Bible Journaling: Book of Ephesians

In this letter to the Ephesians we see how the Gospel story impacts, transforms, and brings to life our own life stories. Paul wrote this letter from jail, yet it is filled with worship, gratitude, and hope - what does that say about the Gospel?

For a broader view of this book of the Bible, we encourage you to watch this video:

Bible journaling tip:

Sometimes the best thing you can do for creativity is to change your scene. Have you ever seen an artist who took their easel into public - by the beach or on a busy street? We need to do the same when we read the Bible. Break the box a little… If you always read the Bible in your bed, go sit in the garden. If you always read at a coffee shop, read it in the bus. Where is one place where you can take your Bible-reading this week? It will definitely prompt a different kind of journaling response.

LOOK UP(information): encounter God through the Scripture 

Author:

This letter was written while Paul was in jail. Can you find any evidence in the words he wrote that points to this? Imagine writing a letter from jail, how do you think that impacted his outlook?

Audience:

Paul was a missionary in Ephesus for two years a few years prior to writing this letter. You can read about this time in Acts 19. Ephesus was a big city with a lot of worship towards Greek and Roman gods. We need to remind ourselves that the letters in the Bible were written with specific audiences in mind. If you were to tell the following people about your day, would you use different words and metaphors? - a 6 year old boy - your grandmother - a doctor

History:

So we have seen from the beginning of Genesis that God created the world; people were far from God; God promised to draw people near to Him; God repeatedly shows up for people but they still cannot stay true to Him; God sends Jesus who is nothing like what was expected; and now the disciples and this new believer named Paul is telling us about their experiences as the first “Christians” to ever use that title. 

Where does Ephesians fit into the picture? Ephesians is about forming habits that can help the believer live a life that is worthy of the title “Christian” which means to be like Christ. 

Genre:

Ephesians is an epistle, like all the other letters that Paul wrote. Can you find 5 unique things about this book? Think about the questions where, when, why, who, and what as a guide…

LOOK IN(revelation): contemplate / reflect on our own lives

Key verse:

Ephesians 2:8 NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith 

– and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 

Inspiration:

We need to remind ourselves that we did not earn salvation. It was a free gift from God. Have you forgotten what Jesus saved you from? On the other hand, sometimes we think we need to keep earning our salvation - like paying monthly rent for accommodation. We are being deceived if we believe that there are things that we can do to twist God’s arm into saving us. Have you fallen into this trap of trying to be a good enough Christian? However, the Bible is clear that God rewards those who walks in His ways and who loves Him sincerely. Have you experienced God’s delight over you?

LOOK OUT(transformation): respond with creative worship action  

Drawing prompt:

Paul speaks about the gifts of the Spirit in this letter and he describes how there is one Spirit but many gifts. For today’s drawing prompt we will illustrate this principle. You can draw anything that starts as one but then splits into many, like a river or a tree or anything else. One each “branch” write one of the spiritual gifts, and on the “trunk” write the words ‘There is one Spirit’. You can keep this picture in your Bible as a reminder of what this metaphor practically looks like. 

Bible Journey with JournalOwl:

Here are some questions / prompts provided by the JournalOwl community. 

• What three words does this chapter open with? (Ephesians 3:1)
• How did Paul come to understand this mystery? (Ephesians 3:3)
• How is this “mystery” now defined? (Ephesians 3:6)

Follow this link to dive into this book with an online Bible Study group.

Writing prompt:

The book of Ephesians clearly focuses on the Gospel story and then on our story. For today’s writing prompt, we are going to use a single sheet of paper. On the one side write “The Gospel story” and on the other write “____’s story” (insert your name). The Gospel story becomes a lens through which we view our own stories.

See if you can write both stories in a short 5-point bulleted list. And then also try to elaborate on that list by writing in paragraph form. It’s a good idea to use similar wording in both stories to clearly show where you are aligning them. 

Prayer:

God, I want to thank you for the book of Ephesians. Help me to remember that I was saved by grace, through faith and that my salvation is a free gift from you. Let my response to this text be worship unto you!