We conclude by reflecting on Ephesians 6, where we discover that we, the church, are the peace-waging army of God.In Ephesians, Paul has portrayed the church as the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22, 23; Eph. 4:11–16), as God’s temple (Eph. 2:19–22), and as the bride/wife of Christ (Eph. 5:21–33). In Ephesians 6:10–20, Paul describes the church as God’s army and offers a vigorous call to arms. It is a passage that offers much benefit and risks misunderstanding.We could misunderstand Paul’s words as a call to take up military weapons or to be combative in our relationships with others. Paul, though, has been emphasizing unity, edifying speech, and tenderheartedness (see especially Eph. 4:25–5:2). He describes God’s good news as “the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15). Through this vivid military metaphor, the church is not exhorted to wage war in the traditional sense. Rather, we are to wage peace in the spiritual battle against evil. Paul steps onto the battlefield of the great controversy and calls us to enlist in God’s army.We should do so with a realistic assessment of the enemy in view since it will never do to underestimate the forces arrayed against us. We don’t confront just human enemies but “spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12, NKJV), led by a wily general, the devil (Eph. 6:11). However, we need not be daunted by our enemies. God is present with us in the battle (Eph. 6:10) and has supplied us with the finest of weaponry, His own armor, the “armor of God” (Eph. 6:11; compare Isa. 59:15–17). He has placed at our disposal truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Spirit (Eph. 6:13–17). With God going before us and our being equipped from head to toe in the armor He has supplied, we cannot fail. Victory is assured.Discussion Questions:Though we are not saved by our works, what does Paul mean when he writes that we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10, NKJV)? What, then, is the purpose of our good works?Paul writes: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20, NKJV). What power works in us, and how should this power be made manifest in our lives?

As you read Ephesians 5, reflect on how Paul asks us to live out the gospel in our relationships with others. Which of his exhortations is especially meaningful to you?If you start reading Ephesians 5 at its beginning, you may miss the full power of an important theme. So, start instead with Ephesians 4:32, in which Paul tells the Ephesians to “be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (NKJV).As believers, we are called to model our behavior toward others on God’s forgiveness and grace toward us. We are to imitate God! (Compare Matt. 5:43–48.)Paul contrasts this imitating-the-love-of-God lifestyle with the usual, pagan approach. Instead of treasuring others as brothers or sisters in the family of God, humans all too often use others for their own sexual pleasure and then brag about it (Eph. 5:3, 4). He warns that such an approach has no future in the new world God is planning (Eph. 5:5–7).Instead, believers are to turn from the darkness of their past and “walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8–10), mimicking the Father’s love. Again, Paul warns us away from “works of darkness” done “in secret” (Eph. 5:11, 12). By contrast, we are to live in the light of Christ (Eph. 5:13, 14). Rather than wasting our lives in drunkenness, we will be “redeeming the time” by offering thanks to God for His love (see Eph. 5:15–21).Paul extends his theme of imitating God’s love as he advises Christian husbands and wives. Christ’s self-sacrificing love for the church becomes the model for Christian husbands (Eph. 5:25–33), while the loyalty of the church toward Christ becomes the model for Christian wives (Eph. 5:22–24). Rather than using the gift of human sexuality in a debauched and selfish way, a Christian husband and wife focus on valuing and treasuring each other, becoming “one flesh” (Eph. 5:28–33).“Be imitators of God as dear children” (Eph. 5:1, NKJV). By God’s grace, you are called today to live out that exhortation in your relationships with others.How does Ephesians 5:2, which tells us to “walk in love,” help us understand what Paul means in Ephesians 5:1 about being “imitators of God”?

In Ephesians 4, Paul asks believers to stop doing some things and to be sure to do others. What are those things?Ephesians 4 begins and ends with calls to care for each other as church members (Eph. 4:1–3, 32). Between these invitations, Paul offers strong support for the idea that we should nourish unity in the church. He begins by listing seven “ones”: There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord (Jesus Christ), one faith, one baptism, one God and Father (Eph. 4:4–6). We are bound together by these spiritual realities. We are, in fact, united.While unity is a theological certainty, it requires our hard work. So, we should always be “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3, NKJV). One way each of us may do so is by being an active “part” of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:7–16). Every member is a gifted part of the body and should contribute to the health of it (Eph. 4:7, 16). And all should benefit by the work of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Eph. 4:11, 12). These, like ligaments and tendons, have a unifying function, helping us grow up together into Christ who is the Head of the body (Eph. 4:13, 15).At the time, Paul also told them “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Eph. 4:14, NKJV), words that clearly suggest that the early church faced some internal struggles from “the trickery of men.”As Paul moves toward his final appeal, to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another” (Eph. 4:32, NKJV), he asks believers to avoid their former hard-heartedness (Eph. 4:17–24) and to avoid anger and harsh speech, substituting instead language that builds up and imparts grace (Eph. 4:25–31).This chapter on unity is easy enough to read when things are peaceful. It is more challenging—and important—to read it when we become embroiled in some conflict. Are you remembering today to experience the unity of the body of Christ, the unity for which He died?What are ways that we can contribute to the unity of our church, both at the local and worldwide levels? Why is it important that we do what we can?

