Immeasurable Proportions

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19 (NIV)

How often do we kneel before God in prayer for His church? To kneel before God shows your humility before God. You aren't you. If you don't get my meaning, it means your life is not yours, but Christ's. (Gal. 2:20) There is a responsibility of every Christian alive in this world today! A responsibility to care for another brother or sister in His church. Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, "Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thess. 5:11 (NIV) God desires Christians to encourage and build rather than to condemn and tear. Though, God does instruct a Christian to condemn the sin the person has done. So what was Paul's prayer to the Ephesians that we ought to pray for every single soul in the church that devotes his/her life to God? We ought to pray:

1. That the Spirit will strengthen you through your faith in God.

"May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones." 1 Thess. 3:13 (NIV)

2. That we will be rooted and established in love. Let me say this again, "LOVE!"

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13 (NIV) Just as Jesus gave His love (agape) by sacrificing His life for the world, we show our love (agape) but thinking of others more than ourselves. We commend, encourage, praise, instruct, persuade and embrace every person in His church. The question is, "How rooted and established in love are you?" You may think that you know God ("..can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I AM NOTHING!" 1 Cor. 13:2) but you may not have the love God wants you to have. That's why we move to the final point (#3).

3. That we understand that love is much greater than knowledge.

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." Romans 12:9 (NIV)

When we love, we fall in love with the person like we fell in love with Jesus because of His sacrificial love for us! When a person ceases to show love, there's no fullness of God in the person. When there's no spiritual growth in a certain soul, he/she contaminates the body of Christ, the church from growth.

Brothers and sisters, take your heart out of your life and examine it. How full is it with God's love that it pours out onto others in the church and the world? Whatever is stored in your heart, comes out of your mouth and hands? Jesus quoted it perfectly:

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45 (NIV)

It was Paul's prayer that the churches of Christ during His time would be strengthened, rooted, established, deepened, lengthened, heightened, widened in God's love to an awesomely, immeasureable proportions!! Now, it is my prayer that all the churches of Christ/Christians today grow toward that immeasureable proportions! Impossible? It is if you don't allow God to work in your hearts but I don't think it's impossible because...

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

Is God working in your life? Are, what you do in the church, glorifying God? Will the future generations remember the example of Jesus you gave? Does the world see you "..rooted and established in love.."? Please, humbly, kneel before God and ask Him to continue to work in your life today and lead you onward toward immeasureable proportions!