Title: Prayer for Knowledge
Contents Everyone, we are planning Happy Day 517. Happy Day 517 is an evangelism festival held on May 17th. The Happy Day evangelism system runs for 8 weeks. We want to have a festival of evangelism on May 17th, starting from March 22nd. For the success of Happy Day 517, soil work is required. The most important thing in soil work is to know who we are in Christ. Because very few people have the right knowledge of themselves. There are many who are deceived by knowledge based on lies and not truth. Without proper knowledge of yourself, Happy Day 517 will not bear abundant fruit.
How can we obtain this knowledge? We cannot acquire this knowledge on our own. The right knowledge of us is based on the knowledge of God. The deeper your knowledge of God, the deeper your knowledge of yourself. The goal of our religious life can be summarized as gaining knowledge about God and us. May you have a right knowledge of yourself in Christ.
Today's text is the Apostle Paul's intercession for the Ephesians. He is praying for the work of the Holy Spirit and the opening of the hearts of the saints. The purpose of the Apostle Paul's prayer is that they may know God very well and who they are in Christ. Following the prayer of the Apostle Paul, we should pray so that we too can know God better and know ourselves better.
1. We must pray to know God better (v. 17).
“The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, that you may know God”
There are two main things the Apostle Paul is talking about here. One is an expression of God. He refers to God as “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “the Father of glory.” Second, we are praying that God will give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Him better.
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1) We can only know God through revelation through Jesus Christ. Only the God our Lord Jesus Christ testified and spoke of is the true God. The testimony of Jesus Christ was received by the apostles and passed on to us in the New Testament. Therefore, in order to know God rightly, we must rely on the Bible, the revelation of Jesus Christ.
2) Even if we have the Bible, we need the help of the Holy Spirit to know God well. When the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and revelation, we can come to know God better. Dear saints, we have already received the Holy Spirit (1:13-14). A person without the Holy Spirit is not a believer. “If the Spirit of God dwells in you, you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Christ” (Romans 8:9).
Those of us who have already received the Holy Spirit must pray for the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. We must seek the Holy Spirit, who gives us wisdom and revelation to enlighten our hearts and eyes. Please continue to seek the filling of the Holy Spirit.
3) Through the Word and the Holy Spirit, we will come to know God as the 'Father of Glory'. Please pray for a deeper understanding of God, the Father of glory.
2. We must pray to know ourselves in Christ (vv. 18-19).
The Apostle Paul is praying that the eyes of the heart will be opened so that the saints may know the following three things. The three things the Apostle Paul prays for relate to the saints in Christ. It is the knowledge of the identity of the saints in Christ. In other words, the Apostle Paul is praying that we will know rightly who the saints in Christ are.
Then, what are the three things the apostle Paul is praying for?
1) We must know the hope of God's calling (v. 18a).
“What is the hope of his calling?”
Dear saints, have you ever thought about the hope God had for you when God called you? When God calls us, God has hope for us. It is God's plan and will for us. It will be very important for us to find this out. How precious is it to have a calling that is consistent with God's will? Guys, what is God's plan for you? EX) Joseph, Moses
God's hope for us is,
(1) We reach the full measure of Christ.
Ephesians 4:13 “And we will all become one in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, until we become a perfect man, to the stature of the stature of the stature of Christ.”
(2) We are to make disciples of all nations
Matthew 28:18-20 “Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and of all that I have commanded you. Teach them to observe them. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
We must pray that we may see this.
2) We must know the rich glory of God's inheritance (saints) (verse 18b).
“What is the riches of the glory of the inheritance in the saints?”