We must admit that we are all easily overwhelmed by things that are 'unknown' or 'unknowable'. Seeing all the computer screens at a stock trader's desk overwhelms me or being asked to bake anything other than a jacket potato freaks me out. I'd be the first to admit that I 'lack confidence in the kitchen...', while Stephanie can balance a child on her hip, teaches another to read and dry the tears of another - all while she is preparing a Nigel Slater dinner complete with freshly cut parsley and artistic sauce patterns!
As you read Paul's prayer here in Ephesians 3:14-21 you can't help to see how much confidence he has in the presence of the God that is both knowable and unknowable! 'Knowable' because the mystery of the Gospel and it's consequences has been revealed in Christ. But 'unknown' because it surpasses knowledge - God's grace (Eph 2:7) and love (Eph 3:18), Paul says is way too big to understand, comprehend or fathom.
While being confronted with God's unfathomable grace and unknowable love Paul doesn't want his readers to loose confidence in God's presence - in fact, quite the opposite. He says his confidence and freedom in Christ is what drives him to pray that we "...may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
It's an amazing prayer that actually gives us some clues as to how we can know God's unknowable love. Look at it again - he prays that "...we will have power, together with all the saints...". Earlier in the letter he has told us how the Israelites and the Gentiles have now been brought together into one church - and now he tells us why. It is so that we can begin to grasp all the aspects of Christ's love being brought out by people from a background different from our own.
Canada Water and Surrey Docks Church is a diverse church with people from all over the world. I can not begin to tell you how much I've learned about Jesus' love from my Malaysian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, American, Brazilian, Australian, Kiwi, Dutch, German, Polish, Estonian and African brothers and sisters. And although it sounds like strange language to call them my 'brothers and sisters', it is biblical - just read again the way Paul opens this prayer: "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name."
As a family we have the perfect older brother - one that loves us more than we could ever know or imagine. Where our earthly brothers and sisters might fail us, forget about us, selfishly care more for their own needs than for ours - in Christ we have an elder brother that laid down his life for us so that we could live life to the full! We can only begin to understand how wide, long, high and deep this love is as we look into the eyes of God's diverse family - all praising him for what he did for us in Christ.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we must admit that we are easily overwhelmed by the unknown - especially the extent of your love and grace for us. Not only that - we are easily overwhelmed by the diversity of your family - the church. Please help us to use our diversity to see how amazing your grace and love is - for it is by grace we have been saved, through faith—and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that we can not boast (Eph 2:8). Amen
As you read Paul's prayer here in Ephesians 3:14-21 you can't help to see how much confidence he has in the presence of the God that is both knowable and unknowable! 'Knowable' because the mystery of the Gospel and it's consequences has been revealed in Christ. But 'unknown' because it surpasses knowledge - God's grace (Eph 2:7) and love (Eph 3:18), Paul says is way too big to understand, comprehend or fathom.
While being confronted with God's unfathomable grace and unknowable love Paul doesn't want his readers to loose confidence in God's presence - in fact, quite the opposite. He says his confidence and freedom in Christ is what drives him to pray that we "...may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
It's an amazing prayer that actually gives us some clues as to how we can know God's unknowable love. Look at it again - he prays that "...we will have power, together with all the saints...". Earlier in the letter he has told us how the Israelites and the Gentiles have now been brought together into one church - and now he tells us why. It is so that we can begin to grasp all the aspects of Christ's love being brought out by people from a background different from our own.
Canada Water and Surrey Docks Church is a diverse church with people from all over the world. I can not begin to tell you how much I've learned about Jesus' love from my Malaysian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, American, Brazilian, Australian, Kiwi, Dutch, German, Polish, Estonian and African brothers and sisters. And although it sounds like strange language to call them my 'brothers and sisters', it is biblical - just read again the way Paul opens this prayer: "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name."
As a family we have the perfect older brother - one that loves us more than we could ever know or imagine. Where our earthly brothers and sisters might fail us, forget about us, selfishly care more for their own needs than for ours - in Christ we have an elder brother that laid down his life for us so that we could live life to the full! We can only begin to understand how wide, long, high and deep this love is as we look into the eyes of God's diverse family - all praising him for what he did for us in Christ.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we must admit that we are easily overwhelmed by the unknown - especially the extent of your love and grace for us. Not only that - we are easily overwhelmed by the diversity of your family - the church. Please help us to use our diversity to see how amazing your grace and love is - for it is by grace we have been saved, through faith—and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that we can not boast (Eph 2:8). Amen
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