Ephesians 3:14-19
"I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
A lot of Christians are weak. Something goes wrong in life and they don't react with faith. They may be disappointed that God did not do as they asked or they have problems at work, with family or many other pressures that we may face.
Satan will use these situations to tempt us to doubt God's fundamental love and goodness. There are some on this forum who hover around like angels of gloom, never a positive word to say, but warning of terrible consequences for anyone who does not meet their standard of perfection. They will be judged as they judge others.
This passage is fascinating to me. Pentecostals (I am not Pentecostal) like to emphasise power. All well and good. I was a member of a Pentecostal church for 5 years. Not once did I hear any preaching around this aspect of the power of the Spirit.
The "inner being" is our born again spirit. To be born again is to receive a new spirit that is of God where Lord Jesus is pleased to dwell. When we are saved, we are like new born babies spiritually. We know very little and we have to learn to live in this new life. Paul prayed that we might have strong spirits so that Lord Jesus would dwell in our hearts through faith. Lord Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us, but we may not have the experience that we should enjoy.
Some want power to perform signs and wonders. Some want power to be witnesses. They are not necessarily wrong, but there is a higher motivation that is life changing. And that motivation is the greatest of all, to know God's love.
I've met Christians who impressed me with their gifts. I knew one who was taken to hospital DOA after a car accident. He was a close friend. By a series of miracles, he survived. I won't go into details. He had gifts of healing and deliverance ministry. He went to America and Bible college. He backslid into a lifestyle that cost him his life. So gifts may be impressive, but they guarantee nothing in our walk with Christ.
Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, prayed to know the amazing breadth of the love of God. God's love is beyond human comprehension. This knowledge is not gained through the intellect.
Why is this important? If we are unsure of God's love, trials and tribulation become hard to endure. Those God loves, He disciplines. God does not have to do much. He often leaves us to experience the consequences of our actions and attitudes. When we know that God loves us, we can see that God intends our troubles to bless us, even if it does not seem like it at the time.
So I suggest the you pray Paul's prayer for yourselves as individuals. I speak to myself as well. it's been a while since I prayed this for myself. We can always be stronger and always have a greater appreciation for God's love.
"I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
A lot of Christians are weak. Something goes wrong in life and they don't react with faith. They may be disappointed that God did not do as they asked or they have problems at work, with family or many other pressures that we may face.
Satan will use these situations to tempt us to doubt God's fundamental love and goodness. There are some on this forum who hover around like angels of gloom, never a positive word to say, but warning of terrible consequences for anyone who does not meet their standard of perfection. They will be judged as they judge others.
This passage is fascinating to me. Pentecostals (I am not Pentecostal) like to emphasise power. All well and good. I was a member of a Pentecostal church for 5 years. Not once did I hear any preaching around this aspect of the power of the Spirit.
The "inner being" is our born again spirit. To be born again is to receive a new spirit that is of God where Lord Jesus is pleased to dwell. When we are saved, we are like new born babies spiritually. We know very little and we have to learn to live in this new life. Paul prayed that we might have strong spirits so that Lord Jesus would dwell in our hearts through faith. Lord Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us, but we may not have the experience that we should enjoy.
Some want power to perform signs and wonders. Some want power to be witnesses. They are not necessarily wrong, but there is a higher motivation that is life changing. And that motivation is the greatest of all, to know God's love.
I've met Christians who impressed me with their gifts. I knew one who was taken to hospital DOA after a car accident. He was a close friend. By a series of miracles, he survived. I won't go into details. He had gifts of healing and deliverance ministry. He went to America and Bible college. He backslid into a lifestyle that cost him his life. So gifts may be impressive, but they guarantee nothing in our walk with Christ.
Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, prayed to know the amazing breadth of the love of God. God's love is beyond human comprehension. This knowledge is not gained through the intellect.
Why is this important? If we are unsure of God's love, trials and tribulation become hard to endure. Those God loves, He disciplines. God does not have to do much. He often leaves us to experience the consequences of our actions and attitudes. When we know that God loves us, we can see that God intends our troubles to bless us, even if it does not seem like it at the time.
So I suggest the you pray Paul's prayer for yourselves as individuals. I speak to myself as well. it's been a while since I prayed this for myself. We can always be stronger and always have a greater appreciation for God's love.
