BELIEVERS POSITION AS THE CHURCH, CHRIST'S BODY.
Today we are going to see more of what we learned from my last post, titled “Believers Position in Christ”. How the Lord has blessed us and exalted us in Christ through our faith.
Let us see more of what God intends to accomplish in us and through us as His church (The body)
Ephesians 1:15-21 (KJV):
15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 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:
18 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,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
What prompted Paul’s prayer to the church? v 15
Paul was happy to hear that people were responding to the gospel and the church of Christ was growing. Paul followed the example of Jesus who prayed for His body the church and is praying for us today – Read Jn 17. See Paul’s habit of prayer – Rom 1:9. Phil 1:3-4. Col. 1:3-4. Thess 1:2-3.
As members of the church, our position is to pray for the well being of every member of the church, – (1) Ministers, Leaders, each members, the sick, and for all men. 1Tim 2:1-4
One of the purposes of God in choosing us is to be priests 1 Peter. 2:9. The work of a priest is to pray for others.
What was Paul praying for? v 15-17
...that the individual member of the church may have the spirit of wisdom.
Does it mean we don’t have wisdom before repentance?
No – we have natural wisdom and this natural wisdom is different from God's wisdom. 1 Cor. 1:18-21.
Worldly wisdom, is deceitful, brings pride and cannot go in line with God’s wisdom.
Note: Many believers are operating at the level of worldly wisdom. That profits little.
How can we know one who is full of worldly wisdom?
He sees things not with the eye of faith., James – 3:13-17
According to v 18 why is it important that the eyes of our understanding should be enlightened? Before we come to Christ we have darkened understanding. Eph 4:17-18. When our understanding is enlightened we will be finding it easily to understand the things.
Many Christians heart is like a leaking pot of water – when they hear the word it will not stay.
In temptations they cannot stand because they finds hard to remember what God can do.
King David said in Psalm 119:11 (KJV):
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
When our understanding is opened- then we will know the power of God in us Eph 1:19-21.
How many of us know that the same spirit that raised Christ from dead lives in us?
Our problem is not God, is not even Satan, it is lack of understanding of:
(1) What is the Hope of our calling - v 18
(2) Of how richly we are blessed in Christ – v 18
(3) Not know the power that is in us through the spirit – v 19
(4) God wants us to know that Jesus who lives in us is exalted higher far above all demons, Satan, sickness and every problem both now and forever. v 20 -21.
Therefore our position as the church is to: pray for one another and to know what belongs to us in Christ and make use of them to change the world.
All things are under the control of Christ our head and we are his body – v 22-23 Mt 28:18-20 Lk. 10:19
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