EPHESIANS: Made For More

MADE FOR MORE: A Journey Through Ephesians

WEEK 3 | MADE ALIVE

September 27 • Ephesians 2:1-10

  • 00

    Days

  • 00

    Hours

  • 00

    Minutes

  • 00

    Seconds

MADE FOR MORE
A Journey Through Ephesians

What if God created us for more than simply getting through life on our own?

In Made for More, we will journey through the book of Ephesians and discover who we are in Christ, how God forms us through life together, and how He sends us to live with purpose in our homes, church, and neighborhood.

Ephesians begins by grounding us in grace and identity before showing us how to live. Throughout the series, we will explore what it means to be chosen, forgiven, made alive in Christ, brought into God’s family, formed into one body, and equipped to live faithfully.

We were made for more—and we were made for each other.

FORMED TOGETHER. SENT TOGETHER.

SERIES JOURNALS AND STICKERS

Free Made for More journals are available while supplies last. Use your journal to take notes each Sunday, reflect on what God is teaching you, and continue the conversation in your Lifegroup.

Each week, we will also give away a new exclusive sticker connected to that Sunday’s message. Collect the entire series to see the story of Ephesians come together. Stickers are free while supplies last, so remember to bring your journal each Sunday.

MADE FOR MORE WATER BOTTLES

A limited number of Made for More Nalgene water bottles are available for $18 each. Pick one up at church while supplies last and carry the reminder that we are being formed together and sent together.

Week 1 | Ephesians: Made For More | Sermon Title: Who We Are | Pastor Donnie Hinshaw

WHO WE ARE

Ephesians 1:1–14

Before God asks us to do anything for Him, He tells us who we are in Him. We carry many identities into the room: our work, relationships, successes, struggles, politics, reputation, and past. Ephesians begins somewhere deeper. In Christ, we are chosen, adopted, redeemed and forgiven, given an inheritance, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. We do not have to spend our lives proving who we are. We can learn to live from what God says is already true.

Today’s takeaway: I don’t have to prove who I am. I can live from who God says I am.

Practice for the week: Each morning, pray: “In Christ, I am chosen, loved, forgiven, and God’s own.”

Journal Prompts

Which identity or label has spoken most loudly over me lately?

Which truth in Ephesians 1 is hardest for me to receive?

How would I live differently this week if I felt secure in God’s love?

Series Invitation

Bring your Made for More journal each Sunday. Collect the weekly stickers, take notes, and continue the conversation in a Lifegroup as we journey through Ephesians together.

Lifegroup Discussion Guide

Opening

Invite each person to share one word or role that has shaped how they see themselves. Keep the opening light enough for everyone to participate, while giving people permission to go deeper later.

Read

Read Ephesians 1:1–14 slowly. Ask the group to listen for repeated phrases and for what God does in the passage.

Discuss

1. Paul begins with what God has done before telling believers what to do. Why does that order matter?

2. Which description speaks most deeply to you today: chosen, adopted, redeemed and forgiven, given an inheritance, or sealed by the Spirit? Why?

3. What is the difference between living for an identity and living from an identity?

4. Where do hurry, comparison, achievement, political identity, shame, or rejection compete with what God says about you?

5. How does adoption change the way we treat other people in the church?

6. What past experience or label do you need to place beneath the truth of Christ?

7. Where have you noticed evidence that the Holy Spirit is still working in you?

8. What would change this week if you truly believed you did not have to prove who you are?

Practice Together

Give everyone a quiet minute. Invite them to complete this sentence in their journal: “I have been living as if I am ________. In Christ, God says I am ________.” Those who are comfortable may share.

Prayer

Pray through the five movements of the text. Thank the Father for choosing and adopting, Jesus for redemption and forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit for His present work. Close by speaking the weekly affirmation together.

Week 2 | Ephesians: Made For More | Sermon Title: Eyes Wide Open | Pastor Donnie Hinshaw

Lifegroup Discussion Guide

Opening

Invite each person to share one thing they noticed this week that they might normally overlook—a kindness, a change in season, an answer to prayer, or a small sign of growth.

Read

Read Ephesians 1:15–23 aloud. If time allows, read it again in a second translation. On the second reading, listen for words connected to seeing, knowing, hope, inheritance, and power.

Discuss

  • What stands out to you in Paul’s prayer, and why?
  • Paul has heard about their faith and love. What evidence of faith and love can you thank God for in someone else in this group or in our church?
  • What is the difference between knowing about God and knowing God? What helps truth move from information into lived relationship?
  • Which most often blurs your spiritual sight: hurry, discouragement, familiarity, disappointment, or something else?
  • Where in your life have you been tempted to believe that the present moment is the whole story? How does the hope of God’s calling speak to that place?
  • What changes when we see other believers as people God treasures rather than people we evaluate or use?
  • How does the resurrection of Jesus redefine power? Where have you seen quiet resurrection power at work?
  • What might God already be doing in a place where you have stopped looking?

Practice Together

Sit quietly for two minutes. Ask the Spirit to bring one situation or person to mind. Then pray Paul’s prayer for that situation. Do not pressure anyone to report an insight. After the silence, allow people to share what they sensed or what they want to keep praying about.

Prayer

Pray for one another using the three petitions: that each person would see the hope of God’s calling, the riches found in belonging to His people, and the resurrection power available in Christ.

This Week

Pray Ephesians 1:17–19 daily. Write one sentence each day beginning, “Today I saw God at work…” Bring one observation to next week’s gathering.

