The Fullness Of Christ

A prayer for all believers in Christ

Before we explore John 5: 1-11 can you walk with me for a while and consider our hearts? I would like to start by asking what fills your inner being, what defines you? It’s a difficult one to answer, if you are like me many things can fill my inner being most of them things I would rather did not. I do believe followers of Jesus people who have given their lives to Jesus do have at their centre a Jesus zone a place were Jesus lives a holy of holies a temple sealed and defined by the Holy Sprit of God. But we can allow even this place to become cluttered filled with things that are not of God nor honour God, its all to easy to do. There are warning signs we should look out for, the alarms should sound when we think its all about US, what about my needs, what about the things I want and should have and on it goes, the self-centred the me, me, me that’s when we are not living like Jesus.That’s when we need him the most, need to be filled anew. We need to live like Jesus to bring him the glory and honour. consider Pauls prayer for the Ephesians and I would add all beleivers in Christ.

Ephesians 3 14 – 21

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20Now 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, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Immeasurably more….

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians we just shared would be I believe his prayer for all believers in Jesus Christ. For us as well, so before we revisit John lets consider this message as it is a key foundation stone of a life of faith. Consider please verse 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”. You see I do firmly believe we are all guilty of putting “God in a box”. Its human nature to want to define, to understand and ultimately control our environment the world as we see it, feel it and experience it. In truth the majority of us do not like mystery and we are not that keen on the unknown, especially a potentially life changing dangerous unknown. So how do you feel about God then, are you comfortable that you will never ever be able to define him, control him and understand him? Do you trust him given that you will not be able to do the above? God is not a God of tame lameness, this is the creator of the universe and all things, the warrior God, the Lion of Judah God, the voice in the whirlwind God, the I AM? Given that how are we doing in church these days then? Given that our God is the only God the power behind and before all things that have been and will be, are we then individually and corporately filled with the fullness of God that Paul prayers for, do the signs and wonders testify to this? Do you pray and ask and trust God to do more with you and your life that you could ever imagine and immeasurably beyond anything we could ask or conceive? Do you hunger and thirst to know more of God or are you scared not wanting to let him out of the box, fearing the change to status Quo, the lose of comfort zones? If that is true of you please give it up, please I pray trust God. God formed all of us, created us, knew us before time and loves us. God loves us with a passion and has no plans to harm us. God wants to bless us and help us be the fullness of the people he knows we can be, how can we not trust him? Fear him yes because God is God, but do so knowing that he loves and ultimately that is the driver of all things in all of our lives.