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Di sc i pl e for Li f e

Ephesians

You r I de n t i t y i n Ch r i s t

Tony Merida

LifeWay Press? Nashville, Tennessee

Published by LifeWay Press? ? ? 2016 Tony Merida

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to LifeWay Press?; One LifeWay Plaza; Nashville, TN 37234-0152.

ISBN 978-1-4300-6552-4 ? Item 005792212

Dewey decimal classification: 227.5 Subject headings: BIBLE. N.T. EPHESIANS \ CHRISTIAN LIFE \ DISCIPLESHIP

Unless indicated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version? (ESV?), copyright ? 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. . Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION?. Copyright ? 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

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Printed in the United States of America

Groups Ministry Publishing ? LifeWay Resources ? One LifeWay Plaza ? Nashville, TN 37234-0152

Contents

About the Authors4 Introduction 5 How to Use This Study6 The HEAR Journaling Method for Reading Scripture8 Week 1: The Struggle in Ephesus 12 Week 2: New Life in Christ 30 Week 3: New Life in Community 48 Week 4: Pursuing Unity in Christ 66 Week 5: Pursuing Holiness in Christ 84 Week 6: Be Strong in Christ 102 Leader Guide 120 Tips for Leading a Small Group 132 Group Information 135

Ephesians

About the Authors

Tony Merida is the founding pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. He also serves as an associate professor of preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He's the author of several books, including Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down. Ben Reed adapted Tony Merida's study of the Book of Ephesians for small groups. Ben is the lead small-groups pastor at the Lake Forest campus of Saddleback Church in Orange County, California. Having led small-group ministries at a variety of different churches, he thrives on building healthy, biblical, authentic, life-changing communities.

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Introduction

Most of us think we searched for and found our identity during our teenage or college years. But in reality many of us are still trying to find it. When we don't get the promotion at work, we spiral into an emotional wasteland. When our pants fit a little more snugly than they used to, we freak out. When someone questions whether the talent we're reputed to be good at is truly good, we're shaken to our core.

The Book of Ephesians has an abundance of wisdom to share with us that will reveal where our identity should be anchored. When we anchor our identity in Christ, the shifting winds of change that inevitably happen in life won't sink our ship.

Over the next six weeks we'll look at these topics from Ephesians:

1. "The Struggle in Ephesus": where our identity is centered 2. "New Life in Christ": our identity reconciled with God 3. "New Life in Community": our identity reconciled with people 4. "Pursuing Unity in Christ": our identity unified in the local church 5. "P ursuing Holiness in Christ": how our identity shapes our behavior 6. "Be Strong in Christ": the war against our identity

My prayer is that everyone will dig deeply into the truths of Scripture as we pursue honesty with ourselves and our small groups. The more we're vulnerable with our weaknesses, the closer and safer our groups will become. The closer and safer our groups become, the healthier we'll become, and the more we'll begin living in the freedom and strength of our identity in Christ.

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