Praying for Spiritual Growth.
By Nick Bibile
Eph
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole
family in heaven and earth is named.
The word wherefore or therefore comes from the context of
the previous verse.
Eph
We studied last week that the true Christians have access to
God with boldness and confidence based not on our goodness but of the Lord
Jesus Christ, who being our mediator, his works, and justification through him that
we have access to the Father.
Now apostle says, therefore I desire that you faint not at
my tribulations for you, which is your glory. His desire is that you faint not.
The new King James says that you do not lose heart. The Greek word is ekkakeō, which means don’t be weary or
don’t get exhausted. In today’s language, to be wear out or
discouraged. Who is wearing out
here, is it Apostle Paul or the church, believers? Believers.
He is telling the
Some of you will
not understand and many who are listening will not get it as the majority of
the church has fallen into worldliness today. When one servant of God is
suffering in labor on behalf of the church, will they not wear out as we are
the same body in Christ?
1Co
Philip 1:29 For
unto you
it is given in the behalf
of Christ, not
only
to believe on
him, but
also
to suffer
for
his sake.
But today people
don’t care when they see a pastor suffering for them in labor. They are
concerned more of themselves. Because the church is worldly.
No compassion, no love, no pity it’s just words of prayer only but no action.
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
Philip
But on the other
hand the true believers have real agape love and here the believers felt the
suffering of Apostle Paul.
1 Pet 3:8 Finally, be ye all
of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be
pitiful, be courteous.
See Ephesians
The servants of God, true Christians will go through trials
and tribulations? Why? Because they are service is opposition to the will of
man.
The enemy will persecute us and the world will persecute us
in all direction but we have a great Advocate and a mediator the Lord Jesus
Christ and as Christians we have access to God with confidence and boldness for
His glory.
Verse 14) For this cause I bow my
knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Apostle is saying for this cause he is praying. What cause?
The church, the believers are benefiting of his ministry although he is going
through persecution, here we see the passion of Apostle Paul to God and to the
believers.
Everything should be done in prayer. In Adam we were all
under a curse but the blessing of Salvation came from Jesus Christ. Without God
we cannot do anything. There are some
who work in the ministry but they do it without the blessing of the Lord,
without prayer.
They do it as a sacrifice to the Lord. They think if they do
a little sacrifice, then I have done my part to the Lord. This is done in the
flesh and not in the spirit. If you do it in the spirit then there is prayer.
You can labor and toil diligently for the rest of the life but if it’s not
blessed by God, what good is it?
Even when you read the Bible what good is it if you don’t
come in the right attitude for the Lord to bless through prayer what you are
reading or it will be like reading a newspaper, then you can say I did my part
but you were not blessed on what you learned? What good is it if there is no
purpose?
Let us see the attitude of prayer.
Bowing our knee to God is acknowledging who God is and who
we are. Coming to his with prayer in humility and reverence
to God always through our mediator Lord Jesus Christ. The word bow comes
from the primary Greek verb kamptō means to bend. Bending your will to the will of God. Bending
your attitude, your pride.
Psalm 95:6
O come, let us worship and bow
down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
7 For he
is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep
of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden
not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of
temptation in the wilderness.
I bow my knees. Not
only an instruction for physical posture during prayer, but suggesting an
attitude of submission, reverence, and intense passion. Bowing is done by the
creature to the Creator. In bowing our knees to God we show our weakness and
sinfulness.
Ezra 9: 5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness;
and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out
my hands unto the LORD my God,
6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my
face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head,
and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
Acts
36 And
when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
37 And
they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him.
Eph
Paul was not teaching the universal fatherhood of God and the
universal brotherhood of man. Everyone is heaven bound. Let us see the truth.
John
40 But
now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard
of God: this did not Abraham.
41 Ye do
the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be
not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42 Jesus
said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded
forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43 Why do
ye not understand my speech? even because ye
cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are
of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a
liar, and the father of it.
45 And
because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
But in Ephesians
Now what is the practical application?
We see Apostle Paul’s concern and passion for the church and
the believers love for Paul as they were getting worn out when they saw how he
went through persecution. What do you see here? We saw previously from the
believers perspective their love and compassion and unselfishness.
Philip 1:8 For God is my witness, how
greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
The
apostle Paul had a passion and a love for the believers. He addressed those
believers as his “beloved and longed–for brethren” (Phil. 4:1).
Paul
was willing to be offered “on the sacrifice and service of [their] faith” (
Also we see falling down at the feet of God in prayer. Many
times we pray to God only in need. Today the blessings of prayer are focused on
physical things rather than spiritual growth. Most rich will not pray as they
have everything. Have you noticed in
prayer meetings when we ask who need prayer, it’s only the ones that are going
through problems need prayer. Others who have no problems do not have any
request for prayer. See how the devil has fooled many of you.
Ho
Yes, just like in Hosea’s time many are praying for Physical
blessings, they look holy outside but their hearts are not right as soon as
they finish praying they go to their worldly ways.
Many do not care for spiritual blessings only blessings they
desire are the material blessings even the unbelievers have. Many are crying
out to God, bless me, in today’s language what it really means is to bless
their flesh but how many are crying to God asking bless
my soul.
Prayer is not a work but pouring your soul to God in the spirit.
When you open your soul to him you are opening all your secret and pets sins to him. Your inner
thoughts and affections are poured to God.
This is the reason why many are not growing in the Lord.
They are not sincere with God, they will not truly confess their sinful
passions, they may do it in a generic sense saying God I am a sinner please
forgive my sins but will not pour out their soul so be sincere with God and let him know everything.
Many who walk in the flesh not in the Spirit, but do they
pray that they would walk in the Spirit? Many who have no wisdom, do they pray
for wisdom? Many who have no love and compassion. But
do they pray for love and compassion? Many who have no thirst for God, but do
they pray for thirst for God?
Let me ask you a very simple question. Why did God give you
eternal life?
Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent.
Do you know the only true God? To know him is to have an
intimate love relationship with God. Do you have a personal intimate love
relationship with God? That you love the Lord with all your soul, you communicate
to him in prayer that your desire is to become more like him?
But many would say, I have no time
for God. But they have time to do all their worldly things, they can watch TV
with great passion but there is no passion for God.
Jonathan Edwards said, “Christ is set last and lowest in the
heart of the unbeliever. He has high thought of other things, he has high
thoughts of created objects and earthly enjoyments, but low thoughts of Christ.”
He also said the external obedience they render is but forced a feigned
obedience. They have no love for him; there is no delight in feeding the soul.
But the unbelievers only desire to be delivered from hell not to enjoy Christ.
This is very true. Many would become Christians so they
think they can escape hell. How many are deceived by the enemy? The eternal life is to know the only true
living God and have a love relationship with him, enjoy him, feeding your soul with
his word and growing in him.
Then you will always not think of yourself but you will
think of others, like Paul and the believers in the Ephesians church. The
result is you can passionately love God and passionately pray for the others. Intercessory prayer.