DISCOVERY QUESTIONS

Series: Becoming Who We Are
Passage: Ephesians 2:11-22
Main Idea: The church is where different groups learn to thrive together for the sake of Christ.

Download PDF VersionLeader Guide

GROUP DISCUSSION

Lean In

Share a story in your life of when a negative first impression of someone turned out to be wrong. What did you learn from that experience?

Look Down

1. Read Ephesians 2:11-12. According to Paul, who were the Gentiles in relation to the Jewish people before they put their faith in Jesus? List as many things as you can find.

2. Read Ephesians 2:13-18. What did Jesus do for both the Jews and Gentiles?

3. Read Ephesians 2:19-22. What are the Jews and Gentiles now because of Christ Jesus?

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Look Out

This passage is primarily about the forming of the Church: how through Jesus Christ two groups that were formerly hostile to each other (Jews and Gentiles), are now joined together because of Jesus. It’s with that in mind that we ask the following questions:

1. What challenges often arise when separate and different groups of people come together to form one group? (Think people from different ethnicities, people with different political backgrounds, old and young people, people with different religious backgrounds etc.) Why do you think those challenges are present? [Question adapted from NT Wright, Ephesians.]

2. What benefits arise when two different groups of people who used to be separate come together and learn to exist together?

3. How have you seen a Christian’s ability to welcome, accept and love people of a different background cause Christ to stand out?

Look In

1. What do you think may keep you from reaching out to try to form a relationship with people who might be very different from you, even in the church?

2. How in your life have you been positively impacted as a result of learning from someone very different from you?

3. Who in your life may God be encouraging you to connect with this week who might be very different from you? How can you take a next step to help connect with them? What would get in the way of doing this, and how can you move past it?

Live It Out

The portrait of the church that we’re given in Ephesians 2:11-22, is a church that’s at its best when different people groups can learn to live together for the mission of Jesus Christ. How can your group be a place where anyone—even people very different from you—can feel encouraged and welcomed? What would it take for you to become this type of group? What fears do you experience in considering this? Hold an open and honest discussion about the idea of becoming a group more “open” to others.

When you finish discussing, close in prayer by asking God to reveal His heart for your group in this area.

LEADER GUIDE

Lean In

Purpose: Introduce topic and get everyone talking.

Share a story in your life of when a negative first impression of someone turned out to be wrong. What did you learn from that experience?

This is a “lighter” question intended to get the conversation going.

Look Down

Purpose: Observe the passage and interact with the text

1. Read Ephesians 2:11-12. According to Paul, who were the Gentiles in relation to the Jewish people before they put their faith in Jesus? List as many things as you can find.

2. Read Ephesians 2:13-18. What did Jesus do for both the Jews and Gentiles?

3. Read Ephesians 2:19-22. What are the Jews and Gentiles now because of Christ Jesus?

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

This passage is all about the formation of the Church as the people of God. Prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Jewish people were the chosen people of God. Anybody who wanted to become a part of God’s family, therefore had to become Jewish first. Through Jesus Christ, God now makes it possible for anybody to be part of the people of God–now all that’s required is trusting. This was a watershed moment in the plan of God. At best, Jews and Gentiles were not fond of each other in Paul’s day; at worst, they hated each other. But now, through the church and because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jews and Gentiles are to exist together as one group of people–a “new humanity” (v. 15). Thus two groups of people formerly hostile to each other come together as God’s people for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Our passage is broken down into three parts. In vv. 11-12 (part A), Paul makes it clear that before Jesus, the Gentiles were definitely not a people of God; they were “uncircumcised,” “separate from Christ,” “excluded from citizenship in Israel”; “foreigners to the covenants of promise” and therefore “without hope and without God.”

In vv. 13-18 (part B), Paul talks about what Jesus did. He became our “peace”; He united the two formerly disparate groups of people (the “dividing wall of hostility” in v. 14 refers to a literal wall that kept the Gentiles out of the temple in Jerusalem; only the Jews could go past this physical barrier to commune with God); He created a new humanity (the church); He reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to Christ; and He created access to God through the Holy Spirit.

