Week of May 13, 2013

1. Read Ephesians 5:21-6:4.
2. What was the most maddening thing your parents did when you were a child?
3. How does the relationship between Christ and the church help explain what Paul means by "submission"?  How does that relationship help explain the role of the husband in marriage?
4. To what expression of "headship" - Christ's and the husband's - is the wife asked to submit:  The sacrificial kind?  The bossy kind?  Or both?
5. Can a wife's respect for her husband (5:33) be commanded?  Or must it be earned?  Why?  Likewise, a children's respect for their parents?
6. What does it mean to bring up children in the Lord without exasperating them (6:4)?  Give examples from your experience.
7. In summary, how does 5:21 apply to the types of relationships found in this section?  What are the mutual obligations involved in these relationships?  In what ways could Paul's instructions be misinterpreted apart from the context of 5:21?  How have you been affected by these misinterpretations?
8. How does Paul's teaching about marriage challenge common ideas today?  Which affect you?  What principles flowing for this section can you work on to help you be a better spouse (or potential spouse)?
9. What does it mean for you as an adult to honor your parents?  How might this help improve your relationships with them?
10. Pray for one another....