SERMON NOTES (Apr 3, 2016): Rooted and Grounded in Love- Eph 3:14-19

Rooted and Grounded in Love

Eph 3:14-19

Intro SEQUOIA TREES (A Discipleship Example in Nature)

This is why I am praying…

·        “For this reason” (3:14) refers to Chap 1:5-14 & echoes 1:15 & 3:1

  

I.                  Prayer for Spiritual Strength to Witness (3:16)

·        strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

·        How does the Holy Spirit work in your life?

·        How do you relate to the Holy Spirit daily?

·        The limits of spirituality: power (cf. Acts 1:8) to witness (verbally & materially); miraculous transformative power of Holy Spirit inside a man.

·        Power to Witness

·        Power to Change

·        Interaction with those who cannot understand life transformation (discipleship) – not church attendance, not data transfer, it is active expression of winning souls, teaching in community, and ministry development to create another leader.

·        Discipleship: Development of Inner Power

II.               Prayer for Corporate Foundational Knowledge (3:17-18)

·        rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge

·        4 Dimensions mentioned (the limits of Physicality)

·        With all the saints: Our knowledge is discovered in community through the illumination by Holy Spirit of God’s word.

·        How in love with Jesus are you? How does Jesus’ love affect your life?

·        The extent of your Christian experience in understanding Jesus’ love for you is correlated  to the expanse of your connectedness to the larger body of Christ.

·        Your height in your experience of Christ is determined by the depth of your experience in His word, but the breadth, width and length are influenced most greatly by the joint experience with all the saints.

·        Discipleship: leadership development – 2 Tim 2:2 – not one on one, but always one on many.

·        Think the Unthinkable

·        Discover in Community

·        Discipleship: Corporate Development of Others

III.                  Prayer for Loving Maturity in the Church (3:19)

·        Filled to the Brim- coke & sip quickly

·        What is this fullness of God? Filled to the brim with love, unity, and power.

·        Become the Fullness: Becoming who you are…

·        Col 1:19- For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

·        Col 2:9- For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

·        John 1:16- For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

·        Eph 1:22-23- the church… is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

·        Discipleship: Loving Growth that results in mature reproduction.