Telling the Truth

Guest (Male): God wants to empower your life through the filling of the Holy Spirit. And today on Telling the Truth, Stuart Briscoe explains what that means and how it works. But first.

Jill Briscoe: Building a consistent prayer life can be a challenge. That's why we want to let you know about a special opportunity to soak in Stuart and Jill's wisdom on prayer through a newly curated collection of their messages called Powerful and Effective Prayer.

This resource is our thanks for your gift today to help others experience life in Christ through the global ministry of Telling the Truth. So call today to request your copy of this special collection: 1-800-889-5388. That’s 1-800-889-5388. Or you can give online at tellingthetruth.org. Now, here's Stuart with his message, God's Plan for Spiritual Growth.

Stuart Briscoe: Ephesians chapter three, reading from verse 14. 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 how 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.

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.

The Apostle Paul has been going through some pretty heavy-duty teaching in the first two and a half chapters of Ephesians. But now he turns to prayer. And that, of course, is an appropriate way to do things. We should expose ourselves to God's Word and then respond in prayer, that the things that we have been learning might become applicable in our lives.

You notice that he uses the expression, "for this reason, I, the Apostle, begin to pray for you." But the question we must ask is, what's his reason? What is it that is stimulating him to pray? To get the answer to that, of course, we need to turn to the earlier chapters of Ephesians. The earlier chapters of Ephesians state quite firmly that God is the God of history, that God has a plan for this world.

That this world and this universe is not hopelessly out of control, neither is it something that runs itself. Ephesians teaches us that God is the Creator and Upholder of all things, and that he is working in the affairs of this cosmos which he created until he brings it to the consummation, to the finality that he has determined.

Now this, of course, goes very much in the teeth of what many people believe today, but it is a fundamental tenet of the Christian faith, that God is the God of history and that he is working out his purposes. Now Paul says, "for this reason, I bow my knees to the Father." People have different approaches to spiritual life. But let me look at it this way with you for a minute.

If you were to believe that God has a plan for the world, and the focal point of this plan for our world is Christ, and he is going to work his plan for Christ out through the church, and you were part of that church, would you say to yourself, "Wow, I am in up to my eyeballs in this thing"?

I came into spiritual experience because I had a problem, I wanted help, and I came to the church and they helped me with my problem. I didn't know I was being caught up in anything like that. That is the kind of thinking that Paul is using in moving into prayer here. For this reason. This is the basis of my praying.

You'll notice that Paul is praying because of what he has discovered of God's revelation. And that, of course, is the way that we're supposed to pray. Praying is part of a conversation with God. But conversations are two-way. If they're not two-way, they're monologues, they're not conversations. Prayer is part of a conversation with God where God talks to you through his Word, and you talk to him in response in prayer.

Notice the third thing. He says, "For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name." I often hear people say, "I believe in the power of prayer." In fact, there's a big debate going on in the medical community as to the effectiveness or the ineffectiveness of prayer. And this is a very, very helpful discussion and debate that's going on.

We understand what people mean when they say, "I believe in the power of prayer," but I think to be accurate, what we really ought to say is, "I believe in the power of the God to whom I pray to hear and to answer my prayers." It's not prayer per se that is powerful. There are people who will pray to idols of wood and idols of stone and metal idols, people who will pray to all kinds of objects that can neither hear nor understand nor answer their prayers.

The effectiveness of prayer is determined by the ability of the one prayed to, to hear and to answer prayer. So of course, our praying is going to be affected not only by what God has revealed in his Word, but by our intimacy of relationship with the one to whom we pray.

Then notice another thing. He prays with great boldness here, for he asks that the Father would grant his request out of his glorious riches. In other words, he's saying, "Father, I know you're loaded. And because I know you're loaded, Father, I can come to you and I can ask great big things."

One of Jill's and my favorite missionaries was C.T. Studd. And among other things, he used to write dreadful poetry. And one of the little poems he wrote which sticks in my mind is, "When you come before the King, large petitions with you bring, for his promises are such that you cannot ask too much."

Shakespeare it ain't, but there's great truth there. When you come before the King, large petitions with you bring, for his promises are such that you cannot ask too much. We ask that the Father of the whole family in heaven and earth would grant out of his gloriously rich resources our request.

On the basis of what he has revealed, on the basis of our intimate knowledge of him, with great boldness and deep intensity, Paul begins to pray. There's a great model for us in terms of our praying. But notice secondly, the burden of Paul's prayer for spiritual growth. We've identified the basis of it. Now what is the burden of it? What is it that he's really praying about?

In actual fact, what he is praying for is a tremendous sense of spiritual growth in the lives of these believers. Now the reason that he's praying for spiritual growth is not that they are really messing up, that they're a bunch of hoodlums, that they are really not doing very well as Christians.

In actual fact, he says in the first chapter that he's heard about their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all the saints. So they were a class act, this group of believers in Ephesus. Why then is he praying for spiritual growth? The answer is because it doesn't matter how far along the road we are, there's still room for growth. There's still room for growth.

