King's Grace Fellowship

Tonight,

I want to finish my teaching on praying with Paul. There are a number of other

prayers that Paul prayed which we won’t get to, but I think I’ve accomplished

what I set out to do. I wanted to make you aware of how easy it is to pray for

people when you pray for them like Paul would pray for them.

Paul’s

prayers were not just words. They were expressions from deep within his heart,

based on relationships of his desires for them because he truly loved them and

wanted them to have God’s best.

My prayer of course is that you have benefited greatly from this teaching. If you’d like to review them, they should all be available on the King’s Grace website. Tonight, I want to look at Ephesians chapter 1. It hasn’t been that long ago that Pastor Gordon touched on a few things in this chapter, so I think it’ll be a good thing to add another perspective on the things that Paul prayed, in this prayer for the Ephesians. So, let’s get in it tonight:

Ephesians 1:15–23 (NKJV) 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, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Paul

starts out by saying that since he had heard about their faith in the Lord

Jesus which was obviously evidenced by their love for “all God’s people” he was always praying for them. Just a side note

about a faith that is evidenced by love. We know that Jesus said that the world

know that we are Christians because of our love for one for another. Of course,

our love for non-Christians should be seen equally. Love really is what makes

the kingdom of God go around.

So,

what does Paul pray for the Ephesians? Let’s break it down and see how far we

can go.

The Spirit of Wisdom, Revelation & Illumination

Ephesians 1:17–18 (NKJV) 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,

Walter Liefeld in his commentary on Ephesians says:

The word Spirit in verse 17 could refer either to the spiritual aspect of our learning and being or to God the Holy Spirit, since orthography in Paul’s day did not distinguish between capital and small letters. In either case the work of God is needed to bring spiritual understanding, and it is God’s Spirit who would accomplish this.[1]Walter L. Liefeld, Ephesians, vol. 10, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Eph 1:17.

And

again:

Anyone—whether a believer or not—with the ability to grasp the syntax and sense of a given portion of the Bible should be able to understand what it is saying. But it takes the inner work (some use the term illumination) of the Holy Spirit to comprehend the spiritual implications of the text in a discerning way (1 Cor 2:10–16).Walter L. Liefeld, Ephesians, vol. 10, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Eph 1:17

A message by Pastor Gordon Johnson on Sunday, March 17, 2019 at King’s Grace Fellowship.Galatians 5:13-26; Ephesians 5:15-20

Freedom From Laws

Don’t use freedom for your pleasureFreedom to serve one anotherLove your neighborBless each other in speech

The Spirit’s Power

The Holy Spirit is our guideSpirit versus flesh battleFlesh followers …Spirit followersEvery part followers

A message by Pastor Gordon Johnson on Sunday, March 10, 2019 at King’s Grace Fellowship.Eph. 6:10-20; 1 Peter 5:8-9

Standing Firm

We are not beating up the devilLooking for someone to devourEvil rulers and authorities

Our Equipment In God

Belt of truth . . .Who we are; Made in God’s imageBody armor of God’s righteousnessShoes of peace; walk in peaceShield of FaithSalvation/helmetSword of the SpiritPray at all times

A message by Pastor Gordon Johnson on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at King’s Grace Fellowship.Numbers 32:4-8,16-19,33-42

Why?

The land looked better than the desertThey were tired of the desertThey remembered the bad reportsThey lacked courageThey didn’t believe

Why Did The First Generation Not Go In?

Grumbling against leadershipGrumbling against GodStubbornnessDisobedienceThey forgot all that God had done for themDisbelief of what God says

A message by Pastor Gordon Johnson on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at King’s Grace Fellowship.Eph. 5:21-33; Mark 9:31; 1 Peter 3:1-5

Secular Marriage vs Christian Marriage

Submit to one anotherWives (honor & respect)Godly live speak loudEqual partnerHusband, love as Christ lovesA man leaves father and motherTwo are united as one

A message by Pastor Gordon Johnson on Sunday, February 24, 2019 at King’s Grace Fellowship.Ephesians 5; Romans 5:5; John 10:14, 17:3

To Know You And Jesus Christ

I know my own sheep, they . . .ImItate God in everything . . .Live a life filled with loveLove of God by the Holy SpiritMy testimony of the Holy Spirit’s fullness

Living By The Spirit’s Power

Understand what the Lord wantsBe filled with the Holy SpiritSongs and hymns and . . .Give thanks for everything

A message by Pastor Gordon Johnson on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at King’s Grace Fellowship.Acts 2:41-47

The Ecclesia In Jerusalem

All baptized believers (3,000 +)Devoted to teaching and fellowship (koinonia)All the believers met together in one placeShared or sold stuff to share with allCommunion in homes, with mealsGreat joy and generosityPeople being saved each day

A message by Pastor Gordon Johnson on Sunday, February 17, 2019 at King’s Grace Fellowship.1 Samuel 3:1-21

Being In A Place . . . Shiloh . . .

Obedient to his parentsSamuel, grew in The Presence . . .Messages were rare, why?The Lord; “Samuel”Serve the purpose of the season you’re in right now

Samuel Did Not Know The Lord Yet

Speak Lord, your servant is listeningSamuel, Samuel, your nameHe was afraid, of courseThe Lord continued to . . .

A message by Pastor Bill Mann on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at King’s Grace Fellowship.Philippians 1:3-11 Tonight, as we continue our journey into the prayers of Paul, I want us to take a look at Philippians 1:3-11. Philippians 1:3–8 (NKJV) 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. Paul Actually Prayed For People What I like about this passage is that it presents Paul’s heart very clearly for the people God has allowed him to be connected to. Make no mistake, God is … Read more »

A message by Pastor Gordon Johnson on Sunday, February 10, 2019 at King’s Grace Fellowship.Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:17-32 Paul Telling People How To Run Their Lives New life vs Gentile life No shame in sinning Be renewed, thoughts and attitudes Don’t copy the world’s behavior or customs Let God transform you No lying, false witness Deal with your anger Foul or abusive language Did not bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit Advertisement for Cleansing Stream