Small Group Resources
Small Group Discussion Questions
November 1 - 7
Sermon Series: Remember Who You Are
Week 1: Ephesians 1
Ice Breaker if Needed
Should Daylight Savings Time or Standard Time be made permanent? Why?
Discussion Questions
- For six weeks, we will study the book of Ephesians. Who wrote Ephesians? Why should today's believers read and study letters from long ago? What do today's believers have in common with early church believers? Read the greeting in Ephesians 1:1-6. Who is "us"? As you read words of tremendous blessing, how do you typically react? What do you tell yourself and God when showered with the power of a blessed greeting?
- Take a few moments to identify and share what challenges you in these verses (Ephesians 1:1-6). What does it mean to be "predestined"? When did God learn about you? If God knew you'd be sitting where you are at this very moment, where does your free will fit in? Why or why isn't it important to wrap your mind around these questions? What fundamentally matters? Is our salvation through God's work or our response?
- Read the following verses about God's sovereignty: Ephesians 1:11; 1 Corinthians 1:28-29; Romans 9:15-16; Matthew 22:14. What is sovereignty? What words are repeated? What does it mean to be "chosen" by God?
- Read the following verses on free will: Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Matthew 11:28; John 1:7; 1 Timothy 2-3; Matthew 23:37. What is free will? Identify common words and threads running through these verses. What is the choice set before us? To whom do we come?
- Read 1 Peter 1-2. God chose us from outside time, before creation. We yield. What does it mean to yield? Can God make us yield? Does He want to?
- What happens when you move through life grasping you are chosen? What barriers prevent you from embracing your status as a chosen son or daughter of the Lord? Read Ephesians 1:7 and 1:13-14. What are you chosen for? When bad things happen, what happens to your status as chosen? When you mess up, what happens to your status as chosen?
- Read Ephesians 1:18-20. What assurance do you identify in these verses? What are the "eyes of your heart" and why might they be closed? How should you counter the accusations and lies of the enemy, who seeks to plant doubt in your heart? What can you do with questions like, "Am I alone?" Or, "Am I really loved?"