Daily Read

Ephesians 5:21-33 (NIV)

Today’s passage is one that many of us might roll our eyes at. It’s a passage that has been abused and misused by those who understand maleness as dominance at whatever cost. But in order to understand what Paul was talking about, we have to understand the world he was talking to. And for that  we have to check our modern biases at the door.

In Paul’s day and for many centuries before after, women  were regarded as inferior--their bodily rhythms making them “impure,” and burdensome. Headship and leadership were a means of dominance and power. In this passage, Paul radically turns the cultural norms of his day upside down. The king to imitate is now Jesus, not Caesar. The way of headship is sacrifice, not dominance. A wife is no longer a subservient, inferior being, but rather a treasure, like the church is to God--worthy to be loved, served, and cared for.

Listen now, with open ears, to Ephesians 5:21-33.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What ideas bristle your modern ears? Why do you think that is?

2. Think of some of the most popular role models for men and women in our culture. In what ways do their attitudes and behaviors compare with the portrait Paul is painting of husbands and wives?

3. Relationships of mutual submission don’t mean that no one leads or that nothing gets done. What it does mean is that the needs and desires of the other are always forefront in our minds. It means allowing our selfish impulses to take a backseat. It means allowing vulnerability to be a space where love grows, instead of shame, imitating the way of Jesus that leads to life and wholeness. Is there a relationship in your life that needs to grow in mutual submission?

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Ephesians 5:13-20 (NIV)

If you’ve ever gotten a song stuck in your head you know that the only surefire way to get it out is to get another one in--even better if it’s one that you actually like, better still if it’s one that feeds your soul and makes you feel stronger, deeper, or more full of love. Music has a way of shaping us, of speaking to us in places words cannot reach.

In today’s passage, Paul tells the Ephesian Christians to sing to one another. While that might sound weird to our modern ears, the point is this: the world is constantly offering cheap substitutes for meaning, activities and habits that are easy to get stuck in our lives but produce nothing of substance. As a community of Jesus followers, we have a responsibility to constantly remind one another of who God is, what he has done in and through Jesus, and what that means for our lives. To sing a new song in place of the old.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in this passage?

2. Paul here contrasts light and darkness, things that are alive with things that are dead. And he calls these new believers to fill their lives with things that matter. Are there things in your life that are just meaningless, things that don’t bring life? What might it be like to replace those thoughts or actions with things that produce flourishing--in yourself and others?

3. Most of us try our best to keep our sins and failures a secret, we want to look like we have it together to maintain our belonging or status. But the irony is that our sins and struggles really only have power over us when we keep them in the dark. And if they stay in the dark, we can’t really be known by anyone.  Are there areas of sin, pain or struggle that you fear exposing to the light? Ask the Spirit to give you the courage to share those with a trusted friend or mentor today.

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Ephesians 5:1-12 (NIV)

The cultures of Paul’s day were not so different from our own in a lot of ways. We can totally relate to the evils Paul calls out and warns against like sexual immorality, obscene joking, and greed… We see them in leaders in government and business; we see them in our families, coworkers, and even sometimes in our churches. Paul here encourages the Ephesian church to remember that their inheritance in Christ gives them a different identity as well as a different vocation--that of Israel, that of Jesus--children of God purposed to be a blessing to others, reflecting God’s love, forgiveness and justice as light into a dark world.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in the passage?

2. Why do you think Paul says that immorality, impurity, and greed indicate idolatry? Are there ways you are living that might indicate you’re worshiping something besides God?

3. We are all tempted towards greed, consumption, materialism, and self-gratification veiled in sexual liberty, but in Christ we are called to live differently, and every day it’s a choice. Are we going to live by the moral standards of our culture or by the standards of the kingdom of light? So what would have to be different in your life today for you to live by the standards of the kingdom of light?

