Wednesday: Christ, Dwelling in Your Heart
Compare Paul’s earlier prayer request, Ephesians 1:16-19, with his plea for believers in Ephesians 3:14-19. In what ways are the two requests similar?
Behind the English translations of Ephesians 3:14-15, is an important play on words. When Paul says that he bows before “the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (ESV), he is exploring the phonetic connection between the Greek word for Father, pater, and the Greek term for family, patria. In Ephesians, Paul celebrates the comprehensive nature of God’s plan of salvation, which involves all things (Ephesians 1:9-10) for all time (Ephesians 1:21). And here he lays claim to “every family in heaven and on earth” as belonging to “the Father.” Every family (patria) takes its name from the Father (pater). This is very good news!
Image © Linda Lovett at Goodsalt.com
Ponder this thought: Your family, despite its imperfections and failings, belongs to God. Your family is not in the cruel grip of fate, but in God’s caring hands. God loves imperfect families. They bear the divine name. They carry the mark of His ownership.
In Ephesians 3:16-19, Paul asks God to grant believers an abundant spiritual experience marked by inner strength through the Spirit’s presence (Ephesians 3:16), intimacy with Christ, who is also portrayed as dwelling within (Ephesians 3:17), and a settled, secure spiritual identity (“rooted and grounded in love,” Ephesians 3:17, ESV).
As Paul seeks to offer praise to God for the expansive reach of blessings offered to believers, he includes not three dimensions, but four — “breadth and length and height and depth” (Ephesians 3:18, ESV). He does not clearly identify to what these dimensions apply, though they obviously describe the vast size of something important. This leaves an interesting puzzle for Bible students. Do these dimensions describe God’s wisdom (compare Job 11:5-9, which uses four dimensions), God’s power (compare Ephesians 3:16-17), or, perhaps, the spiritual temple of Ephesians 2:19-22 (compare Ezekiel 43:13-16, which uses four dimensions; Amos 7:7-8; Revelation 11:1-2)? It may be best to see these four dimensions as describing the immensity of “the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:19), viewing the phrase “to comprehend … the breadth and length and height and depth” (Ephesians 3:18, ESV) as parallel to the next phrase, “to know the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:19, ESV; compare Romans 8:35-39). However we see his words, they are good news.
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We use these expressions like "Christ dwelling in us", "living in Christ", "the indwelling of the Holy Spirit", and a host of others, with somewhat reckless abandon in our Christian conversations, sermons, and lesson discussions. But what does it mean beyond sounding Christian?
If I make ice cream, I make it out of frozen bananas, a bit of coconut cream, and a touch of honey or maple syrup. Its really nice ice cream and a lot of people tell me it tastes like the real thing. I reckon it still tastes a bit like bananas. But when I add frozen raspberries to the mix, nobody mentions the banana flavour anymore. They talk about the raspberry flavour. The whole of the ice cream has been taken over by the tangy fresh flavour of raspberries.
Living in Christ is not a couple of raspberries on top of banana ice cream. It is mixed through every aspect of our lives and flavours all that we do. It is not words, but actions. It is even the way we treat our pets, and our enemies.
Our Christianity should show, even when we are not talking "Jesus talk".
By this shall all men know ..."
The love of God which is given without any partiality embraces everyone.The terminology used in Ephesians 3:18 suggests vastness.The love of God is unfathomable.
Breadth-covers all people from various nations,people and tongue.
Depth-the love of Christ was shown by Him leaving his position in heaven to come and die for us.
Length-God's love extends through out the ages from eternity to eternity.
In Ephesians 1:16-19 and Ephesians 3:14-19, Paul prays for the spiritual enlightenment, growth, and empowerment of the Ephesian believers, although the focus and details of each prayer are somewhat different.
1. Ephesians 1:16-19: Paul's prayer here is centered on the believers gaining wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God. He asks that the eyes of their hearts may be enlightened to know the hope of God's calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance, and the great power available to them. The emphasis here is on understanding God's plan, His power, and the glorious future He promises.
2. Ephesians 3:14-19: In this prayer, Paul focuses more on the believers' personal experience of God's love. He prays that they would be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith, and that they would have the power to comprehend the vast dimensions of Christ's love, which surpasses knowledge. The end result, he hopes, is that they would be filled with all the fullness of God.
Both prayers focus on spiritual growth, knowledge of God, and empowerment. The first prayer emphasizes understanding God's plan and power, while the second prayer emphasizes experiencing God's love and being filled with His fullness. Paul's prayers together provide a comprehensive view of spiritual growth: both understanding and experience, knowledge and love, are essential parts of the Christian journey.
"God loves imperfect families. They bear the divine name. They carry the mark of His ownership." That's a memorable idea! Sometimes we may look for perfection within ourselves and find none. But thank God He doesn't ask for that; He only asks for our hearts. So that you know – the needed changes can come later.
The author says in the lesson today, "And here he lays claim to “every family in heaven and on earth” as belonging to “the Father.” Every family (patria) takes its name from the Father (pater). This is very good news!"
God's name is His character and we receive our name/character from Him through His Spirit. By beholding, we become changed.
Wounderful illustration Maurice.
Now, I throw in the blender the frozen bananas, the staple, which is the word of God. Top with some frozen blueberries, the flavor, being Christ in us. Add unsweetened almond milk or cooconut milk, pecans, almonds, or walnuts, and a little bit of black cumin seeds. The additions are for longivity, and yes, represent longivity in the word of God, and of Christ in us.
The sweetness I find in the fruits, the fruits of the Spirit. Milk shake, or if you prefer, health shake, at least MWF. Nutrients for a lasting relationship with Christ, yes.
Again Maurice, a wounderful illustration.
Honestly, today's passage was very confusing. I could not follow the point that the author was trying to make. The two scriptures resonated with me because we are called to be witnesses to the world, inviting them to abide in the matchless, limitless, and fullness of the love of Christ, period.
I think you're right, Annette, but I think the two scriptures emphasize personal experience first - knowing God's power and the riches He gives, experiencing the 4 dimensions of God's love. Paul doesn't actually say anything about witnessing in either passage, probably because we need to experience it first. Maybe that's why our witnessing efforts are so often unsuccessful - we are trying to share something we haven't really experienced.
Amen Maurice.
The reading of today's lesson brought to my mind that great hymn "The Love of God", lyrics by Fredrick Lehman (though the 3rd verse is credited to anonymous):
1) The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
2) When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
3) Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
I consider Eph.3:14-17 to be Paul's heartfelt prayer for the believers to receive spiritual strength through faith in order to strengthen their inner being. This is a totally new experience of life for anyone coming from the spiritual darkness into walking in the light of God's Way:
”For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Sprit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith –
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ hat surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
As the new believer starts his journey to discover this new life in Christ, he finds that it is done entirely by faith. Paul knows how important it is not to loose faith, and prays for faith strong enough to sustain them in their journey.
Being considerate, loving, and kind to each other, we experience God’s Way and Will as our new life. This new spirit is reflected in the fellowship we have with each other and is felt by those who meet Christ through us.
What more can one ask the Father than to fill each one of us with His Fullness!