Linda Stanley Posted May 5, 2003 Report Share Posted May 5, 2003 Paul was praying God would give them the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation,so they would know God better.Praying that their eyes to their heart would be opened spiritually.You have to believe to see things diffrently than with the naked eye.Seeing is believing is what some people say.There is power for those who believe therefore you see diffrently.You see from the heart. The power is like the working of his mighty strength,in which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead.This is the example Paul used to help us understand how much power is there for those who believe. Unimaginable power for believers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebChats Posted May 5, 2003 Report Share Posted May 5, 2003 Why does Paul pray that God would open the Ephesians' eyes to discern "his incomparably great power"? What is wrong with their eyes? Where does this power operate according to 1:19? Which miraculous event does Paul use as an example of this level and type of power? According to Eph. 4:11-15 Paul wants the Ephesians to come into the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God and that they become mature Christians working in full power. Their eyes seemed to be closed to the truth and power of Jesus. To those that believe. The resurrection of Jesus Christ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Constance Posted May 6, 2003 Report Share Posted May 6, 2003 To realize the power that Paul is speaking of, we need our eyes opened with divine sight. We usually see only through human eyes. Our Lord raised Jesus from the grave and gave Him power which he can thus give to us if we seek it in His name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimberly Grant Posted May 6, 2003 Report Share Posted May 6, 2003 As I read the replies of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I'm reminded that for me, my vision is restrained by my control. I need to surrender to the will of God and listen and see as He wishes, rather than hearing and seeing only MY wishes! I pray for vision and insight and the discipline to hear/see God's reply! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PastorPete Posted May 6, 2003 Report Share Posted May 6, 2003 The discerning of Gods "incomparably great power" was beyond the understanding or "seeing" of the Ephesians. Paul asked God to fill them with His spirit so that they would believe in Him and, therefore, see more than they could possible comprehend without his spirit. This incomparable power is for those of us who believe. It operates in all of us who believe in Him. The miraculous event that Paul uses as an example of this incomparable great power was the Resurrection. The most awesome display of this great power of His! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherLynn Posted May 6, 2003 Report Share Posted May 6, 2003 Paul uses the resurrection of Christ to demonstrate God's Great Power. This is the most powerful act of God! Through this letter, Paul prays for eyes to be opened - for those who believe to recognize that through Jesus, God has granted this same power to us, that we (Christian believers) might use this power to carry out His plan for us. It is a great reminder that through Him all things are possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ONI Posted May 6, 2003 Report Share Posted May 6, 2003 Their "eyes" were closed and hence could not see His incomparable power. The problem was not with their natural eyes but with the "eyes of their hearts" or spiritual eyes. It takes God and God only to open these eyes. The power is available for us who believe. The power is like the mighty strength God exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gail B. Posted May 7, 2003 Report Share Posted May 7, 2003 Paul knew that if the Ephesian church could just see with their spiritual eyes into the spiritual realm as he could and grasp the power and authority they had in Christ where all things have been placed under his feet, they could bring glory to God here on earth by walking in that power that resurrected Jesus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Listener Posted May 7, 2003 Report Share Posted May 7, 2003 That they will know the hope of his calling (Christ in you the hope of glory); the riches of the inheritance with the saints and the power the believer has. This will give a full understnding of all God has for them. Unless their eyes are enlightened they will not be able to grasp spiritual things (the things of God are spiritually discerned). They would focus on the physical with their physical eyes and understanding. So they need enlightment to see and to have faith in order to take a hold of the things God has proviced for the church. (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God) This power operates in those who believe. The power that raised Jesus from the dead. As Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should live in the newness of life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambschild Posted May 7, 2003 Report Share Posted May 7, 2003 The Ephesians spiritual eyes were shut to the gospel until Paul reveal to them that the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus had given them the faith to believe.Before that they were accustomed to believing in things that were tangible and had not the full concept of the atonement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelda huffman Posted May 7, 2003 Report Share Posted May 7, 2003 Paul prays that God would open the Ephesians eyes to discern" his incomparably great power", because Christ wants us to have great faith and trust in Him. The Ephesians eyes are open but they do not see God with their ears they hear but they do not hear God. Threw our Faith in God. The Ressurection of Christ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Gilbert Posted May 8, 2003 Report Share Posted May 8, 2003 We see with our hearts and the Spirit within us. Too often I am blind to God's message. The resurrection of Christ is what "opens" our eyes to what God desires--that we believe in the one He sent and have a loving relationship with Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwalya Posted May 12, 2003 Report Share Posted May 12, 2003 i. Paul prays for the eyes of the Ephesians to be opened, so that may have full knowledge of the hope to which God had called them, the glorious riches of all that they were to inherit in Christ. ii. Paul prays that God would open the Ephesians' eyes to discern "his incomparably great power" because their natural eyes have limited ability to see, not only in the physical realm, but much more so in the spiritual realm. For instance, we can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne iredale Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 i believe that the church at ephesus, much like the church today, are spiritually blinded to the awesome power of god, and in essence, the power and authority bestowed upon us as christians to be able to live the victorious life that the word says we can have. in other words, we tend to live beneath our means, thus depriving ourselves of many blessings and victorys in this life. i believe paul, by using the example of the miracle of the resurrection of christ, was trying to emphasize the the powerful nature of the god we serve. i believe this is the reason why we dont see the miracles,the blind healed, the lame walking, is because we cant live beyond the explainable, due to lack of faith and spiritual blindness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luray mcclung Posted May 18, 2003 Report Share Posted May 18, 2003 Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (a)In response to question one, Paul prays that God would open the Ephesians' eyes to discern "his incomparably great power" because Paul desires the eyes of their "heart" to be opened. Their spiritual discernment was necessary to comprend Paul's message of Christ and the Church and the needed oneness or unity, and the same power that resurrected our Lord from the grave. ( Next, their eyes lacked spiritual sight and vision and wisdom. © According to Eph. 1:19, that power operates for "believers", a power like the working of His mighty strength.