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Ephesians 4:25-32 (NIV)

Have you ever found yourself believing that God is like us, that he might act in the world out of bitterness or spite? In seasons where you feel distant from God, do you imagine him passive aggressively holding onto your faults and failures? Or do you imagine him acting like parents, teachers or coaches who haven’t acted fairly, or friends who have lost your trust?

In the chaos and ambiguity of our world it's easy to project onto God things that we most fear about each other. But thankfully God isn’t subject to our insecurities and shortcomings, he’s quick to forgive, and quick to love. Is that easy or hard for you to hear right now?

----------REFLECT----------

1. What guidance in this passage felt particularly relevant to you?

2. Paul says that those who steal shouldn’t stop stealing just because. Yeah, stealing breaks trust with those who are robbed, but there’s more. If we steal instead of working, we also have nothing to give to those in need. We aren’t just saved from something, but for something. Is there a sin in your life that needs to die in order for something life-giving to grow?

3. God is compassionate and kind. And in Christ he forgives us. The LORD is committed to remaking us in his image, not the other way around. We are restored in his image both when we fail and allow him to shape us, and when we forgive others like he forgives. Where in your life do you need to accept God’s kindness and compassion and forgive yourself. . . or someone else?

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Ephesians 4:17-24 (NIV)

As we look towards the next three chapters, Paul’s desire seems to be to help these new believers flesh out their common calling of living a life that mirrors their Lord--really becoming the image-bearers of God that they were always meant to be. They needed (and we need today) constant reminders of the new life we have been given in Christ and what it means to live like our Savior.

As we continue to work our way through the letter to the Ephesians, it would be a fitting question to ask yourself, what parts of my life are not aligned with the redemption story that the LORD has written through Jesus.

----------REFLECT----------

1. Was there an image that stood out to you in this passage?

2. Do you have a favorite sweatshirt or pair of jeans? You know- the ones that are so soft they almost feel like they're a part of your body when you’re wearing them? Sometimes that’s how our habits are. Comfortable. Easy. But Paul here calls Jesus’ followers to put off the old self, for the sake of becoming a new kind of human. Is there something in your life you know you need to put off, even if it’s hard and outside your comfort zone?

3. We hope that this podcast has been a gift to you as a way to individually connect with Jesus daily. But as these letters remind us, living as God’s new humanity is a communal thing. Do you have people walking with you as you flesh out these things in your life? Do you know someone who might need that kind of community? What’s one thing you could do right after this podcast to move towards community?

NEW HUMANITY VIDEO

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Ephesians 4:1-16 (NIV)

Today’s passage opens up the second half of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church. After praying for them and reminding them what story they are living in, he begins to call them to live differently, in light of that story, the gospel, the good news of Jesus and his Kingdom. He calls them to unity, not uniformity, oneness, not a loss of identity, self-donating love aimed at mutual flourishing of the whole church .

----------REFLECT----------

1. What stood out to you in the passage?

2. Many of us are overly concerned with knowing our specific calling or vocation. We might feel lost when we are in a job we don’t like, or feel like God might be somehow holding out on us, or maybe something’s wrong with us? But the calling Paul is talking about is the general vocation of every Christian-- including you and me. It’s following Jesus in the everyday things of life, in every moment and every circumstance. How might  that distinction give you both peace and direction for your life today?

3. Paul says that the Lord has given gifts to his people--grace that gives us what we need to to love one another and build up God’s people. Take a moment and ask the Lord what gifts he has given you that he might want to use for the flourishing of others?

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Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)

Today’s passage is the middle point of Ephesians, the prayer towards which the first half builds and from which the rest of the letter proceeds. Ephesus, as we’ve talked about, was a bustling metropolis known for many things, but maybe most notably the temple to the Greek goddess Artemis, goddess of fertility. But when Paul writes a letter to this area so deeply shaped by the worship of a goddess who they thought was the origin of life, he begins a prayer by saying that God the Father is the one from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its name. The grand story he reminds them of is meant to challenge each part of their lives.