We'll see why when Paul begins to map out what it is that God has in mind for us in terms of spiritual development. Notice four things that are involved in spiritual growth. Verse 16. 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.

Have you got that? 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. The first thing is that they need to recognize the power of God at work in their lives if spiritual growth is going to take place.

Now notice how he talks about this power. He wants them to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being. It sounds as if Paul is praying that they might have a new visitation of the Holy Spirit, or for the first time they might receive the Holy Spirit.

But you will notice that in the early part of Ephesians, he's already said this about the Ephesian Christians: "You were included in Christ when you heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit."

In chapter two, he talks about them being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. So the Apostle Paul is not praying that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for in another place he has said quite categorically, if you don't have the Spirit, you're not a Christian.

The thing that determines whether a person is a genuine Christian is that the Spirit of the living God has come into their lives. So that we know God as Father and Creator, we know Jesus as Savior and Redeemer, and we know the Spirit of God as the indwelling dynamic of our new life.

If Paul is not praying that they might receive the Spirit, what is he praying? He is praying that they might begin to recognize the power that is latent within them because the Spirit of him that raised up Christ from the dead has taken up residence in their lives.

Jill Briscoe: You're listening to Stuart Briscoe on Telling the Truth. We hope today's message helps you experience life in Christ as you grow deeper in your relationship with him. Okay, let's be honest. Prayer can sometimes feel like a bit of a mystery. Some people feel so confused by how prayer works that they'll just forget it all together.

But Scripture paints an exciting picture of what a life of prayer can be and how you can experience it yourself. That's why we want to send you a newly curated collection of messages from Stuart and Jill called Powerful and Effective Prayer. These five eye-opening messages will help you push past today's common platitudes on prayer and develop the rich and vibrant prayer life you're longing for.

We're excited to send you this one-of-a-kind resource as thanks for your gift today to help keep sharing the life-changing truth of God's love with people around the world through Telling the Truth. It's only thanks to the support of generous friends like you that broadcasts like this one can keep going out, reaching others with God's love so they can experience life in Christ.

So call today to request Powerful and Effective Prayer when you give: 1-800-889-5388. That’s 1-800-889-5388. Or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org.

For many, our smartphones have become our social connection. But we want to help you make a spiritual connection with the Telling the Truth mobile app. You can listen to daily programs, engage in Bible reading plans, journal, and share your thoughts and prayers on the community wall. Get the Telling the Truth app through your App Store or log on to tellingthetruth.org/mobileapp. Now back to Stuart with more of today's message from his series, God Has a Plan.

Stuart Briscoe: But there's another side to this. He is not only praying that they might be strengthened with power through the Spirit, he is praying that this would happen as Christ dwells in their heart by faith. Now in the same way that a Christian is a person who has received the Holy Spirit, a Christian is a person in whom Jesus Christ lives.

The point, of course, is this: all this happens when we come to repentance and faith, and God in the person of his Son, through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit, takes up residence in our hearts. Now that's either the most incredible good news or the most palpable nonsense. I suppose we need to figure out what we believe in this regard.

Do we honestly, genuinely believe that having heard the Gospel and responded to it and committed ourselves to Christ and asked him to become our Savior and Lord, that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit? And that God by his Spirit has taken up residence in our lives?

If we believe that, we will have the key to understanding the power that is available to Christians. It is not a power that is outside, it is a power that indwells. It is nothing less than the power of the risen Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit resident within the believer.

You say, "Well, it doesn't feel like it where I'm living. I mean, if there's all this power available to a Christian and I'm a Christian, I've received Christ, then how come I'm like I am?" Well, notice specifically what Paul says. He says that he wants Christ to dwell in your hearts through faith.

In other words, it is possible to have Christ by his Spirit living in you, but not dwelling in you. And Paul makes a specific point here in the language that he uses. What does that mean? Well, you know that it's possible to live in a certain place and you move in and you say, "I can't wait to get out of here."

I remember when I was transferred to Manchester as a young banker. And I got some lodgings with an old lady in her house. It was the only place I could find to stay. It was dreadful. It was awful. She used to cook a meal for me that was practically inedible. And I could just about eat anything.

The bedroom that I had had a rickety old bed in it, and the mattress was like corrugated iron. The windows had drapes over them, but the drapes didn't fit and there were great big holes in them. And I couldn't sleep because the bed was so lumpy, but it didn't matter because the light was shining through the holes in the drapes on the ceiling and making pretty patterns.

I just used to amuse myself looking at that. I couldn't wait to get out of there. Fortunately, Jill showed up and we got married. But you get the difference. You get the difference between living in a place and dwelling in a place, settling down and feeling at home there. And that's the word that Paul uses here.

Spiritual growth is dependent on power. But then read on. The Apostle Paul then goes on to say in verse 17, "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints to grasp," etcetera, etcetera. The second key thing he prays for is love. But he is not just talking of love in a vague sense.

What he is saying is this: "I'm praying with great intensity that you'll not only begin to understand the power within you through the indwelling Christ, but I am praying that you will understand that you are rooted and built upon love." He uses two picture words here, one from agriculture, rooted, and one from architecture, built upon.

