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| Monroe County |
Tomorrow morning I'm preaching out of Ephesians 3:14-21.
Thanks for sending these thoughts on these verses!
****
FROM YOHANNAN JACOB:
Dear Pastor, I
am glad to participate in this execcise.
I was reading
this portion of the Scripture last week.
This is what I
understood.
Paul starts the verse 15, with a "therefore". That means, this prayer
is caused by his previous statements. Verse 7-13 explain the reasons. (1)
By grace Paul has became a servant of the Gospel. (2) He was appointed as
an Apostle to the Gentiles. (3) It is God's intention that through His church,
the manifold wisdom of God is made available to all powers and authorities in
heavenly realms ( I believe the angels, both good and bad) (4) Faith in
Jesus and, being in Him, we are able to approach God, with freedom and
confidence.(5) Not to be discouraged by his sufferings.
For this
reason, Paul is worshiping in Humble adoration, the God who is the
creator, and sustainer of the universe and all that is within.(All
believers of past present and future became His family through His Son, Jesus
Christ)
Paul then prays for
the Ephesian Church ( we are included), for the following:
(1).To
strengthen us though us with power through the Holy
Spirit living in us. ( As He did to the apostles on the day of
Pentecost)
(2) By faith Christ
may dwell in our hearts . ( We must also have that awareness in our life
always)
(3) Together with
other saints , we may be able to feel and experience the abundant
love of Christ that He exampled on Calvary. ( without love, compassion and
fellowship within and among fellow saints, we may never be able to
understand the love of God.)
( 4) That we may be
acquire the Divine nature, and grow in it to the fullness that we may be
transformed into Christ-likeness.
Then Paul
gives the doxology: He praises the Lord, saying that He is able and ready to
meet all our needs and bless us and much more exceedingly and abundantly,
surpassing human understanding and imagination. Praise and Glory to HIs
name, forever and ever, Amen!.
Thank you very much!
God's
Blessings!!.
With Love and
regards,
Jacob
*****
FROM
DONNA FILTER:
Pastor
John:
Another word I
received yesterday...after reading and re-reading:
02082013 Back to
Basics
Let’s get back to
basics. There’s nothing new under the sun. My word and my heart will
never change.
Seek My face, seek My
heart.
There’s nothing new
under the sun.
There isn’t some new
dynamic way to reach me, or hear from me, or get My attention. It has
always been and will always be the same way – seek My face, seek My
heart. I am here, before you – reach out, here I am.
How I long for you to
take the time – even just a moment – even if it’s just to whisper My name, I’m
waiting…here for you…
There’s nothing new
under the sun. What has been will be.
Any new endeavor or
pattern is just bells and whistles. The end result is the same, it may
just take you longer to get there.
There is nothing new
under the sun.
Let’s get back to
basics. Seek My face, seek My heart.
Simply look into My
eyes, hear My heartbeat, dwell in My presence.
humbly submitted....
*****
FROM TIM CURRY:
Vs. 19: Scriptural
justification for asking for more God!
19 [That you may really come] to know
[practically, [b]through
experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses [c]mere
knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your
being] [d]unto
all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence,
and[e]become
a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!
Now I can enjoy
"Set a Fire" by Will Reagan with theological confidence:)
The amplified
recharged the idea of abiding in Christ for me in vs. 17:
17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell
(settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted
deep in love and founded securely on love,
"Settle down in
me, and I settle down in you."
"Make your
permanent home in me, and I make my permanent home in you." John 15:4
"Settle down in
my love."
This sticks a needle
in the eye of "striving."
It's more like
"nesting."
One dimension of his
love becomes clearer to me: the permanence of my home in him, and his home in
me.
"No place I would
rather be..."
Once again "Set a
Fire" gets the volume turned up!
Sent from my iPhone
*****
FROM
SARAH RICHARDVILLE:
A friend told me that
having a relationship in which both people are fully loved by one another will
not hinder or take away from the freedom of the individuals. Instead, it serves
as a springboard for both people to move freely outward and make other meaningful
relationships because they are secure in the one that is most precious to
them.
If this is true of
earthly relationships, how much more so in the spiritual realm? If we can
accept the position of being fully in Christ and loved unconditionally and
extravagantly, then it seems we could fearlessly move out from that position
with our God given power. Oh what a glorious time we would have working in full
force for the kingdom of God :)
