LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Strengthened with Power
"...that He may give you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man by His Spirit" (Ephesians 3:16).
In the context of this rich passage, Paul prays with intensity, as when pleading for a vital cause. A sensitive servant such as this apostle was, he sensed that the future of this church was at stake (remember that Ephesus lost its first love according to Rev. 2:4), and the same Spirit who was inspiring this epistle knew beforehand that whenever this matter is neglected, the Lord's work as a whole suffers loss. The solution was not to whip the brethren for greater consecration or obedience. Paul, as a faithful priest, goes directly to the only place and to the only Person who can help the believers: "before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ".
The "so that..." in the following verse is of the utmost importance: "...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith". Was not Christ already dwelling in them? Had they not been sealed by the same Spirit when they heard and believed the gospel (Eph. 1:13)? Certainly they had. Experience shows us that, many times, Christians, even having the Lord and professing their faith, are not noticed. Do we belong to Christ? Of course we do! Do we meet with the brethren and sing praises? Yes, every week. However, even so, many times we are seen in a state of great weakness.
The verb used in Paul's prayer gives away the state of the church. If they need to be strengthened, it is because the weakness is evident. They belong to Christ, but their light does not shine. They believe, they confess the name of the Lord, but they waver in the hour of temptation. Their love is not fervent, their commitment to the Lord and to his work is petty; the heart has become stubborn and insensitive. Heavenly help is needed.
"...strengthened with power in the inner man by his Spirit". The apostle conceives of no other kind of children of God. Only then will there be fruits that glorify the Lord, and he will look with favor on a people who are preparing to come to meet him. It is not God's will that we live in the energy of our nature; rather, he expects these forces to be weakened, so that the power of Christ may be manifested in us (2 Cor. 12:9). The Holy Spirit, strengthening our spirit with power. What a blessed experience! Thus we are maturing, considering all the members of the body of Christ, casting off carnal jealousy, blessing one another with the gifts and graces that God has distributed to each one.
God expects us to turn to him, to ask again and again for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Then our precariousness will be withdrawn, giving place to the ever-abundant grace of the Lord. And the church will be every day more glorious, more victorious and holy, in the midst of a world plunging into moral degradation.
The Spirit is available to fill and strengthen you right now, "for the promise is unto us, and to your children, and to them that are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39).