Unwrapping God's Gift of Salvation: Fellowship

     There are some passages in the Bible that you just don’t want to teach. Pulling teeth from a rabid Rottweiler in labor on a hot summer’s day in Arizona during a sandstorm would be preferable to dealing with some the negative reactions that certain parts of God’s Word can produce.
     But it IS God’s Word.
     Such is the burden of systematic Bible study. When teaching topically, one can pick and choose the verses that apply to the topic and tap dance around the nasty parts that some people don’t like. (After all we wouldn’t want to     offend anybody, would we?)
      But when one, like myself, teaches verse-by-verse, one can’t help crashing head on into controversial passages. (So maybe we would want to offend some people, after all.)
     ALL Scripture is inspired, even the parts we don’t like. And so we will study it, whether you like it or not. And there won’t be any tap dancing.
     (Okay maybe a little tap dancing.)
     This week’s lesson deals with six groups of people who are all told to the same thing (but in different ways).
     There are some in the first group who don’t like having to do this thing, period, end of story.
     There are many in the second group who like to remind the first group of what is to be done, while not doing it themselves.
     I am going to separate these two troublemakers by putting the first group in the back of the class, and sending the second group to the principal’s office until next week.
     Hopefully that way we will be able to aviod some problems. Enjoy.

-Describe a negative experience being under another’s authority affect.
-Describe a positive experience.

Here is the passage we will be studying this week.
If you can, read Ephesians 1-4; 5:1-21 first.
Please pray before you begin.

This sections provides extra study opportunities for you. This is not homework. Do one. Do them all. Do none of them. It's your choice. Have fun with it.

     For now continue reading a chapter of Psalms and Proverbs a day.
     If you are not reading daily, start.
     If you are reading daily, continue to do so.

Ephesians 5:21 –Submitting
Strong’s Greek #5293 –Hupotasso
Hupo= under. Tasso= to place, set, or arrange. To arrange under.

Let No One Deceive You

People say things that aren't true.
They say things that sound really good, but mean nothing.
We have the ability to decide to listen them or not.

How do we know whether they are lying or not?

We hold what they say to what the Bible says.

Because of These Things

Referring to the things in verse 5:5
Impurity, covetousness and idolatry

The Wrath of God

The things of God are black and white.
There are no gray areas or loopholes in His ways.

God is perfect love and perfect justice.

Those who accept and follow Him will be seperated from His justice and will be eternally the object of His love.
Those who reject God will be seperated from His love and will be eternally the object of His justice.

Partakers

Taking part, participating in the sinful actions of others.

Formerly Darkness

Christ is about transforming lives.
Continuing in our old ways shows no transformation.

Light in the Lord

Light can be seen.
So should Christ be seen in our lives and our decisions and actions.
Christ exemplified goodness, righteousness and truth.

Trying to Learn

The Christ-walk is not a passive one.
Walking is an activity.
Learning is an activity as well.
It's a process that takes concious effort.

Pleasing to the Lord

How do we learn what pleases the Lord.

God tells us what pleases Him through His scripture.
We read and study His word.
We fellowship with others who know Him.
We let the Holy Spirit and fellow children of God speak into our lives.

Do Not Participate

By knowing God's Word and being trained by the church, we can know what behaviors are not acceptable.

Fruitful/Unfruitful Deeds

Physically, fruit is the proper product of healthy plants.
Symbolically, fruit is the desired result of our thoughts and actions.
Spiritually, only healthy deeds and decisions produce fruit.

Our goal should be to glorify God by loving and serving others.
We should have a heart to see all people find salvation through Christ.

Expose

Light exposes things that are in darkness.
Don't take this verse as an excuse to point out and judge the actions of others.

Remember we are walking in the light of the Lord.
If we are walking properly in it, His light will expose dark deeds by comparison.
If we are not walking in his life, we blend in to the darkness.

All Things Become Visible

Eventually, when Christ returns, no one will be able to hide their evil actions anymore.

Awake, Sleeper

People (for the most part) sleep when it is dark.
Without Christ, we were spiriually dead.
Our life was a shadow, an illusion, a dream.
Now, in Christ, the sun (the Son) has risen we are awake and alive.

Be Careful

Walk with care.
Stay in the light.
Stay out of the darkness.
If you find yourself in darkness, go back to the light.

Unwise/Wise

The saying goes, "Knowledge is power."
Knowledge is not power.
Wisdom is power.
Knowledge is information.
Widom is knowing how to use the information we have.
Many people "know" things, but don't know what to do with it.

Making the Most of/Redeeming the Time

Redeem means "to buy back".

Outside of Christ, our lives have no meaning.
God can use the sinful deeds of the lost for His benefit.
Those deeds have no power to save a person from Hell.

But Christ paid the price for us.
He redeemed us.
He bought us. (1 Corinthians 7:23)
Christ gives new worth to our worthless lives.
We can use our sinful past to show our new lives.

Understand the Will of the Lord

Verse 5:10 says to learn what pleases the Lord.
Learning something is a process
Watch. Learn. Practice.
Correct. Learn. Practice.
Then we have to do it ourselves.
We do it. We think about it. We make mistakes. We do it again.
Eventually we don't need to think.
We do it automatically.
We have learned it.
We understand.

Drunk with Wine/Filled with the Spirit

Paul contrasts being filled with Spirit with getting drunk.
What happens when one gets drunk.

One drinks to increase pleasure or reduce pain in one's lives.
One go to where the alcohol is.
The more one takes in, the more one gives up control of one's life.
One's mind alters.
One's feelings ore overridden.
One's restraints are lessened.
One frequently becomes bold.
One talks differently.
One acts differently.
Often one says and does what one would not normally say and do.
It is called being "under the influence".

Continue this list on your own.
Apply these physical symptoms of drinking to being filled with the Spirit
The difference between the two is that the effects of alcohol are temporary and harmful.

Speaking in Psalms, Hymns, and Songs

This is not saying that we need to be singing all the time.
These musical terms come as direct result of the the Spirit filling us.
With the comparison to drinking wine, I envision an "Irish drinking song":
Times of joy and fellowship without care of the world around us.

There are no strict definitions for these terms, but they are songs that glorify God and build up others.

Making Melody with Your Heart

This singing is not always physical (though it often is).

Giving Thanks For All Things

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "In every thing give thanks" (KJV)
I have heard teaching about this verse that if we encounter bad circumstances, we can thank God in those situations, but we are not to thank Him for them.

Ephesians 5:20 says otherwise.
This says we are to give thanks for all things.
Not all good things, but all things.

The book of Job, chapters 1 and 2 teach us that our lifes can not be influenced in any way, positively or negatively, without God's permission.

God is on His throne.
He has no intention of getting off of it.

The flood came.
God was in charge.
The Holocaust occurred.
God was still sovereign.
The towers fell.
God allowed it to happen.
Katrina hit.
God is Lord of all.

Thank you God.

The Name of Our Lord

People argue over what the true names of God and Jesus Christ are.
How can we pray, baptize, or thank in his name, if we don't know what it truly is.

A name means more than a person's title.
It is a person's reputaion and authority as well.