Bonus song: Steal Away (Ray Barnette)

Steal away, steal away,

Steal away to Jesus

Steal away, steal away home

I ain't got long to stay here

My Lord calls me,

He calls me by the thunder

The trumpet sounds within my soul

I haven’t got long to stay here

Steal away, steal away,

Steal away to Jesus

Steal away, steal away home

I ain't got long to stay here

Steal away, steal away,

Steal away to Jesus

Steal away, steal away home

I ain't got long to stay here

Green trees are bending,

Poor sinner stands a trembling

The trumpet sound within my soul

I ain't got long to stay here

Steal Away · Ray Barnette · Nathan Young Gospel Inspirations! Classic Uplifting Songs of Praise ℗ 2012 Warner/Chappell Production Music

Steal Away" ("Steal Away to Jesus") is an American Negro spiritual. The song is well known by variations of the chorus: Songs such as "Steal Away to Jesus", "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Wade in the Water" and the "Gospel Train" are songs with hidden codes, not only about having faith in God, but containing hidden messages for slaves to run away on their own, or with the Underground Railroad. "Steal Away" the song was composed by Wallace Willis, a slave of a Choctaw freedman in the old Indian Territory, sometime before 1862. Alexander Reid, a minister at a Choctaw boarding school, heard Willis singing the songs and transcribed the words and melodies. He sent the music to the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. The Jubilee Singers then popularized the songs during a tour of the United States and Europe. "Steal Away" the song is a standard Gospel song, and is found in the hymnals of many Protestant denominations. An arrangement of the song is included in the oratorio A Child of Our Time, first performed in 1944, by the classical composer Michael Tippett (1908–98). Many recordings of the song have been made including versions by Pat Boone and Nat King Cole.

Why is it both important and exciting to be part of God’s church? Ephesians 3.We are encouraged when we hear church members say positive things about the church. However, the most enthusiastic among us falls short of Paul’s exuberant testimony in Ephesians 3 about the church. Paul starts a report of his prayers for believers in Ephesus (Eph. 3:1; compare Eph. 1:15–23, NKJV) but breaks off to discuss God’s creation of the church (Eph. 3:2–13), and then completes his prayer report (Eph. 3:14–21). Along the way we come to understand important things about God’s “plan” or “mystery”:In eternity, God conceives of “the mystery” or “the plan” about the church (Eph. 3:3–5, 9, 11).Through the life and death of Jesus, that long-hidden plan is “accomplished” (Eph. 3:11, NKJV; compare Eph. 2:11–22).By revelation, Paul learns “the mystery” of the church and the astonishing fact that Gentiles are to be full partners in it (Eph. 3:3–6).Paul participates in spreading this good news as preacher to the Gentiles of “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8, 9).With many won to Christ, the church, composed as it is of both Jews and Gentiles, displays “the manifold wisdom of God” to “the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10, NKJV), announcing their coming doom (compare Eph. 6:10–20). The plan to unite all things in Christ (Eph. 1:10) is underway, and their time is short.This understanding of the church motivates Paul to pray for believers. Why not imagine him praying the heartfelt prayer of Ephesians 3:14–21 about you? Why not imagine him praying that you will be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19) and participate fully in the amazing, unfolding mystery of a unified church?What are the kinds of barriers between believers in our church that, in light of what Paul has written, should not be there? What can you do to help remove them?

