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Intercession and Spiritual Growth
واصِل الاستكشاف
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Thank you for joining us this morning. The theme of the month is Intercession. We're looking at an incredible prayer from the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 1:15-23.
Let me read this passage:
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come, and He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:15-23)
I want to speak to you on this message: "The Prayer of Paul to the Believers," or if you like it more personally, "Praying for My Neighbor to Be a Better Christian."
First, let me announce to us that salvation is one of the key areas that we need intercession. Every journey that God has ordained for you and me cannot succeed without both vertical and horizontal prayers going on at the same time.
Whatever blessedness God has concerning us—particularly our salvation—for us to make a success of it and reach the expected end, we need not only our own prayers but also the prayers of others. We need our neighbors, family, and friends to pray alongside us horizontally. We also need someone above us to intercede for us vertically. Only then are we able to make it. And I am persuaded that we are all going to make it in the name of Jesus.
In all areas of life—all our endeavors—prayer must go ahead of us because life is a journey. In this journey that God has placed us on, we must understand several things:
First, the journey comes with a purpose. God does nothing without a purpose. He created the Earth for a purpose and put us here for a purpose.
Second, with this purpose come battles and seasons. Life is sculptured in seasons. We go through different phases.
Third, life is full of uncertainties. You don't know what will happen next. But when intercession keeps going on from time to time, you are always looking to the source of Life Himself—the one who placed you on the journey. You are able to seek from Him: "What do I do next? I have accomplished this purpose—what now? Should I go out tomorrow? What should I say?"
As we communicate through prayers and He answers us, and as others are also interceding for us and God is answering our prayers, it demonstrates this truth: God has not created us to live as an island. Every person must be an integral part of another person. He created nations from one man. From Adam came all nations of the world. In His wisdom, He determined that no one should live alone. That's why relationships are so important—and they must be the right relationships.
He wants us to be together, as integral parts of one another. And one of the things we do when we come together is pray for one another. Particularly in the church, one central ministry of every person is the ministry of intercession—praying for others.
The Lord Himself said, "I looked for an intercessor and found none. I sought for those who would stand in the gap and found none." This means His expectation is that at every given time, you and I must be busy interceding for someone—whether for ourselves, our nation, our church, or others.
Intercession means praying for others, not just for yourself. When you reach out to others in prayer, you believe me—more than ever before, we are at a time when we all need prayers. Our governments need prayer so they will not mislead people or sabotage their own progress. We all need prayers.
Apostle Paul in this passage has a heart I want to highlight. He mentions five important things in his intercession. Let me discuss these five points with you.
He says: "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers."
These were young believers who had just given their lives to Jesus. They were a vibrant church, full of excitement. You know, when we first come to Jesus, that excitement is there. We love to do many things because it is a new life, a new beginning.
But notice what he says about them: they had faith in Jesus and love for all the saints. Their vibrancy was not just about worshipping God alone—they also served others. And what was Paul's response? "I can but do nothing but thank God on your behalf."
Listen to what this contains: God saved them not according to their works but by grace alone. Salvation is an act of God from genesis to the very end. Only the Spirit of God can accomplish this. He went ahead of us to predestine us, to call us at the right time, and He continually watches over us because He has a destination for us.
As Paul remembered that it pleased God to choose them and make them a church, and as he saw their vibrancy and service to the Lord, he could always say: "Lord, thank You for them. Thank You for identifying with them. They were sinners, but You picked them from different parts of the world and brought them together as a people. We are grateful."
We must also be grateful to others. This is important. Paul himself could never forget his own background. Before he was an apostle, he was a persecutor of believers. He didn't even deserve to become an apostle. Yet he remained profoundly grateful to God throughout his life. The gift of salvation is so indescribable, unfathomable, and monumental that from it flows everything else.
Secondly, Paul was grateful because God went in search of them. John 6:65 says, "No one can come to Me unless the Lord draws him." Paul understood this. God Himself drew them. That's why he gave thanks.
He says: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him."
