Session 5--November 8-15

In, To, And For The Lord--Ephesians 4:1-16; 5:15-6:9


LIVING FOR THE LORD
1.  Paul says we Christan have "one Lord" and one God and Parent of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (4:5-6).  He says Christ is the head of the body we belong to, and that everything is under his feet (1:22-23: 4:15-16).  How do you respond to this kind of hierarchical language?  To what extend do you embrace it, and to what extent does it seem foreign or uncomfortable?


SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER--Read Ephesians 5:15-21
2.  What attitides toward other Christians will we have if we are submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (5:21)?
3.  What are some things we might do--or do differently--if we are submitting to each other?
4.  What if we subordinate our own interests to another Christian's interests, but that person isn't interested in mutual submission?  What if that person takes advantage of our commitment to mutual submission?  How should we respond?
5.  How will reverence for Christ affect the way we treat other people?


SUBMISSION IN THE HOUSEHOLD Read Ephesians 5:21-6:9


6.  Imagine a man in Paul's day who has been brought up to believe women are inferior, less intelligent, and more prome to immorality than men.  What in 5:25-32 do you think would surprise him and why?
7.  Paul says slaves should work "as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart" (6:6).  He also says that masters need to remember that they and their workers have the same Master, who values the worker as much as the boss (6:9).  What would mutual submission look like for employers and workers?
8.  Is is possible to live in mutual submission and still lead with confidence?  Explain.
9.  What do you think God wants you to do--or do differently--in, to, or for the Lord in your family or workplace?


Note from Rev. Carol--We may think that talk about submission is no longer applicable--let's enlarge the discussion and think about submitting to one another in relationships of all kinds.  What would that look like?  If you heard my sermon on "uncommon compassion"--can you think of some ways this passage relates?