Class Lesson for May 10, 2026

 Series: Fully Alive - A Study of Ephesians

Sermon Recap

Ephesians 4:1–16 calls us to live in a way that reflects the calling we have received in Christ. This means walking in humility, guarding unity, and using the gifts God has given us to build up the church. We are not saved to sit on the sidelines, but to grow into maturity and help others do the same. When each person plays their part, the body of Christ becomes stronger, more unified, and a clearer picture of Jesus to the world.

 

Ephesians 4:1-16

Unity in the Body of Christ

[1] I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, [2] with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, [3] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. [7] But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. [8] Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.’ [9] (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? [10] He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) [11] And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Ephesians 4:1-16.

 

 

Closing Thoughts

Ephesians 4 shows us that when the body of Christ is healthy (marked by humility, love, and truth) it reflects Jesus in a powerful way. As a group, this means we commit to protecting unity, using our gifts to serve one another, and helping each other grow in Christ. We don’t compete or compare; we contribute. And as each person plays their part, the group becomes a place where people are equipped, encouraged, and sent out to live on mission, showing the world what it looks like to follow Jesus together.

END

Teacher Notes:

Faith That Shows Up in Relationships

Ephesians 4:1–16

Why is the marriage relationship such an important example for all other relationships - especially the church?

The marriage relationship is such an important example because it is one of the clearest places where people learn what it truly means to live in lasting unity with another person.

 

In marriage, two different people — with different personalities, habits, expectations, and weaknesses — must learn to:

• love consistently
• forgive repeatedly
• communicate honestly
• sacrifice selfishness
• grow through difficulty
• remain committed over time

And those are the exact kinds of relational qualities Paul the Apostle emphasizes in Ephesians 4 when describing life in the church.

 

Marriage exposes something very quickly, and that is Unity is not maintained by feelings alone. It requires humility, patience, grace, endurance and truth spoken in love. Without those things, relationships will slowly fracture.

 

That’s why marriage becomes such a meaningful illustration for the church — because the church is also made up of imperfect people learning how to live together in love.

 

Paul describes the church as one body - joined together - growing together – and building itself up in love. That language is deeply relational. The church is not simply an organization that shares beliefs. It is a community of people learning to live under Christ together.

And marriage provides one of the clearest human pictures of:

• commitment over convenience
• unity without sameness
• growth through struggle
• love that matures with time

 

In Ephesians 4, Paul says believers must:

• bear with one another
• preserve unity
• speak truth in love
• grow into maturity together

Those same principles are essential in marriage.  

 

Later in Ephesians (chapter 5), Paul actually connects marriage directly to Christ and the church.

 

Marriage is such a powerful example because it teaches two people how to grow together in humility, patience, forgiveness, and love — and those are the same qualities Paul says are necessary for unity in the church.

Ephesians 4:1-3

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Which of these — humility, gentleness, patience, or bearing with others — do you think is most needed in church relationships today?

What does it look like in real life to “bear with one another in love” when someone is difficult?

Sometimes it means:

• listening when someone repeats themselves
• showing kindness when a person is short-tempered
• refusing to respond harshly in the heat of frustration

Not because the behavior is easy…but because love chooses restraint.

Sometimes it means: Seeing the Person Beyond the Problem

Difficult people often carry wounds, fears, loneliness, grief, and habits formed over years.

Bearing with someone means refusing to reduce them to their most frustrating trait.

It always should mean: Remembering How Patient God Has Been with Us

One of the deepest motivations for patience with others is remembering God’s patience toward us.

We all fail, struggle, require forgiveness repeatedly, and yet God continues loving us faithfully. That changes how we respond to difficult people.

 

Bearing with one another in love means choosing patience, grace, and commitment even when relationships become difficult.

Ephesians 4:4-10

There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, it says, “When He ascended on high, He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.’ (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 

This unity is not something we create — it already exists because of Christ. But it is something we are called to protect.

How can we actively “guard” unity in the church rather than unintentionally harm it?

 

We Choose Humility Over Pride

Most division begins when:

• people must have the last word
• preferences become demands
• being right matters more than relationships

Humility says, “I may not always see everything clearly.” It leaves room for grace and understanding.

 

We Refuse Gossip and Careless Speech

Few things damage unity faster than words.

Churches are often harmed more by whispered criticism, assumptions, sarcasm, and unresolved resentment than by major doctrinal disagreements.

