Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Paul’s Prayer for a Deeper Experience of the Gospel - Ephesians 1:15–23 Submitted by Kay Crumley
Have you ever had an intensely close relationship with a group of people and long for that relationship to continue? Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was to the church he planted in Ephesus and to the people he with whom he spent about two years. That was the longest stay he had in any of his missionary journeys. He had time to teach them the gospel and help them grow in their faith in Jesus Christ. He knew them intimately so his words to them were deeply personal. He opens his letter reminding them, in verses 3-14, of the blessing they had because of their adoption into the Kingdom through Jesus Christ. Those of us who hear and believe the gospel of salvation are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Tony Evans describes it like this in his commentary “When you believe in Christ as your Savior; God puts you inside an envelope called Christ. You are ‘in Christ.’ But God also guarantees delivery. He registers the letter and seals it with the Holy Spirit – indicating that He is its owner and the only one qualified to open it.” As Christ followers, we have been given a foretaste of eternal life as we live in alignment with His will and follow His purpose with the Holy Spirit as our guide. We need that reminder as we face challenges, we are His.
Paul writes a prayer for his friends reminding them he never stops thinking about them. He is thankful to God for their faithfulness and prays for them. We are encouraged as fellow believers share that they pray for us to grow in our faith.
Prayer for Spiritual Insight
15 This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.
He prays they will be given wisdom to apply the truth of the gospel to their daily lives. That can only happen as they grow in knowledge of God. We must learn who God is, about the character and actions of Jesus with the desire to apply that knowledge to our everyday lives. He encourages them to recall the hope of His calling. He had told them, in Eph. 1:3, that they had been given ‘every spiritual blessing.’ We have access but that will only be to our benefit when we seek Him and accept the gift of His blessings in our lives. He will give us what we need to fulfill His purpose in our lives. We have been adopted into His family. That adoption provides all the privileges of a those born as children of the King. We are spiritual wealthy because we are His children. Why is that so amazing? Because of ‘the immeasurable greatness of His power.’ God is Creator, Master, Lord over all, and Jehovah, the self-existing One. There is nothing or no one greater than our God.
God’s Power in Christ
20 He demonstrated this power in the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens— 21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.
We can see the demonstration of His immeasurable power through Jesus, the Messiah, who He raised from the dead. He is alive now and is seated at God’s right hand, the position of authority, in the heavens. He has the highest authority over all things in heaven and earth. There is no one, no king, ruler, or position that He doesn’t control. Only if you align your life under His rule will you see His agenda demonstrated in your life’s circumstances. That doesn’t guarantee that you’ll not face difficulties, but you can be confident that He is in control. Finally, Paul concludes this prayer with the assurance that Jesus is head over His church. The body of believers makes up the church. He uses us to spread the gospel to the world. Only the church, operating under Christ’s kingdom authority can give the world a picture of what life under God’s kingdom authority looks like.
We can live in wisdom through knowledge of Him as we seize the spiritual blessings available to us by our most powerful Lord and Master. Dedicate each day to align ourselves with His Kingdom purpose.
