Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
God has saved us and wants to make Himself known in our lives. The Lord wants to show us how powerful He really is. In the Old Testament God took His people out of Egypt by His mighty power. In the book of Deuteronomy 4:37 it says, "And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;" Then we also see in Deuteronomy 9:29 Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm. God bringing His people out of Egypt was a display of His mighty power! Likewise when God brought us out of Egypt (the world) and saved our souls, that too, was a display of His mighty power! Psalm 106:8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. For those who believe and are born of the Spirit, we have an exceeding great power within us. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit gives us power! God wants to show His mighty power working through us. In the Old Testament a man by the name of Zerubbabel was leading the Jews in the building of the second temple. God told an angel to tell Zerubabbel how he was going to accomplish that work. Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. When God's Spirit is upon us then we have mighty power to do good and to accomplish great works for Him. It is said about Jesus Christ himself that He did His work in the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 10:38 it says, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." As a result of salvation our relationship with Jesus Christ enables us to have power. Philippians 3:10 says, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;" God's mighty power is working in us through Jesus Christ. The closer we are to Christ the more power we will have to accomplish great things for God. Today, will you spend time with Christ and yield yourself to His Spirit so that the mighty power of God can rest upon you? As a child of God who has been delivered from the sin of Egypt you have experienced this power, but God wants to make His mighty power known to you in every area of your life. Pray for Power! Surrender to Christ. Yield to the Holy Spirit and watch God work!
Friday, July 26, 2019
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
A Prayer for the Brethren
Ephesians 1:17,18 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
So what was Paul's prayer for the brethren? As we enter verse seventeen we are given a sample prayer that we can pray for all saints. This is how Paul prayed for the faithful brethren. First Paul prayed unto God the Father. Our Father what art in heaven? Yes, of course because of regeneration and adoption He is our Father, but more specifically in this prayer he starts with: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory. So Paul first prayed to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, we see Paul's understanding that the same God that manifested His glory in His Son, the person of Jesus Christ; would also provide for us and give us what we need through the Son also. Thirdly, notice what is asked for: spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. This is exactly what we should be praying that our brethren would be given everyday. James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. We ask God to give them wisdom and a knowledge of Christ in their heart. Wisdom is the ability to apply biblical principles, therefore making Godly decisions. Then we ask God to reveal or make known in us who Jesus Christ is! To know Him is the most important thing any believer can obtain. To know Christ is to have wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:24 says, "But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." The spirit of wisdom comes from a personal, close, intimate relationship with Christ! We are truly complete in Him! Fourth, we ought to pray that our brethren's eyes would be open to see and understand what God's calling is. When we having a true knowledge of who Christ is, then we will see what God's will is for each and every decision that we have to make throughout the day. God's wisdom, which is found in Christ enables us to make Godly decisions. When you know Christ and fellowship in His presence, then every need you have will be met. You will know what it is to be rich! You will not have any need unmet and at the same time you will have all the resources you may need. My inheritance, my sufficiency, my provisions, my needs are all met in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ! This is the way we should be praying for the brethren.
So what was Paul's prayer for the brethren? As we enter verse seventeen we are given a sample prayer that we can pray for all saints. This is how Paul prayed for the faithful brethren. First Paul prayed unto God the Father. Our Father what art in heaven? Yes, of course because of regeneration and adoption He is our Father, but more specifically in this prayer he starts with: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory. So Paul first prayed to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, we see Paul's understanding that the same God that manifested His glory in His Son, the person of Jesus Christ; would also provide for us and give us what we need through the Son also. Thirdly, notice what is asked for: spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. This is exactly what we should be praying that our brethren would be given everyday. James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. We ask God to give them wisdom and a knowledge of Christ in their heart. Wisdom is the ability to apply biblical principles, therefore making Godly decisions. Then we ask God to reveal or make known in us who Jesus Christ is! To know Him is the most important thing any believer can obtain. To know Christ is to have wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:24 says, "But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." The spirit of wisdom comes from a personal, close, intimate relationship with Christ! We are truly complete in Him! Fourth, we ought to pray that our brethren's eyes would be open to see and understand what God's calling is. When we having a true knowledge of who Christ is, then we will see what God's will is for each and every decision that we have to make throughout the day. God's wisdom, which is found in Christ enables us to make Godly decisions. When you know Christ and fellowship in His presence, then every need you have will be met. You will know what it is to be rich! You will not have any need unmet and at the same time you will have all the resources you may need. My inheritance, my sufficiency, my provisions, my needs are all met in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ! This is the way we should be praying for the brethren.
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Grateful For Brethren
Ephesians 1:15,16 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
The apostle Paul at this point in his letter to the Ephesians, expresses his gratitude and love for the brethren. After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus... So not only did Paul hear of their faith in Jesus Christ, but he saw the manifestation of that faith in the way they loved other believers. The saints at Ephesus had a genuine love for their fellow saints in other towns and in other churches. A love unto all the saints, blessed Paul's heart. Jesus taught this important principle in John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." When believers love each other a great testimony is given to the lost. How sad it is today that there is so much discontent and lack of love among believers today. This is not to say that there will never be disagreement or even division, but it ought always to be done in a spirit of love and humility. It is that love in hearts that also gives us an assurance of our salvation. 1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Here at this church in Ephesus the saints had a genuine love for ALL the family of God. For this cause Paul took great joy and was moved with compassion and gratefulness as he saw God's children loving each other. I am grateful for the brethren all across America and even the world that I get to share in Christ's love with. The fellowship of brethren has been so refreshing to me over the years. Many times we will meet a Christian for the first time and feel like we've known each other for years. What a great blessing it is to have brothers and sisters in Christ who love each other and encourage each other with prayer. This love and spirit of being grateful for brethren is a maturing of our faith. In 2 Thessalonians 1:3 it says, "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;" Our love for our brethren is the evidence of growing faith. Paul then reminds them of his commitment to them in the fact that he prayed for them faithfully! Nothing can be more loving and more Christlike as when we intercede for a brother or sister in Christ. Are you grateful for your brethren? How much do you pray for them? It is imperative that we that are Christ's express our love and gratitude to the brethren by ceasing not to give thanks for them, making mention of them in our prayers. Be grateful, be prayerful for the brethren!