In vv. 19-22, both the Jews and Gentiles are now fellow citizens of God’s people, members of God’s household, and part of a new temple for God’s Spirit that is being built through the hearts of those who follow after Jesus.

Look Out

Purpose: Connect observations in God’s Word with observations in our world today.

This passage is primarily about the forming of the Church: how through Jesus Christ two groups that were formerly hostile to each other (Jews and Gentiles), are now joined together because of Jesus. It’s with that in mind that we ask the following questions:

1. What challenges often arise when separate and different groups of people come together to form one group? (Think people from different ethnicities, people with different political backgrounds, old and young people, people with different religious backgrounds etc.) Why do you think those challenges are present? [Question adapted from NT Wright, Ephesians.]

2. What benefits arise when two different groups of people who used to be separate come together and learn to exist together?

3. How have you seen a Christian’s ability to welcome, accept and love people of a different background cause Christ to stand out?

For part A, quite simply it can be hard to relate to people who think differently, are from a different life stage than you, who look at circumstances / situations differently, etc. For some, it can even be scary to think of losing one’s identity or things that one holds dear when someone very different than you comes into a group. (As an example, people who love hymns in the church will struggle when younger people who like more contemporary music start filling the seats.)

For part B, there are two benefits especially that come to mind: first, there is always benefit in learning from someone who thinks differently than you–understanding different perspectives on an issue can lead to an ability to view something in a way that you never have before. Secondly, part of the heart of what we believe as Christians is that we are called to sacrifice for the sake of one another, displaying humility and love. It’s easy to love someone who’s just like you; it’s much harder to love someone who’s very different than you. And so when we learn to live with people who are different from us, we are sanctified for the sake of Jesus Christ!

Look In

Purpose: Internalize God’s Word and apply the truth to your personal life.

1. What do you think may keep you from reaching out to try to form a relationship with people who might be very different from you, even in the church?

2. How in your life have you been positively impacted as a result of learning from someone very different from you?

3. Who in your life may God be encouraging you to connect with this week who might be very different from you? How can you take a next step to help connect with them? What would get in the way of doing this, and how can you move past it?

For part A, make sure to create an open environment free from judging. For example, some people were raised to look down on those of a different ethnicity, socio-economic background, etc. Some of these views can be very deep-seated and hard to overcome, and we want people to be able to be honest in this part of the conversation.

For part C, move towards very tangible steps people can take, like “I should invite that person to lunch,” or “we should consider having their family over for dinner,” or “I should send them an email and let them know I’m praying for them,” etc.

Live It Out

Purpose: Imagine what your world would look like if the truths from the passage were lived out.

The portrait of the church that we’re given in Ephesians 2:11-22, is a church that’s at its best when different people groups can learn to live together for the mission of Jesus Christ. How can your group be a place where anyone—even people very different from you—can feel encouraged and welcomed? What would it take for you to become this type of group? What fears do you experience in considering this? Hold an open and honest discussion about the idea of becoming a group more “open” to others.

When you finish discussing, close in prayer by asking God to reveal His heart for your group in this area.

This has the potential to be a very sensitive conversation with a lot of feelings attached to it by many in the group. You don’t have to land on a decision tonight as to whether or not you want to invite other people into your group. But we do want a conversation to get started around this area. As the leader, be sensitive to the views and opinions of others. Never declare that any are “wrong” or “right.” Instead, allow for a very honest conversation.

Before you close, spend 5-10 minutes in prayer asking God’s voice to be heard in all of this. Ask people to journal as they ask the Lord to speak into this. Or, simply enter into a few minutes of silence to listen for his direction, conviction, and guidance. Debrief afterward and see how the Lord led the individuals during this time.

You may want to return to this conversation again in the future to see how and if views have changed over time.