Small Group Questions | No Longer Divided | Ephesians 2:11-22

In the Fall of 2025, Coastline began a journey through the book of Ephesians. This letter from the Apostle Paul is packed with timeless truth about who we are in Christ and how we are called to live as His people. From God’s eternal plan of salvation to the call for unity in the church, Ephesians grounds us in the gospel and shows us what it means to walk faithfully in a broken world. As we’ve studied this book together, our congregation has been both encouraged and challenged. Each week, we’ve created small group questions designed to help people reflect deeply, apply personally, and grow spiritually. I’m sharing those questions here so others can benefit; whether you’re leading a small group, studying on your own, or walking through Ephesians with your church.

Small Group Questions | No Longer Divided | Ephesians 2:11-22

Throughout time humanity has been great at building walls that divide. Humanity has not only been good at building physical walls, but invisible walls as well. We’ve built invisible barriers around politics. Culturally and socially we’ve built walls around generational differences, barriers between those who live in urban areas and those who live in rural ones for example. We’ve built economic walls, educational walls, and walls that even divide the church. In Ephesians 2:11-22 Paul teaches us the walls in our life can keep us from contact and connection with others. We learn that God came to destroy the walls to seek to divide us.  

1) In the beginning of the sermon Neal talked about two physical walls that brought division to the locations they were built; the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall. When you think about walls that divide, what is the first wall that comes to mind? 

2) Read Ephesians 2:11–13. Paul teaches us that at one point there was a wall between us and God but through the blood of Jesus that wall is broken down. Share with your group how Jesus pursued you and brought you into relationship with Him. 

3) Paul describes what our separation from God looked like by using the language of: “foreigners and excluded from citizenship in Heaven.” How do we see Jesus draw people to Himself and invite us to be citizens of Heaven? 

4) Read Ephesians 2:14-16. Jesus came to break down the walls that divide us. Read Acts 10:34–35, Galatians 3:28, and James 2:1. What practical steps can we take as individuals or as a group to live out racial reconciliation and unity in Christ?

5) Paul writes that Jesus came to reconcile us back to the Lord (v. 16). Reconciliation is: to reestablish proper friendly interpersonal relations after these have been disrupted or broken. Is there someone you need to reconcile with? 

6) Read Ephesians 2:14-18. Part of breaking down walls that divide us means living in peace. Read Matthew 5:9, Romans 12:18, and Hebrews 12:14. How can we be a group of people who live in peace with others?  

7) Read Ephesians 2:19-22. How does remembering that our primary citizenship is in heaven shape the way we live as Christians in America?

8) Think about your “My Circle” card. Who in your circle still feels far from God, and how might you pray for or reach out to them this week?

Small Group Questions | From Death to Life | Ephesians 2:1-10

In the Fall of 2025, Coastline began a journey through the book of Ephesians. This letter from the Apostle Paul is packed with timeless truth about who we are in Christ and how we are called to live as His people. From God’s eternal plan of salvation to the call for unity in the church, Ephesians grounds us in the gospel and shows us what it means to walk faithfully in a broken world. As we’ve studied this book together, our congregation has been both encouraged and challenged. Each week, we’ve created small group questions designed to help people reflect deeply, apply personally, and grow spiritually. I’m sharing those questions here so others can benefit; whether you’re leading a small group, studying on your own, or walking through Ephesians with your church.

Small Group Questions | From Death to Life | Ephesians 2:1-10

Scripture teaches us that we are completely dead without Christ. Completely separated from God. No pulse. No hope. That’s the bad news. Paul doesn’t leave us hopeless. Paul describes our spiritual condition and then some of the most hope-filled words in the entire Bible show up: “But God…” God steps in and brings the dead back to life. God takes our life, that was dead without Him and brings hope to our current condition. You’re going to see in our passage today that Paul had a vision to see God’s Kingdom built up. Today we’ll see that Paul teaches us we were once dead in our sins, now we are alive in Christ, and we’ve been saved by grace. 

1) Neal shared the Princess Bride illustration when Miracle Max said Westley was: “mostly dead” vs. “completely dead.” Think back to your life before trusting Christ, where can you now see that you were completely dead in your sins? 