The apostle Paul at this point in his letter to the Ephesians, expresses his gratitude and love for the brethren. After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus... So not only did Paul hear of their faith in Jesus Christ, but he saw the manifestation of that faith in the way they loved other believers. The saints at Ephesus had a genuine love for their fellow saints in other towns and in other churches. A love unto all the saints, blessed Paul's heart. Jesus taught this important principle in John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." When believers love each other a great testimony is given to the lost. How sad it is today that there is so much discontent and lack of love among believers today. This is not to say that there will never be disagreement or even division, but it ought always to be done in a spirit of love and humility. It is that love in hearts that also gives us an assurance of our salvation. 1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Here at this church in Ephesus the saints had a genuine love for ALL the family of God. For this cause Paul took great joy and was moved with compassion and gratefulness as he saw God's children loving each other. I am grateful for the brethren all across America and even the world that I get to share in Christ's love with. The fellowship of brethren has been so refreshing to me over the years. Many times we will meet a Christian for the first time and feel like we've known each other for years. What a great blessing it is to have brothers and sisters in Christ who love each other and encourage each other with prayer. This love and spirit of being grateful for brethren is a maturing of our faith. In 2 Thessalonians 1:3 it says, "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;" Our love for our brethren is the evidence of growing faith. Paul then reminds them of his commitment to them in the fact that he prayed for them faithfully! Nothing can be more loving and more Christlike as when we intercede for a brother or sister in Christ. Are you grateful for your brethren? How much do you pray for them? It is imperative that we that are Christ's express our love and gratitude to the brethren by ceasing not to give thanks for them, making mention of them in our prayers. Be grateful, be prayerful for the brethren!
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
God's Down Payment
Ephesians 1:13b,14 ... ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Our salvation has been sealed with the Holy Spirit. The other day I put a check in an envelope and sealed it shut. Then I went to the Post Office and mailed it. As I left the Post Office I had full confidence that the envelope would reach its destination and that the rightful owner of the check would receive it. That envelope that was sealed shut, remained so until the rightful owner broke the seal and opened it up and to obtain the check inside, which was rightfully his. The envelope was sealed in order that only the buyer could open it and take possession. Likewise God has placed us (the check) in an envelope (in Christ.) At salvation we were placed, created in Christ and were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. The Holy Spirit is the seal that keeps the envelope shut until the rightful owner receives it and takes possession. The Holy Spirit keeps the check secure in the envelope until God gets it and takes full possession. As believers we are in the mail on our way from one destination to another. The envelope that we are in is Jesus Christ and that envelope is sealed by the Holy Spirit until it reaches it's destination in Heaven. At that point God will break the seal and take full possession of that which He has purchased. Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. One day God will unseal the person that He has purchased with His own blood. So if your sealed, your secure until redemption day. Also in this text we see the Holy Spirit is called the earnest of our inheritance. The word "earnest" means a down payment or a promise of full payment to come. The Holy Spirit was given to us as promise from God that He would give us a full inheritance. Of course Heaven is apart of the inheritance put that is just the land God is giving us. He has a mansion and riches stored up for us as well. Everyday we live as believers with the indwelling Holy Spirit is God's guarantee that we are His and He will receive us for good. This is exactly why He the Holy Spirit is called, the Holy Spirit of promise. Have you spent time talking with the Holy Spirit today? What a great friend He is!
Our salvation has been sealed with the Holy Spirit. The other day I put a check in an envelope and sealed it shut. Then I went to the Post Office and mailed it. As I left the Post Office I had full confidence that the envelope would reach its destination and that the rightful owner of the check would receive it. That envelope that was sealed shut, remained so until the rightful owner broke the seal and opened it up and to obtain the check inside, which was rightfully his. The envelope was sealed in order that only the buyer could open it and take possession. Likewise God has placed us (the check) in an envelope (in Christ.) At salvation we were placed, created in Christ and were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. The Holy Spirit is the seal that keeps the envelope shut until the rightful owner receives it and takes possession. The Holy Spirit keeps the check secure in the envelope until God gets it and takes full possession. As believers we are in the mail on our way from one destination to another. The envelope that we are in is Jesus Christ and that envelope is sealed by the Holy Spirit until it reaches it's destination in Heaven. At that point God will break the seal and take full possession of that which He has purchased. Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. One day God will unseal the person that He has purchased with His own blood. So if your sealed, your secure until redemption day. Also in this text we see the Holy Spirit is called the earnest of our inheritance. The word "earnest" means a down payment or a promise of full payment to come. The Holy Spirit was given to us as promise from God that He would give us a full inheritance. Of course Heaven is apart of the inheritance put that is just the land God is giving us. He has a mansion and riches stored up for us as well. Everyday we live as believers with the indwelling Holy Spirit is God's guarantee that we are His and He will receive us for good. This is exactly why He the Holy Spirit is called, the Holy Spirit of promise. Have you spent time talking with the Holy Spirit today? What a great friend He is!
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