"Up, Up, and Away", a
Broadway musical which appeared several years ago, explored the psychological
side of Superman's personality. Judging by the spate of superhero movies, we
seem to want to run all such heroes through analysis but that’s another
story. Anyway, near the end of the play,
the Man of Steel says, "I'm a freak. "
Sometimes, I think we have come to
think of spiritually mature Christians as 'freaks.' They seem to be endowed
with powers beyond those of "ordinary Christians. "
Just as we know the ability to fly
is beyond us, we have come to believe that spiritual maturity is beyond us.
As a consequence we neither pray
for ourselves nor for others so grow spiritually.
Of course, we continue to pray. Every Sunday, most church bulletins include a
notice concerning members and friends who are experiencing some sort of
physical difficulty; they're there because we believe people experiencing these
kinds of problems need our prayers. The prayers we offer on behalf of another
are called "intercessory prayers"; praying for others is called
"intercession." It is an important ministry. But it isn't limited to
praying for the physical needs of others.
Paul, reflecting his great devotion
to all of God's new people, shows us that intercession for God's people can
include praying for their spiritual needs. Look at Ephesians 3:14-21.
Remember, Paul was praying for a
group of ordinary Christians at Ephesus. He wanted them to attain their potential as
the new people of God. Paul prayed that
the Ephesians might receive the resources for Christian maturity. In so doing he is showing us how to pray for
one another.
You don't have to be born in a
church, have a degree in theology, know the Bible so well you can recall the wives
of every one of the prophets, in order to become a spiritually mature
Christian.
Because we may approach God for
whatever we need to attain spiritual maturity, we ought to pray for ourselves
and others to reach this goal.
I
WHEN WE PRAY FOR
SPIRITUAL MATURITY FOR OURSELVES OR OTHERS
WE NEED TO START AT
THE RIGHT PLACE (VS 14-15)
Paul's ministry consisted not only
in speaking to God's people on behalf of God, but also of speaking to God on
behalf of the people.
Paul knew God alone could lead these
Christians toward spiritual maturity. I
have serious doubts about the efficacy of programs promising spiritual maturity
in thirty days. There are no tricks,
shortcuts, or gimmicks to help us achieve the peace, insight, and vision God
wants us to have. Some of the false
teachers Paul would encounter promised such but the apostle warned against
it.
He says, “I fall to my knees an
pray to the Father.” The usual stance
in prayer was standing; the fact that he falls on his knees suggests the
intensity of his prayer. Picture Paul
kneeling on the hard, cold prison floor, his mind on the needs of that church
in Ephesus. He seemed to be saying, "I don't want my Ephesian friends to
miss anything you have for them. "
I like the implications of
this. In prison, Paul wasn't able to go
to them and preach or teach. Instead he seized the opportunity to avail himself
of the access Christians have to God and prayed for them. (Vs. 12) Even though you may be separated from those
fellow-believers you care about, you can still pray for them. Maybe age has limited your ability to get
out, you can still pray.
Like Paul, we should approach God
with awe. Paul was reverent. That reverence created an attitude of submission
and humility.
Sometimes our approach to God suggests
we think of Him as a sorority sister or old army buddy.
Instead, we should come before God
with the attitude expressed in the words of the hymn: “only Thou art holy—there is none beside
Thee.
Like Paul, we should approach God
with anticipation. Notice how Paul describes God. He is “the Father, from whom every family in
heaven and on earth derives its name.” (NIV)
In the Greek, there appears to be a play on words in these verses. God is “the Father” (patēr in Greek) of every “family” (patria in Greek) on earth.
Out of all the tribes and peoples in the world, God has created a new
“tribe.” God is the Father of the whole
Christian family, a family made up of all nationalities and races. He made one
new people--carrying his Name--out of all the peoples of the earth. God is not to be associated with just one race
or nationality; his fatherly care transcends that. The God who initiated the
great scheme resulting in the creation of one new people is the Father to whom
we pray.
Keeping that in mind, as we pray we
should recall this Father is eager to see all of his children grow toward
maturity. So, why would he keep any good
from us?
II
WHEN WE PRAY FOR
SPIRITUAL MATURITY FOR OURSELVES OR OTHERS WE SHOULD PRAY WITH THE RIGHT
OBJECTIVES.
We should seek spiritual strength. Paul says, “I pray that fro his glorious,
unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his
Spirit.” (NLT)
Paul prayed for them to be strengthened
because he knew that living for Christ can be difficult. The word for
“strengthened” is "endynamited." The idea is that of a power capable of
achieving what needed to be achieved.
In making this request Paul draws upon God's
"unlimited resources".
