May 1, 2023
Ephesians 1:15-23
EXTRAVAGANT POWER
Sometimes Christians say to each other: “I’ll pray for you!” What do you pray? Some of you are leaders, what do you pray for the group of people you lead? In today’s passage, we get a look and a listen into the prayer closet of the apostle Paul. He’s not praying for sunny skies and ease of life, he’s got bigger dreams for the people of God.
Listen to an audio version of the message
Songs for this week: Spotify
Ephesians 1:15-23
- What’s the strength level of your praying lately? What do you find easy about praying? What is hardest?
- Paul mentions that he ‘has not stopped giving thanks’ for the believers in Ephesus. What do you have to give thanks for about the people in your group or those in your church?
- Paul prays that the Ephesian believers would experience three things: intimacy with God, the hope to which they’ve been called, and God’s power. What does each of those include?
- Paul is super jazzed about the Resurrection, Jesus, and the Church. The first two seem obvious. Why would the Church mean so much?
- Finish by praying for each other: pray for intimacy with God, deep hope, and the power of God in the lives of those in your group.
Share with a friend
Recent Sermons
Colossians 3:12-17-Sometimes Christianity gets known for what we don’t do. But Paul points us toward something better: how we live, love, and treat one another. What marks a genuine Christian community? It all starts with who God is and how deeply He loves us.
Colossians 3:5-11-Paul points to two areas that reveal who we are at the deepest level: sex and speech. The path to health and freedom isn’t harsh rules or self-focus, but staying close to Jesus, knowing him and growing in him. Christianity isn’t harsh rules; it’s a vibrant friendship.
Colossians 2:20-3:4 - Religious baggage can pull us in all kinds of directions—from expecting God to fit our preferences to trying to earn His approval. Paul’s message to the Colossians was simple: stop guessing what God wants and get back to the core of Christianity—Jesus.
Colossians 2:13-19 - Humans have a problem that we can’t save ourselves from—not through secular programs or religious systems. The good news of Jesus is that on the cross, Jesus dealt with it all. In him we are alive, forgiven, and free!
Colossians 2:8-12 - Paul warns the Colossian church not to trade the freedom found in Christ for religion or spiritual experiences. Jesus is more than enough.
Colossians 2:1-7-The way forward for the first Christians wasn't always easy. False teachers brought confusion and deception, prompting Paul to point believers back to the truth. Just as the best way to spot a counterfeit is to know the genuine article, the best way to recognize false teaching is to know Jesus.
