The Power of Prayer and Love:

When we read Ephesians 3:14-21, we can do one of two things first read it and not even realize what great promises and power is in it.  Second we read it and sit back let Paul’s words sink in and be changed forever.  These few verses tell us a great deal, it tells us how we are to live our lives, it tells us of the power of God.  Paul says in the verses 14-17; “when I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.  And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.”  Paul says that just at the thought God’s wisdom and plan that it drives him to prayer.  What does Paul pray for? That Christ will give us might inner strength that we may grow deep in God’s marvelous love.  Paul doesn’t want the people of God’s church to just be content with attending church once and while and praying on the run.  No, he prays that we will grow strong in God’s love.   That our lives are going to be controlled by the fact that we have allowed God to make are hearts His home.

In verses 18-19 Paul continues with by saying, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”  Paul is praying that we experience the love of Christ, we won’t understand but it will change us forever.  I believe that too many times we are allowing our own wants to control how we experience God.  We have it in our minds that God loves us and wants to give us all that we need and want.  That He wants to make us comfortable.  Sometime we even get confused and because we want something we decide that it is what God wants for us. But what if we started to ask God to revel to us what it is He desires for us to do in our lives.  What if instead of saying I want this so bad that it is what God wants for me too.  The problem is we then pray for it and when the answer comes back no, we get mad.  What Paul is saying is that he wants to see us come and allow God to become a true part of our lives.  Christ said; “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”(Jn 14:23)

Paul then ends this prayer with; “Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.   May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.”(vss 20-21)  Paul is telling us let God make His home in you, empty yourself and let God fill you with His love and power.  Then you will see God do some awesome things in your life.  Let us stop trying to get God to do what we want Him to do and pray for His guidance, let us give God our lives for real.  Henry Blackaby tells us this, “God wants us to align our lives with Him so He will accomplish His divine purposes in and though us. God is not our servant to bless our plans and desires. He is our Lord, and we must adjust our lives to what He is doing and to the ways He chooses to accomplish His work. If we will not submit to God and His ways, He will allow us to follow our own devices. But be sure of this: we will miss God's activity, and we will not experience what God wants to do through us to bless others. As Christians, it is not only important what we do but how we do it.”

Blackaby, Richard (2008-09-01). Experiencing God (p. 96). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

What is the Mystery?

In the first part of Chapter three Paul talks about how He was chosen to bring the word of God to the Gentiles.  “As you already know, God has given me this special ministry of announcing his favor to you Gentiles.”(vs3:2)  Paul brings this up for the reason that he wants to talk about the mystery that God has revealed to him.  What is this mystery, is it that the Gentiles are now able to  be saved?  If we look at the Old Testament we can see that is not the mystery, let us look at several passages; “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious” (Isa. 11:10). Another: “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (Isa. 60:3). Isaiah also wrote: “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles” (Isa. 42:6). Zechariah also mentions it: “And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee” (Zech. 2:11). And Malachi: “For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of host” (Mal. 1:11).

As we look at those pieces of scripture we see that the Jews understood that at some point everyone would be able to be saved.  So what is this big mystery Paul is talking about that has been revealed to him?  Paul reveals to us what this answer to this mystery is in verse six; “this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God’s children. Both groups have believed the Good News, and both are part of the same body and enjoy together the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus.”  What Paul is saying would come to be a shock to all Jews, for none them would have ever thought that God would allow anyone else the same rights and more than what they had.  As one commentator writes, “In other words, converted Gentiles now enjoy equal title and privileges with converted Jews.  First, they are fellow heirs. As far as the inheritance is concerned, they share equally with saved Jews. They are heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ, and fellow heirs with all the redeemed.  Then they are fellow members of the same body. They are at no distance or disadvantage now, but share a position of equality with saved Jews in the church.  Finally, they are fellow partakers of the promise in Christ through the gospel. The promise here may mean the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:8; Gal. 3:14), or it may take in all that is promised in the gospel to those who are in Christ Jesus. Gentiles are copartners with Jews in all of this.  None of this was true in the OT dispensation, nor will it be true in the coming kingdom of Christ.  In the OT, Israel held a distinct place of privilege before God. A Jew would have laughed at any suggestion that a Gentile held an equal share with him in the promises of God. It simply was not true. The prophets of Israel did predict the call of the Gentiles (Isa. 49:6; 56:6, 7), but they nowhere hinted that Gentiles would be fellow members of a body in which Jews did not have any priority.  In the coming kingdom of our Lord, Israel will be the head of the nations (Isa. 60:12); Gentiles will be blessed, but it will be through Israel (Isa. 60:3; 61:6; Zech. 8:23).  The calling of Israel was primarily, though not exclusively, to temporal blessings in earthly places (Deut. 28; Amos 9:13–15). The calling of the church is primarily to spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Eph. 1:3). Israel was called to be God’s chosen earthly people. The church is called to be the heavenly Bride of Christ (Rev. 21:2, 9). Israel will be blessed under the rule of Christ in the Millennium (Hos. 3:5); the church will reign with Him over the entire universe, sharing His glory (Eph. 1:22, 23).   Therefore it should be clear that the church is not the same as Israel or the kingdom. It is a new society, a unique fellowship, and the most privileged body of believers we read about in the Bible. The church came into being after Christ ascended and the Holy Spirit was given (Acts 2). It was formed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). And it will be completed at the Rapture, when all who belong to Christ will be taken home to heaven (1 Thess. 4:13–18; 1 Cor. 15:23, 51–58.”^[1]

All this being said, what does it mean for you and me; it means that when we come to Christ we are accepted into His Kingdom.  That means first, that we no longer belong to this earth, we are connected to God through the Holy Spirit.  God works through the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, comfort us and Guide us. It means that we are now able to go to God in prayer with great confidence and boldness. “I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.  And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for.”(1^st John 5:13-15)  It means that we are no longer living for ourselves but for God who created us and loves us.  We no longer need to fear death.  But it also means we come to the understanding that we are to go and be the church, we are to go out and let people know who Christ is.  We no longer are able to live for ourselves and our wants we must begin to seek out what it is that our King and God desires of our lives. 

