St Mary’s Woodford

Home Group Study Notes Ephesians 6: 10-24

Introduction These notes are meant to be your servant and not your master. The aim of your group meeting should be to understand God better, and to get to know one another better, through your study of the text and discussion.

Background This part of the letter has three sections:

• 6:10-17 spiritual warfare; Paul may have written this while under arrest, with a soldier nearby.

• 6:18-20 prayer for others, esp. Paul

• 6:21-24 final greetings

Starter activity Read the passage out loud. Take five minutes for each member to identify something puzzling, something encouraging, and something challenging…

Then share your findings, first the puzzles, then the encouragements, etc.

Issues and questions The activity overleaf may lead you into discussing any of these issues. Don’t try to tackle them all, but do cover those marked with *.

a) * v11 portrays evil as more than the absence of good, but as a hierarchy of powers. Is it helpful to imagine personal forces of evil such as the Devil and his helpers?

b) TRUTH - what is truth? How do we recognise it? How do we put it on? How do we protect ourselves from the untruth in the world?

c) * RIGHTEOUSNESS. Elsewhere Paul writes that God counts us righteous because of our faith (Rom 4:2-5); but he also encourages his readers to live righteous lives (Eph 4:1, Rom 6:18-19). Which is he writing about here?

d) * READINESS TO SHARE THE GOSPEL. What helps us to share the good news of God’s peace and love? Are we ready to use the opportunities that come our way? See also v19.

e) FAITH. What might the flaming arrows be? Doubt? Certainty?

f) SALVATION. While this comes from faith and righteousness, Paul is explicit about putting it on. Why does he choose the helmet to represent it? How does being confident of salvation affect the way we think about life? When has confidence of success helped you?

g) SWORD OF THE SPIRIT - identified as ‘the word of God’. The only offensive weapon in the kit! When did Jesus use ‘the word’ as a weapon? How can we? (Hebrews 4: 12 says that the word of God is sharper than a sword - but perhaps reflecting on the work of God’s word within ourselves.)

h) v18 encourages us to pray for ‘all the saints’ - who are they?

i) v21-24 What insights do we gain from these final verses?

Suggestions for prayer & worship One person could lead the group in prayer, naming and claiming each part of the armour in turn. Pray for one another, in silence or out loud. Read Psalm 121.

puzzle ?

encouragement J

challenge !