Ephesians 1:15-20

Today, I want us to focus on what Paul writes here in Ephesians 1:15-23. It’s a powerful, genuine and sincere prayer he makes on behalf of all his brothers and sisters in Ephesus and it is a prayer we can take hold of and appropriate (take hold of and claim) in our lives today – IF WE BELIEVE (verse 19).

This passage should also prepare us for a very significant season our spiritual journey that we are now approaching -- Passover and Easter. A time of great reflection and contemplation on whether we are living by our own power or God’s resurrection power.

Looking at the state of the church and the world…the scripture that first comes to mind unfortunately is, “There is a FORM of godliness but no power.” (II Timothy 1:1-7). What does it mean here? No power? It means no action or manifestation of the Holy Spirit in operation. (Scriptural examples).

Example: Story of the diabetic lady.

Moral of Story: She created God in her own image to fit her comfort zone. No Godly power in her life but God was merely a vitamin pill, a security blanket, a nice “cross” to wear around her neck that told people she was a Christian but no someone she really BELIEVED in. The consequences are sad. She asks for prayers but will her own prayers have power or any meaning to change her situation with the same mindset or image of God she has?

Christian Science Monitor article regarding China/Spirituality and Prosperity.

As humans, we secretly desire God to give us healings, success, power, control, possessions, name to fame, ability to prophesy…etc. etc. But you know what? I’ve found too often, we want the GIFTS but we don’t truly want the GIVER. We want what the fullness of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit can give us but we really don’t want THEM. You know why? Because to take them fully in us means OBEDIENCE. It means allowing their nature to overcome ours. It means EATING and DRINKING of the Godhead. When you eat and drink something, it fills every cell of your body. It doesn’t just go to the stomach and out the other end. No, it circulates throughout your system. You become what you eat.

Only Jesus Christ fully allowed God to have His way with Him, to FILL HIM and that’s why He was able to express the fullness of God’s Spirit and Power while He was on earth. The amazing thing is He is telling us that now, since He is at the right-hand side of the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit, He can reign within us and do the very things He did, if not more.

Did you know that EVERYTHING about Jesus Christ’s life was done in the FULLNESS OF GOD’S SPIRIT or POWER? His birth, baptism, wilderness temptation with the Devil, ministry to the disciples and people of His times and finally death and resurrection. It was through the FULNESS OF GOD’S SPIRIT or POWER in which all of these were accomplished. It should be no different for us. (Scriptural references).

He had such authority and power because He LIVED THE WORD and that is what He is trying to teach us through His Spirit every day.

Personal testimony – going through a trial and a sister praying Colossians 1:9-11; 2:5, 6-10.

I know that in order to have greater authority over the very thing I want answered prayer for, I must DO it, not just say it.

Example: There is a person you are praying for. She’s a big gossip. Creates division, heartache, pain in people’s lives and doesn’t think it is a big deal. So you pray for her… But do you have authority over this sin in your life? If not, then what power does your prayer have over your sister/brother or yourself?

Example: You pray that this person will not be so selfish with their time and give more to the Lord’s work but do you have authority over this area of your life? And even if you do, are you doing in the Lord’s work in the spirit of humility or martyrdom? Because if it is the latter, you are doing the Lord’s work with a spirit of resentment and not thanksgiving. God much rather have a cheerful giver than no giver at all. (i.e. Chinese brother in TX – They need to know Jesus!)

The formula to walking in the fullness of God’s power is OBEDIENCE. The greater the obedience, the greater the authority over evil and sin in your life. The greater the authority over iniquity in your life, the greater flow of God’s Spirit and power. The greater flow of God’s Spirit and power, the greater knowledge and understanding of God which in return brings true healing and long-term answer to prayer. True power. True freedom. True peace. What Jesus called Shalom.

How does this work in simple every day life? By focusing on the Word of God working in partnership with the God’s Spirit that lives in you – if you BELIEVE. To have a form of godliness but deny the power that lies within is to keep the Spirit of God in bondage. It’s no use to you then. It’s no LIFE to you. You’re not living in His blessings.

When you pray and don’t sense or experience God then go to His Word because God’s Spirit will NEVER contradict what God’s Word says because His Spirit INSPIRED the Word to be written! Wait and hear what God says through His Word. If you don’t like what God says through His Word you have choices. In the end, you must have a peace about your decision.

When you’re trouble, don’t first go to the phone. Go to the throne. That’s how you are filled with the Holy Spirit every day. Introduce Blessing Book. Being encouraged by the Word of God! (Read a blessing out loud).

10 virgins. 5 depended too much on other people. 5 depended far more on the Holy Spirit to LIGHT their way.

Living in the fullness of the Spirit cannot be accomplished overnight. Also, it requires a constant refilling. (Scriptural references). God created it this way, so we would constantly come to Him. (Exodus 30-34 / Israelites quickly turned away from God).

Faith is not religion and religion is not faith. We market what we are doing for the Lord! We pay special attention to well-known figures and follow those who have a reputation. I don’t want to mention names, but there are many people in the evangelistic world who profess a health, wealth gospel. A lot of Chinese and Westerners listen to them because they believe if they follow their tips and spiritual guidelines, they will be healthy, wealthy and happy – like him!

Same thing with Jabez’s prayer. If I just pray his prayer (I Chronicles 4:9-10), I will receive the same results. Not necessarily so. That was an intimate prayer between Jabez and God. It wasn’t supposed to be a formula prayer.

Chinese Christian leaders came to see Saddleback Community Church – WOW. Purpose Driven Life – Church – now Mission. They want that kind of spiritual success, power, influence, control, resources.

Here is the man behind the church -- Rick Warren’s interview.

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, “What is the purpose of life?” And I respond: “In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's

not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always

something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness,

"which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her

character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a

testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million

copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better...

God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD.

So even with whom we consider spiritual giants, walking in the fullness of God’s Spirit is a process. It is being at peace with the tension that will naturally exist and comes with being put in the world but not being a part of it. Eastern ways of thinking and culture can accept this more than the Western mindset.

Powerpoint Pictures

End with a testimony of a Church in China

February – East Gates Prayer letter.

Jesus’ resurrection power lives in us today if we allow it. It enables us to bloom where you’re planted. (Pictures)

Let us walk in the fullness of God’s Spirit and Power and help others to it as well.