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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 1:1-6:24 .

Memory Text: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10, NKJV).

Visitors to London climb on board the London Eye, a Ferris-Wheel-like attraction. From 450 feet above the River Thames you can see it all: Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and the many historic palaces and cathedrals. For New Testament scholar Nicholas Thomas “Tom” Wright, “the letter to the Ephesians stands in relation to the rest of Paul’s letters rather like the London Eye. It isn’t the longest or fullest of his writings, but it offers a breathtaking view of the entire landscape. From here, as the wheel turns, you get a bird’s-eye view of one theme after another.” — Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters (London: S.P.C.K. [Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Publishing], 2004), p. 3.

In Ephesians, Paul is not focused on issues of local concern. The letter reads as though Paul were addressing believers everywhere and Christian churches wherever they exist. The letter’s timeless feel allows the “breathtaking view” Paul offers to invade our own world and thought. As we review each chapter, let’s keep this question in mind: What important truths embedded in Ephesians should continue to shape our lives as believers?

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 30.

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Power of a Few Words

By Andrew McChesney

When armed conflict erupted in his homeland of Ukraine in 2022, Alexei Arushanian was living safely across the border in Poland, where he had worked for several years, installing windows in people’s homes. But he had many relatives in Ukraine, and he was worried about them.

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He called relative after relative to check on their well-being and to see if he could help. “How are you, Aunt Lyuda?” he asked.

“All is fine, praise God,” she replied. “We are in hiding.”

She said her daughter, Nastya, and her young son were planning to join refugees spilling across the border to Poland. During normal times, the trip would have taken a day. But now the trip would take two to three days.

“Will they come to Warsaw?” Alexei asked. “Have them call me. They can stay with me as long as they need. I can meet them at the border.”

A short time later, another relative called from Ukraine to say that Nastya and her son were already in Poland. They had crossed the border and were staying with a Polish family who had opened their home to them. Many Polish people generously offered temporary housing to refugees.

Alexei called Nastya and promised to come for her and her son.

She and her son were waiting when Alexei drove up to the house. The 60-year-old owner of the house accompanied Nastya and her son to the car. Nastya waved goodbye as she got into the car, and Alexei opened the car trunk to place her and her son’s belongings inside. As the trunk lid opened, he saw several copies of Ellen White’s The Great Controversy inside. Alexei belonged to a church group that distributed the book, a difficult task with few receptive people, and he always kept several books in the trunk. Alexei grabbed a book. “I have a gift for you,” he told the 60-year-old man.

“What kind of gift?” the man asked, curiously.

“It’s a Christian book that contains the history of Christianity from the first Christians who defended the truth after Christ returned to heaven to the events that will occur at the end of the world,” Alexei said. “I think that you will find it interesting.”

The man accepted the book. Then he gave Alexei a big hug. “Thank you,” he said.

Alexei was overjoyed. He had never expected it to be so easy.

“This was the will of God,” he says. “All I had to do was say a few words, and he took the book. I pray that he reads it and that his wife and children read it, too. I hope that he accepts it. The book is very interesting.”

This quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will go to the Trans-European Division, which includes Poland. Thank you for planning a generous offering next Sabbath.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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Further Thought:

 “An army in battle would become confused and weakened unless all worked in concert. If the soldiers should act out their own impulsive ideas, without reference to each other’s positions and work, they would be a collection of independent atoms; they could not do the work of an organized body.

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So the soldiers of Christ must act in harmony. They alone must not be cherished. If they do this, the Lord’s people in the place of being in perfect harmony, of one mind, one purpose, and consecrated to one grand object, will find efforts fruitless, their time and capabilities wasted. Union is strength. A few converted souls acting in harmony, acting for one grand purpose, under one head, will achieve victories at every encounter.” — Ellen G. White, Spalding and Magan Collection, p. 121.

What is the significance of Paul’s labeling himself “an ambassador in chains” (Ephesians 6:20, ESV)?

Ambassadors often played challenging roles during wartime, so Paul’s self-description fits the context of his military metaphor. Ambassadors were to be treated with the respect due the person or country that sent them. So there is stark contrast between Paul’s status as ambassador for the Supreme Ruler of the cosmos and the utter disrespect signaled by his chains (literally, “chain”). However, since ambassadors would wear a “chain of office,” Paul’s mention of a “chain” may be “spiced with irony,” in which he sees his chain as “a decoration to be worn with distinction.” — David J. Williams, Paul’s Metaphors: Their Context and Character (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1999), p. 152.

