The Inner Being

Someone has said that we display externally what we are living internally.  After speaking in chapter 2 about how when we were dead  in our sin, Christ made us alive through faith.  The emphasis is clearly on what Christ has done.  And now Paul prays this for the Ephesians:

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”  ‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬a

Notice the source of the strength:  it is God using His own resources, His glorious riches.  Not long ago I was given an assignment I neither wanted nor felt adequate for.  But it was given to me.  I did not have the personal resources to handle it.  But out of His abundance riches, God showered and showed His resources through the task.  It was an amazing experience.  And glory came to Him.  That day, I felt His power.  He strengthened me in a way I could never imagine.

So Paul is praying for them to be strengthened with power in their inner being. Did he stop there?  No, his prayer went on to include Christ dwelling in their hearts through His Spirit.  Christ being formed in us.  Christ directing us.  Christ addressing the issues internally we are living out externally.  Christ in us, the hope of glory.  But also the “strength for today.”

So that is my prayer today, that Christ may strengthen you in your inner being, and that He may dwell in each heart by faith.  Pray this for me as well.

Power

 Power transforms.  It changes things. A toy with dead batteries become alive when fresh power is given to it.  When the grandchildren can’t carry something, they ask Daddy or Pappy to pick it up.  They know we have the power to do it.  Power enables.  It is essential to life.

   That is the third point of prayer God has given me for us. Here is how it is stated in Ephesians 1:

“and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

                                                                                                                ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭19‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We feel weak.  He is strong. We say we can’t.  He says “I have.”  We think things are impossible.  He says all things are possible.  Look at the description of this power God is pouring out in and through us.

1.  It is the same power  that raised Jesus back to life. What issue are you facing that you think would take more power than that?

2.  This power is being exercised by the one who is seated at God’s right hand, above EVERYTHING.  Satan, demons, any other political or social authority, all are below Him.  He is over all things.  And that goes for things now and in the future.

3.  God has placed all things under Jesus’ feet.  In ancient times when a King conquered someone, He placed His foot on the neck of the defeated foe to indicate His dominance over him.  All things are under the feet of Jesus.  And now as Head of the Church, He is filling us with His fullness.

So I am praying that we recognize and live in this power.  He is working in us.  He is working His power through us.  And as the writer to the Hebrews says:

“You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”

‭‭                                                                                                            Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NASB1995‬

Lord, release your power, in, through and among us, so that glory may come to you in us.

Turn the Light On

 We were traveling recently and as we prepared to leave our hotel room, I turned the light off by the bed.  Suddenly, we could not see to make our way to the door.  We need more light, not less light.  I turned it back on until we hit the switch by the door.  You can only go so far on the light you have and then you need more light.

   That is the second thing God showed me (through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians) that I must pray for all of us.  Here is how Paul states it in Ephesians 1:18:

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,”  Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There are three key points in this prayer that are outflows of God bringing more light into the eyes of our hearts.

1.  In salvation, God placed a call on our lives.  This calling is not just from our sin, but to something.  And I am not talking about heaven.  So the first part of this prayer is that the light would come on that there is so much more to the Christian life.  

2.  That fruit of this calling is hope.  And God confirmed this hope by two unchangeable things (Hebrews  6:19).  He wants us to know the limitless nature of this hope to which He has called us.  

3.  And this hope is shown and experienced in and through God’s people.  In heaven, God lays out in glorious fashion all the treasures of the inheritance He is giving the saints.  And here on earth, by the Holy Spirit who is the One who guarantees or is the down payment on that inheritance God has prepared for us, we get to experience and receive some of it now.  And that is what we need our eyes to see. We need to turn the light on.

This is what I am praying for you today.  Please pray the same for me.  And let’s pray that God will do this for every person who is in need of hope.

A Lesson in Prayer

 As we begin the new year, I have been seeking the Lord regarding insight into the direction of our church over the next twelve months.  We want to see Him pour out His Spirit in new and fresh ways, and see our church grow in maturity and in numbers.  Like you, I’ve read through Acts multiple times and took note “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  I’ve longed for it and I’ve looked for it.  And I will continue to do so…… But….

   The Lord took me on a journey over the past several weeks.  And it has been a humbling lesson on prayer.  I pray regularly, and with joy and love, for each and every one of you.  I pray for blessing, for the Lord to heal and provide joy and hope for you and for Him to fulfill His purposes in you.  And those are good things to pray.  But the Lord has shown me I should be praying something far greater.  I want to explore some of these things over the next week, while encouraging us to pray them for each other.

   The first thing He showed me to pray for you comes from Ephesians 1. 

