For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
MY STUDY
What is "for this reason" referring back to?
It goes back to Ephesians 3:1. "Because ye have such a standing in God's Church" [ALFORD quoted in Commentary Critical and Explanatory] as Gentiles.
Who are the families in heaven and earth?
All the families of the earth come from God. Therefore, as Creator, he is the Father of all, "but as Saviour, He is only Father of those who believe" (John 3:7) (Bible Exposition Commentary, V2, p.31).
How is one strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man?
Wiersbe says that all the prayers in the prison epistles (Phil 1:9-11; Col 1:9-12) "deal with the spiritual condition of the inner man, and not the material needs of the body . . . Paul knew that if the inner man is what he out to be, the outer man will be taken care of in due time. . . the inner person . . . is where the greatest needs are. (V 2, p 31).
This is my "abide and ride" mentality I have been talking about. It is the book of Acts in the modern day. Jesus promised that they would received power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). I totally agree with the anonymous quote that "If God took the Holy Spirit out of this world, most of what we Christians are doing would go right on -- and nobody would know the difference!" SO TRUE!
That is why I want to abide - create the space for God to speak into me and empower me. Listen to His Holy Spirit because if they Spirit tells me to do something, He will give me the power to obey.
It is all about all of me is controlled by the King! Yielding to the Spirit in everything. It is such an exciting way to live.
What does it mean to "dwell"?
Kenneth Wuest says, "to settle down and feel at home." Holy Spirit come settle down and have some tea. You are welcome here. Paul prays for a deepening fellowship with Jesus.
What is "rooted" and "grounded"?
Spiritual roots deep down into the soils of GOD LOVE! It was not until I realized the life-changing power of grace that I really understood this more fully.
Grounded is our foundation of the building. The deeper the foundation the taller the building.
The breadth and length and height and depth of what?
All the fullness of God.
Is that "knowledge" the same one as in 2 Peter? The "experiential one" as opposed to the head one?
It is GNŌSIS - knowledge of spiritual truth as opposed to EPIGNŌSIS which is the exact, full, experiential knowledge.
What is the process behind being filled up to all the fullness of God?
. . . in this prayer, the emphasis is on enablement. It is not so much a matter of knowing as being—laying our hands on what God has for us and by faith making it a vital part of our lives. Paul is saying, “I want you to get your hands on your wealth, realize how vast it is, and start to use it.”
These four requests are more like four parts to a telescope. One request leads into the next one, and so on. He prays that the inner man might have spiritual strength, which will, in turn, lead to a deeper experience with Christ. This deeper experience will enable them to “apprehend” (get hold of) God’s great love, which will result in their being “filled unto all the fullness of God.” So, then, Paul is praying for strength, depth, apprehension, and fullness.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Eph 3:14–21). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
My response to the glorious plan by which we are build together into one church (whether Jew or Gentile) is to get down on my knees before the wonderful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth gets His name because He created them. In that prayerful posture, I ask the He would give you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power inside of you, (power made possible by the Holy Spirit indwelling your innermost being and personality) leading to Christ settling down and feeling at home in your hearts through your trust in Him, and that you having deep roots (like a plant) and a deep foundation (like a tall building) may be able to firmly grasp with all God's devoted people the full dimensions of the fullness of God and to know the love of Christ which is beyond human understanding, that you may be filled up to overflowing with the full measure of God.
I WILL
Pray this for ________ who seems to have a head knowledge and is so faithful but something in the heart is missing. Filled that person up to the full measure of Yourself! Pray this for my live in loved ones.
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