Ephesians 1:15-19-"Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead..."
Paul commended the Ephesians for their faith in God and for their great love for each other.
Faith, without love, isn't always pretty. James says that faith without works is dead.
Love, without faith, just sits there and pities.
It is not moved with compassion to actually do anything through the power of God that helps another.
Pastor Frank helped us see the three main points of Paul's prayer. Paul was encouraging them to go beyond the beautiful faith and love that they already had. He said that he never ceases to pray that:
1. ... God would give them spiritual wisdom and insight so they might grow in the knowledge of Christ.
No matter how much you know Him, there is always more to know. Wisdom has no limit. Insight is endless. Keep on learning and growing.
2. Grow in hope. Know the hope of your calling. He has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Know that hope. Know what it is to be called out of darkness. Stay in His marvelous light. Hope helps you see that even if Moses' basket sank, he still would have been saved somehow, someway. Hope helps you see Goliath falling down even if the stone has somehow missed its mark.
Hopelessness makes you feel that there is no way out. Hope says, "When I was in the midst of a beseiged city, God showed His great kindness to me."
"In spite of the bleakness, and things getting worse and worse, God still has the world in the palm of His hand." Carry the hope of God's calling into hopeless situations. Hope is light. You are the light of the world. Walk as children of light.
3. Paul prayed that we would understand the exceeding greatness of God's power toward us who believe. The greatest need we have is to know the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit keeps us, teaches us, guides us, and moves through us. We need His presence, the presence of Jesus, in our lives. The world needs His presence in our lives.
We had communion today. Our row was full- Phil, me, Adi, Gina, Michael, Josh, Christi, Philip, and Travis. I love to take communion. I love to take in everything He has done for me. I, too, find it hard to fathom, that it pleased God to bruise Jesus. Jesus' whole being and who He is became an offering for the sin in my life. I eat His bread and drink His wine with gratitude. Thank you for pouring your life out for me. Help me understand this. It is too high; I cannot grasp it. I take in all that you are and you take out all that I am. The great exchange: Your righteousness for my sin. Holy, Holy God.
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