A friend and I have been reading the book of Ephesians together.
For over a year.
We go down a lot of rabbit trails during our time together, but when we zero in on Ephesians, the rewards are rich indeed.
Spending that much time on that short a book, however, also raises some questions.
In fact, I have a whole lot of them that I would like to ask Paul himself.
So here goes (and you may want to add some yourself):
How can I learn to pray like you did in Chapter One and again in Chapter Three?
Did you memorize what you wrote and preach it that way to the church? Or did you preach it first and then wrote it down?
Just how dead are we in trespasses and sins? A little dead? Or dead dead? Mr. Calvin keeps harassing me on that one.
Does it frustrate you that people think this book is all about the salvation of souls when it’s actually about the creation of a new community?
Do you find all those sermons on “The Armor Of God” as repetitive as I do?
What did it taste like when you first ate a ham sandwich with your Gentile friends in Ephesus?
Being the good Wesleyan you are, did you have to use that word “predestined” so many times?
What does someone look like who is filled to the measure of all the fullness of God?
4:29. Really? Are you sure?
Could you not have been a little more emphatic on the whole slavery thing?
What did it sound like when you prayed in the Spirit?
Were you mutually submissive yourself? Before you answer, could you check with Barnabas and see how he would answer that? Talk to Peter, too, while you’re at it.