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A Life of Holy Intimacy and Power, Part 1

A Life of Holy Intimacy and Power, Part 1. The Secret to Having the Fullness of God in Your Life. Why this series?. Not wanting to waste any of the rest of my life Desire to be a “master builder” in God’s Kingdom

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A Life of Holy Intimacy and Power, Part 1

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  1. A Life of Holy Intimacy and Power, Part 1 The Secret to Having the Fullness of God in Your Life

  2. Why this series? • Not wanting to waste any of the rest of my life • Desire to be a “master builder” in God’s Kingdom • Want to build an unshakable faith able to withstand persecution and see through the cares of the world • This is where God led me when I sought Him about what He valued

  3. Detailed study of Ephesians • Working on an “inspirational commentary” • WowGod.org

  4. Ephesians 3:16-21 (NIV) 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. 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, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

  5. Ephesians 3:16-21 (cont.) 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.

  6. I pray that... he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being... (Eph 3:16) • Paul is praying that we be made strong from the inside out • What it looks like: built up and encouraged, resulting in peace, confidence, boldness • Recognize who we really are in Christ

  7. ... so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (Eph 3:17a) • "Dwell" gives the impression of permanence – not sometimes there and sometimes not • Jesus promised believers in John 15 that He would dwell in us – a contradiction here? • No, most of us get distracted in life, and so practically are not aware of God's presence in our lives • Inner strength (v 16) helps us be able to focus on Christ in us

  8. I pray that you, being rooted and established in love... (Eph 3:17b) • "Being rooted and established in love" relates to John 3:16, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son...” • Many of us treat the Good News as if it covered the sins of our past, but now we have to get to work, be good, do good works, so that we don't lose our salvation • Good News: start by depending on the love of God, walk by depending on the love of God • You can't make God love you more by impressing Him, nor can you make Him love you less by doing bad things

  9. I pray that you, being rooted and established in love... (Eph 3:17b) • Working hard to please God leads to burnout • My burnout for God and how God rescued me (if time permits) • Brennan Manning, “Ragamuffin Gospel” and “Ruthless Trust” • Robert McGee, “Search for Significance” • Neil Anderson, “Victory Over the Darkness” and “Bondage Breaker”

  10. ... may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ... (Eph 3:18) • Paul runs out of words to describe how immeasurable God's love for us is • It actually takes God giving us the power to even begin to understand His love

  11. ...and to know this love that surpasses knowledge... (Eph 3:19a) • Amplified Bible: "[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]" • Some say that we should focus on loving God more, not on what He will give us or do for us • Here we see the focus is on experiencing and understanding God's individual and specific love for each of us personally

  12. ...and to know this love that surpasses knowledge... (Eph 3:19a) • There can be many revelations of His love that leads to increasing understanding and acceptance • Sometimes we feel like God loves us because we "snuck in" to His family by believing and receiving the Good News • Truth is God knows us very well, and He delights in us

  13. Parable about the tree that did not bear fruit (Luke 13:6-8) • I used to think that we were the tree in that parable, and it was saying that if we didn't bear good fruit, we might get ripped out of the Kingdom • Now I think that we are the soil and the tree is our beliefs. If our beliefs don't bear good fruit, rip them out and replant with the right seeds. • Pulling the tree out can feel like a real shaking of the foundations of our lives. • This is God's loving action in us to help us get beliefs that will bear fruit.

  14. I learned about God’s unconditional love when my son was born

  15. Blessed with a daughter, too!

  16. — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:19b) What does the fullness of God look like? • Peace and joy • Confidence that God will come through • Others attracted to the Jesus they see in me • Power as I respond to God's leading

  17. How knowledge of God’s love leads to fullness of God in us • Mike Bickle says that you only love God as much as you know that He loves You • When you know you are loved by God no matter what, you can relax, be who God made you to be, and be willing to try new adventures • Foundation of the Christian life: God is incredibly in love with you! • If you build on a different foundation, it will crumble • Interpersonal difficulties arise because other people get in the way of my getting the approval I need -- but God already approves of me • Cannot bear good fruit if it is not in good soil of being loved by God

  18. If God is the one who gives us revelation of His love, what do we do? • Mentally agree that He is deeply in love with us • Desire to know God’s love for us • Able to block God’s revelation if we do not agree with our minds and will • Luke 11 says that if we persistently ask and seek, God will surely answer, particularly in regard to things related to the Holy Spirit -- the One who give us revelation

  19. [He] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (Eph 3:20) • Why is this verse after the verse on knowledge of the love of God and having the fullness of God? • It is through His fullness in us that He is able to do incredible things through us • Let the verse sink in: He can do in and through us more than we ever imagined possible!

  20. What we learned • God wants us to receive an experiential revelation of His love for us personally • There can be many revelations of His love that lead to increasing understanding and acceptance • That the fullness of God will be in us as we increase in our awareness of God’s love • With the fullness of God in us, God is able to do amazing things in and through us • Our part in receiving a revelation of God’s love for us is to intellectually believe that is what He wants and persistently ask Him for it. God delights in saying “Yes”!

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