Fresh Speaking
(Nancy's notes from Lord's Day, June 27, 2010)
Eph. 3 is Paul's prayer. The first thing he prayed was for the saints to be strengthened with power by His Spirit into their inner man. This strengthening was so that Christ could make His home in their hearts. Our heart is our mind, will and emotions. How can He make home in our heart without our being strengthened? We can't skip that 1st step. To do it in yourself is not going to work! Once the Lord comes and strengthens us and makes home in our heart, then we have strength to apprehend with all the saints.
My experience with the Lord is one dimensional. God moves in many dimensions. We can never leave any step behind. Each step strengthens the next. Being with other believers - how much stronger! We are a team. Then we are much more useful to God and to the ones around us.
To know the love of God - we need the saints for this. To love one another - it's easy to love ones we don't know! We need to come together as one and share our portion, even if it is small. All our portion is needed.
Reading through Paul's prayer we see step by step instructions. I like to go straight to v.19. " Fill me with Yourself Lord. " To really be filled with all the fullness of God, you need to know the Love of Christ. To truly know, not just read about it but to experience it. You must have a sense of how great the love of Christ is. In order to know the dimensions of Christ, you need to be rooted. without the rooting, you don't have a view of the dimensions. To be rooted, you need a relationship with Christ, which takes receiving Him. (v.16) Something happens when we are saved. We are granted to be strengthened! An incredible change takes place! We all owe our existence to the Father. This is how the prayer begins. Then it ends with giving the glory back to Him. As the church, we are the ultimate expression of glory to the Father.
Eph 1 -" He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body. " This is past tense. Already done.
Eph.3 -"that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God" This is present tense. The outworking.
There are two sides to our experience. We are the fullness/and we may be filled. Established fact/ and the outworking. We are saved/and work out your own salvation.
It is a revelation to see fact and practical experience. God had a plan and is doing something. Eph. 3 is the practical outworking. Who is it that prayed this prayer? Paul - the one who it was given to reveal the gospel to all the nations. Such a one prayed this prayer. At the beginning of this prayer he prayed that He would strengthen us with power. At the end, that you would be filled unto all the fullness of God. Then - TO HIM BE GLORY IN THE CHURCH! This is earth shattering! God is after something that we may not have seen yet. At the end of this prayer, by the one who opened the gospel - to Him be glory in the church! Step, step, step, glory in the church! What a completed word is this! From step one to apprehending all the dimensions - then glory in the church!
He gains a little more and a little more of our hearts through His strengthening. We begin to apprehend with all the saints the dimensions of this One. He is complete in every direction. He makes home in my heart, and we realize He is doing the same thing in the other saints. Paul announced the unsearchable riches of Christ. This Christ is yours! As we begin to apprehend, what comes out is the fullness.
The base step in this prayer is that you would be strengthened with power by His Spirit. Don't think "I already received the Spirit, this is for others." This is written to believers! Paul prayed that "He would grant you to be strengthened with power by His Spirit into the inner man."
What is the church? At the end of this chapter the church is the fullness of God. On the mount of transfiguration, a little bit of God's glory was shown. What is the church today? God's glory!
We need our eyes open. We need a spirit of wisdom and revelation, and our inner man needs strengthened. This allows Him to make home. We begin to apprehend, to be filled with all the fullness. Unto Him be glory in the church!