S134P3 – A message to Ephesus: a petition for God’s fullness
Eph. 3:14-19
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
This letter to the church in Ephesus was one not only of instruction but also of encouragement. Paul had planted this church of new believers, but they were now without him as he was imprisoned. In this letter, he prays many blessings over these brothers and sisters. As he writes this petition in particular, he makes it clear that this prayer is not only for the Ephesian church. He asks for these believers and all the saints to reach a certain point of faith and knowledge. He is asking for a unity in the body as they all come to comprehend the complexity of the love of Christ and come to be filled with the fullness of God. In seeking this for all saints in unity, this prayer includes us.
Paul asks God to do several things here, and these ideas might sound familiar. He asks for the Holy Spirit to strengthen the believers with power. He asks for this to result in Christ living in their hearts through faith that they would be rooted and grounded in love. He asks that this would bring the body to understand the facets of Christ’s love, which surpasses that which we know, that the body would be filled with the fullness of God. This request is for the Church to walk together in God’s fullness, not just in a taste of him or a measure of his love. Paul is asking for the body of Christ to enjoy the love and knowledge of God in full, which leads us to believe that this is desirable and attainable for us.
The fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Christ. [Col. 1:19-20; 2:9-10] Because we are God’s children, He also has placed the Sprit of his Son in our hearts. [Gal. 4:6-7] This is something we share as believers, and there is a corporate function to this indwelling. Let us pursue what Paul pursued here. Let us petition for the Church to come to an understanding of the complexity of God’s love today. Let us contend for her to walk in the fullness of God as a united body today. Father, would You strengthen your Church today through the indwelling of your Son and Spirit, and would You cause her to come to know your love fully and be filled with your fullness.