The Inner Soul
Strengthened in the inner Soul / within us-Ephesians 3:14
We often think that our lives are more about material and outward things but here in this vs the Apostle reminds the Christians at Ephesus and us as well that our strength is in the soul, or the inner person/man. He prays that they would have the Spirit that they would be strengthened . The word means ability or capacity ( Erdman , p. 68, Ephesians). We have been talking about this as we chatted last week about anxiety,that we should not be anxious, and then we asked how that could happen in a practical way in our Christian lives. We want to know these things not only that we may have knowledge but that our Christian lives should be formed by God and His Spirit and the love of Christ: " ...to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." 3:19
Last week we asked ourselves some of these questions as we heard that well-known Gospel from Matthew 6 where our Lord constrasted what we eat and drink with this question, " Is not the life ( soul) more than meat and the body than raiment? 6:24 The conclusion which is all too familiar is " But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." 6:33
1. Of course the material things in this life are important and we need them. We need food and drink and shelter to survive. But Jesus is constrasting just having these things with our exclusive focus upon them without thought that our lives are not them really. He is asking us to look within at our souls for they are the center of our lives which go on forever into eternity with God.
The question the Apostle is asking is that one of all time. How do we journey through this life with ability and strength to do what we must do ? What is the heartbeat of our focus? Can that inward strength of the inner person be that which gives us all we need for this life and the life to come?
2. The Spirit is our strength. " That he would grant you, accordin to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." 3:16 The Apostle reminded the Corinthians of this as well, " For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day....while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
" It is the constant assumption , or specific emphasis, of the teaching of the New Testament, that strength for the Christian life comes by the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit." Foulkes on Ephesians
3. It is the Spirit's work in us to strengthen us to do what we need and have to do in our lives. He gives us the faith of Christ , "rooted and grounded in love" 3:17
When we feel the inability to not do it, we look to His power through the Spirit , the third person of the blessed Trinity to inspire us to love and to " know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
3:19
Yes, knowledge is important but without the work of the Spirit to inspire us to love through faith ( " that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" 3:17), we will lack the steam to get up the hills of life.
These are basic thoughts about the Christian life. We all wish strength and ability to be doing what God calls us to do. It is our encouragement today that these things are often not done the way the world does them. We are to know God thru faith in Christ, to serve in love and be strengthened for the work He gives us by the Spirit of God.
" Through the discipline of contemplative prayer , Christian leaders have to listen again to the voice of love and to find there the wisdom and courage to address whatever issue presents itself to them. Dealing with burning issues without being rooted in a deep personal relationship with God easily leads to divisiveness because, before we know it, our sense of self is caught up in our opinion ....But when we are securely rooted in personal intimacy with the source of life, it will be possible to remain flexible ..., convinced without being rigid, willing to confront without being offensive, gentle and forgiving without being soft, and true witnesses without being manipulative." Nouwen , In the Name of Jesus -Reflections on Christian Leadership.
We often think that our lives are more about material and outward things but here in this vs the Apostle reminds the Christians at Ephesus and us as well that our strength is in the soul, or the inner person/man. He prays that they would have the Spirit that they would be strengthened . The word means ability or capacity ( Erdman , p. 68, Ephesians). We have been talking about this as we chatted last week about anxiety,that we should not be anxious, and then we asked how that could happen in a practical way in our Christian lives. We want to know these things not only that we may have knowledge but that our Christian lives should be formed by God and His Spirit and the love of Christ: " ...to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." 3:19
Last week we asked ourselves some of these questions as we heard that well-known Gospel from Matthew 6 where our Lord constrasted what we eat and drink with this question, " Is not the life ( soul) more than meat and the body than raiment? 6:24 The conclusion which is all too familiar is " But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." 6:33
1. Of course the material things in this life are important and we need them. We need food and drink and shelter to survive. But Jesus is constrasting just having these things with our exclusive focus upon them without thought that our lives are not them really. He is asking us to look within at our souls for they are the center of our lives which go on forever into eternity with God.
The question the Apostle is asking is that one of all time. How do we journey through this life with ability and strength to do what we must do ? What is the heartbeat of our focus? Can that inward strength of the inner person be that which gives us all we need for this life and the life to come?
2. The Spirit is our strength. " That he would grant you, accordin to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." 3:16 The Apostle reminded the Corinthians of this as well, " For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day....while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
" It is the constant assumption , or specific emphasis, of the teaching of the New Testament, that strength for the Christian life comes by the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit." Foulkes on Ephesians
3. It is the Spirit's work in us to strengthen us to do what we need and have to do in our lives. He gives us the faith of Christ , "rooted and grounded in love" 3:17
When we feel the inability to not do it, we look to His power through the Spirit , the third person of the blessed Trinity to inspire us to love and to " know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
3:19
Yes, knowledge is important but without the work of the Spirit to inspire us to love through faith ( " that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" 3:17), we will lack the steam to get up the hills of life.
These are basic thoughts about the Christian life. We all wish strength and ability to be doing what God calls us to do. It is our encouragement today that these things are often not done the way the world does them. We are to know God thru faith in Christ, to serve in love and be strengthened for the work He gives us by the Spirit of God.
" Through the discipline of contemplative prayer , Christian leaders have to listen again to the voice of love and to find there the wisdom and courage to address whatever issue presents itself to them. Dealing with burning issues without being rooted in a deep personal relationship with God easily leads to divisiveness because, before we know it, our sense of self is caught up in our opinion ....But when we are securely rooted in personal intimacy with the source of life, it will be possible to remain flexible ..., convinced without being rigid, willing to confront without being offensive, gentle and forgiving without being soft, and true witnesses without being manipulative." Nouwen , In the Name of Jesus -Reflections on Christian Leadership.
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