What he's saying is this: as far as your spiritual experience is concerned, the soil into which your roots go is the love of God. Or to use another analogy, as far as your spiritual experience is concerned, the foundation on which the whole edifice is built is the love of God.

You've got to be constantly reminded of this, so that you'll be rooted firmly in his love and built securely upon his love. Now how important is this? Sometimes we get the impression that our spiritual experience is built upon what we've done. Our spiritual experience is built on what we didn't do. Our spiritual experience is built on us being superior to those other folks out there.

And God says, "No, no. Your spiritual experience is built exclusively on my love for you." If it were not for my love for you, my grace for you, my mercy towards you, there would be no spiritual experience. If it were not for my initiative of love in drawing you to myself, there wouldn't be any spiritual experience.

But then notice the third thing he talks about. He prays that they may not only be rooted and established in love, but they may, in verse 18, have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and how high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love which surpasses knowledge.

How can you know something that surpasses knowledge? I think that's a good question. How can you know something that surpasses knowledge? I think what Paul is saying here is this: that there are certain things that we know on the basis of intellectually accumulating data, all kinds of information.

But then there's a sense in which we can know things experimentally and practically. Now, says the Apostle Paul, "I want you not just to have an academic understanding of the length and the breadth and the depth and the height of the love of God, but I want you to know it experimentally and experientially."

How wide is the love of God? It is wide enough to embrace a lost world. And how long is it? It is long enough to endure rejection and abuse. And how high is the love of God? It is high enough to lift a forgiven sinner to the presence of a holy God. And how deep is it? It's deep enough to offer itself as a sacrifice to redeem a cruel, lost, sinful world.

But that's all academic. Do you sense deep down within you what it is to know that you're loved like that?

Jill Briscoe: We'll be right back to hear the close of Stuart's message, but first, you probably hear people talk about prayer all the time. But aside from knowing that you ought to do it, how much do you truly know about prayer? For example, how does God want to use prayer in our lives? Is he listening to every single request? And can prayer really make a difference?

We'd love to help shine some much-needed light on the subject of prayer by sending you Stuart and Jill's new five-message collection, Powerful and Effective Prayer. This specially curated set of messages is our thanks for your gift to share the life-changing truth of God's Word around the world through Telling the Truth.

It's only thanks to the support of generous friends like you that broadcasts like this one can keep going out, reaching others with God's love so they can experience life in Christ. So if you haven't given before, please consider a gift today and remember to request Powerful and Effective Prayer when you call and give. Just call 1-800-889-5388. 1-800-889-5388. Or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org. Now, here's Stuart with a final thought for you today.

Stuart Briscoe: There's a belief behind all this that Paul has that allows him to dare to pray like this. Read with me Ephesians 3:20. 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.

We call this the doxology. It's a statement of praise and glorifying God. But look at it in the context of what he is saying here. Now unto him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us. What would be the point in Paul praying all this glorious stuff if God was not in a position to do something about it?

But is he? Well, let's break this down. Let's put it in bite-size pieces. Don't shout out the answer to this, but be excruciatingly honest with yourself, just quietly in your own heart. Here's the first question. Do you honestly, genuinely believe with all your heart that God is able to do all you ask?

Let's put it up a notch. Do you believe that God is able to do all you imagine? You see, you imagine a lot of stuff you wouldn't dare ask. Let's put it up a notch. Do you believe with all your heart that God is able to do above all you ask? Let's put it up another notch. Do you believe he's able to do above all you imagine?

Put it up another notch. Do you believe that God is able to do immeasurably more than you ask? Now let's put it in the top notch. Do you believe that God is able to do immeasurably above all you ask or imagine? Now here's the $64,000 question.

Do you believe that God is able to do immeasurably above all you ask or imagine according to the power already at work within you? That's what he says. This is mind-blowing. This is heart-warming. This is big-league stuff, folks. And this is the kind of spiritual growth that Paul wants to see in these believers, the church.

The church of Christ, the focal point of God's grand and cosmic plan. Our problem so often is that we settle for so little instead of having an insatiable desire to grow and progress in our individual and corporate experience. Now, says the Apostle Paul, it is to the one who's able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine that the glory is due.

It's due to him in all that Christ has done, but it is due to him in all that the church is today. Why? Because the church is becoming increasingly mature individually and increasingly mature corporately. And more and more we're in the position where Christ in all his mighty power and love and mercy and grace is working out his eternal purposes in us and through us.

I tell you folks, I think Ephesians is one of the most exciting pieces of literature anywhere on the face of God's green earth. We need to ask ourselves how much do we believe and how much do we respond to it.

Jill Briscoe: Thanks so much, Stuart. Before you go, we want to remind you to request Stuart and Jill's newly curated five-message collection, Powerful and Effective Prayer. It's our thanks for your gift today to continue sharing God's Word through Telling the Truth broadcasts and resources.

So please request yours when you call and give: 1-800-889-5388. 1-800-889-5388. Or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org. Thanks for listening. Tune in again next time for more encouragement from Stuart and Jill Briscoe. Experience life, right here on Telling the Truth.