Ephesians - Instructions for StudyTo: Ephesians Main MenuTo: Grace Notes Home Page The following is a brief description of how the EPHESIANS course is arranged, along with some suggestions for study. Arrangement of Materials The first few lessons consist of introductory materials, subjects that I hope will help you in the study of EPHESIANS and give you some insight into the historical framework of the book. There are three lessons on Roman History. I have gleaned this material from a number of sources to give you an overview of the place of the events of the New Testament in history. This outline may also be valuable to you in studying other books of the Bible. In fact, I first compiled these notes in preparation for a study of TITUS. Each lesson deals with several verses of EPHESIANS. These lessons will contain definitions of words, discussions of the terminology and meaning of the concepts, and comments designed to direct your thinking and suggest applications. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A lesson may contain scripture references (parallel passages) which illustrate and clarify the concepts in EPHESIANS. These are very important and should be carefully studied as well. Each of the verse-by-verse lessons contains links to other files in the Grace Notes Library which are topical (categorical) or historical studies relevant to the verses covered in the lesson. For example, Lesson 1 covers Ephesians 1:1-3. In that lesson you will see links to files entitled PAUL, or APOSTLESHIP, or BLESSING, subjects which have great relevance to the study of those verses. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These lessons are designed so that you can study at your own pace. Don't be dismayed if things start piling up. You are building an archive that will be useful for many years to come. I suggest that you download all of the files and file the topical studies alphabetically. You can store them on disk, or in manila folders or a binder, for easy reference and future studies. Keep the EPHESIANS verse-by-verse studies in a separate folder (or binder), in verse order. You can use the topical studies again in the future when you study other books of the Bible, and if they are stored alphabetically, they will be easy to find. Grace Notes materials are not copyrighted, so you can copy them. You can even edit them, correct my errors, and add your own. :-) Studying the Verses This not an interactive course. You can take all the time you need to complete your study. If you file them carefully, they will be readily available when you can get to them. You may get busy and have to slow down your study pace or lay a lesson aside for a few days or longer. That is not a problem because there are no deadlines or examinations. Begin each study session with prayer. The Holy Spirit is your teacher, because these things are "spiritually discerned." In prayer you can re-establish fellowship with the Lord, if necessary, and renew your commitment to God and submission to His sovereignty. Read the passage to be studied in the Bible several times. Try to understand the ideas even before you have read any comments. Each word or phrase in the text has its own paragraph. Follow the discussion of each word. If there are other Bible passages mentioned, turn to them and read them, not only the verses but also the context. Try to see the connection between the parallel passages and the portion of EPHESIANS you are studying. Try to see what ideas are being amplified or illustrated. The Topical Studies If a Topic is called out, that means you are expected to study that file thoroughly. You don't have to drop everything to study it, but it should be studied at about the same time you study the verses. The topical study is supposed to give you a broad picture of what the whole Bible says about the word or concept. If you have studied that topic previously, you can do a quick review to see how it fits into the present context. And the next time you study a passage that is speaking about that topic, you'll have a head start. You grab your notes (they'll be in an alphabetical file, won't they), review them, and move on. Your are in the process of building a Christian "vocabulary", line upon line, precept upon precept. As you learn the categories, you will begin to correlate the ideas into a larger doctrinal frame of reference. Study the Bible as an expert would study a painting. Up close, the expert studies the brush strokes and how colors are applied. From a few steps back, or even several yards away, the whole painting can be seen. In Bible study, you have to examine the words and phrases, zooming in on the details of a verse. But you have to "step back" and view larger context by browsing throughout the Bible to derive as much understanding as possible about the principles and doctrines presented. The topical studies and parallel passages help you do that. If You Have Questions ... I am not trying to defend a theological position or persuade you to adopt my point of view. I think that the only effective persuasion is done by the Holy Spirit, in the mind of a person who is absorbing the actual Word of God. I want these lessons to present information that you can use to make reasoned judgments about God's plan for your life. To provide a place to talk over issues and questions, I've set up the "gracenotes" discussion list. This mailing list (Majordomo) is restricted to people who are registered are studying Grace Notes courses, and more than 400 people are subscribed to this interactive list. More will get online as time goes by. The mailing list is the place to ask questions and offer opinions about the EPHESIANS course. I will read the postings, and I may chime in with a comment once in a while. But there are many wise and gracious believers in this group, so I think that your questions will receive and great deal of consideration, and usually there will be better answers that I can provide. To subscribe to the mailing list, send a request to <majordomo@bga.com> The Lord bless you in your study of EPHESIANS. In Christ, Warren Warren Doud [ Grace Notes: Bible studies on the Internet ] 1705 Aggie Lane, Austin, Texas 78757 Phone: 512-458-8923 E-Mail: wdoud@bga.com |
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