Ephesians

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BACKGROUND

First some background about this epistle. Paul is writing this letter to the members of the Church in Ephesus, a city in modern day Turkey. Paul had lived in Ephesus for about two to three years and had established a branch of the church in that area. And we know from hints in the text that Paul is writing this letter from prison. But whether this is at the end his life when he’s imprisoned in Rome or some other time, is uncertain.

Now one of the unique things about this letter is that it’s tone is quite different from the other epistles that we’ve studied so far. In most of the other epistles, we see Paul sorting out problems and confronting dissensions within the church. In Ephesians, there’s not so much of that. Instead he uses this letter to expand their vision of the message of the gospel and the role of the church in their lives. So it’s much more instructive in tone than corrective. More uplifting and motivational in nature—which is one of the reasons why I love it so much.

ICEBREAKER

As I’ve studied the book of Ephesians, I’ve noticed a theme that seems to stand out to me more than any other. And to introduce that theme with an Icebreaker I like to do the following activity with my students. I give each student a small paper cup, you know like one of those small dixie bathroom cups. And I invite them to draw some kind of picture or symbol on that cup that represents them and have them bring it to me. Then the way I would approach the rest of the demonstration would depend on the size of my class. If it were a big class, I would gather all the cups together in a tightly arranged group, and then take a single cup and place it under a square board, large enough for me to stand on. Then I would step up onto the board, and most certainly, the one cup would smash under my weight. Then I would take that same board and place it on top of the bottoms of the group of cups representing the class. Then very carefully, I step up on to the board. And, hopefully, the cups will be able to hold all of my weight. And it sounds like it wouldn’t work, but trust me, I’ve done this before. But there has to be at least 20 to 30 students in the class to make this work. On the other hand, if my class were smaller, or if I was of more considerable heft, I might approach the demonstration differently. Perhaps I would grab a large weight from a weightlifting set and place that on top of the board instead. Certainly, the more cups you have, the more weight it can hold.

Then I ask my students: What’s the moral of the object lesson?

And to me, the lesson is Unity=Strength. We are much stronger together than we are alone. And how does that idea have to do with the gospel? I would argue that it has everything to do with the gospel. There’s a reason why Christ organized a Church while he was here on the earth. He didn’t JUST go around teaching people how to live better, more God-like lives, he called leaders, he instituted ordinances, he gathered people together for instruction. He intended and instructed his followers to get together frequently for conferences, meetings, and engagements. Why? Because there is strength in unity and community. Somebody might wonder though, why we need a church at all to live the gospel. Can’t I just live the principles of faith, you know, be kind, Christlike, and obedient to the commandments without all the hassle of organized religion? Why do I need to go to church every week and associate with people that I may or may not even like? My response to that attitude? YES! You bet we need the church. God did not mean for us to take this journey of life and discipleship alone. We need the gifts and strengths of others, and they need ours. We need the opportunities to serve and to be served that a church provides us with. It allows us to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees. We are far less likely to be deceived by the adversary and the world when we can get together and be taught one doctrine and one faith.

And to me, that is THE major message of Ephesians. UNITY. That’s the hook for the lesson. The gospel of Jesus Christ is all about bringing things together. Making things one.

SEARCH

So if you would, go ahead and open up your scriptures to the Book of Ephesians. And the first thing I want you to do is choose a representative color and make a little label somewhere on the first page of Ephesians that says UNITY. And then, everything you mark in Ephesians in that color is going to teach you something about unity. And what we’re going to do is cover these first four chapters with a different kind of activity for each all revolving around our theme.

Ephesians 1-Treat Challenge

For Ephesians chapter 1, we’re going to do a quick one. A treat challenge, or “Crack at a Snack” I sometimes call it. Whoever can find the answer first, wins a little treat. And the challenge is: Can you find the “Unity” verse in Ephesians chapter 1. You could pause the video now if you like to see if you can find it.

And did you find it? It’s verse 10 which says:

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Paul begins his epistle by giving us the big picture. Like a thesis statement or preamble, the major thrust of this epistle is going to be all about: bringing all things together in One. UNITY. And he tells us when that’s going to happen. And When will it happen? In the dispensation of the fullness of times. Well That’s our day! The latter-days. And the major work of this dispensation is to gather all things together in One in Christ. That includes gathering all truths, covenants, powers, scripture from previous dispensations and restoring them and unifying them in the latter-days. I mean just think of it. We have all the truths of the Old Testament Church, the New Testament Church, the Church in the Americas found in the Book of Mormon, and the latter-day Church at our fingertips all brought together in one. This unifying includes missionary work where we gather together the house of Israel from all corners of the globe. It includes temple work where we are unified as husbands and wives, and sealed together as families, and drawn together with other Saints. The temple is also the place where we unify ourselves with our ancestors, when the hearts of the children are turning to their fathers, and vice versa. And it includes the unity and oneness we all create with the Godhead as we strive to personally connect with them through prayer and striving to be like them. In this dispensation, our dispensation (which by the way is a fancy word for saying “a time period when the Lord reveals truth, and ordinances, and authority to people on the earth). In our dispensation, all things are being brought together into ONE. It IS the great work of the latter days.