As you read Ephesians 2, seek to answer the following question: What has God done for us through His Son Jesus Christ?“But God. . . .” Those two words must be the most hope-filled ones known to humankind. In Ephesians 2:1–10, Paul describes the grim past of his audience. Sharing the plight of all humanity, they were bent toward rebellion against God, their lives dominated by sin and Satan (Eph. 2:1–3). “But God, who is rich in mercy . . . ” And what did God do for them and for us? (1) He made us alive with Christ—Christ’s resurrection is our own. (2) He raised us up with Christ—Christ’s ascension is our own. (3) In heaven, He seated us with Christ—Christ’s coronation is our own (Eph. 2:4–7). We are not just bystanders to the cosmos-shifting events of Christ’s life! God takes these remarkable actions, not because of any merit in us but because of His grace (Eph. 2:8, 9), and He intends believers to live in solidarity with Jesus and practice “good works” (Eph. 2:10).If Ephesians 2:1–10 teaches that we live in solidarity with Jesus, Ephesians 2:11–22 teaches that we live in solidarity with others as part of His church. Jesus’ death has both vertical benefits, establishing the believer’s relationship with God (Eph. 2:1–10), and horizontal ones, cementing our relationships with others (Eph. 2:11–22). Through His cross, Jesus demolishes all that divides Gentile believers from Jewish ones, including the misuse of the Law to widen the gulf (Eph. 2:11–18). Jesus also builds something—an amazing, new temple composed of believers. Gentiles, once excluded from worship in sacred places of the temple, now join Jewish believers in becoming one. We, too, become part of God’s church, a “holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:19–22).Through the grace of God, you have the privilege of living this day in solidarity with Jesus and your fellow believers.Ephesians 2:8–10 has played a role in the conversion of many. Martin Luther found in these verses a grace that won his heart, and he discovered as well some central affirmations of the Reformation: salvation comes by faith alone, through grace alone, by Christ alone, and to the glory of God alone. In 1738, eighteen days after experiencing conversion in London’s Aldersgate Street, John Wesley preached at Oxford University, offering “a cry from the heart” and “the manifesto of a new movement.” His text? Ephesians 2:8. (See A. Skevington Wood, “Strangely Warmed: The Wesleys and the Evangelical Awakening,” Christian History [magazine], vol. 5, no. 1 [1984]).

Someone has described Ephesians as the Alps of the New Testament. Paul, our mountaineering guide, takes us on a rapid ascent in Ephesians 1. We are quickly breathless and amazed at the view from the summit.Reflect on Ephesians 1. What especially inspires you? What peaks do you see?Ephesians 1:3–14 functions like a map at a mountain’s summit that identifies the peaks on the horizon, as Paul orients us to our blessed place in the vast landscape of the plan of salvation. The scenery covers the full span of salvation history, from eternity past, through God’s grace-filled actions in Christ, to eternity future. God’s redemption of believers reflects divine initiatives taken “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4), which are now being worked out in our lives (see Eph. 1:7, 8, 13, 14). These pre-Creation strategies will be fully accomplished at the end of time (Eph. 1:9, 10). Then, “all things,” both “in heaven” and “on earth” will be gathered together or united in Christ, and God’s plan for “the fullness of time” (ESV) will be fulfilled (Eph. 1:10). Then, we will experience fully God’s mysterious plan (Eph. 1:9). In the present, we may be certain that the Christ-centered salvation in which we stand is an important part of God’s wide-reaching plan for the redemption of “all things.”Being on a mountaintop inspires thanksgiving. In Ephesians 1:15–19, Paul gives thanks to God as he prays that believers may experience the salvation God has planned for them. We find ourselves on another steep climb as he points us upward to the risen, ascended, exalted Christ, who rules over every imaginable power for all time (Eph. 1:20–23).Through the grace of God expressed in Christ Jesus, we may live this day on the mountaintop!Ephesians 1:4 tells us that Christ “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (NKJV). Think about what that means. Chosen in Him before the world existed! What great hope should this offer you in regard to God’s desire for you to be saved?

Read for This Week’s StudyEphesians 1–Ephesians 6.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.

“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. 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” (Eph. 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:In your corner of a world divided and at war, what does it mean for you and your congregation to “wage peace”? How can we be agents of peace in a world so increasingly characterized by aggression and violence?What particular “fiery darts” are being hurled in your direction? How can you ensure that the “shield of faith” is in place to extinguish them?We sometimes speak of “prayer warriors.” How might we conduct “prayer ministry” based on Ephesians 6:18–20?How should we treat those who are wounded on the battlefield of the great controversy? How should we treat the Christian believer who, in the heat of the battle, flees out of fear or openly capitulates to the other side?

In concluding his battle exhortation, Paul urges believers as soldiers to participate in crucial, continuing prayer “for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18, NKJV) and for himself as imprisoned ambassador (Eph. 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 Chron. 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.In the first of two prayer requests, Paul asks the addressees to participate in fervent, urgent, and perseverant prayer “for all the saints” (Eph. 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” (Eph. 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” (Eph. 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 Eph. 3:1–13), creating “one new humanity” (Eph. 2:15, NIV; see also Eph. 2:11–22) as a signal of the overarching plan “to unite all things” in Christ (Eph. 1:10, ESV).Review the following “calls to prayer” in the New Testament. Which one inspires you most? Why? Luke 18:1–8, Phil. 4:6, Col. 4:2, 1 Thess. 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; and (2) God’s promises of spiritual strength and victory are illustrated through Paul’s military imagery (Eph. 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.