Ephesians Prayer Guide - Day 11

We are co-heirs with Christ. May we have boldness and confidence to proclaim His Truth!

Read and meditate on Ephesians 3:1-13

Beloved friends, because of my love for Jesus Christ, I am now his prisoner for the sake of all of you who are not Jews, 2 so that you will hear the gospel that God has entrusted to me to share with you. 3 For this wonderful mystery, which I briefly described, was given to me by divine revelation, 4 so that whenever you read it you will be able to understand my revelation and insight into the secret mystery of the Messiah.
5 There has never been a generation that has been given the detailed understanding of this glorious and divine mystery until now. He kept it a secret until this generation. God is revealing it only now to his sacred apostles and prophets by the Holy Spirit. 6 Here’s the secret: The gospel of grace has made you, non-Jewish believers, into coheirs of his promise through your union with him. And you have now become members of his body—one with the Anointed One!

7–8 I have been made a messenger of this wonderful news by the gift of grace that works through me. Even though I am the least significant of all his holy believers, this grace-gift was imparted when the manifestation of his power came upon me. Grace alone empowers me so that I can boldly preach this wonderful message to non-Jewish people, sharing with them the unfading, inexhaustible riches of Christ, which are beyond comprehension.

9 My passion is to enlighten every person to this divine mystery. It was hidden for ages past until now, and kept a secret in the heart of God, the Creator of all. 10 The purpose of this was to unveil before every throne and rank of angelic orders in the heavenly realm God’s full and diverse wisdom revealed through the church. 11 This perfectly wise plan was destined from eternal ages and fulfilled completely in our Lord Jesus Christ, so that now 12 we have boldness through him, and free access as kings before the Father because of our complete confidence in Christ’s faithfulness.

13 My dear friends, I pray that you will remain strong and not be discouraged or ashamed by all that I suffer on your behalf, for it is for your glory. TPT™ (emphasis is mine)

Many times the church (in general, not speaking to yours) communicates the Gospel in such a way that the “unbeliever” thinks (incorrectly) that he needs to clean up his act before he can make a decision OR the message is handled too politely and passively; often times leaving space to put off the urgency of a REAL response. This may be more a matter of perception than anything else, but it has me concerned that unbelievers can step into (our) churches and not feel compelled to do something with the Truth presented.

I truly believe the Gospel demands a response! It is full of powerful, bold Truth that shouldn’t leave the listener with anything other than a piercing or conviction of the heart.

In Jesus, we have been given the KEY to our cities, the key to the hopeless, the key to addiction and depravity and depression, the key so the lost can be found, the chains can be broken and the imprisoned can find freedom! Jehovah Nissi – we lift high the banner – His name, the name above all other names is Jesus!

Why do we hold so tightly to this Truth? It is not a secret to be protected. It is a Truth to be PROCLAIMED!

And it demands a RESPONSE! Do you believe that?

In a similar way, God has promised our ancestors something better, but as long as an heir is a minor, he’s not really much different than a servant, although he’s the master over all of them. 2 For until the time appointed by the father when he comes of age, the child is under the domestic supervision of the guardians of the estate.

3 So it is with us. When we were juveniles we were enslaved under the hostile spirits of the world. 4 But when that era came to an end and the time of fulfillment had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the written law. 5 Yet all of this was so that he would redeem and set free all those held hostage to the written law so that we would receive our freedom and a full legal adoption as his children.

6 And so that we would know for sure that we are his true children, God released the Spirit of Sonship into our hearts—moving us to cry out intimately, “My Father! You’re our true Father!”

7 Now we’re no longer living like slaves under the law, but we enjoy being God’s very own sons and daughters! And because we’re his, we can access everything our Father has—for we are heirs of God through Jesus, the Messiah! Galatians 4:1-7 TPT™

Freedom, legal adoption, sonship, intimacy; we are now co-heirs with Christ! THIS is the lens through which He sees you! We are now sons and daughters of a King. I love how the Message translation puts it: “And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance” Galatians 4:7 MSG.I love the “sonship” message that is written on my heart as I read this! I belong, as a child, in a way I could never relate to on this earth!

But you are God’s chosen treasure—priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world. 1 Peter 2:9 TPT™

Beloved, what a powerful message! He called you out of darkness into His light! Why? “So that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world! We are not meant to hold this precious message of hope and life simply close to our hearts. Close is where it changes us. But it should never stop there. The hope should be SO BIG in us that we cannot help but want to shout it from the rooftops! HE IS KING!

We are now part of the royal priesthood, which means we have access to the holy of holies. The curtain was torn in two and now we are drawn into His presence. And what happens in His presence? We are forever changed!

Pray for boldness and that we would handle correctly the Word of God. Pray against the fear of man and the religious spirit. And pray for a outpouring of His Holy Spirit, over church homes, over the Church. Let us be a people available!