Set Free Stay Free: A Bible Study Podcast with Matt Dawson

Gifted on Purpose, for a Purpose — Ephesians 4:7–16 | Season 2, Episode 9

Have you ever wondered if your life actually matters? If you're really contributing anything — to the church, to the people around you, to what God is doing in the world? Paul has an answer. And it's not vague encouragement. It's specific. In this episode of the Set Free Stay Free Bible study podcast, host Matt Dawson digs into one of the most practically rich sections of Ephesians — chapter 4, verses 7 through 16. Christ himself, after descending to our lowly world and ascending to fill the entire universe, gave gifts to his people. Not just to pastors and leaders. To every single believer. And those gifts have a purpose: to equip the church, to help each other grow, and to move the whole body toward maturity in Christ. Using the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), Matt walks through all five of the Ephesians 4 ministerial gifts — apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor/shepherd, and teacher — breaking down what each one actually looks like in everyday church life. He connects this to his book Gifted: On Purpose for a Purpose and makes the case that most believers already have one of these gifts in their mix without even knowing it. The goal of it all? A church that is healthy, growing, and full of love. And the warning Paul gives along the way is just as important: immaturity looks like being tossed around by every clever-sounding lie that feels like truth but isn't rooted in the word of God. This Ephesians Bible study is for anyone who has wondered whether God has actually given them something to offer — and needs to hear that he has. In this episode: * Why Christ both descended and ascended — and what that has to do with your gifts * A breakdown of all five Ephesians 4 ministerial gifts and what they look like in real life * Why maturity in the church means speaking truth in love and growing more like Christ * What immaturity actually looks like — and why it's dangerous * How every part of the body working together produces health, growth, and love * A closing prayer for the church to step into its gifts and grow toward Christlikeness 📖 Passage: Ephesians 4:7–16 (New Living Translation) 🔍 Keywords: Ephesians Bible study, Bible study podcast, SOAP method Bible study, Christian Bible study, Scripture-first Bible study, Set Free Stay Free, Matt Dawson, walking through the Bible, Christian discipleship podcast

A Life Worthy of the Calling — Ephesians 4:1–6 | Season 2, Episode 8

Who are you living your life for? And does the way you actually live it match what you say you believe? With one word — therefore — Paul pivots the entire letter. Everything in chapters 1 through 3 was foundation: chosen, adopted, saved by grace, sealed by the Spirit, empowered by unlimited resources. Now comes the turn. Therefore, live a life worthy of the calling you've received. In this episode of the Set Free Stay Free Bible study podcast, host Matt Dawson opens Ephesians chapter 4 and Paul gets remarkably practical right out of the gate. Not a list of rules. Not a performance checklist. Just four things — and most of us would struggle to live out even one of them on any given day. Always be humble. Always be gentle. Be patient. Make allowances for each other's faults. Using the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), Matt unpacks what it actually looks like to pre-decide humility before the rude text arrives, to make allowances for people's failures the way a company builds buffer into a cash drawer, and to choose peace with fellow believers not out of weakness but out of the one unifying reality that holds us all together — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. This Ephesians Bible study is for anyone who wants to know what a life worthy of Christ actually looks like in practice — and who knows they can't pull it off without the Holy Spirit. In this episode: * Why "therefore" is the hinge point of the entire letter * What "a life worthy of your calling" actually means — and doesn't mean * The cash drawer illustration of making allowances for others' faults * Why unity among believers isn't optional — and what it's rooted in * The one Lord, one faith, one baptism declaration and why it matters * A closing prayer for the Holy Spirit's strength to live humbly and gently today 📖 Passage: Ephesians 4:1–6 (New Living Translation) 🔍 Keywords: Ephesians Bible study, Bible study podcast, SOAP method Bible study, Christian Bible study, Scripture-first Bible study, Set Free Stay Free, Matt Dawson, walking through the Bible, Christian discipleship podcast