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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In concluding his battle exhortation, Paul urges believers as soldiers to participate in crucial, continuing prayer “for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18, NKJV) and for himself as imprisoned ambassador (Ephesians 6:19-20). This call to prayer can be seen as an extension of the military imagery, since calling out to God (or to the gods) in prayer was a common practice on the ancient battlefield. To cite a biblical example: following the battle exhortation of Jahaziel, Jehoshaphat leads “all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem” in falling down “before the LORD, worshiping the LORD” (2 Chronicles 20:18, ESV). While prayer is not a seventh piece of armor, it is an integral part of Paul’s battle exhortation and military metaphor.

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In the first of two prayer requests, Paul asks the addressees to participate in fervent, urgent, and perseverant prayer “for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18, NKJV). If the church is to be successful in its battle against the powers of evil, it will need to practice dependence on God through Spirit-inspired prayer.

Paul’s second prayer request is for himself: “and also for me” (Ephesians 6:19, ESV). He asks for prayer that God might grant him the right message (“that words may be given to me”), at the right time (“in opening my mouth”), delivered in the right way (“boldly to proclaim”), and addressing a most important theme, “the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19, ESV). This last phrase refers to what we might call the “open secret” of God’s intervention in Christ to redeem Gentiles along with Jews (see Ephesians 3:1-13), creating “one new humanity” (Ephesians 2:15, NIV; see also Ephesians 2:11-22) as a signal of the overarching plan “to unite all things” in Christ (Ephesians 1:10, ESV).

Review the following “calls to prayer” in the New Testament. Which one inspires you most? Why? Luke 18:1-8, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Why are believers so often urged to participate in earnest, persevering prayer? Paul’s military metaphor suggests two answers: (1) the threat of spiritual battle against an array of supernatural enemies is dire and real; (2) God’s promises of spiritual strength and victory are illustrated through Paul’s military imagery (Ephesians 6:10-17). Earnest, persevering prayer provides opportunity for us to listen carefully to these promises, to celebrate them, and to thank God for the resources of His grace.

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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When and how should believers as combatants in the great controversy use the shield, the helmet, and the sword? Ephesians 6:16-17.

Paul’s shield is the large, rectangular shield of a Roman legionnaire. Made with wood and covered with leather, its edges curved inward to guard against attacks from the side.

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When soaked in water, shields were “able to quench … fiery darts” (NKJV), extinguishing arrows dipped in pitch and set on fire. Paul’s description of the “shield of faith” reflects the Old Testament use of the shield as a symbol of God, who protects His people (Genesis 15:1, Psalm 3:3). To take up “the shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16) is to enter the cosmic battle with confidence in God, who fights on behalf of believers (Ephesians 6:10), supplies the finest weaponry (Ephesians 6:11, Ephesians 6:13), and who ensures victory.

At the same time, the Roman battle helmet was made of iron or bronze. To the bowl that protected the head were added a plate at the back to guard the neck, ear guards, a brow ridge, and hinged plates to protect the cheeks. Given the essential protection the helmet provided, “the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17) symbolizes the present salvation believers experience in solidarity with the resurrected, ascended, and exalted Christ (Ephesians 2:6-10). To put on “the helmet of salvation” means to reject the fear of spiritual powers so common in the time and, instead, to trust in the supreme power of Christ (compare Ephesians 1:15-23, Ephesians 2:1-10).

The final item of armor is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17), referring to the Roman legionnaire’s short, two-edged sword. The usual battle tactic was to throw two javelins (not mentioned by Paul) and then draw the sword and charge, employing the short sword in a thrusting motion. The believers’ sword is “the sword of the Spirit” in that it is supplied by the Spirit, a weapon identified as “the word of God.” Paul steps forward as general and issues a call to arms, speaking promises of hope and victory from the divine Commander in Chief. It is these promises, issued in Ephesians 6:10-20, that constitute “the word of God” as the lead weapon in the battle against evil. The “word of God,” then, refers to the broad promises of the gospel that we find in the Bible.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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