Now that’s all I’m going to do with chapter 1 but know that there are some other great doctrinal principles in there such as foreordination, the Holy Spirit of Promise, and grace, but I’d like to stick with the theme of unity.

Ephesians 2-Dig And Draw

And chapter 2 is a big one for that theme. It’s one of the chapters that I would want to spend the majority of my time in. And the activity for this chapter is one that we’ve done a number of times before on this channel. It’s called Dig and Draw. I’m not going to go through the entire explanation on how this activity works but I’m going to direct you to a different video and link to it above here if you’re not familiar with it. Click on the link and then watch the video from time stamp 41:10- 43:38 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41hcZG0OUjw). For you as a teacher, I’m going to make a handout available that will have the different sections broken down for you with all of the questions in one place, and then cards you can cut out with the different draw words that you could use to show your students that are chosen as artists.

And I’ll go ahead and guide you through these questions now.

Section 1 (Ephesians 2:1-3)

The first section we’ll have our students read is verses 1-3. We’re going to start small and easy.

Here’s what they say:

1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Question #1: According to these verses, if we wish to be unified with Christ, we must first break ties with what or who?

Answer: And they could answer that in a number of different ways. We must break our ties with trespasses, with sin, with the children of disobedience, with Satan, with the desires of the flesh and mind, with the children of wrath. Any one of those answers would be acceptable. But the phrase that stands out to me most would be right there in verse 2. We must break our ties with the world—the course of this world. We can't be unified to both of two opposing forces. We must choose to bind ourselves with either one or the other. Either the world or Zion. We can’t bend the iron rod to run through the great and spacious building. Like Jesus taught us, “No man can serve two masters” and “A house divided against itself cannot stand”. Choosing one means rejecting the other. Unity with Christ should be our first and foremost priority.

Question #2: Fill in the blank. In these verses is an interesting title for Satan. If we wish to be unified with Christ, then we must break away from the prince of the power of the ___. What word goes in that blank?

Answer: The prince of the power of the air. Which is really interesting title for Satan. Why the air? Because there is no foundation to his kingdom, it’s a kingdom that will fall. Remember Lehi’s dream? The great and spacious building was set high in the air. It may look imposing and powerful, but there is no substance under it, nothing to prop it up. And what happens to a building with no foundation? It will fall, just like Satan’s kingdom, the world, will fall, and just like Nephi said, “and the fall thereof was exceedingly great.” Now interestingly enough, later in this chapter, Paul is going to talk about a different building later in this chapter. A building with a foundation.

And those are the only two questions for that section. Like I said, it’s a shorter one. So for this, only one DRAW word. And the word I would choose for this section is CONVERSATION. The person selected to draw needs to try and get the class to identify that word, but only by drawing pictures.

Section 2 (Ephesians 2:4-8)

Now we’re going to get a little more challenging. Have them read verses 4-8.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Question 1. What “unity” word showed up three different times in those verses?

Answer: The word is together. And you may want to point out these phrases and have them mark them in our unity color. He hath quickened us together with Christ. Hath raised us up together. Made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That’s got to be my favorite phrase in those verses. He has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places. I think of some of the heavenly places that I’ve been able to sit in with other Saints. I’ve felt the powers of heaven as I’ve sat in the ordinance rooms of the temple. I’ve been guided, instructed, and inspired by my fellowman in the pews of many a chapel. I’ve sat in awe in the presence of apostles and prophets with thousands of others in the general conference center, and I’ve felt the love and closeness of my earthly family as we have sat within the walls of my own home. Certainly, Christ has made me to sit together in many heavenly places.

Question #2. Name at least 2 blessings mentioned in these verses that are promised those that choose to be unified in Christ.

Answer: Well, there’s a lot. We have mercy, great love, we are quickened together with Christ (hinting at resurrection), grace, we can be saved, we get to sit together in heavenly places could be mentioned again, the exceeding riches of His grace, kindness toward us, grace again.

Question #3 Fill in the blank. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the _____ of God

Answer: it is the gift of God. God’s grace is a gift offered to those who choose to leave the world behind and unify themselves with Christ.

