Imagine the church of Ephesus trying to build unity among believers who came out of so many backgrounds :
- There were believers who came out of the idol worship culture. They had worshipped the goddess Artemis (Diana), the predominant god of the city of Ephesus. Others had worshipped gods and goddesses including Zeus, Apollo, Dionysius, Athena, and Cybele. They were now striving to be unified as one church body.
- There were believers who had previously held beliefs in magic or held folk beliefs. In Acts 19:13-20, Luke detailed the story of a man named Sceva who tried to add the name of Jesus to his ritual of exorcism, and the demon-possessed man attacked Sceva and his sons. This prompted great fear among those who held to these incantations and folk beliefs. They brought out their religious texts—which were valued at 50,000 pieces of silver—and burned them. They were now striving to be unified as one church body.
- There were believers who converted from Judaism. Approximately ten to twenty thousand Jews lived in Ephesus. Paul spoke for three months in a synagogue, and then moved to a lecture hall nearby when he met with opposition (Acts 19:8-9). They were now striving to be unified as one church body.
As you guide the group through the study of Ephesians 4:1-10, try to keep this context in mind. Lead your group to consider the context of the church as they study and how they should demonstrate the same unity.
Video Option
The following video could be used to start your conversation. It captures the 603-legged race described earlier.
By God’s grace we have been saved, and by God’s grace we walk together in unity. When we walk in unity, while serving through our unique giftedness, the lost world sees a picture of Christ that can’t be demonstrated any other way. They will look at us (your church) and wonder how this could ever be. We then can give them the answer: “It’s all because of Christ!"
Challenge your group to understand that they can help a lost world see a complete picture of Christ as they serve side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, with legs tied together!
Lead your group to consider the following:
If the unity and peace of our church were dependent upon your attitudes and behavior, how much unity and peace would we have? If the health of this body (church) were dependent on how you function within this body, how healthy would it be? What steps do you need to take to become more unified with other believers?
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