That’s why Paul later says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths…”

Guarding unity means asking Does this conversation heal or divide?

Am I building someone up or tearing them down?

We Remember What We Share

Paul reminds believers we share one Lord - one faith - one body – and one Spirit. That means our spiritual connection is deeper than personalities, politics, preferences, and generations.

Unity grows when we focus more on what unites us in Christ than what separates us personally.

 

We Value People More Than Preferences

Sometimes unity is harmed when:

• traditions become more important than people
• opinions become more important than love
• Mature believers learn not every preference is worth division.

 

We Pray for One Another

It is difficult to stay bitter toward people we consistently pray for.

Prayer softens pride, frustration, resentment, and reminds us we are all dependent on God’s grace.

 

One reason George McLintock quickly defended his wife is because he understood something important - relationships are damaged when people stop protecting one another’s dignity.

That’s also true in the church.

Unity is guarded when believers:

• protect rather than attack
• restore rather than shame
• build up rather than tear down

We guard unity when we choose humility, careful words, forgiveness, and love over pride, criticism, and division.

Guarding Unity Requires Intention

• Choosing peace over being right
• Listening before reacting
• Extending patience when it’s undeserved

 

Unity doesn’t mean we always agree — but it does mean we choose love as the higher priority.  

Ephesians 4:11-16

And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. 

What does it look like to “speak the truth in love” in real, everyday situations?

 

It means: Correcting Without Condemning

Instead of embarrassing or attacking someone, you speak honestly with gentleness and respect.

For example:

• A parent guiding an adult child without shaming them
• A friend expressing concern without sounding superior
• A church member addressing an issue privately rather than gossiping publicly

Truth says:

This needs to be addressed.

Love says:

I care about you while I address it.

 

It means: Refusing Gossip

Sometimes “speaking the truth in love” means refusing to join negative conversations about others.

Instead of:

• exaggerating faults
• tearing someone down
• speaking carelessly

You choose words that are honest but still protect dignity.

 

 

It means: Being Honest Instead of Avoiding

Love is not pretending problems do not exist. Sometimes speaking truth in love means having difficult conversations:

• apologizing sincerely
• confronting harmful behavior
• admitting hurt honestly
• setting healthy boundaries graciously

Real love does not avoid truth. It handles truth carefully.

 

It means: Choosing Tone as Well as Words

Two people can say the exact same truth:

• one heals
• the other wounds

Speaking truth in love means:

• timing matters
• tone matters
• attitude matters

Paul’s words about humility, gentleness, and patience - all shape how truth should be spoken.

 

Speaking the truth in love means caring more about helping someone grow than simply proving yourself right. 

In the movie clip, John Wayne speaks wisdom into the life of his daughter – because he loves her and wants her to mature.

He says, “Because all the gold in the United States Treasury, and all the harp music in heaven can’t equal what happens between a man and a woman and all that growing together.”

 

This is exactly the kind of influence Paul is talking about…

Helping one another grow and mature.

So, this week be thinking about…

Who in your life could be strengthened by what God has taught you?

The real measure of our faith isn’t just what we know…but how we live with the people God has placed around us: in our homes, in our families, and in our church.

 

A life that is truly ‘worthy of the calling’…is a life where faith shows up in relationships.

Class Lesson for May 3, 2026

Series: Fully Alive - A Study of Ephesians

Sermon Recap

Ephesians 3:14–21 shows us that spiritual growth happens from the inside out. Paul prays that we would be strengthened by the Spirit, rooted in Christ’s love, and filled with the fullness of God. This is not about doing more, but about experiencing more of Him. Because God can do far more than we can ask or imagine, we can live with confidence, knowing His power is at work within us for His glory.

 

 

Ephesians 3:14-21

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

[14] For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, [16] that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, [18] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, [19] and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. [20] Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, [21] to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Ephesians 3:14-21.

 

 

Closing Thoughts

Ephesians 3 reminds us that we cannot give away what we have not first experienced. As the Spirit strengthens us and Christ dwells in us, His love begins to overflow into the lives of others. As a group, this means we pursue depth with God together, pray for one another’s spiritual growth, and step into opportunities to reflect Christ’s love in tangible ways. Mission is not driven by pressure, but by overflow. The more we are filled with God’s presence, the more we naturally point others to Him through our words, actions, and relationships.

END

Teacher Notes:

There comes a point in our life when we begin to realize something very important. Not everything that matters

can be seen.