As we try to make sense of these letters, we have to do our best to understand what they would have meant to the original hearers, then from the content, through the context, assign significance to our lives today.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in this passage?

2. When Paul wrote this letter, people usually prayed standing up, with their hands lifted to the heavens. Kneeling was what they did when they saw a Roman official pass by, or, of course, a king. In the first line, Paul is communicating that God is King, not Caesar. Who are you kneeling to today? To whom are you giving your allegiance? A political party, a social movement, a means of success, or to Jesus and his Kingdom?

3. Paul here expresses a deep longing for Jesus’ followers to really know God--inside and out--who he is, how he loves, and how he changes everything. Where in your life do you long to experience more of your Maker and King? Bring that longing to the Lord  today.

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Ephesians 3:1-13 (NIV)

In today’s passage, Paul unpacks his calling from God to share that the inheritance of Israel is now available to the rest of the world--to those who the Jews called, “the Gentiles.” Churches in and around the city of Ephesus were diverse in ethnicity and socio-economic status. But the real sign that this church was something new was the fact that Jews and Gentiles were walking in faith together, on an even playing field.

The inheritance promised to the Jews, to rule and reign with God was now being extended to anyone who would put their trust in Jesus. He refers to this news as the mystery that has now been revealed in King Jesus.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in the passage?

2. Most go to church  with people who look like us or live lives similar to us. Somehow, we often forget the incredible mystery of the beautiful diversity that was revealed in the early church. In what ways might your church or community of believers need to renew its understanding of what God intended the Church to be?

3. Another incredible gift of the Messiah is the ability to approach God with freedom and confidence, knowing that forgiveness is joyfully offered through Jesus and that we are God’s children. Is there anything in your life that you’ve not felt confident to bring before the Father? Can you allow him access to that today?

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Ephesians 2:11-22 (NIV)

In today’s passage, Paul is continuing to remind the Ephesians of the bigger story of God, how Jesus is the climax of that story, and how his life, death and resurrection has changed everything. The calling of Abraham’s family to show the world who God is was carried forward and radically accomplished in Jesus. The temple--that utterly important place where heaven and earth met--was reconstituted in Jesus’ own body. The barrier between Jews and Gentiles was broken down, a new temple is being built with each person who’s added to this new multi-ethnic family of Jesus followers.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in the passage?

2. The Gentiles were actually very religious, worshiped many gods, made lots of sacrifices… yet Paul says that they were “without hope and without God in the world.” Do you know people who are very religious yet seem hopeless? Have you ever felt that way?

3. This is one of the many places where Paul presses this new family of believers who are prone towards prejudice to believe that they belong to each other. And this challenge is just as needed today. What are the ways that you struggle to believe that you belong to believers who might be different in culture or ethnicity? What’s one step you can take today to lay down prejudice and live into the peace Jesus has made between you and his followers who are different from you?

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Ephesians 2:1-10 (NIV)

Today’s passage is one we might have heard a lot if we grew up in church. But whether you’re familiar with it or not, remember Paul’s prayer at the beginning of the letter--for the Ephesians, but also for us--that the eyes of our hearts would be opened--to know the hope we’re called to, the riches of his glorious inheritance in us, his incomparably great power for those who believe. Ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart today.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What descriptive words or contrasting ideas stood out to you in this passage?

2.  Before the gift of Jesus, we followed the way of the world. We listened to and followed our own desires and thoughts above all else. But even now in Christ, we can’t pretend that this isn’t still a temptation. What areas of your life are you tempted to choose what you want, even if you know it’s leading you away from Jesus?

3. It might seem like this passage is meant to tell us how terrible we are. But while we indeed are hopeless without God, that’s not where the passage leaves us. No matter how wretched we are or have been, the goodness of God’s love--demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus--is more powerful, more merciful, and more beautiful than we could ever imagine. In what areas of your life do you need to receive the kindness and goodness of the Lord?

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