Category: Normal Christian Life

Ephesians 1:19-20 NIV
¹⁹ …and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 3:16-18 NIV
¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

Ephesians 6:10 NIV
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

“This power and strength is all about remaining in battle. God seated Jesus at his right hand, and this is the incomparably great power for us who believe, and I would further say, in the heart of today’s message – for us who battle to believe!” (P. Nate)

As we say yes to God’s calling, there is promise of God’s power for us and that power lies in our relationship with Jesus. Church, let’s fight our battles not on our own strength, but in God’s power and strength through Jesus who dwells in us through the Holy Spirit!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I surrender all of my battles to you. Fill me with your Spirit today so that I can live in your power and experience your victory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In surrender, let’s worship to “Not Afraid” by Jesus Culture (click here).

-DW

 

Let’s read the following passage and confession aloud:

Ephesians 4:1, 4 (NIV)
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received… There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called.

The Cape Town Commitment: We Love the People of God
Jesus calls all his disciples together to be one family among the nations, a reconciled fellowship in which all sinful barriers are broken down through his reconciling grace. This Church is a community of grace, obedience and love in the communion of the Holy Spirit, in which the glorious attributes of God and gracious characteristics of Christ are reflected and God’s multi-coloured wisdom is displayed. As the most vivid present expression of the kingdom of God, the Church is the community of the reconciled who no longer live for themselves, but for the Saviour who loved them and gave himself for them.

Our calling is not a job nor a vocation. It is to be his church and to bring the fullness of Jesus into this world. It is living a life worthy of loving one another and about relationship. Let’s embrace our calling so that we can live in his power and love even more!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for calling me to be a part of your church and for including me in your plans to reveal Jesus into this world. May I live a life worthy of building up the church. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing “God of Revival” by Bethel (click here).

-DW

Let’s pray these two passages over our lives and our churches:

Ephesians 1:17-19a (NIV)
¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Ephesians 3:16-18 (NIV)
¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

“The heart of the battle to believe in the Normal Christian Life is expressed so well in these three words – ‘I keep asking.’ Paul’s pastoral heart for the Ephesians is this – I keep asking that God would fill you with the Spirit of revelation, that is the Holy Spirit who enables us to see and know God the Father.” (P. Nate)

Prayer: Father, would you fill us with your Spirit today so that we can see and know you more? We want to know you more! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing “Battle Belongs” by Phil Wickham over our lives and our churches (click here).

-DW

Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)
 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Ephesians 2:1-3 (NIV)
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

“Believers need to be well-established in an understanding of their new identity in Christ and what this means for their spiritual struggle, their relationship to fellow believers, and their ability to live the virtue and moral imperatives of the Christian life. Thirty times in this short letter Paul uses the expression ‘in Christ’ (and its variations) to characterize the new identity of these believers. They now exist in a dynamic, personal relationship of solidarity with the Lord Jesus Christ, which defines who they are, empowers them to live, and gives them a new purpose and meaning for living.” [Clinton Arnold, ZECNT]

We are in Christ. It is in Christ that we experience God’s order, purpose, blessing and relationship. Reflect on all the ways that God has given you a new identity in Christ.

Prayer: Lord, thank you that I am in Christ. There is no part of who I am that is outside of Christ anymore. Fill me with faith today to believe and live in Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Let’s worship to the song “By the Grace of God” by Bethel (click here).

-DW

Let us proclaim and declare these verses out loud over our lives:

Ephesians 1:3-6 (NIV)
³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

“The battle to believe begins with identity. In our post-post-modern culture, the biggest spiritual battle we face is to live in our identity in Christ. Darkness causes loss of identity, which causes loss of direction, which causes loss of meaning… In Ephesians, we see the opposite – revelation of identity in Christ, that is in complete contrast to the worldly identity in which we once lived.” (P. Nate)

It begins with our identity as children of God. As part of our normal Christian life, we battle by declaring the truth of God over our lives, praising God for who he is, and thanking God for how he has called us.

Prayer: Lord, we praise you for who you are! Thank you for your lavish love, your glorious grace, your kindness and forgiveness. Thank you that you have blessed us, called us, chosen us and adopted us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In thanksgiving, let’s sing “We Praise You” by Matt Redman (click here).

-DW