DRAW words for this section. There’s two.

TOGETHER

SAVED

Section 3 (Ephesians 2:12-22)

Now our third and final section of DIG and DRAW is going to be in verses 12-22. Which seems really big but we’re going to approach this section a little differently. Instead of having them read and close their scriptures, you’re going to have the read the section and then leave their scriptures open. Because the way they will earn points as a class will be to find as many unity words and phrases as they can. Any word or phrase that is associated with the theme of unity. There are 15 possible points in this section, and they have 3 minutes to find them.

I’m going to walk you through these together with just a little bit of commentary to help you understand what Paul is saying here.

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

First phrase: “being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel”. What’s a commonwealth? I looked it up for you. It’s “A shared loyalty or a group of people organized under a single government.” That’s a unity phrase. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we make up a commonwealth under our shared loyalty to Jesus Christ. And I also like to include the words “being aliens include with that phrase.” Now Paul isn’t using that word to describe little green men with big eyes. Aliens are those that are apart from the group, outside the borders of the commonwealth. My mother was Canadian by birth and for most of her life carried a green card since she married an American man and lived in the States. She was literally declared an alien. A legal alien. I always thought it was funny to tell my friends that my Mom was an alien. But what that meant was that she was in some way outside of the group. A foreigner. Not a citizen of the country. And one of the restrictions she had is that she couldn’t vote in federal elections. But when it comes to the Church, or the commonwealth of Israel, Christ doesn’t box anybody out, his borders are open to all those who wish to enter in. He invites them to come in and make the covenants of promise so that they too can have hope and God in their lives. There are no aliens or strangers in our wards and branches. All are citizens of the commonwealth of Israel.

Continuing:

13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

The unity phrase: made nigh by the blood of Christ. Christ’s blood brings us closer together. I think of the sacrament, like Paul taught us back in 1 Corinthians, that the sacrament is a great unifier in the church. It causes us to come together and collectively honor and remember the blood of Christ.

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

There’s two in there. Hath made both one, and this beautiful idea, hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. This has reference to the wall in the temple that divided the court of the Gentiles with the inner courts of the temple, Gentiles were not allowed to pass through that wall, by penalty of death. It was a physical symbol of their separation. Paul says that Christ had come and broken down that wall to bring people together. Jew and Gentile

Let’s continue:

15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

I hope you could see the main message of that section. In numerous different ways, Paul highlights Christ’s power to destroy all barriers between people and to bring them together in one.

Our DRAW words for this final section. I chose:

CORNERSTONE

PEACE

HOUSEHOLD

Ephesians 3-Teacher Summarize

Now your time is going to be limited if you teach this lesson, so the activity for chapter 3 is just a simple, teacher summary and marking activity. All we’re going to do here is highlight some more unity words found within this chapter.

So in verse 6

6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.

And verse 9:

9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Such great words in those verses. We have the words fellowheirs, same body, fellowship, which all point to one overarching truth, if we are fellowheirs, then that means we have a common parentage. Therefore, vs. 15

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

We are all part of the same family. And even though some may find it a bit cheesy, this truth is reflected in our language as members of the Church. What do we call each other in our wards and branches? Brother and sister. You’ve got Brother Smith, and Sister Jones. There is a reason we do that. It reminds us of our relationship as the family of Christ, and encourages that feeling of unity.

Ephesians 4-Videos

Now what Paul has done up to this point is very carefully and clearly delineate the importance of unity amongst the members of Christ’s Church. And so now we come to the crescendo here in chapter 4. The activity here is to watch two videos with one question in mind—Now what? What do they think is the personal application of this principle. Because we understand that unity is so important in the gospel, what do we need to realize or do? Watch these two videos with that question in mind. First, the Church has produced a video portraying this very section of scripture word for word. I’ll provide a link to that video in the description below. Now that video covers all the way to verse 14, but we’re just going to pause it after verse 7. And this is what they will hear:

1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Now you could basically mark that whole section in our unity color. And the point is clear: WE ARE ONE! And what must we do about it? Verses 2 and 3 hold the key. We must, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbear one another in love; (meaning be patient with each other, be loving to others even in their differences and weaknesses and failings) Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And if we can do that

If that doesn’t make you feel like you’re a part of something special and unique and beautiful, nothing will.

Now a second video builds on that scriptural message through the words of a living prophet—or apostle. In this video Elder D. Todd Cristofferson gives his thoughts on these verses and this idea of unity and how it can be applied.

Your students are bound to have many different thoughts on that question. Allow them to share and validate their responses.

