Made New: An Ephesians Book StudySample

A couple of Christmases ago, I thought my son would love having an electric scooter. When we walked around the neighborhood, he often rode on this regular Razor scooter, so wouldn’t a powered one be even better?! I could just see him having a great time zipping around the neighborhood. So after we opened the Christmas presents and charged the scooter for a bit, we took it for a spin.

For a while, we couldn’t do it. He just pushed it like his regular scooter, and we couldn’t figure out how to get the motor going. I kept telling him to push the button all the way down. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, the power kicked in. It didn’t ease in because I told him to push the pedal all the way down, so he was going full-throttle with no control. I was running after him as he kept flying down the street until he finally let go, and everything came to a crashing stop. We didn’t understand the power of the scooter.

Paul describes the power working in Christ so we can see how it might also work in us. That power is greater than any other power or authority in this world. No person, circumstance, law, government, or other god can stop this power (v. 21). The power of God is not limited to someday in eternity. It’s also not constricted to the past or the present. It is at work now and forever. It continues to work through Christ and us, the Church. Since that traumatic Christmas day, the scooter has sat uncharged, sadly collecting dust. I just saw it the other day and contemplated getting rid of it, but I’m not ready to give up. I still think it could be fun, especially now that we know how to use the power. The same could be true for each of us with the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 1 of Ephesians concludes with Paul discussing the power that fills Christians. He makes a bold and wondrous statement. Believers are filled with the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him on a heavenly throne next to the Father (v. 20). Do you know that? Do you believe that? Do you live that? In the rest of his letter, Paul will talk about how we live out this journey of faith, but it’s only possible because of the power of the Holy Spirit working in us and through us.

Response
1. Why do you think Paul emphasizes the power of God at work now and into eternity?

2. How does it help you to know that the same power within you is the power that raised Jesus from the dead?

3. Write a prayer asking God to help you use the power you have been given to advance His purposes.

Weekly Memory Verse
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight."
Ephesians 1:3-4

Written by Jake Musselman