How Wide, How Long, How High, How Deep — Ephesians 3:14–21 | Season 2, Episode 7

Have you ever felt spiritually weak? Thin on the inside? Exhausted from trying to be faithful when you're running on empty? Paul has a prayer for that — and it's one of the most powerful passages in all of scripture. In this episode of the Set Free Stay Free Bible study podcast, host Matt Dawson arrives at his absolute favorite section of Ephesians. Chapter 3, verses 14–21. Paul falls to his knees and prays that the church would be empowered with inner strength through the Holy Spirit. That their roots would grow down deep into God's love and keep them strong. And that they would have the power to experience — even if they can't fully understand — just how wide and long and high and deep that love really is. Matt shares a deeply personal story of a November trip to a cold, nearly empty beach during one of the weariest seasons of his life — and what happened when he sat down with this passage and stared at an ocean he couldn't see the end of. Using the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), Matt unpacks the roots-and-branches illustration of faith versus feelings, what it means that God can accomplish infinitely more than we could ask or imagine, and why the closing doxology of chapter 3 is one of the great benedictions in all of the New Testament. This Ephesians Bible study is for anyone who is spiritually weary and needs to be reminded where their strength actually comes from. In this episode: * Why inner strength comes from the Holy Spirit — not from trying harder * The roots and branches illustration of faith, feelings, and what keeps us strong * A personal story of experiencing God's love at an empty November beach * What "more than you could ask or imagine" actually looks like in a real life * Why Paul closes chapter 3 with glory to God in the church — and what that means * A closing prayer for weary believers to be strengthened by God's unlimited resources 📖 Passage: Ephesians 3:14–21 (New Living Translation) 🔍 Keywords: Ephesians Bible study, Bible study podcast, SOAP method Bible study, Christian Bible study, Scripture-first Bible study, Set Free Stay Free, Matt Dawson, walking through the Bible, Christian discipleship podcast

Why the Church? — Ephesians 3:1–13 | Season 2, Episode 6

Have you ever looked at the church — with all its mess, its hurt, its broken people and broken leadership — and wondered why God would choose this as his plan? Paul has an answer. And it's bigger than you might expect. In this episode of the Set Free Stay Free Bible study podcast, host Matt Dawson opens Ephesians chapter 3 and lands on one of the most surprising statements in Paul's entire letter. God's purpose in bringing Jews and Gentiles together into one people wasn't just about them. It was to use the church to display his wisdom — in all its rich variety — to rulers and authorities across the heavenly realms. That was his eternal plan. Plan A through Z. The church. Not a gas station. Not an airport hub. A display of God's wisdom to the watching world. Using the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), Matt unpacks Paul's deep sense of privilege in being called to bring this mystery to the Gentiles, why the church matters more than we often give it credit for, and what it looks like to walk boldly and confidently into God's presence because of what Christ has done. He closes with a personal reflection on what it means to consider suffering in ministry an honor — and a challenge to share this study with someone this week. This Ephesians Bible study is for anyone who has underestimated what God actually wants to do through his church. In this episode: * Why Paul calls himself the least deserving of all God's people * The mysterious plan revealed — Jews and Gentiles as one new people * Why God chose the church as his eternal plan to display his wisdom * What it means to come boldly and confidently into God's presence * Why Paul considers his suffering in prison an honor, not a burden * A closing prayer for the church to embrace its calling with courage 📖 Passage: Ephesians 3:1–13 (New Living Translation) 🔍 Keywords: Ephesians Bible study, Bible study podcast, SOAP method Bible study, Christian Bible study, Scripture-first Bible study, Set Free Stay Free, Matt Dawson, walking through the Bible, Christian discipleship podcast

No Longer Outsiders — Ephesians 2:11–22 | Season 2, Episode 5

Have you ever felt like an outsider? Like you didn't quite belong, weren't quite included, didn't quite make the cut? That's exactly where the Gentiles stood — and Paul wants to make sure they never forget how far they've come. In this episode of the Set Free Stay Free Bible study podcast, host Matt Dawson continues the Season 2 Ephesians Bible study with chapter 2, verses 11–22. Paul draws another sweeping contrast: once you were strangers, foreigners, excluded from the covenant promises of God, living without hope in the world. But now — through the blood of Christ — you've been brought near. The wall of hostility has been torn down. And two groups that were deeply, historically hostile toward one another have been made into one new people. That's not a small thing. That's a miracle. Using the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), Matt unpacks why Jewish and Gentile hostility was so deeply rooted, what it cost Christ to end it, and what it means that we are now the temple — the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, carefully joined together with Christ as the cornerstone. The application lands somewhere practical: we're still building that temple, one person at a time, as we share the hope of Christ with those who are still on the outside. This Ephesians Bible study is for anyone who has forgotten how far grace actually brought them. In this episode: * What it meant for Gentiles to be called "outsiders" in the ancient world * The deep historical hostility between Jews and Gentiles — and why it mattered * How Christ ended that hostility by ending the law's dividing power * What it means that we are now God's temple and dwelling place * The cornerstone illustration — and how the whole building depends on Christ * A closing prayer for sharing the good news with those still far away 📖 Passage: Ephesians 2:11–22 (New Living Translation) 🔍 Keywords: Ephesians Bible study, Bible study podcast, SOAP method Bible study, Christian Bible study, Scripture-first Bible study, Set Free Stay Free, Matt Dawson, walking through the Bible, Christian discipleship podcast