TRUTH

But one truth that could be highlighted is this: Unity is an eternal principle of the gospel. As we seek unity, we will be blessed with love, peace, friendship, acceptance, support, and grace.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

To liken the scriptures, ponder this:

What walls of partition are coming between you and others in your community or world?

How could the gospel of Jesus Christ break down those walls?

What part could you play in making that possible?

Some suggestions. Do you need to do some missionary work? Do you need to be a little more accepting of those around you? Do you need to drop some or your biases and preconceived notions about other people? Do you need to be more friendly and charitable? Do you need to let some past offenses go? Do you need to forgive somebody? Is there a cause that you could support either vocally or financially that would bless those of other countries or cultures? There are a lot of possibilities.

CONCLUSION

Well, Christ is the ultimate unifier. Sadly, there are way too many walls of partition in our world. In the United States, for example, my home country, many put up barriers between black and white, Caucasian and Hispanic, Republican and Democrat, rich and poor. And then if we think of the world at large, there are areas where people are fighting and killing each other over the fact that they’re different. Well, what can the gospel of Jesus Christ do? It has the power to break down those barriers and unify people. I honestly feel that the only solution to many of our world’s conflicts is the gospel of Jesus Christ. He breaks down the walls, the iron curtains, and the borders. What missionaries do, in my opinion, is more effective at solving these world problems than any government program or initiative that I can think of. I’ve been very lucky to have been able to travel to many parts of the world, and have the opportunity to worship with Saints in many different countries with different cultures, languages, and ethnicities. And none of those differences matter when you hold a common belief in Christ. There’s an instant brotherhood and sisterhood that’s created when you find out that somebody is also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. What a beautiful thing it is to go to a temple and see white, and black, and Hispanic, and Polynesian, and Asian, and Native American, and rich and poor, and male and female. There are no labels in God’s kingdom, only disciples, no strangers, no foreigners, only fellowcitizens, all fitly framed together as the household of God. Christ abolishes the enmity with unity.

THE FOUNDATION—A KEY TO UNITY

And now a little bit of a shift in message. We’re not done with the theme of unity yet. There’s more to it. Paul is now going to give us a great secret to becoming unified in the church. There’s something that God has provided for us that can help us to be unified.

ICEBREAKER

For an icebreaker. Jenga. Have you ever played this game before? It’s fairly popular so you may already have it in your game closet. If not, I’ll provide a link to it in the video description below (https://amzn.to/3ESGpvI) . And the way it works is that you take turns pulling blocks from a tower that you assemble, and the first person to knock over the tower, loses. If you have the time you could actually divide your class into two teams and actually play team Jenga where a representative comes to the front to pull out one of the blocks and you just go back and forth until one of the teams knocks the tower over. But you might use the Jenga tower to illustrate the importance of having a firm foundation. You could ask your students what part of a building they feel is the most important. We could say the ceiling, because that protects us from the rain and sun and all the elements. And then you remove the top three blocks of the Jenga tower, and nothing happens. You could say the walls are the most important part. They hold the ceiling up and make partitions within the building. At that point you could remove a couple of Jenga blocks from the sides of the tower. If you do it carefully, nothing should happen. But what other part of the building do we have to consider? How about the foundation. What happens if you start taking blocks out of the very bottom of the tower first? Go ahead and pull a block from the very bottom corner and your tower is very likely to fall. If not, pull a block out of the other side, and it’s almost guaranteed to fall. Ceilings and roofs are nothing without a foundation under them to keep them up. It’s absolutely essential that we have a firm foundation from which to build on if we wish the structure to remain in place.

SEARCH

In a number of places in the epistles, Paul compared the Church to a building. A temple to be exact, but what did he highlight as the foundation of that building? We find the answer in Ephesians 2:19-22 which we read a little earlier, but this time let’s focus on the building imagery in those verses.

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

What’s the foundation then? The apostles and the prophets. And if the foundation is the most important part of a building, then what’s the most important part of the foundation? The cornerstones. They bear the most weight and keep the building standing. Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone in that foundation. He and his apostles and prophets are what bear the weight of responsibility for the structural soundness of the Church. Continuing revelation through divinely appointed priesthood leaders is what allows to say the phrase we often hear in testimonies. I know this Church is true. It’s what sets us apart as an organized religion in this world. And what does that structure do for us? What blessings does that foundation supply us with? Now we’re going to jump to chapter 4:11-14. And I’m going to substitute some of the words here with words suggested from the footnotes to clarify this for us. Look for and mark all the blessings you see:

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, patriarchs ; and some, bishops and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

What blessings does the organization of the church and church leaders bring us?

They help perfect us. Help us to be more righteous.

