Further Thought:

 Looking back at Ephesians 5:1-20 as a whole, we watch Paul take a strong stance against sin and evil, especially in the form of sexual immorality and crude speech.

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He is unwilling to accept the presence of corrupt behavior among the people of God. Instead, he calls the believers in Ephesus to a high standard of conduct and to embrace their identity as the “beloved children” of God and as “saints” or holy ones, (Ephesians 5:1-10, ESV). He dares to believe that when the Christians in community do so, they shine a light into the darkness, drawing their neighbors away from self-defeating lifestyles and into God’s grace and truth (Ephesians 5:11-14).

Paul imagines the church, buoyed by a renewed commitment to “walk as children of light” while they await Christ’s return (Ephesians 5:8; see also Ephesians 5:15-16) and blessed by the presence of Christ (Ephesians 5:14), gathering to worship. As they are motivated by their status “as beloved children” of God and by Christ’s death for them (Ephesians 5:1-2, ESV) and are filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), their shared worship is characterized by energy and joy as together they sing thanksgiving praise to their Lord, Jesus Christ, and to God the Father. With a firm grip on heavenly realities, they celebrate their hope for the future, rooted in the story of what God has done, is doing, and will accomplish through Jesus Christ their Lord (Ephesians 5:18-20).

Understood in this way, the passage becomes far more than a set of disconnected commands about Christian living. It becomes a prophetic call concerning Christian identity, commitment, community, and worship in the last days, a pathos-filled invitation to “snap up the bargains” on offer in the days until Christ’s return (Ephesians 5:16).

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

Amen!(3)

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Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29 NLT 

Forgive me (and I know you will because Ephesians 4:32 tells us to)  for tarrying in last week’s Sabbath School lesson a little longer, but I believe Ephesians 4:29 is worth another glance. We live in a world of negativity and discouragement. Insults are considered comedy and are mainstream in the entertainment world.

Encourage Each Other

If you are single, how many times have you woken up, knowing you had a challenging, seemingly impossible day ahead of you, and wished there was someone to share an encouraging word with you as you headed to work? If you are married, how many times have you woken up to a challenging seemingly impossible day, and instead of your family encouraging you, they only spoke words of discouragement, making you sink even further into hopeless despair? How many times have you heard a friend or coworker say, “This is not what I needed today!” when they were already carrying an unbearable burden, as someone added another discouraging word to make them even more discouraged? 

Many, many, have fainted and become discouraged in the great struggle of life, when one word of kindly cheer would have strengthened them to overcome. Never should we pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart to him of the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God.-Ellen White, Desire of Ages, Pages 504-505. 

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11 NKJV 

With some rare blessed exceptions, I believer we all at one time or another have longed for an encouraging word in a sea of hopeless despair, only to receive none. Still God’s grace carried us through. Hopefully this has taught us how much others need a word of encouragement. At the same time, while the world is full of negativity and discouragement, God has His wonderful encouragers all over the place. 

Years ago a pastor friend told me about a visit he had with Jamie. Jamie had been ten years nicotine-free and was the lead teacher of her church’s primary Sabbath school class. Things were going well for her, and she was so happy that God had turned her life around from an atheist chain smoker to a productive disciple for Jesus. Then one day things became very stressful at work. Her boss’s temper became uncontrolled, and he was threatening to fire people right and left. Jamie was surprised and depressed to find herself smoking cigarettes  – something she thought she would never do again. Saddened by her falling back into an old addiction, she went to my pastor friend and confessed that she was smoking and needed to stop teaching Sabbath School. Instead of accepting her resignation and condemning her, the pastor told her she should definitely not stop teaching Sabbath school. Instead she should and could stop smoking. He reminded her that Psalm 51:17 tells us God will never despise a broken and contrite heart, no matter how many times the same sin has already broken that heart. Jamie went ahead and kept teaching even though she had not totally broken away from the cigarettes. The pastor kept her secret, and prayed with her and encouraged her. Jamie ended up losing her job along with several or her coworkers. Jamie found a new job and soon after shared with the pastor that she had totally stopped smoking again. Jamie was in a small church with a small primary class, and it turned out a couple of the parents had begun to smell the smoke on her even though she never confessed to them. However instead of gossiping and condemning, these parents knew Jamie’s character and understood what was going on in her life, so they prayed for her. This story had a beautiful ending because the pastor and parents were encouraging instead of condemning. They followed the example of Jesus.

Others  He [Jesus]met who were fighting a hand-to-hand battle with the adversary of souls. These He encouraged to persevere, assuring them that they would win; for angels of God were on their side, and would give them the victory. Those whom He thus helped were convinced that here was One in whom they could trust with perfect confidence. He would not betray the secrets they poured into His sympathizing ear.-Ellen White, Desire of Ages, Page 92. 