 

The most meaningful things often happen

beneath the surface.

 

From the outside, our life may look ordinary.

But underneath, God may be doing something extraordinary.

Several years ago, a man in his late 70’s took his grandson to see the home where he grew up. It wasn’t an impressive house. The paint had faded, the porch sagged, and the rooms felt a lot smaller than he remembered them being.

But as they stood there, the grandfather said, “This house is still standing because of what you can’t see.” He went on to explain that when his father built this house, he spent more time on the foundation of the home than anything else. Long before the walls went up… before the roof was added… there were weeks of digging, pouring, and reinforcing — work that no one would ever notice. And over the years, that house endured many storms, changing seasons, and just years of wear and tear. There were other houses that had been updated or replaced. But this house remained just like it was.

How come?... the grandson asked, and the grandfather said,

“because of the strength beneath the surface.”

 

He went on to say, “People admire what they can see — but what holds you up is what’s been built deep inside you.”

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Does any phrase stand out to you personally as you 

hear Paul’s prayer?

Ephesians 3:14-15

For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

Why is kneeling so important to our prayer life?

Kneeling itself isn’t what makes a prayer effective — but it often reveals and shapes something deeper that does matter.

It Reflects Humility

When we kneel, we are physically lowering ourselves. That posture mirrors a spiritual reality: We are not in control — God is.

Throughout Scripture, kneeling is often connected to reverence and surrender. Even Apostle Paul — a spiritual giant — chose to kneel. Not because he had to, but because he understood who God is.

It Positions the Heart, Not Just the Body

Our bodies and hearts are more connected than we realize. Kneeling can quiet distractions, slow us down, and move us from casual conversation to intentional communion with God.

It’s a way of saying, “This moment matters.”

 

It Teaches Dependence

There’s something about kneeling that reminds us: We come to God not as achievers — but as receivers. In a world that values independence, kneeling pushes us in the opposite direction: toward reliance on God’s strength, not our own.

 

It Aligns Us with Worship, Not Just Requests

Prayer is not just about asking — it’s about honoring. Kneeling shifts prayer from: “God, help me with this…” to “God, You are worthy.” It centers us on who God is before what we need.

Kneeling is not required for God

to hear you.

 

You can pray driving, walking or sitting, but kneeling is a powerful practice because it helps your heart catch up with what your mind already knows.

As you look back over your life, how has

your dependence on God

changed?

Ephesians 3:16-17a

 

…that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…

Where have you seen God strengthen you

internally, even when circumstances

didn’t change?

As the Spirit strengthens us - Christ begins to fully dwell

in our hearts.

Not as a guest and not visiting us occasionally.

But at home

continually shaping our thoughts, our responses,

and our desires.

This isn’t about perfection — it’s about access.

Christ doesn’t become “at home” because everything is in order.

He becomes at home because you’ve given Him full access to every part of your life.

Ephesians 3:17b-19

 

 — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

 Paul prays that believers would grasp the full love of Christ.

These aren’t new believers — they are mature ones.

So, no matter how long you’ve followed Jesus, there is

still more of His love to discover.

Paul describes it as breadth, length, height, and depth.

In other words — it has no end.

And yet, it’s not just something we understand.

It’s something we live in.

Can you share a time when the love of Christ became especially real to you?

Ephesians 3:20-21

 

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  

Later in life, it’s easy to think that God has already done His work in us or that our most impactful days are

behind us.

But Paul reminds us that God is still at work within us. 

Even now – your prayers matter, your faith matters,

and your influence matters.

Years later, that same grandson returned to where the house used to be — now a grown man with two children of his own. The house was gone. Time had simply taken it away. But something else remained. There was a large tree that stood in the yard. His grandfather had planted it the same year that the house was built. Back then, it was small and overlooked. But now it was tall, and strong — its roots were deep, and its branches were wide. So, on that day, he sat beneath that tree with his own children. And he told them about their great-grandfather — the man who built the house, planted the tree, and lived a very quiet life of faith. Then he said, “The house may be gone… but what was planted here still lives on.”

This is what God is doing in each of us.

He’s not building something for now; He’s planting something that will outlast us.

The foundation that God builds in you will become the legacy that others will live in.

Click Play to Listen

Just like a home has a “feel” to it, a life does too.

When Christ is at home in you:

• there’s a quiet steadiness
• a deeper patience
• and a noticeable love

People may not always be able to explain it — but they can sense it.