B2
Encourage members
C1
8 Men
D1
What does God want the Christian man to do?
D2
God wants men to pray, not fight and argue.
E1
Prayer is having fellowship with God.
E2
Can we understand this as having a cup of coffee with a good friend
to converse? That is fellowship, too.
E3
In prayer, we converse with God. Remember Adam and Eve.
F1
The principle of fellowship with God is in this verse. The creator
(Jesus) was not seeking them for punishment but coming for
fellowship: Genesis 3:8 NIV Then the man and his wife heard the
sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of
the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the
garden.
F2
1 John 1:3 NIV We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so
that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with
the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
F3
See also Genesis 5:22-24, Isaiah 57:15, John 14:23, Revelation
21:3-4, etc.
D3
God wants men to pray, not doubt.
F1
Faith is important. Faith is believing God. This does not mean it is
a guarantee that God will answer the way we wish, but that He does
listen. He is the Counselor of all counselors.
F2
Prayer is not just our asking for things. It is also telling Him our
joys, fears, concerns, problems, wonderful things that happened
today, etc.
C2
9-15 Women
D1
What does God want from Christian women?
D2
Women’s clothing.
E1
Appropriate dress. Many rich women (and men) dressed in very
expensive clothing meant to impress people.
E2
A quote: Sandra Glahn argues that in Greco-Roman society, braids,
gold, pearls and expensive clothes were a mark of affluence,
“associated with a person’s rank.”[1] This suggests that the
women of Ephesus were entangled with the love of money (3:3; 6:5-10)
and status, and this was evident in their arrogant attitudes and
ostentatious attire. Paul distinguished good works as the apparel of
those who worship God (2:10), in contrast to the ostentatious display
of rank and wealth associated with idolatry. [2] (The next article on
Artemis will provide explanation for Paul’s emphasis on apparel in
worship). [Source]
E3
What men and women wear should be appropriate to worship God in His
presence.
E4
These principles apply to men as well.
D3
Instead of investing in expensive clothes, etc., God wants women (and
men) to invest in doing good, doing good not for salvation but to
honor God.
E1
2 Peter 1:5-8 NIV For
this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to
self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to
godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if
you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you
from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
E2
There are spiritual works like preaching the Gospel, encouraging
other believers, praying for others, etc.
E3
There are practical works, too, like teaching, giving, helping a
neighbor, visiting widows, etc.
E4
We act, dress, talk as we believe in our heart.
D4
About teaching (I’ve spoken about this in another article, so to
summarize):
E1
Men
teach, women
teach, parents teach, pastors teach. We teach each other.
E2
Thus,
a dictator, someone with supreme authority who is not to be
questioned but obeyed.
E3
That TYPE of woman or man must not teach.
D5
Saved in childbirth. Please see this video Why
Women Must Learn in Quietness and Submission Xenophon of Ephesus and
1 Timothy 2 (Gary Hoag).
There is also a book Women
in Ephesus.
Applications:
B1
Pray
B2
Pray for leaders and everyone else but especially for our Christian
brothers and sisters.
B3
God wants all to be saved.
B4
Jesus is the ransom paid for all humans.
B5
Men are to pray and not argue and fight.
B6
We are not to have the love of money and flaunt our riches in the way
we dress.
B7
A dictator type woman must not teach.
Questions:
B1
Why should we pray?
B2
What attitude should we have in prayer?
B3
How do our clothes express our beliefs?
B4
Why does God want fellowship with people?
B5
Why should we want fellowship with God?
B6
How do we fellowship with God?
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