In our message, FLOODING THE HEART WITH LIGHT (Eph. 1:15-21), we looked at how the Holy Spirit prayed for Christians there. While we should always pray for people to come to faith in Jesus Christ so they can be saved, we also should pray continuously for one another to grow in our love and “knowledge” of God which is shown by loving others His way (Eph. 1:15-17; John 17:9, 17-20; Rom. 12:9; Gal. 5:10, etc.). This glorifies the Lord and shows the world that Jesus is true! (Eph. 1:16-17; Col. 1:27; John 17:21, etc.).
God wants “the eyes of [our] heart… enlightened,” that is flooded with light and illuminated in the infinite glorious knowledge of Him (Eph. 1:18a ESV; 2 Pet. 3:18, etc.). This includes not just an intellectual understanding, but a full continuous growing personal apprehension of who He is to include “the hope of His calling” (Eph. 1:18b; Phil. 3:10; 4:12-15, etc.). In the Bible “hope” is the absolute certainty of a believer’s victory in God based upon His Word (Eph. 1:4-6). The church, as His “called out” ones possess “a living hope” that “does not fade away” (1 Pet. 1:3-4; 2 Cor. 4:16-18, etc.). We are with our heart to understand more and more “the riches of the glory of our inheritance” which is “reserved in heaven” for us (Eph. 1:18b; 1 Pet. 1:4; 1 Cor. 2:9-10; John 17:24; 2 Thes. 1:10; Col. 3:4, etc.).
And He also wants us to know the “exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe” in the race set before us (Eph. 1:19; Heb. 12:1-2, etc.). This “mighty power” of God is now shown in raising Jesus “from the dead-” forgiving all our sin before holy God! (Eph. 1:7-12, 20; Rom. 3:23-25; John 1:29, etc.). As His body, we are positionally “seated [with] Him… in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3, 20-22; 2:6-7, etc.), and we through the power of the Spirit in our lives can shine as lights to the lost and dying world around us (Acts 1:8; Eph. 1:13-14, 21; 5:18-20; 6:11-12; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; John 10:10; Gal. 5:16-18, 22-25, etc.).