Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Praying to be Filled with Christ's Love

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend  with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19)
There are few prayers that are more sweepingly important than this one. This is because* it is the very thing Paul prays for immediately after telling us that God's eternal purpose to put His wisdom and glory on display is accomplished through the church (3:10-11; cf. 1:10).

The question is, "What kind of church displays God's wisdom and glory?" 

The answer is simply this: "a church that is filled with the love of Christ." Which is why Paul prays these words in Ephesians 3.

A couple of things to note, which will hopefully stoke fervent prayer for the Spirit to fill us with Christ's love:

(1) This love is expressed in unity, which is one of the main themes in Ephesians. The Father of v.14 is the Father of "all" His children in heaven and earth. All in Christ are in the same family. The gasoline that fuels its existence is Christ's love.

(2) That our confidence of God's pouring out His love by the Spirit is rooted in and according to "the riches of His glory." In other words, there is no shortage, for God's glory is inexhaustible.

(3) That the ultimate expression of the Spirit's power in the life of a Christian is "Christ dwelling in our hearts through faith." This is what a "Spirit-filled" Christian looks like, and is even more miraculous than so many of the signs and wonders many seek after.

(4) That we need the Spirit to strengthen us not merely as individuals, but as a church, to "co-comprehend" what is this immeasurable gift Christ has for those who ask.

(5) This love is not "learned" by study; rather, it is comprehended by the Spirit's revelation. Thus, this is something we must ask for (cf. 1:17; 3:5).

(6) To be filled with all the fullness of God is to be filled with the love of Christ. This is what a truly mature Christian and church looks like.

(7) It is through Spirit-filled - and thus love-of-Christ-filled - Christians that Christ is "filling" the world with His glory (cf. 1:23; 3:21).

As we are filled with the Spirit, and His first-fruit of love (cf. Gal. 5:25), we are enabled and empowered (cf. 1:19) to walk in a manner worthy of Christ's call (4:1-6:9; cf. 1:18).

This is the kind of church that brings the Father glory through Christ. So let us pray this prayer today, for we have access to the Father's throne of grace through our faith in Christ (3:12).

In Christ, and for His glory through His church,
pastor ryan


* Note the conjunction ("For this reason") in v.14, which links Paul's train of thought in this section to the previous section.

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