Ephesians – History and Introduction
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This week we’re wrapping up our Philippians Bible study. You can find the whole study and all the resources here.
Starting on Monday, I’m going to go backward one book and offer the Book of Ephesians the same way I have offered Philippians, one chapter at a time.
The difference is, I will not be offering this study as a free download and here’s why:
This study will be in collaboration with the Good Morning Girls Bible study through Ephesians. I never want my posts through the Good Morning Girls Bible studies to compete.
Courtney Joseph has become a dear friend to me and in no way do I want to distract from what she is doing.
I was so excited when she announced her study in Ephesians because (as you will see on my blog) it is one of my most favorite books of the Bible.
I have written so very much through this book already, and I’ll be offering that content as posts throughout the rest of January and the first week of February.
I will be doing Bible Journal With Me videos one day a week and those videos will be available on this blog, as well as a playlist on my channel.
If you want to print and keep these posts for your own personal study, there is a print option I have made available above in the circle social media icons.
Here are the details for the Ephesians study:
Join Me for the Winter Ephesians Bible Study
When: We will start on January 10, 2022
Where: You can find my private Facebook Group here: Good Morning Girls in the Word
I also have a Good Morning Girls’ group on Mewe
What Do I Need? You can either order the Ephesians workbook from Amazon, or you can visit Good Morning Girls to grab the digital version of this workbook.
What can I expect? Both Courtney and I will be blogging through the study – each on our own blogs.
Each Monday, Courtney will provide resources on her Good Morning Girls blog
Each DAY, I’ll be blogging here about what I’m learning through what we’re reading (since I have so much content on Ephesians, I am putting it out each day and will post the link to those posts as my SOAK comments in my groups)
Each Friday, Courtney will be sharing a wrap-up of the study for that week.
The book of Ephesians is one of my most favorite books of the Bible.
If someone had asked me a month ago what the general theme of Ephesians is, I would have easily said that it had to do with our identity in Christ.
And this is true in a general sense.
But there is so much more.
The book of Ephesians was written to the church in Ephesus, which was one of seven churches that written to in Revelation 2 and 3.
We see the Ephesus church referred to a few times in the book of Acts.
In Acts 20, Paul invites the elders of the church to Miletus, where he instructed them for the final time.
In Acts 20:17-38, Paul warned them of “savage wolves” and men “speaking perverse things” to gather disciples to themselves.
Then in Revelation we once again see the Ephesian church.
The church was praised for rejecting evil, perseverance, and patience. They hated the “Nicolaitans”, a name which meant “Conquering the Laity”. They were a group that considered themselves above others, while permitting idolatry and immorality.
So, we see that the elders carefully heeded Paul’s warning.
They didn’t tolerate evil men
They kept watch for those who taught perversity and who would lead the body astray
And yet, there was something the Lord had against them:
Orthodox routine had replaced the fervent love for the Lord they once had.
While the book of Ephesians was written to the Christians in Ephesus, typically these letters were passed around to different churches in various regions.
In this letter, Paul is challenging the church to greater maturity; realizing how understanding their identity in Christ paves the way for understanding their position and purpose in Him.
This letter is grandiose in its writing, and trying to boil it down into a number of blog posts is proving incredibly hard, because there is so much material to cover here.
That is why, with this study, there will be a lot more written material than Galatians, but divided in a way that each post is cohesive so that we can better understand what Paul is trying to say.
We will delve a little deeper into theology, but not too deep.
The danger some have faced in getting too deep into some of the words Paul uses in Ephesians is that they allow a single word to create theological beliefs that don’t align with the whole of Scripture.
We will briefly cover some of these and then move on to the overall message of this letter so that we stay contextually accurate.
Are we ready?
Check out this additional resource for Ephesians. Simply click on the picture below:
A Little More About Good Morning Girls and My Groups
Good Morning Girls is an online Bible study for women. Began by Courtney Joseph in her church, she took the Bible study to the Internet in 2009 and invited ladies all over America to join her in keeping each other accountable to their daily time with the Lord.
Little did she know that this Bible study would extend beyond the borders of America to literally every region of the world!!
In 2014 I joined Courtney, together with my dear friends Misty, Mandy and Bridget, in helping to lead Good Morning Girls. It has been an amazing journey as we’ve watched Good Morning Girls not only grow beyond what we could have dreamed or imagine, but we’ve had the amazing honor to see women’s lives changed by daily digging into God’s Word!
Good Morning Girls is a simple study – we simply read the Bible.
We believe that there is power in the Word of God and the Word of God alone can defeat the enemy. So we read one chapter a day 5 days a week. And we will continue this method until we’ve read through the entire Bible!!
All the materials are free and are available at Women Living Well!
In the summer of 2012 I opened the very first Good Morning Girls group in Croatia.
12 women, all members of my church.
I had no idea where it would lead. But by the following summer it exploded to cover the countries of Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia.
If you’d like more information about Good Morning Girls Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, you can find our blog here, follow us on Facebook, or message me to join one of our 10 private Facebook study groups.
In 2017, my dear friend Mary and I opened up our first International study group in English. You can find us at Good Morning Girls in the Word
Become a Good Morning Girls Bible Study Leader!
Good Morning Girls Leadership Training
Good Morning Girls follows the S.O.A.K method of studying God’s Word. You can discover what that means here. We also recommend this fun and practical way of reading your Bible: color coding your Bible. You can find the color code system below and read about it here:
You can read all my articles related to Good Morning Girls below.
