团契与门徒训练

Kneeling Power (Eph 3:14-21)

2010.09.26Rev. Mike Lee

Paul's prayer for the Ephesians shows that kneeling before our Heavenly Father opens us to the Spirit's strength, Christ's love, and God's power to do far more than we ask or imagine. When God's people pray together, God receives glory through the church.

Our prayers are often shaped by wants, comfort, and fear

Prayer usually rises when we need something, such as a job or a spouse, but routine can leave us wanting nothing from God. Caring little for others, and fearing that God will open doors that disturb our comfort, can also keep us from praying. A.W. Tozer once observed that if the Holy Spirit were taken out of this world, most of what the church does would go on, and nobody would know the difference. We must ask whether our lives still depend on God.

Kneel before the Father who makes us one family (14-15)

Paul bows his knees before the Father, a posture of submission, reverence, and earnest intercession, as seen in Ezra, in Jesus at Gethsemane, and in Stephen at his death. Paul calls God Father because he wants Jews and Gentiles to know they belong to one spiritual family. Our view of God the Father is often shaped by our earthly fathers, so we must see his fatherly character clearly. When did we last pray so earnestly that we had to kneel? Do we call him Abba and run to him?

The Spirit strengthens us and Christ's love fills us (16-19)

Paul prays that we be strengthened with power through the Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. Though the Spirit already lives in believers, that indwelling grows as we pray, much like muscles built through training. This strength enables us to love people we would otherwise resist, as we are rooted and grounded in love. The breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ's love point us to the cross, and we are filled with the fullness of God until self leaves no room.

God is able to do far more than we ask or think (20-21)

God is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power already at work within us. He is not idle or asleep, and we should not limit him to the small boxes of our own expectations. Paul's doxology directs glory to God through the church throughout all generations. God's power is meant to be displayed through his people, so our prayers must be offered with expectation.

Corporate prayer is where the church meets the living God

Prayer in the church must not become a ritual or a social gathering but a meeting with the living God. At the Brooklyn Tabernacle prayer night, people waited in line outside to pray for requests sent from around the world, and that church's faithfulness showed God's work to a visitor. Our church is not a culture club or a social club, but a place where lives are transformed. Our prayers should give us life and change how we think, speak, and share.

Apply to Life

  • Let us examine our prayers for the wants, comfort, and fears that keep us from seeking God.
  • Let us kneel before our Father and pray earnestly, calling him Abba.
  • Let us ask the Spirit to strengthen us and let Christ's love root us in love for others.
  • Let us expect God to do far more than we ask or think.
  • Let us gather for prayer meetings and seek God's face together as a church.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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