Ephesians 3: On A Mission From God - Fuel for the Mission

In Ephesians 3, the Apostle Paul proclaims what he calls “the mystery of Christ.” This mystery, revealed at just the right time, is that ALL people (not just those of Hebrew descent) can become part of God’s family because of the gospel good news of salvation by grace in Christ (Ephesians 3:1-6). The mission from God Paul is pursuing is directed by this good news & God’s desire that all would see & know the hope available in Christ Jesus. In that context, what really jumps out at me from Chapter 3 is Paul’s prayer for his readers; it’s a prayer that describes what he sees as the essential “fuel” for the mission which God has given to us. He prays the following: 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 Spirit 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 that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV You get that? Central to living out our mission from God & our being filled with everything we need from Him requires that we:

• -Be strengthened by the Holy Spirit
• -Have Christ dwelling in our hearts through faith
• -Be rooted & grounded in His love
• -Come to an ever increasing awareness, comprehension, & experience of the BIG-ness of Christ’s love

Bringing this home & personalizing it – the more we ‘get’ Christ’s love, the more effective, empowered, & fueled we will be for our mission from God. I’m praying this same prayer for us today!