They help us to perform the work of the ministry, or they make us better missionaries and direct us in that work

They edify us. To edify something is to build it up and strengthen. So they strengthen us and lift us higher. That goes really well with our building metaphor.

They help us to be unified as a church. Another unity word to mark. There is something wonderfully unifying about general conference in particular. It’s amazing to think that millions of people from all over the world are gathered together in one focus and faith.

They give us knowledge. They teach and instruct us

They give us guidance in an uncertain world

And help us to not be deceived by the craftiness of evil forces in the world.

TRUTH

We are greatly blessed by the sure foundation of an organized Church led by prophets, apostles, and other leaders through Jesus Christ.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Take a good look at that list. Is this true in your life? Which of those blessings have you seen come into your life because of a church leader? Ponder that for a minute. I would invite my students to write about that in their journals.

CONCLUSION

For me, I am deeply grateful for the organization of the church. I have certainly been edified by the words of the living prophets and apostles. I can’t wait for general conference in a few weeks. There is always something said that I feel is directed specifically to me. I am grateful for apostles, prophets, dedicated bishops, seminary teachers, primary teachers and choristers, young men’s leaders, scoutmasters, mission presidents, who have all in some way guided me, gave me knowledge, protected me from the deceit of the world, and helped me to be the best that I could. To all of you out there wherever you are, thank you! I wouldn’t be the man I am today if not for your sacrifice and service. So I say once again, I am grateful for organized religion, and more specifically, I am grateful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the great force for good it has been in my life. What are you missing out on if you decide to estrange yourself from the unity of the faith? A lot! There is a whole movement out there of individuals who use the cliche catchphrase of. “I’m spiritual, but not religious”. They want the spiritual side of things, the faith, and theology, but not the trappings of organized religion. I’m going to be honest with you. I feel they’re misguided. I believe in the power of organized religion and the unity and strength that comes from worshiping with other like-minded or like-faithed people. We lose something when we separate ourselves from the foundation, and it’s not inconsequential. The Jenga towers of our lives begin to fall apart, block by block.

THE DE-UNIFIERS

Now this next section, I’m not going to spend a lot of time on, but I would call Ephesians 4:17-Ephesians 5:21, the “De-unifiers” section. As you read it, I would invite you to mark all the things that will drive wedges between people. Use a different color, and label it “De-unifiers”. These are the things that will cause disunity in marriages, families, wards, communities, and nations. I would argue that almost all disunity comes because somebody is not following the counsel of apostles and prophets. Sin brings disunity. Here’s just a quick look at what I’ve marked in my scriptures.

UNITY IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE

For this next section, Paul has some great advice for different groups of people let’s do a little activity depending on what you are, and I want you to study all the sections that directly apply to you.

If you are a wife: read Ephesians 5:22-24, 33

If you are a husband: read Ephesians 5:25-33

If you are a son or daughter: read Ephesians 6:1-3

If you are a parent: read Ephesians 6:4

If you are an employee: read Ephesians 6:5-8

If you are an employer: read Ephesians 6:9

Husband and Wife

Oneness between husband and wife. These verses will teach you how to have a unified, happy marriage.