 “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”    Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Notice the goal:  To know Him better.  And the means to the goal:  God giving each of us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.  Wisdom to know that He is God and we are not, and that there is no good thing living in us, that is in these bodies.  (Romans 7:18)  And revelation about Himself so that we truly know Him.  I knew some things about Pam before we were married but since we have been married and lived together for over 40 years that has changed.  She has revealed things about herself and openly lived out her life, her thoughts, her passions and concerns with me such that I really KNOW her.  God has revealed Himself in a number of ways, but we can only truly KNOW Him if we are living life WITH Him.  His desire is for each of us to KNOW Him.

   That is the beginning of what I am praying for you.  Will you pray it for me too?  My life verse states it this way:  “I want to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.  Becoming like Him in His death and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10)

Lord Jesus, I thank you for each and every person who calls Eastern Hills home.  I beg you to give each of us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may truly KNOW you, and in knowing you worship you as you deserve, for your glory and our good.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen

Sink Hole or Storm Cellar?

   I remember the first time I ever read about and saw pictures of the effects of a sink hole.  On the surface, everything looked fine.  Life was happening as normal.  But underneath, unseen by the casual glance, erosion was continuing to take its toll. And suddenly there was a complete collapse.  A building disappeared; cars are swallowed up; and people lost their lives.  Insights as to what was happening under the surface could have prevented the catastrophe, or at least prepared the people to evacuate the building, move the car or relocate to a safe place.  But no one was looking there.

   I also remember the first time I heard about a storm cellar.  Prevalent in the tornado prone states of the Plains, these are safe places to go underground as the destructive power of a tornado was bearing down on the family farm.  Prepared with supplies, these cellars allow people to hear the devastation of the storms above and around them, yet survive to rebuild following them.  The things on the surface may be gone, but the eternal, life itself, is spared.  Things can be replaced.  Life can’t be.

   Interesting enough, both these scenarios refer to what is happening under the surface.  

   A heart that is focused on Jesus is like a storm cellar, a place to run in the storms of life.  

“For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.”       Psalms‬ ‭61‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”    Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.””     Revelation‬ ‭11‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Nothing can harm us when we are safe in His hands.  But a life that is not focused on Jesus, is like that sink hole.  On the surface, things may look good.  But eventually, everything will collapse, destroying everything, including life itself.

It is at the cross of Jesus that sink holes turn into storm cellars, and erosion turns into a firm foundation.  Turn to Him today and be prepared for the storms of life.  They are coming.

What It Takes

 “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”     Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬

   How seriously do we take sin?  How seriously do I take sin?  When I sin, what does it do to Jesus?  When the Passion of the Christ came out, I remember watching it for the first time.  It shook me.  We speak of the death of Jesus in almost sterile or storybook terms, without the depth of agony and pain. But there it was in front of me, hearing the lashes strike His back.  Seeing the blood flowing down.  Looking at the disfigurement of His face.  Hearing the struggle to catch His breath. My heart ached because MY sin did that.  It was so intense that when we used a brief clip of it for our Good Friday service there were some people who deemed it inappropriate.  How could we expose the tender hearted or children to such a scene?

   But that is what sin did.  And does.  The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that if we experience a taste of God’s grace yet fail to embrace it in true repentance, continuing to sin as if grace gives us license to do so, we are crucifying Jesus over and over and over again.  Every sin I commit drives a nail in Him.  Every sin pushes the crown of thorns down into His head.  Every sin causes shame and disgrace to Him.  Every sin breaks the heart of Jesus.  

I determined to not turn away.  That ugliness brings my sin into focus in such a way that I do not want to do that to Jesus ever again.  Rather than a license to sin more, grace becomes the power to sin less.  Mercy is my bridge to holy living.  And my only hope is in the resurrection power of Christ.

My prayer is for every one of us to take our sin far more seriously.  Satan wants us to see it as if it is no big deal.  It is. It caused (and causes) pain to Jesus.  Every sin.  Let’s not turn away from Him but turn to Him.  As Peter says, “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”   ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

     

 “After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.””   Matthew‬ ‭17‬:‭24‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus is always practical in the ways He uses our lives.  It may not seem like a spiritual act to pay your taxes, but Jesus made it one.  He indicates that we as HIs children would normally be free from taxation, but since we don’t want to cause offense, we will pay our taxes to whom they are do.  It is insignificant.  Except for the fact by doing so, we keep the door open for communication about the Kingdom.  And that is worth it all.

Never consider little things insignificant.  Jesus provides.  We pay.  They ask.  Jesus provides.  We proclaim.  They ask.  It is a continuous cycle of using the money, circumstances and opportunities He provides to spread the Good News of the Gospel.  Keep fishing and see what He provides.