What counsel does Paul have regarding humility and service in relationships? Eph. 5:21. How do you think this attitude contributes to unity in the church? Why is it so important at home? Eph. 5:22-6:9.

Image © Jeff Preston Goodsalt.com

The word “submit” (Eph. 5:21) means to place oneself humbly before another person on the basis of voluntary choice. This unique principle began with Christ (Matt. 20:26-28; John 13:4, 5; Phil. 2:5-8) and characterizes all those who are filled with His Spirit (Eph. 5:18). “Reverence for Christ” is what motivates people to submit in this way (Eph. 5:21, NIV). Mutuality in self-giving was, and still is, a revolutionary Christian teaching about social relationships. It brings to life the spiritual reality that all are one in Christ; there are no exceptions.

A household principle. The proving ground of Christian submission is in the home. If this principle is effective there, it will make a dramatic difference in the church. Paul moves immediately from the introduction of the principle of submission to discuss its application in families.

Three pairs of relationships are addressed in Ephesians 5:22-6:9 – the most common yet most unequal relationships in society. The intent is not to reinforce an existing social order but to show how the faith culture of Christ operates when there is a radically different voluntary submission of believers to one another.

Why do you think Paul consistently speaks first to those who are socially weaker in the culture—the wives, children, and slaves? Write the qualifying phrase attached to the submission of each of these.

Eph. 5:22

Eph. 6:1

Eph. 6:5

Those with greater social power—husbands, parents, masters—are always addressed second. Each receives a directive quite uncommon to the culture. These directives must have astonished the believers of the first century. They leveled the ground around the Cross and opened the way for true oneness to be experienced in relationships.

Amen!(0)

The study this week reveals, yet again, the love God proclaims for each family – Hymn 650, “Our Father, by Whose Name” and the unity that is to abide in each family.

Hymn 237, “In the Cross of Christ I Glory” helps to sum up the study on Sunday. We find in reading Ephesians 2:19-22 on Sunday that “Christ is made the Sure Foundation”, Hymn 235.

Monday presents “Becoming One Through His Love”. The thoughts on this day are in a number of hymns: Hymn 76, “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go”, Hymn 77, “O Love of God Most Full”, Hymn 79, O Love of God, How Strong and True!” and Hymn 148, “O Love, How Deep, How Broad”just to name a few from which you may wish to choose.

1 John 2:6 (Tuesday) shows us to walk as Jesus walked – without selfishness in His life: Hymn 151, “Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley”, Hymn 315, “O for a Closer Walk!”, Hymn 554, “O Let Me Walk With Thee” and Hymn 574, “O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee”.

Submission(Wednesday) is sung in Hymn 462, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine!”.

Commitment on Thursday is requested in Hymn 634, Come, All Christians, Be Committed”.

Blessings to you for a wonderful Sabbath Day.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Amen!(0)

“If pride and selfishness were laid aside, five minutes would remove most difficulties”. – Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 119.

As human beings, our natures have been corrupted by sin. And, perhaps, the greatest example of that corruption is the curse of selfishness.

Image © Jeff Preston Goodsalt.com

We seem to be born selfish; we can see this reality in small children, whose basic nature is want for themselves. “Me, me, me … ”. By the time we reach adulthood this trait can manifest itself in some pretty terrible ways, especially in the home.

Of course, Jesus came to change this (Eph. 4:24). His Word promises us that we, through Him, don’t have to be dominated by this destructive character trait. His whole life is a perfect example of what it means to live without selfishness; to the degree we emulate His life (1 John 2:6), we will overcome the tendency to live only for ourselves.

Look up the following texts. What do they tell us about living a life of selflessness?

Phil. 2:3-5

1 John 3:16-18

As Ellen G. White wrote above, if pride and selfishness were put aside, so many problems could be solved very quickly, long before they fester and brew and eventually turn into something nasty. All members of the family, especially the parents, must be purged (Prov. 16:6) of this sin at the foot of the Cross (the greatest example in all the universe of selflessness), even if that means constantly coming back to the Cross and kneeling in prayer, faith, tears, and submission.

Amen!(0)

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else” (1 Thess. 3:12, NIV).

Jesus prayed to His Father that His followers would “be one as we are one” (John 17:22, NIV). Summarize what Jesus was saying here, focusing specifically on the role of love needed in order to achieve this oneness.

Image © Pacific Press Publishing Assn. Goodsalt.com

Unity among His followers was on Jesus’ mind in this prayer. Experiencing agape love is essential to this unity. “Agape” is the Bible word for God’s love used in this prayer and in many other places in the New Testament. Such love is God’s very nature (1 John 4:8), and it identifies Jesus’ followers (John 13:35). God’s love is not natural to the sinful human heart. It comes into one’s life as Jesus dwells with the believer by His Spirit (Rom. 5:5; Rom. 8:9, Rom 8:11).

“Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12, NIV). The disciple John, who wrote these words, was once not lovable but proud, power-hungry, critical, and hottempered (Mark 3:17; Luke 9:54-55; see also The Desire of Ages, p. 295). Later in life he remembered how Jesus had kept on loving him in spite of these traits. Jesus’ love gradually changed John, enabling him to love others in Christian unity. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19, NKJV), he wrote, and “if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11, NKJV).

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Try placing your name where the word “love” appears. How well does it fit? Ask Jesus to bring these qualities of love into your life by His Spirit. What changes might the Spirit prompt you to make in order to reach this Christian ideal?

Amen!(19)

Key Thought: Family members struggle with sinful, fallen natures. We need to allow the grace of Christ to make family unity a living experience.

May 18, 2019

1. Have a volunteer read John 17:19-22.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What is the key to unity in the family in this passage?
3. Personal Application: What are some characteristics that don’t express love and causes disunity? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “How can I find unity in my family? It seems like it is a mishmash of people all wanting their own way. Discussions turn into arguments and someone wins and the other feels like they lost.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read I John 3:16-18.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What does this tell us about living a life of selfishness?
3. Personal Application: How do we reveal or express selfishness in our lives? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “How does this text find its way into real life? You can give all your money to feed the poor of the world, and it wouldn’t be enough, and you would be poor also. If you give to those who refuse to work but demand the people or government to take care of them and feed their vices as well, how does that fit? Do we just pick and choose which people or organization to help? And if you do, fifty letters a day come asking for help.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Ephesians 5:21-6:9.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What counsel does Paul give regarding humility and submission and service in relationships?
3. Personal Application: What is the focus of family submission? If Christ is in the heart and home, why is there a battle for headship? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “Society through media and laws are basically taking the natural order of things and perverting them. Children are taught not to obey parents, not to respect teachers and police, and can sue their own parents for their “rights”.” How would you reply to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Hosea 1:2-6.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What does this text tell us about commitment in marriage?
3. Personal Application: Does Jesus promise of commitment to us affect our promises of commitment to our spouses? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

Amen!(1)