Now this first verse is a tough one for a lot of people, and I’m sure you can see the word that gives people the most fits. There is a lot of emotional and historical baggage in that word. And what is it? Submit. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husband. Now thank heavens for modern revelation because we know from living prophets that that doesn’t mean that women live in cowering subjection to the almighty commands of her authoritarian husband. And there is plenty of evidence that Paul doesn’t mean that either. For one, don’t get so hung up on the first part of that verse and miss the meaning of the second half, which is “as unto the Lord”. So how do we submit to the Lord. Is it because we are afraid of Him? Does he wants us to cower before his might and authority? God is always asking for a broken heart and a contrite spirit, a willing mind. He wants us to submit in love and respect. And then the next verse, he says that the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. In other words, the kind of relationship that the church has to Christ is the kind of relationship that a wife should have with her husband. Does Christ lead the church with authoritarian domination, and total control over every action of its members? No. He presides over the church, guides it, and maybe most importantly, he has a responsibility and stewardship over the church. Husbands, same thing, if it’s a hierarchy, it’s more of a hierarchy of responsibility, not so much authority. And what can wives do that will strengthen their marriages? They will support their husbands efforts to preside over the family in righteousness. And if the word submit still really bothers you, well, then just use the other word Paul uses to describe a wife’s role in creating a happy marriage. And that word is in vs. 33. What is it? And the wife, see that she reverence her husband. Oh, I love that word. I think that could be what he means by submit. Happy marriages occur when wives reverence their husbands. What does reverence mean. One definition of that word is deep love mingled with profound respect. Do you think marriages would be happier if spouses reverenced each other. The footnotes suggest courtesy and respect as alternate translations of that word. Now husbands need to be worthy of that reverence. It’s not all on the wives. A man who demeans, belittles, abuses, controls, or exercises any degree of unrighteous dominions, is not deserving of that reverence. But if he is, and he is trying to preside over his family in righteousness and love, then yes, marriages will be happier when wives reverence their husbands. Now it’s interesting that he only takes 3 verses to teach the wives their part, and 9 verses for the husbands. He knows that men need a little more help maybe. But what is a husbands part. Husbands love your wives, and how should they love their wives, well same idea as the women, as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. How did Jesus lead the church, in love, in service, in sacrifice. He gave himself for his church. Husbands, give yourselves to your wives in love. Sacrifice for them. And then he continues, and I’m going to make some substitutions here to help you get the meaning of it. Husbands, seek to sanctify and cleanse your wives through ordinances and by word, that you might present her glorious to yourself without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. That is my responsibility as a husband. It’s to help her to be the best person that she can. Why? For her, and for you. What kind of wife do you want to present yourself for eternity, one that cowers and is controlled and intimidated by you. Or do you want a glorious, clean, and holy wife that reverences you. So treat her as such. vs. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies, he that liveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh, but (here are some more great words) nourisheth, and cherisheth it even as the Lord the church. It’s the golden rule applied to marriage. Do unto your spouse as you would have them do unto you. Then vs. 31

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. There’s that unity phrase again. Husbands and wives are to be one. According to the doctrine and covenants we know that we cannot really become like God by ourselves. Husband and wife is the basic unit of eternity and Godhood. You see that it D&C 131. And for me one of the greatest reminders of that principle is my children. When I see my children, I am seeing literally the uniting of myself and my wife. They have features and traits that noticeably come from me, and features and traits that noticeably come from her. They are a living manifestation of my wife and I becoming one flesh. They remind me of my commitment to her and the type of unified relationship that I should be seeking to have with her.

Parent and Child

Chapter 6. Another oneness he wants us to create. Parent to child. How can unity within families be created?

What is a child’s responsibility? To obey their parents in the Lord and to honor their parents. And I think it’s important that he adds the phrase in the Lord, because I suppose there may be some instances where a parent asks a child to do something that isn’t right. You would only justify not obeying your earthly parents if they ask you to do something that disobeys your Heavenly parents. But I imagine that’s rarer. So youth out there: How can you better obey and honor your parents?

Then parents, Paul turns to you now. How should you treat your children. Well, don’t provoke them, which means, don’t over-correct them. Don’t come down too hard on them. And then, the best parenting advice that I’ve ever received. Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Oh, such good words. Nurture and admonition. I’d like to do this little exercise with you. What other words come to mind, or would you say are synonymous with nurture? Love, cherish, support, nourish, encourage, praise, comfort. What about admonition though? Correct, discipline, teach, warn, instruct. Which should parents use? Both. Great parents find the balance between the two. Usually if there are problems with children in a household, it’s because the parent is out of balance. What if all I do is nurture? What happens to my children? They grow up spoiled, entitled, and unprepared for the real world, because the real world is usually not a very nurturing place. On the other hand, what if I overemphasize the admonition side? They grow up intimidated, insecure, and at some point, more likely to rebel. So parents kind of have to be acrobats. They have to constantly be trying to balance these two sides. And the balance may be different for each child. Some may need more nurturing and others more admonition. But I believe that all need both. That one simple little verse, is probably the best parenting advice I have ever been given.

Employer and Employee

Well what about unity in the workplace. Between employees and employers. Paul talks about masters and servants, but I feel this section applies well to a modern-day work environment. So how do you have a happy unified workplace:

Employees:

Be obedient, follow instructions, keep the rules and policies of your employer

Be respectful of your employer

Work with singleness of heart or whole heartedly. Give your best.

Don’t give lip service or be a kiss up.

Work with good will, be cheerful, be a loyal employee.

Employers

All these same things apply to you. Be respectful of your employees, keep the rules, be cheerful and give your best

Don’t be a tyrant

Remember that you are no better than your employees. Just because you are in charge doesn’t mean you are more valuable individual than they are.

I’m convinced that our workplaces will be more enjoyable when these principles are followed.

THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

ICEBREAKER

Well finally, one of the most well-known sets of verses in Ephesians, let’s take a look at 6:10-18.

And I’d like to start this section out with a little challenge. Take out a hymnbook and take a look at the following hymns. What do they all have in common?

