Made New: An Ephesians Book StudySample

Do you remember the iPod? My first iPod could store 300 songs, which was revolutionary then. I confess the music was not “church-appropriate” or something any fourteen-year-old should be listening to.

I’ll never forget when my Mom took my headphones and started listening to the music on my iPod. She was mortified and disappointed. She confiscated my iPod, forced me to spend time reading, and asked where she went wrong as my mother. To this day, we still laugh and joke about those tumultuous teenage years.

As an adult, I now know it was not best for my still-forming brain to listen to that music. The Bible points out that many things in the world are not best for us. This is why Paul says in verse 17, “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do...”

The world plays songs for us that usually sound like this: get more, take what’s yours, and you are in control. How’s that working for the world? People don’t seem more joyful, happy, or optimistic.

Paul reminds us, “That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ…” The way of Jesus is not something we just do on Sunday. It is an entirely different way of life. Paul speaks to our higher calling in verse 24, “Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

We were designed in God’s image. God has greater things for you than the small things we think will make us happy.

Honestly, whether it’s the content we consume, our goals, or things that make us feel good, the way of the world can be tempting. But God’s word is clear: We no longer live as the Gentiles did. We develop a new self and trust that God has better things for us.

It’s easy to hear that God’s ways are better, but believing it is another matter. Here’s a question for you: What if God is right? If you find yourself looking for something more, maybe God is trying to get your attention.

Response
1. Paul explains that we should not live as the world does. What are some areas in your life where Paul’s instruction is challenging for you?

2. The way of Jesus is a different way of living. Is there something in your life you need to let go of?

3. Sometimes, we can be hard on ourselves for not doing or being enough. At the end of the day, God does the work. Have a conversation with God about areas in your life you’d like to let go of and new areas you’d like to see spring up.

Weekly Memory Verse
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4:2-3

Written by Derek Beauchamp