Bible ReadingEphesians 2:1-10 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
[03:23] [14:46] [15:03] [18:48] [26:07] [28:40]Acts 19:1-41 “And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ They said, ‘Into John's baptism.’ And Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all. And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.’ Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?’ And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, ‘After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’ And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, ‘Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.’ When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel. But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, ‘Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.’ And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.”
[04:29] [08:59]Acts 20:7-12 “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, ‘Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.’ And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.”
[11:31]Observation questions- In Ephesians 2:1-3, what words does Paul use to describe the human condition before grace, and what forces or influences does he say people were following? [18:48]
- In Acts 19, what details show that the gospel was disrupting life in Ephesus, especially for Demetrius and the idol makers? [08:59]
- In Ephesians 2:4-10, what actions belong to God, and what things does Paul say do not save us? [26:07]
- In Ephesians 2, what two groups are brought together, and what does Paul say Christ has done to the dividing wall between them? [36:54]
Interpretation questions- Paul says people were not merely weak but dead in trespasses and sins. Why does that difference matter for how salvation is understood? What kind of help does a dead person need? [18:02]
- Demetrius understood that if Jesus is Lord, idols lose their hold and their business. What does that scene reveal about how the gospel confronts false worship, not just private beliefs? [09:57]
- Paul says salvation is by grace through faith and not by works, and then immediately says believers are created for good works. How do those two truths fit together without contradicting each other? [28:40]
- Christ preached peace to those who were far off and peace to those who were near. Why is that especially important for people with spiritual background, church experience, or Bible knowledge? [40:10]
Application questions- The picture of redemption says, “You may feel used up, but God still says there is value there.” Where has life left a person feeling emptied out, ashamed, or beyond repair, and what would it look like to believe God still wants that person back? [02:53]
- Dead hearts need outside power. Where is there a temptation to keep trying harder in personal strength instead of honestly admitting, “I cannot fix this unless God gives life”? [17:02]
- Grace begins with “But God,” not with human performance. Where is someone most tempted to build confidence on being decent, religious, disciplined, or better than others instead of resting in mercy? [26:07]
- Good works do not earn salvation, but living faith does show up in real life. What fruit would give evidence that Christ is truly changing a person right now, not just in a past memory? [30:32]
- The phrase “those people” can uncover hidden pride or contempt. Who are the “those people” that are easiest to dismiss, avoid, or speak about harshly, and what would repentance look like there? [35:12]
- Some people were far off, and some were near, but both needed the same peace. If someone grew up around church, Scripture, or Christian family life, what false comforts might they be trusting instead of Christ himself? [41:31]
- Salvation happens in a moment, even though growth takes a lifetime. Has there been a clear moment of turning from sin and trusting Christ, or has faith mostly been borrowed from family, habit, or old religious experiences? [44:05]