Having thanked God, Paul's next intercession was to request that God open their hearts of understanding. He prayed: "Lord, I thank You for these believers. Now I also want to put before You a request: open their hearts. Give them wisdom to journey through salvation and make a success of it."
I was doing a study once and I asked myself: "After salvation, what next?" Do I just sit down? Do I return to my normal life as I lived before? Or has something changed?
I came to realize that salvation comes with purpose. And God had revealed five purposes for us:
First, the summary of it all—to bring Him glory. Everything we do should bring praise and glory to God. Believers are created and set apart so that we might bring Him praise and glorify Him. Whoever offers praise glorifies God.
Second, to defend the integrity of God's Word. We are His soldiers meant to combat falsehood and heresies. We must stand for truth.
Third, to serve Him. We are His ministers and priests, called to the office of priesthood.
Fourth and fifth, there are other dimensions to our calling.
But to do all of this, we need divine wisdom. Human wisdom cannot take us far enough. These believers were ordinary people converted from the world, and their fleshly wisdom would still be present. But Paul prayed that they would receive divine wisdom—the right application of knowledge, so they could distinguish between opportunities and say, "This I must not do. This will help me. This is what I need to do."
The Lord says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
He prays: "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling."
Paul is asking God to open their eyes so they may see the hope ahead of them. The Lord Jesus told His disciples, "I have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now." Even though the disciples were with Jesus, they were constantly discovering how much they didn't know Him.
But the more you walk with Him, the more you know Him. This revelation requires sacrifice, falling and rising again. Peter once said to Jesus, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man." But through their journey with Jesus, they came to know Him not just as an ordinary man, but as God Himself.
Paul wanted this for the Ephesian believers. He prayed: "Lord, open their eyes. Let them see the hope. Let them know the purpose for which You have called them."
When God calls us, He doesn't just call us to serve Him without reward. There is the reward of eternity, eternal life ahead of us. But except we follow His precepts, His instructions, living a life of total obedience and submission, we will lose His blessings.
When God calls us for blessings, if we don't walk righteously and carefully, we will lose what He offers. The ultimate gain and goal for which He has called us will be lost. So Paul was praying: "Lord, give them wisdom so they walk righteously, so they walk circumspectively in a way that will honor and bless them."
This is why Jesus gave the parable of the sower—a farmer had good intentions, but not all his seed fell on good ground. The same goes for the parable of the talents: the master gave talents to his servants, some gained appreciably, but one did not. Not everyone who starts well finishes well.
But I decree and declare: as many of us as are here, we shall finish successfully in the name of Jesus.
He prays: "What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."
Paul was asking God to help them understand that there is eternity awaiting them. For those who give their lives and serve God diligently, there is a glorious reward and crown waiting.
But notice—this blessing starts now, not only when we die and transition to the other side. Our eternity begins here. The blessing of God concerning us starts from now. In other words, we should be experiencing His blessings in this life as well.
I pray that God will continue to increase us in the name of Jesus.
He prays: "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places."
The fifth thing Paul prayed for is that they would experience the exceeding greatness of God's power. I believe this is very pivotal in our journey of faith. We need to be so empowered that we know the more we experience His power, the more we are able to control ourselves and live for Him.
God has prepared us to do exploits. There is so much authority and power all around us that we are sitting on, that has not been manifested—all because we have either not asked for it or have not done what is needful.
The Lord Jesus Himself told His disciples: "Wait until you are endued with power from on high. Don't go anywhere until the power of divine might comes upon you, so you begin to manifest the power of heaven."
I pray that will be our portion in the name of Jesus.
The shadow of Peter healed the sick. The handkerchief and apron of Paul did wonders. The same incomparable power is available for all of us who believe. I pray that God will release this unto us.
In summary, what Apostle Paul was asking for was that these believers may have an experiential knowledge of who God is—not just knowing about Jesus, but actually feeling Him, experiencing Him.