60, 246, 250, 251, 253

60 The Battle Hymn of the Republic

246. Onward Christian Soldiers

250. We are all enlisted

251 Behold a Royal Army

259 Hope of Israel

Did you figure it out? They all have a common theme. War. Each one uses war imagery.

And hope of Israel, listen to the words, Hope of Israel, Zion’s army, children of the promised day, see the Chieftain signals onward, and the battle’s in array, hope of Israel, rise in might, with the sword of truth and right, sound the war cry, watch and pray, vanquish every foe today.

So why so many war hymns? Does that mean we, as a church, in general are a warlike people? That we love fighting. Any chance we have to get into a war, we jump at it? God likes war?

No, no I don’t think that it is it at all. Why? Because these hymns aren’t about fighting literal battles, but spiritual ones. War is a symbol for mortality. The spiritual conflict we face in this life. So the question is: How are our lives like a war?

One, It’s serious. He could have compared it to a game or a contest, but no, it’s a war. The stakes are high. Soldiers risk their lives in a war. This war is for our souls. If we lose this fight, we could lose our exaltation.

It’s difficult. This war is not easy. Our enemy is real and well prepared. It will not be a quick and easy fight. It’s one that will last us a lifetime.

We have an enemy. Satan and his servants are the enemy. They are trying to destroy us. And they have formidable weapons to do so. Fiery darts, which may mean poisonous darts.

What should you take with you into a war? A weapon. And Armor

That is Paul’s suggestion. If you want to survive this battle, you need some armor.

And since this is a different kind of war, we need a different kind of armor. The armor of God?

What is the purpose of armor? Why would you want to wear this armor

I can think of at least four purposes

The obvious one, protection. If we put on this armor, we will be protected from Satan

But what else?

Confidence. If you put on the armor of God, you will be more confident in the face of temptation

Intimidation. If you come out onto the battlefield with the armor of God on, you may not even have to fight if you are intimidating enough to the enemy. Satan may realize he doesn’t even have a chance if you have your armor on.

And finally, recognition. You will be able to recognize who is also on the Lord’s side, if you have the same armor as they do.

SEARCH

Well try this activity with me. Look at the following questions, pause the video, and try to find the answers.

1. Who are we fighting against? :11-12

2. What word do you feel is the most important word in vs. 11 or 13? Why?

3. How many pieces of the armor of God are there? What do they stand for? Mark each of them.

4. What does vs. 18 add to our understanding of winning this war?

1. Who are we fighting against? :11-12

And who are we fighting against? Principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places. Wow! Our foe is formidable. The enemy is well organized and determined. There are people out there right now plotting against Christ’s church, your family, and your well-being. The alcohol industry, the pornography industry, Hollywood, many celebrities, social media personalities. I’m telling you; a lot of these people don’t care one wit about your well-being or what’s best for you. They will cater to the lowest common denominator to try and for what motivation? Usually, money. They want your money. So they target your natural man, and manipulate him, to get what they want. These rulers are powerful. Don’t underestimate them. We have to be just as strong.

2. What word do you feel is the most important word in vs. 11 or 13? Why?

Some of my favorites? Whole. Take on the whole armor of God. We can’t afford to leave any piece off. In a battle sense, if you are my enemy, if I leave off a piece of my armor, where are you going to aim your attack? My weaknesses. If I don’t wear my helmet, you’re going to go for my head, if I don’t have breastplate, you’re going for my heart. It only makes sense. That’s why we can’t afford to be lax in any area of our obedience. Satan doesn’t care if he defeats us with word of wisdom problems or chastity issues. He could care less if he gets us with pornography or pride. Drugs or dishonesty. He just wants our soul. It’s the ends that matter to him, the means are inconsequential. So we absolutely must seek to obey all God’s counsels. I like this quote from president nelson:

““[You] will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience. This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery. To prepare to meet God, one keeps all of His commandments”

Russell M. Nelson

“Face the Future with Faith, Ensign, May 2011, 34).

I like the word ALL

What does that suggest about the fight? It’s going to require your all! This will not be easy. Expect it to be tough, expect there to be setbacks, and wounds, and pain. You are going to have to endure if you want to win. You can’t ease up at all, you must constantly be on your guard. This fight will take your ALL.

I also like the word Stand.

Stand for something. It’s an active word, not a passive one. Like Custer last stand. It didn’t mean he just stood there. It was his last fight. We need to fight in this battle. The word suggests determination and tenacity. When God asks us to Stand in holy places, I don’t think he meant for us to cower and hide in them. He meant for us to make a stand for our beliefs and our standards.