Earthly bank accounts are limited;
God's reserves are unlimited. Right now
I can write you a check for $1,000,000; if you need more I can write you a
check for more. I have no problem writing the check, but you will have a
problem when you take it to the bank.
God's resources never run out. He is never overdrawn. He can give us what we need to face our
particular challenges.
That strength is manifested in our lives
through the Holy Spirit. The Church was born in an explosion of the Spirit's
power and had been conquering the Roman world for Christ though power of the
Spirit. That same power is available to us and for us.
It is important to note that Paul asks for
this strength to be manifested in the "inner being" of his readers.
J. B. Phillips: "the strength of the Spirit's inner reinforcement.”
Baptist scholar E. Y. Mullins
explains that "The inward man is our total inner nature: the intellect,
emotions, and will."
Strength for our physical being is important,
strength for our inner being is more important. The distinction is important
because the outer being may appear to be strong while the inner being is weak;
or the outer being may appear to be ready for collapse while the inner being
remains calm and strong.
Former heavyweight champion Riddick
Bowe gave up his goal of becoming a Marine after just three days of boot camp.
His manager explained: "It has to do with a guy who's 29, who's a
multimillionaire, who's had control over his life ... coming and going whenever
he pleased, losing control. That was a big culture shock-something very hard
for Riddick to deal with." The problem wasn't one of outer strength; it
was one of inner strength.
To live for Christ you need
strength on the inside.
2We should pray for Christ to
continually shape our lives.
When Paul prayed for Christ to permanently
occupy their hearts, he was speaking of Christ's having an impact on all that
they were. He wanted the Ephesians to know both Christ's saving presence and
his sovereign presence. Christians
should know Christ as redeemer and ruler.
Spiritual maturity is marked by a growing
consecration to Christ as he takes a greater possession of our lives.
The word "dwell" suggest
the image of a military commander occupying territory. That may be a
frightening prospect to some. They think of the Nazi occupation of France, the
Japanese occupation of China, events marked by cruelty and oppression. Think
instead of the American occupation of Japan, marked by generosity and new
freedom.
We should pray to know the
dimensions of Christ's boundless love.
Ever aiming to make their new
oneness a reality, Paul prayed that their relationship with God and with each
other might be rooted and established in love.
Such knowledge of God's love will
lead to confidence.
Such knowledge of God's love will lead to a rich
fellowship.
The experience of Christ's love is
one we share with all the saints (18a). The child who comes from a home filled
with love is better prepared to face the rough and tumble of the real world. The
Christian coming from a church filed with love and support is better able to
face the challenges of a hostile spiritual environment outside the church, an
environment that fosters materialism, racism, hatred, cynicism, fear.
Since we will never discover the
boundaries of that love, we are spurred to grow in love.
The more we are immersed in and transformed by
the love of God, the more we become like the loving Christ.
As these prayers are answered we will move
toward the goal of Christian maturity: to be like God in every possible way.
(''And so, at last, you will be filled up with God Himself.”) Paul wants us to experience the fullness of
Christ’s love not just so we will feel loved but so we will be transformed by
that love. Again, E. Y. Mullins helps us
understand what Paul has in view: "'The fullness of God' means our nature
possessed completely by the energy of God and transformed completely into the
likeness of Christ."
III
WHEN WE PRAY FOR
SPIRITUAL MATURITY FOR OURSELVES OR OTHERS WE SHOULD REMEMBER TO PRAISE THE GOD
OF GRACIOUSNESS
(20-21)
Paul's praise reflects confidence
that God would act on behalf of his people to help them grow.
So, too, we should have confidence
in God's capacity to meet our needs, He is not limited by our lack of vision.
We should have confidence in God's
willingness to help us toward growth. He is more willing for us to grow than we
are.
God's power is working in us. We
need his power. Christian maturity is not self-improvement; it is the work of
God in us.
We don't pull ourselves up by our
own bootstraps because we don't have boots. We cooperate by letting God work in
us.
To
degree, the hardest part for us is getting out of God’s way.
Such praise ought to mark every
Christian community.
The God who redeems should be
praised for providing salvation. The God who reconciles should be praised for
bringing making his people one.
The God who renews should be
praised for leading his people toward growth.
In all our praying, do we remember
to praise God for his work for us and in us? The work he is already doing.
Any of you can move on to genuine
Christlikeness, to the real sign Christian maturity.
The resources are available to
every Christian.
Paul has shown us the way to
approach God for ourselves and for others.
Approach
God as the Source of our maturity.
Approach God with the longing to
become more like him.
Approach God with praise for what
he has done and will do in your life.
So begin to pray for spiritual
maturity with anticipation. And, as you
pray for yourself, remember to pray for me.