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^[1]MacDonald, W. 1997, c1995. Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Eph 3:6). Thomas Nelson: Nashville

Brought into the Family of God:

As we begin to read the second the half of Ephesians chapter two, it can be a little difficult for us in today’s church to grasp what Paul is trying to tell us.  The reason for this is because for most of us we do not fully understand the history between the Jews and the Gentiles.  Most of us realize that the Jews considered that anyone who was not a Jew was consider a Gentile or as they would call them the Uncircumcised, the Jews would not allow the Gentiles to come into the Temple.  They had a spot on the far outer court that they were allowed to enter into, but it was made know if they enter into the temple they would die.  In verses 11-12 when Paul says, don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders by birth. You were called “the uncircumcised ones” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.  In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from God’s people, Israel, and you did not know the promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.”  Paul really means that we had no hope, without Christ coming and dying on the cross we would have no right to be in a relationship with God.

Paul goes on to tell us this in verse thirteen though, “But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.”  This is the wonderful news of Christ that through His blood all mankind now has access to God, we no have a curtain or wall separating us from God.  Christ came so that all mankind can come to God and receive citizenship into Heaven.  When we read verses 14 through 18, Paul goes on to explain how Christ came fulfill the law to do away with the system that kept all mankind away from God.  When Paul talks about how the death of Christ “ended the whole system of Jewish law that excluded the Gentiles.”(v15)  He’s  not saying that Christ came to get rid of the commandments and that we are able to go do whatever we please.  He’s saying that Christ got rid the laws and rituals that kept all man away from God’s love.  We are no longer dependent on the Jewish laws of sacrifice, that was what the cross was for. Christ was the final and prefect sacrifice.  Bringing us together with the Jews in peace through Christ. 

As we get to the end of chapter two Paul tells us how we are no longer strangers or foreigners but all citizens and a part of God’s family.  “When you come to Jesus Christ, you are not only brought into a body, but you are also brought into a place where you stand before God on a par with anybody. I stand with you and you stand with me on equal footing. So today there should never be a point of separation for believers on any basis at all. We have been made one in Christ. If you are a believer in Christ—it makes no difference who you are—you and I are going to be together throughout eternity. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for us to speak to each other every now and then down here, would it?

The contrast in the passage is really between the Jew and Gentile. The Lord Jesus Christ is the peace that has been made between them. The middle wall, the fence, or partition, the enmity between the two, has been broken down. He has made a new man. We have been put together in Christ, and He has made peace. It means that we now have peace with God, and we should also have peace with each other.

God’s reconciliation is already complete. He is ready to receive you if you are ready to come. Therefore, the message that goes out is “… be ye reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20). If you will be reconciled, you will be brought into a new body, a body of believers, and it doesn’t make any difference whether you are Jew or Gentile. The color of your skin makes no difference. White, brown, red, black—all are one in Christ. We have been made one, new men, and we should have peace.”

Let Us Talk About Faith

A couple weeks ago we talked about how it’s by God’s wonderful grace that we receive salvation through, with that also come the thought what about faith?  Where does faith come into play, many people say they have faith in something but what does that mean when we say we have faith?  Let us think about those who put their faith in a public figure who is running for president.  Many times if one who put their in Mr. X and says that is who needs to by our next president they may put a yard sign in their yard.  But the ones who really have faith in Mr. X go and volunteer at his local campaign office making phone calls telling their friends how he is going to change things in Washington.  Their faith in Mr. X changes how they spend their time and maybe even how they think.  Yet somehow when we talk about faith in God many times it’s not so much talking about how we live our lives but it is how we need more faith to see God working through prayer.  Do not misunderstand what I am saying, I believe in the power of prayer and believe that we see God working through prayer and that faith plays a part in that.  But is Paul referring to faith in a context to prayer in Ephesians when he talks about in chapter 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— ^ not the result of works, so that no one may boast. ^ For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

As I study this piece of scripture and begin to look at other pieces of scripture I begin to realize that faith in God is much more visible then we tend to think of it being.  Faith in itself as we read here is a gift from God.  What does that mean for us?  For starters it means we cannot go around bragging about how much faith we have or even saying because of my faith in God I have seen many prayers answered.  It also means that faith in God is very much a working of God in our souls, much like the cleansing of our sins, Paul went on to say; “we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” It is our faith in God that is going to create and make us holy.  That means that our lives are to be lived out in faith.  Does this mean we say I have not been given the gift of Faith therefore I cannot be saved?  No by no means is that what Paul is saying, the truth being that if we say I do not have faith in God what we are truly saying is that I do not want to change my life, I want to continue my life in sin and not give it up.

Let us look at 2^nd Corinthians 3:12-18; “Since this new covenant gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory fading away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and even to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, a veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.  Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil and they do not understand but whenever anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away.  Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom.  And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.”  What is Paul saying here is  that we have a choice we can either follow God putting our trust in God and  allow Him to reveal Himself through us and how we live our life.  Or we can choose not to accept the gift of faith and allow our hearts to be hardened to His word and go on living a life in sin.  The choice is ours, do we want to shine for God letting His spirit guide and direct us going where He wants us to go witnessing to those we are called to witness to when times are tough and we don’t know how we are going to make praising God and letting others know we serve a God of love and have nothing to worry about?  The choice is yours.