We have come to Ephesians, in which are two magnificent, powerful, very usable prayers (1:15-23 for spiritual insight and 3:14-21 to be filled with the fullness of God). We will take the needed time to dwell in these passages.
For whom is Paul praying? The Church at Ephesus
Note two passages that describe this church. They are the saints who are in Ephesus and
faithful in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:1).
Second, he has heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love
for all the saints. This is a prayer
for people who are already believers in Christ.
Furthermore, they have endured enough trials to be called “faithful.” Paul had previously spent two years
establishing the church at Ephesus (the story is in Acts 18:18-19:41) and had a
significant conversation with the Elders of that church (Acts 20:17-38). Great things had happened, in terms of
outreach into the surrounding area and powerful conversions. Also, there was some persecution from the
Gentiles. The letter was written to
encourage Gentile believers who may have considered themselves inferior to
Jewish believers.
To whom is Paul praying? God
Specifically, to the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory. As in the
blessing back in Eph. 1:3, God the Father’s relationship to the Son is in focus. Again, it is a prayer that has to do with the
blessedness of believers “in Christ,” the position they have because of the
Father’s love for His Son. The second
phrase can be translated “Glorious Father.”
Either way it expresses His great glory as a Father. There is no “father” like Him in terms of His
great love for His “sons,” both begotten and adopted. There is no “god” like Him in terms of
glory!
What moves Paul to pray?
It is not just his
thoughts about their faith and love in 1:15. This prayer is clearly connected to
the spiritual blessings given by God (1:3) and explained (1:4-14). The themes are major, including God’s calling
us to be holy and blameless, our adoption as His sons, our redemption and
forgiveness in Christ and the gift of the w Spirit. All this is part of the wise and prudent mystery
of His will by which we have been brought into the New Covenant
relationship with God. The New Covenant
is not like the Old Covenant which could not perfect anyone. Under the New God has poured out His Spirit
on all who believe. Now we have
received, not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we
might know the things that have been freely given to us by God (1 Cor.
1:10). Those “things … freely given to
us” are the “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” of Eph.
1:3. The point of this prayer is that
the Ephesian believers would know, accept and live out of these blessings. Therefore, let us say again, blessed by
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ!
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