The Power Of Love

The power of love really is a curious thing isn’t it? Because we love another person, we want what’s best for them. We grieve when they are in pain or in trouble. We long for their lives to get turned around.

Don’t you wish that you could go back in time and fix, or redo a couple of things? Some of us would like to turn back the clock to the 50’s or 60’s, and just live there, before all the trouble started. Don’t you wish you could turn back time to when your kids were cute and innocent, and they would cling to your every word? If so, You have just placed yourself in the movie “Back to the Future”. You remember Michael J Fox, who is the son of a wishy washy dad and a checked out mom in a dysfunctional family. When he goes back in time he tries to help his father overcome his fear and insecurity to be a mighty man for his mom. The theme song says it all… The Power of Love. Do you believe in the Power of Love? The Apostle Paul did. He gives us his intercessory prayer for his friends in the church at Ephesus for a model of ‘The Power of Love”. His model is not to go back in time to fix, but bring a new transformed future through prayer! We see from Ephesians 3 that: Your Prayers Invoke the Transforming Power Of God’s Love Ephesians 3 shows us at least four things about prayer and it’s transforming power for others: I. Prayer – The Power of Love for Faith Eph. 3:16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”. First we see Paul praying to the Father for his friend’s faith. He prays to the Father in Jesus name… This faith in Jesus for his friends will come from the Father’s glorious riches. Paul is reminding that you have a rich Daddy, and Daddy wants to help you and make you strong like your righteous elder Brother Jesus. This verse says your heavenly Father will strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being. II Prayer – The Power Of Love For Love Eph. 3:17 “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,” You see from v. 17 that the roots are established in love; that the whole loving tree may grow in height and strength, bearing much fruit in love

But don’t miss this. Paul prays that they receive this love together with all the saints. The great vine Jesus is rooted and established in Father’s love. We all the branches receive the sap of His love and grow wide, long, high and deep into the love of Christ. Christ’s love goes deep into the root of the Father. We receive this love sap and continue growing. All of us are branches in this great tree of love and faith. We receive this love by staying connected to “The Vine” together! III Prayer – The Power Of Love For Transformation Eph. 3:19 “and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Last section we saw the prayers for your faith held in the vine of Christ and rooted in the love of the Father. Now we see Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians fullness. What is a good tree full of? Yes fruit!

We usually start here. O Lord, bring my business partner back to Christ. O Lord, make my child do better in school. These prayers are fine, but we’ve mistaken symptoms for root causes.The root is not in God’s love, so the fruit is not there, or is bad fruit. We tend to pray for the fruit first and this is the problem. The only way we get this fullness is to know this love of God that surpasses knowledge. This is knowing as in the biblical knowing. It means to have experienced and done it. We get to pray for the love that surpasses knowledge and all the fullness of God! What a privilege. God has given us the key for seeing transformation in our lives and the lives of our loved ones!

IV Prayer – His Glorious Power in Us Eph. 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Do you see this, His power is already at work in us? His power is at work, and it is glorious. God loves to shine His glory, not just through Jesus Christ, but through us His church! You say “Kari, you’ve gone too far this time”. Who am I to request these type of things from an all-powerful God? I am no-one special. I am not the pastor, or a missionary or the Apostle Paul! Maybe you’re not. But, we can so easily forget that we are all children of God, and Christ lives in each one of us. Like Colossians says “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” Jesus himself said “whatever you ask the Father in my name, He gives you” John 16:23. What could be more in line with His will than praying your child might have faith to know Christ and abide in his love so that his life is transformed from the inside out??? That is God’s will for all of us! You can pray this confidently. CONCLUSION We all have this desire to help, to make a change. God has given us the key to bring real power, real change. This is intercessory prayer as modelled in Ephesians 3. Your Prayers Invoke the Transforming Power Of God’s Love Will you enter into this spiritual battle to bring real change? Below is a link to a message I preached on this subject at Kanata Baptist Church in July of 2016. http://www.multiplyme.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Eph-3-sermon_071016.mp3 Also, here is a file with the Ephesians 3 prayer printed in a personal form. Eph 3 prayer cards

Blessings, Kari