Prepare your heart for our Sunday Morning Gathering by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together.

You will find tangible suggestions for putting scripture to action in your personal life and in our corporate body, links to the songs we will sing, and lyrics for you to prepare for our corporate singing.

Sermon Text for Sunday: Ephesians 5:18-24

Critically Think

• To understand the context of this passage, read the entire letter to the Ephesians. Then reread chapter 5. Where does this passage fit within the book?
• Verse 18 contains the third “not…but” phrase Paul has used since verse 15. What is it? What are the other two? Can you find any other examples in 5:1 through 6:9? What is Paul addressing in this section?
• What five verbs are listed in verses 19-21? How are these connected to being filled with the Spirit in verse 18?
• What grounds does Paul give for why wives should submit themselves to their husbands’ authority in verse 23?
• To what standard does Paul expect wives to subject themselves to their husbands? To what extent does Paul expect this to apply in?

Prayerfully Meditate

• The words “be filled” are a present tense passive imperative. In other words, Paul is commanding the Ephesian believers to continually seek the Spirit’s filling of them. Why might Paul phrase this command in this way, and what does this look like in practice?
• What is the relationship between speaking to one another and singing to the Lord? What is required to do these things according to the passage? How does this compare to your view of singing?
• List some ways of how women should submit themselves to the Lord. What does Paul say to apply this to, and what does that look like?
• What does Paul describe Christ as being at the end of verse 23, and how should this shape our view of submission and headship?

Intentionally Act

• How can you take what you've learned from this passage into church with you this Sunday as you sing and speak to fellow believers? How can you prepare for that right now?
• What are evidences of the Holy Spirit's filling of your life, and what are areas that you need to seek His help in? What are evidences of His work in others that you can thank God for and encourage them in?
• How can you, whether a man or woman, married or single, glorify God through Paul's command to wives in this passage? How can you practice submission to Christ as part of His bride, the church? 
• Click the links below to find the lyrics and recordings of the songs planned for our gathering this Sunday; learn the songs, study the lyrics and sing them with others.
• Pray for those leading our corporate gathering this week and for the Holy Spirit’s work as the Word of God is further explained and applied: Dawson Bryant: music; Dalton Vansell: elder prayer & scripture reading; Bret Capranica: teaching.

Songs for Sunday

Morning Gathering

• Great One in Three (sheetmusic)
• How Great (sheetmusic)
• The Sands of Time are Sinking (sheetmusic)
• When Trials Come (sheetmusic)
• Jesus, I am Resting, Resting (sheetmusic)

Lyrics

Lyrics Morning Gathering - May 11, 2025 by Summit Woods Baptist Church