15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
16 do not cease 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 to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His 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 age but also in that which is to come.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:15-23
History and Context:
The book of Ephesians is quite different than the other letters written by Paul. Due to it's lack of personal greetings, many scholars see it more as a written sermon than an actual letter. In fact, it is likely that it was actually written to multiple churches in the area of Ephesus and was meant to be passed around from church to church. Paul wrote this letter from jail, as he did with Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. One of his largest messages in the book of Ephesians is the plan of God to bring every nation and background together in Christ. As in many other places there was probably great conflict between the Gentiles and the Jewish Christians, so Paul stressed that for God there is no nationality. He wants to bring all to Him.
The Text:
This text is a prayer that Paul says he prays daily for the church to which he is writing. In other words, he bleieves these are the most important things for which he would like the church to receive. wisdom and revelation, enlightened understanding, knowledge of the hope of His calling and of the greatness of His power. Imagine a church receiving true and total revelation in these areas! The thing that is important to note about this prayer is it is all about getting to know God and His will for His people. As Paul says in Philippians, everything else is dung, worthless, in comparison to getting to know God.
The Challenge:
Just try praying this prayer over your life. Pray it over your life today, and over everyone that is close to you, then if you really want to see a difference, continue to pray it over your life every morning. Then follow that prayer with action b reading the Word and spending time seeking Him and watch your entire life and thinking change!
The Prayer:
See Above
This text is a prayer that Paul says he prays daily for the church to which he is writing. In other words, he bleieves these are the most important things for which he would like the church to receive. wisdom and revelation, enlightened understanding, knowledge of the hope of His calling and of the greatness of His power. Imagine a church receiving true and total revelation in these areas! The thing that is important to note about this prayer is it is all about getting to know God and His will for His people. As Paul says in Philippians, everything else is dung, worthless, in comparison to getting to know God.
The Challenge:
Just try praying this prayer over your life. Pray it over your life today, and over everyone that is close to you, then if you really want to see a difference, continue to pray it over your life every morning. Then follow that prayer with action b reading the Word and spending time seeking Him and watch your entire life and thinking change!
The Prayer:
See Above
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