Leader Notes

  • Do not rush to explain someone’s disappointment. Make room for grief and uncertainty.
  • Avoid suggesting that every event is a sign or that faithful people always receive clarity. The practice is attentive prayer, not forced certainty.
  • If someone shares a painful situation, ask what support would be helpful before offering advice.
  • End with hope rooted in Jesus’ resurrection rather than optimism about a particular outcome.

Week 3 | Ephesians: Made For More | Sermon Title: Made Alive | Pastor Donnie Hinshaw

Lifegroup Discussion Guide

Opening

Invite each person to name something that makes them feel fully alive—an activity, relationship, place, or moment. Then ask: What is the difference between being busy and being alive?

Read

Read Ephesians 2:1–10 aloud. On a second reading, listen for every statement about what humanity did, what God did, and what believers now are.

Discuss

  • What word, phrase, or movement in this passage stands out to you?
  • Why do you think Paul uses the word “dead” rather than merely “lost,” “confused,” or “imperfect”?
  • Paul names the world around us, spiritual evil against us, and disordered desire within us. Which pressure is easiest for you to recognize? Which is easiest to overlook?
  • What changes emotionally and theologically when the passage reaches the words “But God”?
  • How do mercy and love shape the way you picture God approaching people caught in sin?
  • What does it mean to be made alive, raised, and seated “with Christ”? How is that more than receiving a clean record?
  • Where are you most tempted toward boasting or self-reliance? Where are you most tempted toward shame or despair? How does grace address both?
  • What is the difference between doing good works to earn God’s love and doing them because we have received God’s love?
  • When you hear “God’s workmanship,” what is encouraging? What might be misunderstood or misused?
  • What ordinary good work might God have placed in front of you this week?

Practice Together

Give everyone two quiet minutes. First, name silently one “you were” story that has been defining you: a failure, label, achievement, wound, or pattern. Then pray, “But God, You are rich in mercy and great in love.” Finally ask, “Jesus, what good work have You prepared for me this week?” Invite sharing without pressure.

Prayer

Thank God for mercy, love, and the gift of salvation. Pray for freedom from both pride and shame. Ask the Spirit to show each person one prepared work of love, courage, reconciliation, generosity, or witness.

This Week

Each morning pray: “Jesus, what good work have You prepared for me today?” Each evening write one sentence: “Today I saw grace at work when…” Bring one observation to the next gathering.

Leader Notes

  • Do not pressure people to disclose specific sins, trauma, or painful histories.
  • If someone is struggling with assurance, return to God’s mercy, love, and action in Christ rather than asking whether they have performed enough.
  • Do not reduce “good works” to church volunteering. Include family life, vocation, justice, generosity, hospitality, reconciliation, and neighbor love.
  • Make room for the reality that some good works require boundaries, professional help, or protection from harm. Forgiveness is not permission for abuse.
  • End with gift before task: we walk because God has already made us alive in Christ.

Week 4 | Ephesians: Made For More | Sermon Title: Brought Near: Together | Rhonda Hinshaw

Lifegroup study guide

Brought Near: Together • Ephesians 2:11–22 • October 4, 2026 • Rhonda Hinshaw

Bring your Bible, NFC journal, and an open heart. Jesus brings us near to God and joins us together as His people. This week we will listen to Ephesians 2:11–22 and consider how belonging becomes visible in our shared life.

Begin together — 5 minutes

When has a simple invitation helped you feel that you belonged? Share only what you are comfortable sharing.

Read and notice — 10 minutes
Read Ephesians 2:11–22 aloud. Notice the words that describe life before Christ, what Jesus has done, and who His people are now. If possible, hear the passage a second time from another reader.

Discuss the passage — 25 minutes
1. In verses 11–12, what does Paul ask these Gentile believers to remember? How can remembering grace shape the way we welcome others?

2. In verse 13, who makes nearness possible, and how? What changes when we receive belonging as a gift rather than an achievement?

3. Read verses 14–18. What does Christ do about the hostility between Jews and Gentiles? What do both groups share in verse 18?

4. Rhonda said, “Peace is a person. Jesus Himself.” How does that help us seek peace when we differ in background, experience, or opinion?

5. In verse 19, Paul describes citizens and members of God’s household. How is being family different from being a visitor? What would help someone experience that difference here?

6. Read verses 20–22. What is the role of Christ the cornerstone? What do “joined together” and “built together” tell us about following Jesus?

7. How can One Church • Many Homes • For the Neighborhood become visible beyond Sunday? Name one practical example.

Lifegroup response and prayer

Brought Near: Together

Reflect and respond — 10 minutes
Take a quiet moment with Rhonda’s three questions. You may write before sharing.

Who am I keeping at a distance?
What step toward prayer, listening, or peace might Jesus be asking of me?

Who needs to know they belong?
Whom could I notice, welcome, or invite this week?

What kind of community are we becoming?
What could our group do to make room for someone outside our normal circle?

 

Practice this week
Share a meal, coffee, or meaningful conversation with someone outside your normal circle. Write a name and a next step. Respect the other person’s willingness and availability.

Person __________________

Next step _________________________

Pray together — 5 minutes
Thank Jesus for bringing us near. Ask Him to expose hostility, help us receive one another, and build our shared life around Him. Pray for the people you hope to welcome.

For the facilitator
Keep the passage central. Its immediate setting is reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles through Christ; draw present-day applications from that foundation. Invite honest reflection without asking anyone to disclose painful relationships. Do not pressure a participant to contact an unsafe person or confuse reconciliation with ignoring harm. Help the group choose a concrete act of welcome.

Carry this with you: In Jesus, strangers become family.