and discipleship directors who have been using it for years, Pastor Alan has chosen to provide RightNow Media for our entire Church.
I wanted to honor Pastor’s decision by choosing a study from RightNow Media, and I was delighted when Pastor told me J.D. Greear was the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Prior to that I had no idea who he was, I just knew his teaching was sound. So I know God led me to this study by J.D. Greear in Ephesians and I am delighted that we have extra insight available to us from such a dedicated servant of God.
But this study is based on the Bible, not on Dr. Greear. So praise God and let’s go!

  • Home
  • SCHEDULE
  • About
  • Keiki's Kloset
  • Contact
  • Worship
  • AWANA Club
  • Tithes
  • Website
  • Events
  • From the Pastor's Heart
  • Zoom
  • Ladies' Bible Study
  • New Building 10th Anniversary
  • Ephesians Ladies' Bible Study
  • Hawaiian Islands Ministries - HIM 2023