Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview:

The main idea of this week’s sermon was: We need God’s power to understand God’s love so that we might glorify God by being fully mature

Digging Deeper:

1. As part of Paul’s ministry to the church in Ephesus, he prays for them. Prayer for others is ministry. Do you agree or disagree? Please explain / support your answer. Why do you think we can sometimes feel as though the “real work” of ministry is something other than praying for people?

2. We know that we can boldly go to God with confidence (cf. 3:12). Paul models this boldness and confidence in his prayer. For us, what might approaching the throne of grace with “boldness” look like? What sort of “bold” prayers might your Father in heaven delight to hear from you (that you are not bringing to him at this time)?

3. One of Paul’s requests to God for these believers is that they would be "strengthened with power through his Spirit in (their) inner being” (See Rom 7:22 and 2 Cor. 4:16 for just a couple of reasons why we need to be strengthened daily with God’s power in our inner being.). What might this look like? Is this something you pray for yourself and for those around you? Why or why not? What might be the effect of making this prayer a regular habit?

4. Paul’s desire is for Christ’s (continual, ongoing) presence in the hearts of these believers, through faith (3:17a). How should we understand the relationship between trusting Christ and his presence in our lives?

5. Paul’s prayer to God is that he would enable the Ephesian believers to grasp the love of Christ for them. Look back over Ephesians 1:1-3:13. Where / how is God’s love for us revealed?

6. How is the love of God for us most clearly revealed in and through the Gospel (cf. Rom. 5:8, Jn 3:16)?

7. One of the effects, according to 3:19b, of grasping the love of Christ is that we will be “filled with all the fullness of God.” How did the sermon help us understand what is meant here? Have you seen this connection in your own life (or in the lives of those around you), between grasping / internalizing God’s love and growing in maturity? Please share.

8. In v. 20, we are reminded that our God (the one to whom we pray), is "able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.” How might keeping this in mind (and believing it with all our hearts), affect the way we pray?

9. Is there something in your life currently that feels (if you are honest), too big for God? What might it look like for you to pray more earnestly and more regularly about this issue (and invite others to do the same)?

Prayer: