PAULS PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH EPHESIANS 3 14

PAUL’S PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH EPHESIANS 3: 14 -21

3 JOHN 4 I COULD HAVE NO GREATER JOY THAN TO HEAR THAT MY CHILDREN ARE FOLLOWING THE TRUTH.

COLOSSIANS 2: 7 -9 NLT AND NOW, JUST AS YOU ACCEPTEDCHRIST JESUS AS YOUR LORD, YOU MUST CONTINUE TO FOLLOW HIM. LET YOUR ROOTS GROW DOWN INTO HIM, AND LET YOUR LIVES BE BUILT ON HIM. THEN YOUR FAITH WILL GROW STRONG IN THE TRUTH YOU WERE TAUGHT, AND YOU WILL OVERFLOW WITH THANKFULNESS. DON’T LET ANYONE CAPTURE YOU WITH EMPTY PHILOSOPHIES…FROM HUMAN THINKING …RATHER THAN FROM CHRIST. FOR IN CHRIST LIVES ALL THE FULLNESS OFGOD IN A HUMAN BODY.

SIX CONSIDERATIONS FOR GROWING SPIRITUALLY INVOLVES…

1. ENTERING THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER WHEN I THINK OF ALL THISI, FALL TO MY KNEES AND PRAY TO THE FATHER, THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH (14, 15)

1. ENTERING HIS PRESENCE… • PRAYER WITH A PURPOSE BECAUSE OF GOD’S PLAN • INTENSE AND HUMBLE PRAYER • COMING TO THE FATHER, THE CREATOR

2. ACCESSING POWER FOR LIVING FROM HIS SPIRIT I PRAY THAT FROM HIS GLORIOUS, UNLIMITED RESOURCES HE WILL EMPOWER YOU WITH INNER STRENGTH THROUGH HIS SPIRIT (16).

POWER FOR LIVING… • THE INNER PERSON • THE SPIRIT OF GOD LIVES WITHIN US (ROMANS 9: 13) • ENCOURAGED AND RENEWED (COLOSSIANS 3: 10)

3. INVITING GOD TO TAKE UP PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN YOUR HEART THEN CHRIST WILL MAKE HIS HOME IN YOUR HEARTS AS YOU TRUST IN HIM. YOUR ROOTS WILL GROW DOWN INTO GOD’S LOVE AND KEEP YOU STRONG. (17)

HIS HOME IN OUR HEARTS… • INVITE (REVELATION 3: 20) • REMAIN (JOHN 15: 5 -8) • ROOTED (COLOSSIANS 1: 23)

4. EXPERIENCING THE FULLNESS OF HIS LOVE AND MAY YOU HAVE THE POWER TO UNDERSTAND… HOW WIDE, HOW LONG, HOW HIGH, AND HOW DEEP HIS LOVE IS. MAY YOU EXPERIENCE THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THOUGH IT ISTOO GREAT TO UNDERSTAND FULLY. THEN YOU WILL BE MADE COMPLETE WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF LIFE AND POWER THAT COMES FROM GOD. (18 -19)

THE LOVE OF GOD IS… • ENVELOPING • SYMBOLIZED IN THE CROSS • POWERFUL • MISSION

5. BEING A VESSEL NOW ALL GLORY TO GOD, WHO IS ABLE, THROUGH HIS MIGHTY POWER AT WORK WITHIN US, TO ACCOMPLISH INFINITELY MORE THAN WE MIGHT ASK OR THINK (20)

JEREMIAH 18: 1 -11 BUT THE JAR HE WAS MAKING DID NOT TURN OUT AS HE HAD HOPED, SO HE CRUSHED IT INTO A LUMP OF CLAY AGAIN AND STARTED OVER… “O ISRAEL, CAN I NOT DO TO YOU AS THIS POTTER HAS DONE TO HIS CLAY? AS THE CLAY IS IN THE POTTER’S HAND, SO ARE YOU IN MY HAND.

6. GIVING HONOUR AND REFLECTING GOD’S GLORY TO HIM IN THE CHURCH AND IN CHRIST JESUS THROUGH ALL GENERATIONS FOREVER AND EVER! AMEN. (21)

1 CORINTHIANS 10: 31 31 SO WHETHER YOU EAT OR DRINK OR WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT ALLFOR THE GLORY OF GOD.

GROWING SPIRITUALLY INVOLVES 1. ENTERING THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER 2. ACCESSING POWER FOR LIVING FROM HIS SPIRIT 3. INVITING GOD TO TAKE UP PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN OUR HEARTS 4. EXPERIENCING THE FULLNESS OF HIS LOVE 5. BEING A VESSEL 6. GIVING HONOUR AND REFLECTING HIS GLORY