Ephesians 6:18-24 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you. Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
As we end the book of Ephesians, Paul directs the people in Ephesus to continue in their walk as servants of the Most High. He instructs believers to pray in the Spirit ON ALL OCASIONS WITH ALL KINDS OF PRAYERS AND REQUESTS. They should be generous with their prayers and requests in all situations and towards all people. In chapter 14 of the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus say, Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (12-14) Paul now asks the people of Ephesus to take Jesus’ promise into their daily lives. As servants they should do what the Master asked. Prayer is an act of believing that the Lord is in our lives and that He is zealous to bring glory to his Father. Prayers and asking can be befuddling to us, for sometimes we ask for very good things, and we do not see the answer here on earth. None of us can explain why James the apostle, who was in the intimate circle of Jesus’ retinue, died early by the hands of Herod. James, Peter, and John experienced many things such as the Mount of Transfiguration, the Garden of Gethsemane, and Jairus’ daughter being raised from the dead when the others were not present. Jesus had great affection for these three disciples. Yet we see a man that Jesus loved and counted on die first after Pentecost. We also see other things that confuse us when we talk about Jesus answering prayers for the glory of God such as Stephen being stoned to death and Paul being beaten with rods and thrown in jail in chains. We see him being stoned until his enemy thought him to be dead. We see the church scattered by persecution, running for their lives, not standing firm and confronting the devil by standing firm in their homeland. No, the vicissitudes of life affected them greatly, persecution affected them acutely, and the death of their loved ones through martyrdom sorrowed their lives greatly. Even though these realities were in Paul’s mind, he tells the Ephesians to pray in all situations and everywhere make their requests known to God. God who made the galaxies has purposes for our lives much greater than our limited understanding of our finite lives. Before Jesus tells the disciples about their power in asking, he tells this to them, Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3) He is telling James in his last moments before martyrdom\, do not be troubled, for I am coming back to get you. You do not have to worry about you going to me, I am going to you to get you. He is telling. Peter with these words, you can go to sleep in jail before the day they intend to kill you, for I am coming to get you when you pass from this finite world. All of our calling on God are in the context that we are slaves to the Most High. He alone determines our lives, our position in the body of Christ, and our demise. God is life itself and we trust in that life. Jesus said, I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. The disciples after Pentecost realized that fully, for the Spirit of God came to them to abide forever. Yes, Jesus would get them, for He had told them that he would never abandon them, never leave them alone to face the principalities of the air. No he would be with them always, even to the end of the earth or their lives.
We see in the conclusion of Ephesians a reiteration of our position IN Christ. Yes, we are children of the Most High, but also we are faithful servants of God on this earth. We are to be humble as Moses was humble. Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:3) As we look at this statement about Moses being the MOST HUMBLE of all men, we might become confused, for we know that Moses was a great leader of men, and he demanded some obedience from the Israelites or else judgement would fall on them. How could such man of power be considered humble? But humility in God’s eyes is in the context of obedience to the authority of God. Moses except for striking the rock for water was obedient to God at all times. And because of his one disobedience, God did not allow him to enter the Promised Land; he could only view it. Moses talked face to face with God under the cloud of the Holy Spirit. Moses was a friend of God. As with Jesus, Jesus said, do not call me Lord, Lord, if you do not do what I say. Moses did what God desired; even though what God wanted from him was beyond his rational mind. Therefore, because he was obedient to God’s words, he was most humble. We see this same characteristic in King David, a great willingness to follow God in everything he did and said. What is the opposite of humbleness in this context: pride. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. (1 John 2:15-16) Pride, the unwillingness to accept God’s authority is deeply embedded in man’s spirit. We see this contamination before the flood: all of humanity was going its own way. All had decided to come under their own authority and not God’s authority, love and caring. Of course in the time of Judges chaos reigned, for all were doing what was right in their own eyes. Moses accepted God’s words, his direction, his life. We see Paul in the book of Ephesians beseeching the people to come under that authority of God, to be submissive to others for the purposes of God. He is telling the man to be submissive to God, the wife to be submissive to the husband, the children to be submissive to the parents, and finally to the slave be in subject to the master. Otherwise, let all people be humble as Moses, following the will of God. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) We in our humbleness are a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God, As was Moses whose whole life was committed to following God. We should walk in obedience to the words of God for his purposes are much greater than our purposes, so we allow God to control our lives as his servants. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:1-2)
Paul request prayer for himself so that he might continue to be an ambassador for Christ, even when he is in chains. He wanted his humbleness to be known to all men. He was not going to pick up the nature of men who strive to develop their own lives the way they desire. No, he wanted to remain obedient to God no matter what the cost. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. He desired only the words of Christ in his mouth. He wanted only the purposes of God in his life. By talking to the Ephesians in this way, he is telling them to imitate his desire and lifestyle. Follow God with all your mind, soul and strength, pray always, and in love treat all people everywhere as you want to be treated. If the Ephesians would carry on with this direction in their lives, they will experience the purpose of God for their lives. And they will bring loving support to all within the church. Paul concludes with saying, Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. The church is the embodiment of Christ himself. The church should be a moving giant of love in the land of the dead. God has placed in each of us a mission that we are to carry out to the world. As the Christian Ephesians we are to have an impact on our community. People should know us by our love. The fruit of the Spirit should be present in us IN ABUNDANCE. We should not be parsimoniously displaying Christ to the world. We should be earth movers, changing the landscape around us. But if is we are focused on winning this world, if are desirous to make our nest more comfortable, we are missing the point of living for Christ. We saw Paul journey through many lands, not having a comfortable place to lay his head, but he was humble, doing the work of God, not living in the pride of self aggrandizement. Paul became but a drink offering on the alter of God. We too are to be likeminded for the glory of God. Let us be that!!
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