The Spectacular Scale of God’s Power

Scripture:

Eph. 1:¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸ so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 

Observation:

The prayer for those in Ephesus is that they will go deeper in their relationship with God. They lived in a city where people believed that the goddess Diana was all-powerful. The need was great to embrace the depths of power that were available in and through God. The all-powerful, God of glory is capable of providing wisdom and revelation in the midst of our circumstances. It is possible for spiritual growth to expand our vistas, to open the eyes of our hearts, so that we can begin to see the eternal. When this happens we experience the riches of the inheritance which is available to all of God’s holy children. No earthly goddess can compare to the spectacular scale of God’s power which is available to all of those who would believe. 

Application:

This week I’ve been pondering the state things. In the United States we live in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity. Every day it seems that there are pleas to speak out about one issue or another. At the same time when I go to Africa I am amazed at the embrace of Christianity. My ears were shocked to hear the pilot on a recent flight say, “Welcome, and may God bless you.” I began to realize how unfamiliar those kinds of phrases have become in America, but what’s happening in America is not happening everywhere in the world. God still reigns, and God is at work!

The goddess Diana seemed have a formidable influence upon the people of Ephesus. How could a little band of Christians have any influence in a city that large? And yet, they did! If we read the incident recorded in Acts, we discover that the revival fires in Ephesus were so great that they had an effect on the souvenir sales. So much so, that the salesmen rioted. Now, somehow I can’t imagine that a little band of believers had the power to upset the entire culture surrounding the worship of Diana. The reality is that they didn’t. They couldn’t plan and strategize enough to have seen that kind of a response. What they did do, was grow into the realization that they were the inheritors of God’s power. 

I now serve in a position of leadership in a church, and sometimes wonder how we will navigate through these days. There are looming questions about the future of Christianity in America. What will the church look like in ten years? What will happen to charitable giving? How many pastors will we have? And then, in the midst of the questions, we are reminded of the spectacular scale of the power of God. 

The responsibility of followers of Jesus Christ, is to get to know Christ. Paul’s greatest concern was that those whom he had led to Christ would continue to grow spiritually. Through intimacy with Christ we gain wisdom, and have divine revelation. Our eyes are opened to possibilities that are simply unknown to humankind. We place our trust entirely in the same God who could revolutionize the city of Ephesus. This is the hope to which we are called! Not to be successful in the eyes of the world, but to know Christ, and in knowing Christ to experience a power far greater than the world. 

Do we believe that God is greater than our circumstances? Can we focus on Christ instead of the things of this world? There is a glorious inheritance for God’s holy people. The daily journey must take us closer to our Lord, and there we are privileged to embrace power on a spectacular scale. Let’s put our trust in God, and not in Diana.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for the reminder that you are greater than the things that we face. Amen.