Well those are my favorite words in those verses. Perhaps you found some others that mean something to you.

Next question.

3. How many pieces of the armor of God are there? And what do they stand for?

How many pieces of armor? I see 6. What are they

Loins girt about with truth

Breastplate of righteousness

Feet shod, or boots, with the preparation of the gospel of peace

Shield of faith

A helmet of salvation

And a sword of the spirit which is the word of God.

And here I would add one more idea. It’s not a piece of armor, but the stance our warrior is standing in. And this is where our fourth question comes into play. What does that verse add to the armor. How is he standing? Well, he’s not standing at all. He’s kneeling.

So we can add these words to our list

Prayer and supplication

TRUTH

Life is a spiritual war. If we wish to win it, we must rely on the principles of TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PREPARATION, FAITH, SALVATION, THE SPIRIT, THE WORD OF GOD, and PRAYER.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Now you could do a lot with these phrases. And I’ve often seen teachers approach this by showing how those particular gospel principles protect those certain representative parts of the body, so they explain how truth can protect our chastity, and righteousness can protect our hearts or . And that is a great approach which can yield a lot of insight. However, for me, I don’t like to pigeonhole myself into only seeing how those principles protect those parts of my life. I like to look at how each of those ideas helps me win my war with Satan and temptation. So just look at each of those words and I ask you:

How have these things helped you to resist the adversary and temptation? I invite you to ponder that for some time.

TRUTH

RIGHTEOUSNESS

PREPARATION

PEACE

FAITH

SALVATION

THE SPIRIT

THE WORD OF GOD

PRAYER

WATCHING

PERSEVERANCE

And I could spend an hour talking about how each of these things have helped me. I’m not going to do that. But I invite you to reflect on how these ideas have made you stronger, how they’ve protected you, and helped you to stay true to the Faith.

Now I think we're all familiar the activity of labeling the different parts of the armor of God. But I like to take that a step further. Before any battle, a soldier would go through his armor and make sure that all was in order--to assure that he had every piece that he needed to survive--that nothing was broken--that everything was secure and reinforced--that his weapons were sharp. That's what I'd like you to do now. Do an armor check. You could do it with this handout. Are there any weaknesses in your armor right now? If so, which? What can you do strengthen that piece of armor. Pick a piece of the armor that you feel you need to work on? You can then circle one of the possible suggested ways you could do this, or listen to the Spirit and come up with your own. So:

Do you need to fill your life with more TRUTH by listening to the prophets and limiting your exposure to the lies of the world through the media?

Do you need more RIGHTEOUSNESS in your life by resolving to keep certain commandments and standards that you've been neglecting.?

Do you need more PREPARATION in your life by preparing yourself spiritually for the temple, the mission field, marriage, parenthood, the second coming, or the judgment?

Do you need more FAITH in your life by nourishing your testimony through hearing the word of God, by acting on your beliefs, and by sharing your testimony with others?

Do you need more SALVATION in your life, by turning to and relying on the atonement of Jesus Christ, by repenting of your sins, and looking forward with hope to the resurrection and judgment?

Do you need more of the SPIRIT in your life by learning to more carefully hear and recognize its still small voice, and heeding its promptings, and being worthy of its constant companionship?

Do you need more of the WORD in your life by making time for consistent and meaningful scripture study and seeking to apply what you learn.

If you did that little activity, I invite you to follow through. I can promise you it will make a huge difference in your spiritual war.

CONCLUSION

My grandpa fought in World War 2, and he rarely talked about it. On the few occasions that he did, it sounded terrifying and devastating. He spoke of losing fellow soldiers and seeing the devastating casualties of so many young men. I hope and pray that I would never find any of you among the casualties of this spiritual war. Casualties in the spiritual war are even more discouraging, seeing as the consequences of that loss are more than just mortal, but can be eternal as well. Unfortunately, I have seen casualties. Friends, neighbors, ward members, students, people who have fallen in battle in one way or another. People who took off their helmet, set down their shield of faith, or removed their breastplate of righteousness. Please don't do this! I can assure you that Satan will have no mercy on you, and these individuals are quickly hewn down. On the other side. I've seen great heroes in this conflict as well. Valiant soldiers fighting for the cause of Zion. People making good choices, setting good examples, following their general the prophet, and fighting heroically for truth. We already know which army will win in the end. The only question is if you will survive yourself. So put on the whole armor of God every morning, pick up your sword and face those silent spiritual battles with courage and hope. If you will, you will win, and the victory will be sweet. Because one day, the war will end. And those that have survived will enjoy a victory celebration like no other.

So fight, and fight well. Put on the armor and conquer you will!