This week we continue Part 2 of Standing Strong in Prayer!

Paul’s section of prayers within Ephesians (3:14-21) pulls us into the magnitude and gravity of the Father’s, love for us. When considering it all, it literally causes Paul to fall to his knees. If we want to live the life we were created for, we must grab ahold of God’s great love for us, each and every day. Paul prays that we understand, “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is." It changes everything!

To be prayer-less is to be power-less.

This Sunday we will study an incredible prayer recorded by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:15-23. While praying for "surface level outcomes" is not discouraged, Paul’s prayer leads us to consider how deep, root-level prayer, carries a dynamic power and weight. As you read the passage ask yourself,

“How would my prayer life change if I focused on the things Paul focuses on in these verses?”

May we be those who stand strong in prayer, not simply asking God for outcomes, but praying specifically and strategically into the root issues of our hearts and lives.

It can be shocking to us when we see how completely God has loaded us up on everything we need to feel secure and empowered for this Christian life. This week will be more of the same as we look at our position in Christ. We will shift our focus to see how we've gone from being dead in our sins to being made alive in Christ. Further, that has seated us in some pretty lofty places— raised with Him and enthroned with Him! Certainly our standing in Christ will help us to stand strong for Christ and to shine His light for our culture. I hope you will join us for an encouraging message regarding our position in Christ.

I am so excited to start this new series with you called Ephesians: Stand Strong! Ephesians was the first ever Bible letter we studied when we began The Shoreline Church. It is one of my favorite letters in all of the Bible and I know you're going to love it too. This week we will see from chapter 1 how blessed we are with every spiritual blessing and how strong that helps us stand in our faith. -George