2) Read Ephesians 2:1–3. What stands out to you about Paul’s description of our condition before Christ? (read John 10:10, Galatians 5:19-21, and Romans 12:2) How do you see “the world, the flesh, and the devil” at work in today’s culture?

3) Paul uses two words—transgressions (active rebellion) and sins (anything contrary to God’s plan). Which one do you tend to recognize more easily in your own life? 

4) Read Ephesians 2:4–7. What do the words “But God” mean to you personally? Share a moment where God stepped in and brought new life or hope into your story. Read Mark 5:18-20 and Luke 19:9-10. What do these passages teach us about the new life God brings to His people? 

5) Paul says we are “seated with Christ” (v. 6). What does that truth say about our identity and worth in God’s eyes? How does this statement impact our current situation and the future hope we have in Christ?  

6) Read Ephesians 2:8–10. Paul teaches us the importance of remembering that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works (read 2 Timothy 1:9 and Titus 3:5) How does this truth shape the way we relate to others? 

7) Verse 10 says we are God’s workmanship (poema). How does knowing you are God’s masterpiece affect the way you view yourself and others? (see Genesis 1:27)

8) This Sunday, Coastline gave out a new prayer card to write down names of people you want to see come to faith. Who are some of the people God is putting on your heart? How can our group commit to praying with you for them this week? 

Small Group Questions | The Riches of Knowing God | Ephesians 1:15-23

In the Fall of 2025, Coastline began a journey through the book of Ephesians. This letter from the Apostle Paul is packed with timeless truth about who we are in Christ and how we are called to live as His people. From God’s eternal plan of salvation to the call for unity in the church, Ephesians grounds us in the gospel and shows us what it means to walk faithfully in a broken world. As we’ve studied this book together, our congregation has been both encouraged and challenged. Each week, we’ve created small group questions designed to help people reflect deeply, apply personally, and grow spiritually. I’m sharing those questions here so others can benefit; whether you’re leading a small group, studying on your own, or walking through Ephesians with your church.

Small Group Questions | The Riches of Knowing God | Ephesians 1:15-23

This Fall we’re studying the New Testament letter written to the church in Ephesus. Ephesus is a real city in Modern Day Turkey. The Apostle Paul stopped there on his second missionary journey. This is the trip where the gospel first moved to a different continent. Paul lived among the people in a very pagan city; he didn’t avoid the city because of the idol worship, slavery, or pagan culture. Paul chose to invest his life in people who were far from God and lost without the truth of Jesus. So Paul lovingly came in, shared the Gospel, and lived among the people. Paul never stopped praying for this church and maintained his desire for them to live in the power of God.

1) Neal opened with the story of a man and his Bitcoin account he can’t access. How is that similar to how Christians sometimes live in relation to God’s power and presence? Can you relate to that illustration personally?

2) Read Ephesians 1:15. Paul commends the Ephesians for their faith in Jesus and love for others. Where have you seen those two qualities, faith and love, lived out in your own life or in someone else’s? (see Hebrews 11:1 and Mark 12:29-31)

3) Read Ephesians 1:16-17. Paul tells the church he has never stopped praying for them (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Romans 12:12, and Colossians 4:2). We learn two things about Paul’s prayer life: Paul prayed continually and with thankfulness. How might you grow in consistency in your own prayer life this week? 

4) Read Ephesians 1:18. Paul highlights hope as central to the Christian life (see Psalm 42:11 and Hebrews 6:19) . In what ways do people around us put their hope in things that ultimately disappoint instead of placing our hope in Christ? 

5) It can be easy to think of an inheritance as something we receive later in life or when someone passes away. Paul teaches that our inheritance in Christ is not just future but present. What difference could that make in the way you live this week?

6) Read Ephesians 1:19-21. Paul describes God’s power toward us as the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. What would it look like for you to live this week connected to that resurrection power instead of “white-knuckling” your faith?

7) Which part of Paul’s prayer do you most need right now: to grow in faith and love, to deepen in hope, to grasp your inheritance, or to live in God’s power? How can the group pray for you specifically in that area?