Genesis
3 Ways to Avoid Becoming Like Esau
3 Ways We Prepare to Meet With God
Exodus
The Symbolism of the Tabernacle
What Makes Christianity Different From Other Religions
Leviticus
Numbers
That Which Makes the Weak Strong
What the Book of Numbers Taught Me About My Identity in Christ
4 Things You Need to Know About Personal Convictions
How Negativity Robs Me Of God’s Blessings
When God Gives You What You Want
Deuteronomy
4 Reasons Why You Should Remember the Past
1 Samuel
You’ve Never Heard David and Goliath Like This
2 Samuel
5 Ways to Strengthen Your Faith in God’s Promises
1 Kings
3 Powerful Things Successful Christians Do Everyday
Are Christians Under the Law or Under Grace?
4 Reasons Why Christians Should Obey God’s Word
Are You A Part of God’s Remnant?
2 Kings
Does God Still Do Miracles Today?
Does God Really Care About Little Sins?
If You Want to Stop Living in Defeat,
Esther
Ruth
2 Lessons on Faithfulness From Ruth
When You’re Feeling Hopeless, Do These Two Things
5 Ways We Move From Anxiety To Rest
Understanding Our True Identity in Jesus Christ
Job
12 Bible Versions About Joy When Life is Hard
When You Think God is Against You
4 Things To Remember When You’re Discouraged
Forget Everything You’ve Ever Believed About God’s Favor
Psalms 1-50
One Way to Have a Worshipful Summer
One Powerful Response to Betrayal
Good News For Every Imperfect Christian
6 Fundamental Things Christians Should Treasure
8 War Room Verses For When You Don’t Feel Good Enough
3 Ways To Respond When You’re Under Attack
5 Strategic Ways to Maintain Faith When the Battle Is Long
10 Critical Steps to Take When You Have Sinned
4 Powerful Steps When You Feel Hopeless
7 Ways to Defeat Fear Every Time
Psalms 51-100
How Should Christians Respond When They’re Under Attack
3 Ways Christians Should Respond When They Feel Defeated
3 Confidence-Boosting Lies Christians Believe
5 Powerful Truths About Worship
10 War Room Verses for When You Feel Discouraged – Printable
5 Reasons Why We Shouldn’t Forget Our Past
4 Ways to Cultivate a Passion for God
How to Live Wisely in a Hedonistic Culture
Psalms 101-150
3 Characteristics of a Person of Integrity
How to Keep a Steady Heart in Times of Crisis
3 Promises for Those Who Study the Works of God
43 Life-Changing Verses About the Bible from Psalm 119
5 Ways to Respond When You’re Under Attack
Are You a Burned Out Christian?
A Christian Response to Crisis
What Psalm 139 Tells Us About Self-Esteem
9 Ways We Make Worship All About God
How to Use Worship As a Spiritual Weapon
Ecclesiastes
Matthew
5 Things Jesus Taught Us About Conflict Resolution
Mark
Luke
All Christians Don’t Go to Heaven
John
What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?
4 Reasons Why You Need the Holy Spirit
This is What Breaks the Power of a Generational Curse
Romans
3 Reasons Why Christians Are Not Better Than Anyone Else
3 Steps to Understanding Your Identity in Christ
5 Instructions for Every Believer
1 Corinthians
5 Warning Signs of an Immature Christian
5 Behaviors of a Mature Christian
The Fruit of Maturity In the Church
2 Corinthians
3 Important Truths for the Suffering Christian
Is It Ever Okay for a Christian to Offend?
Galatians
Galatians 6
Ephesians
Ephesians 1 – 7 Things Every Christian Needs to Know
Ephesians 2 – Our Position in Christ
Ephesians 2 – You Cannot Choose to Be Saved
Ephesians 3 – Revealing the Mystery
Ephesians 3 – Paul’s Second Prayer for the Church
Ephesians 4 – Christian Behavior Matters
Ephesians 4 – Our Responsibility to the Church
Philippians
The Book of Philippians Bible Study – Free Download
3 Reasons Why We Can Rejoice in Suffering
Be Faithful and Trust God’s Process
How to Recognize Disinformation
How to Maintain a Spirit of Joy in Persecution – Chapter 1 Free Download
Praying for the Persecuted Church
6 Ways We Grow Joy in Our Lives
This is What Unity In the Church Looks Like – Chapter 2 Free Download
Do You Really Have to Obey as an Adult?
Watch Your Self-Talk
We Must Let Go of This to Find True Joy – Chapter 3 Free Download
Don’t Get Distracted From Christ
Let’s Move Toward Maturity in Christ
5 Choices That Teach Us Contentment – Chapter 4 Free Download
Being Anxious for Nothing Is a Choice
Contentment Is a Spiritual Discipline
Rest and Release
The Powerful Quality of a Quiet Spirit
5 Really Good Reasons Why You Can Stop Worrying Right Now
4 Amazing Steps for When You’re Out of Control
You can also view my YouTube Playlist here:
- Freedom in Christ FREE 14-Day Challenge for Women - July 23, 2024
- 10 Bible Verses for Freedom in Christ – FREE Download - July 16, 2024
- Walk Free In Christ – the Book of Galatians Workbook – FREE DOWNLOAD - July 3, 2024
I’ve ordered your book, Ephesians, waiting on the study ti start. Somehow I missed seeing it yesterday, July 17th. Where can we find it???
Thanks
Debra Summers
I didn’t get your message, Roselind.. I’m sorry.