I cannot count the ways in which God shows Himself. Until you begin to see miracles, signs, and wonders, people will not believe. And believe me, God is still in the process of showing His wonders.
The Lord wants us to be wise about everything that pertains to godliness. He doesn't want us to live foolishly. Everything that pertains to achieving success and being great in life has been given to us. Nothing can stop us if we don't stop ourselves.
Salvation is the biggest gift that has been released unto us. Rise up and appreciate God. Begin to thank Him because He deserves our praises. Yes, Lord, knowing You—there is no greater thing. You are my God. You are the best.
This was the desire of Apostle Paul when he said, "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection with the fellowship of His suffering." Knowing Him will help us work successfully in the journey of salvation.
Knowing Him better every day will make us better in everything we do. That is His purpose for us. The more we get better, the more we grow in Him, the more we become what He intends. We just need to keep growing in Him.
Apostle Paul was thanking God for the believers in Ephesus. His first intercession was to thank the Lord: "Lord, thank You for what You have done for them. Blessed be Your name."
He was thanking God on their behalf, thanking God for salvation. Salvation is a monumental gift. Salvation is an indescribable gift. It is so much that we just need to appreciate it and say, "Thank You. Thank You for my salvation."
Are you thanking God? Let's thank God in Jesus' mighty name.
Notice that Paul was interceding—he was interceding for others. It's important that we pray for one another. Let's focus squarely on salvation today. Let's pray for one another in the area of salvation.
Why? Because everything that God blesses you with is coming to you. In the parable of the kingdom, the master went out, called his servants, gave them talents, came back, and asked, "How have you fared?" One by one they gave account of their stewardship.
You and I will give account of our stewardship. If you are just a bystander, causing trouble here and there, not focusing—you will give account. But if you are standing for God, if you are focusing on Him and worshiping Him in truth and holiness, God will ask you and you will give account of your stewardship.
We have been told that salvation is a process with three levels:
The first level is Justification. This is when you give your life to Jesus. The Lord Himself chooses you and sets you up. He has not chosen Himself; we have not chosen ourselves, but He has chosen us to go out and bear fruit so that the fruit might remain. It is His privilege and prerogative that we should be called unto salvation. This is an awesome grace.
The second level is Sanctification. This is a long process. From the point of being called to salvation, we enter into sanctification—the point where we are being made conformable to the image of Christ. He starts the work of cleansing in us. While what happened at justification was an event, sanctification is a process of moving from that event to being made conformable to His image.
Jesus said to His disciples: "Wait until you are endued with power from on high." He was speaking about the sanctification process—the need for the Holy Spirit to come and work in us.
In the parable of the ten virgins, five were wise and five were foolish. The wise virgins took extra oil because they understood: "This can be a long journey. The master may not come back on time. Therefore, let me take extra oil." That means let the spirit of perseverance be there. Let me be patient and wait upon Him until He answers me. That is sanctification.
There's also the parable of the rich fool. He had everything on a platter. God gave him all of it, knowing that whatever we receive, we receive from Him for a purpose. But this man said, "Now my barn is full. Let me tear it down and build a bigger one." He was thinking only of himself—very selfish. Whereas the kingdom of God is selfless. You must think of others, how to serve others.
But that night, the Lord said to him: "You fool! Tonight your soul shall be required of you."
Many start, but they cannot finish well. But that shall not be your portion. Many have fallen and faded, but not us.
The third level is Glorification—when we are finally transformed and taken to be with the Lord forever.
Of the twelve disciples of Jesus, only one died a natural death. All the others either were killed or faced tremendous persecution. The person who translated the Bible from Greek to English had his skin ripped off. That is the extent of the hatred Satan has for those who serve God.
Yet the apostles remained faithful. They finished well. And I am speaking prophetically unto your life: The hands of the Lord that have started a good work shall surely complete it. Though your beginning may be small, your latter day shall be greater in the mighty name of Jesus.
You keep on going and prospering. You move from grace to grace. The joy of the Lord shall be your strength.
So shall it be in Jesus' righteous name.
