Lesson 93 December 7, 2003

Notice in verse 18 how one word jumps out because of its repetition:

1. Personal: 6:18a

"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the spirit."

- the first one "prayer" proseuch is a general word for prayer;

- while the next one "petition" dehsisj emphasis is on a prayer for a specific need.

* To pray in the Spirit is to pray not only empowered by the Spirit but with the power and the purposes of the Spirit; that is, in the will of God!

Rationalism teaches that prayer is unreasonable because an OmSc God would already know what is required better than the man who prays.

But what has God done?

He has established prayer as a means to accomplishing His will in the world and therefore has instructed us as believers to present our petitions to Him!

- Christ in His teaching gives us some vital truths related to prayer in several passages: Jn 14:13-14; 15:7; 16:23-24

- Spiritual Poverty in Prayer or how we hinder results from:

1. not praying at all or praying with the wrong motives! James 4:1-4

2. Not having a clear conscience; 1 Jn 3:21-22;

3. Not praying in the will of God; 1 Jn 5:14-15

"be on the alert" avgrupnew pres. imp. ptc.; lit. to be sleepless; keep on being alert, vigilant, watchful; carries on the military metaphor in the context

- This is the same kind of alertness that Peter calls for in 1 Pet 5:8; context is being alert because of Satan's methods of operation; his constant activity.

2. Intercessory 6:18b-20

"with all perseverance and petition for the saints"

- perseverance proskarterhsis; 1x, to give constant attention to a thing; to give unremitting care to a thing; idea of constancy therefore perseverance;

- What is the ultimate purpose of prayer?

Is it to get your will done in heaven? or is it getting God's will done on earth?

- "All the saints" reminds us of our responsibility towards other believers; take this primarily to refer to all of those in your periphery; family, friends, local church; John and Lynn White, other Pastors doing excellent teaching.

6:19-20 Paul was not bashful or hesitant in requesting prayer for himself;

- If Paul needed the prayers of other saints, how much more do we??

- "for which I am an ambassador in chains"

6:21-24 we have the final greetings and closing salutation!

- What we have in vs:21-22 is almost identical with Col. 4:7-8;

6:23-24 The closing salutation!

- Peace and love with faith all from the source of God!

- "love with faith"

- the love here spoken of by Paul is the fruit of "faith"; actively believing God and His revelation specifically in relationship among the brethren, fellow members of the family of God;

Our ability, our capacity to experience peace and love for others depends on the reality of faith.

In the final blessing Paul requests that all of those who love the Lord would daily experience grace.

- Paul uses what appears as an unusual phrase to describe our love of Christ! evn avfqarsia| = immortal, incorruptible, therefore does not decay, diminish, or change;

- Paul found in his own life that as his love of Christ grew and developed, it took on this characteristic of incorruptibility, that is his love for Christ did not diminish, decay or change based on the external circumstances faced, in fact he discovered that as this became a reality he was the recipient of grace in so many ways that he longed for this to be true also for the Ephesians so that they can experience the same blessings as he did.