Who can you speaking an encouraging word to today? 

PS If you are reading this and struggling with discouragement, and no one in your circle seems to understand how much you need an encouraging word, please know you are not alone. Jesus knows how you feel. All his friends left him in His darkest hour, yet He said “I am not alone for the Father is with me.” God is with you. He loves you. He sees you and cares for you. God loves you! Don’t give up my friend. I may not even know you, but God knows you, and impressed me to write this paragraph just for you. God loves you and He will see you through to victory! 

Amen!(8)

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Is this True or False? Covetousness/Greed is a less grievous sin than sexual immorality. Join us as we discuss Lesson 9, Living Wisely.

Amen!(0)

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In Ephesians 5:18-20, Paul imagines Christians gathered to worship. What does he depict them as doing in that worship?

In his final argument in Ephesians 5:1-20, Paul urges believers to turn away from the mind-numbing use of wine and instead experience together the presence and power of the Spirit. Paul bans drunkenness (probably with a quotation from Proverbs 23:31 in the Greek version of the Old Testament), suggesting he has in mind the injunctions against the use of alcohol as seen in the wisdom literature (Proverbs 20:1, Proverbs 23:29-35).

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The evil things that come in the wake of drunkenness include crude, sexually explicit speech, mindlessness, immorality, and idolatry (Ephesians 5:3-14). These are to be exchanged for thoughtful, Spirit-inspired worship of God. Paul’s exhortation to be filled with the Spirit is a key one that is modified by a series of verbs in Ephesians 5:19-21 (“speaking”; “singing and making melody”; “giving thanks”; “submitting yourselves”).

Paul here applies the exhortation to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) corporately, imagining believers gathering in Spirit-inspired worship of God that nourishes unity (Ephesians 4:1-32) and that stands in contrast with egocentric, pagan behavior and worship (Ephesians 5:1-18). In this sketch of early Christian worship, musical praise dominates. It has been argued that the church was born in song; and this passage, together with Colossians 3:16, provides the best evidence for the claim (compare Acts 16:25, James 5:13).

There is a “horizontal” element to worship since, in singing, church members are in a sense “speaking to one another” (Ephesians 5:19, NKJV). However, the specific object of the musical praise is the Lord, which, as indicated in Ephesians 5:20, identifies “the Lord Jesus Christ” (compare Colossians 3:16). The thanksgiving of Ephesians 5:20, described in parallel to the musical praise of Ephesians 5:19, is to be offered “unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In the phrase “spiritual songs,” the adjective “spiritual” (Greek, pneumatikos) highlights the role of the Holy Spirit in worship since the term describes songs that are inspired by or filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul’s sketch of early Christian worship, then, portrays all three members of the Godhead as active participants.

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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Paul concludes Ephesians 5:1-20 with two clusters of exhortations, Ephesians 5:15-17 and Ephesians 5:18-20, completing a section with sustained interest in sexual purity. The first cluster begins with the exhortation, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15, ESV), restated as “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17, ESV). In between is a call to make “the best use of the time” (Ephesians 5:16, ESV).

Consider Paul’s exhortations to live in a way that reflects prayerful, discerning wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-17). What is the difference between walking not as fools but “wise”? Also, what does “redeeming the time” mean?

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In Ephesians, Paul has repeatedly used the common Old Testament metaphor of “walking” for how one lives (Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:1, Ephesians 4:17; Ephesians 5:2, Ephesians 5:8). Here he uses the metaphor to encourage intentional discipleship. Just as you should “watch your step” when walking on a rough or darkened path, believers should “look carefully then how you walk” (Ephesians 5:15, ESV). Because Ephesians 5:15 finds a parallel in Ephesians 5:17, we may look there for a definition of what it means to live as wise people. We do not look within for wisdom. To be wise is to reach beyond ourselves, to “understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17, ESV).

Paul also encourages intentional discipleship with a vivid image. In the phrase “making the best use of the time” (Ephesians 5:16, ESV; compare “redeeming the time,” NKJV), Paul uses the verb exagorazo (compare Colossians 4:5). Drawn from the marketplace, it is an intensive form of the verb “to buy” and means “to snap up the bargains” on offer as we await Christ’s return. “Time” here is the Greek word kairos, which describes a moment of opportunity. The “time” until the end is a promising period to be used to the full. It is also a challenging time because “the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16, ESV; compare Ephesians 6:13, Galatians 1:4) and because “the course of this world” is dominated by “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2, ESV).

As believers look toward the return of Christ, they live in a difficult time, one that Paul portrays as a hazardous but rewarding marketplace. They are to be as attentive in their use of the time that remains as are bargain hunters during a brief sale that offers steep discounts. Though we can’t buy salvation, the imagery is still apt: take promptly what is offered us in Christ.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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