Prayer for the Church- Tony Nguyen

Ephesians 1:15-23 Sermon Notes: Intro: Do you pray for our church? 1. How have you prayed for our church and its people, it’s leaders, it’s work? How have you pray for the people you minister to? How have you prayed for your Salt? I want us to look at when Paul is passionately praying for his church, and notice how He is praying. 2. He prays that they would know the riches of what they already have in Christ Context: 1. Paul never prays about the church’s circumstances 2. He almost always pray that they might know the richest of what they have in Jesus Prayer Point: Maybe it’s time that we pray differently for the people we are leading. Instead of primarily praying for their circumstances to change so life can be more comfortable, maybe our primary prayer should be that our people grasp the reality of the riches that they have in Christ. Who are the riches for? vs 15 1.Those who have faith in the Lord a. Faith in Jesus is what saves you b. Faith will always lead to a life of change. Prayer Point: Maybe some of you leaders, salt, ministry, teams, small group leaders, members of the church—should be praying for the change to happen in the life of those in your community that claim faith in the Lord Jesus. You should pray, Lord I love them, you love them, they proclaim faith in you…Lord let their lives grow in maturity in YOU. 2. Those who have Love for all the Saints a. Saint’s never mean super Christian in the bible b. The way you know you’re a Christian is that you have deep love for ALL the saints Prayer Point: Maybe some of you guys need to pray for your heart, when it comes to the brothers and sister here at our church. We are called to LOVE ALL the Saints! We need to look deep and ask ourselves, if I love Jesus, am I really loving the Saints here, or am I merely tolerating them. What are the riches that are deposited for you? Vs 17-19 1. Hope of His calling 2. Riches of His Glorious Inheritance 3. Incomparable power of God How do you draw upon these riches? Vs 17-18 1. Pray Paul’s prayer for yourself a. That you will have the revelation of this reality everyday! 2. Meditate on these truths a. Meditate on the question, “how will I act different, how will I be different if I know these things to the depths of my soul?” b. Write down 20-30 things 3. Think of Jesus Christ Praying this prayer twice a. Jesus prays (c.f. John 15), “I want You to call them a people for Yourself, to envelop them in your power, to make them your great inheritance and treasure. b. Therefore, reject me, cast me away as worthless, and break me with your power