(d) The miraculous example is Christ's resurrection from the dead. lmc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeallen Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 Why does Paul pray that God would open the Ephesians' eyes to discern "his incomparably great power"? Paul prayed that God would open the Ephesians' eyes so they could have faith and experience the mighty move of God in their lives and witness his great power within them. What is wrong with their eyes? Physically there is nothing wrong with their eyes, but they were blinded spiritually because they could not see the mighty move of God in their lives. In other words, their hearts were not receptive to God's mighty power. Where does this power operate according to 1:19? The power of God operates within an individual. In order for you to receive the power of God and it working in your life, you have to have faith in God and be a believer. What miraculous event does Paul use as an example of this level and type of power? The example Paul used was the power God used in the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaTasca Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 Paul prays that God would open the Ephesians' eyes so that they might grow in their knowledge of God, understand their wonderful future that God has promised, and realize the rich and glorious inheritance God has given to them. The Ephesians' eyes are limited by what they can see and experience...they are not yet aware that their church has great power through Jesus Christ. God's great power operates for [toward] us who believe in Him. This is same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Posted May 25, 2003 Report Share Posted May 25, 2003 Paul prays like this so that the Ephesians can see God Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Hatlestad Posted May 28, 2003 Report Share Posted May 28, 2003 Today so many believers close their eyes of their hearts because they don't want to let go of worldly things. The raising of Jesus from the dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnbarnes Posted May 29, 2003 Report Share Posted May 29, 2003 Paul was praying for us because he wanted us to be aware of, understand completely, the authority we have as believers. Most of us are walking around with our head in the sand and still calling ourselves believers. Because of Christ, we have been given amazing power to be overcomers of all situations. Paul wanted our eyes to be opened to that fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Strait Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 Why does Paul pray that God would open the Ephesians' eyes to discern "his incomparably great power"? That they may know what is the hope of his calling, the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards we who believe. What is wrong with their eyes? They must not have fully comprehended this power. Where does this power operate according to 1:19? God's power is toward us and actively works within believers. Which miraculous event does Paul use as an example of this level and type of power? The resurection of Christ from the dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aguayo Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 All statements of this lesson are amazing!! I believe it, ot at least I try to believe it. But, my question is if God really works with this Power in each Christian and the church why the church is loosing its power in this world? Why a lot of christians run their whole life without without the "fulliness of Christ"? In my experience in each Church, there is a part who experience Gods power and have their eyes open, but the majority of members seems to be blind and have, maybe experienced this in the past, but now they're cold. Why I'm not experiencing the victorious life and fuliness in Christ, if God works in me with the same power he raised Christ from the death? I already asked God to do this, I'm at his disposal and want to let Jesus to do his work in me, open me the eyes, but I'm not experiencing it by now How a church can experience this Truth in praxis? Can I do something more than "just" pray that God openes the eyes of all church members? I think it is impossible that this happens in my church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjcollin Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 All statements of this lesson are amazing!! I believe it, ot at least I try to believe it. But, my question is if God really works with this Power in each Christian and the church why the church is loosing its power in this world? Why a lot of christians run their whole life without without the "fulliness of Christ"?In my experience in each Church, there is a part who experience Gods power and have their eyes open, but the majority of members seems to be blind and have, maybe experienced this in the past, but now they're cold. Why I'm not experiencing the victorious life and fuliness in Christ, if God works in me with the same power he raised Christ from the death? I already asked God to do this, I'm at his disposal and want to let Jesus to do his work in me, open me the eyes, but I'm not experiencing it by now How a church can experience this Truth in praxis? Can I do something more than "just" pray that God openes the eyes of all church members? I think it is impossible that this happens in my church. To me the church whether it be in Paraguay, Germany, USA, or any other country for that matter all have the same problem in common... in general a lack of faith. Please don't get me wrong and misunderstand, as Christians we all have the amount of faith required for Salvation and putting our trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Then as we grow in Christ we have more faith for baptism and then for discipleship and then for other things. What I am talking about here is faith in measure, the kind of faith that will move mountains. For example, most of us are quick to say that we believe God can heal because we see many examples of it in the Bible, or we have met somebody who has been healed, or we have seen it on a TV program. Now try and translate this into believing that God WILL heal me or my loved one. You may try fasting and praying for a while, then you enlist the help of others to interceed and pray with you, then you may try laying on of hands by the elders with anointing oil, you may even try a trip to Israel for a dip in the river Jordan or a prayer in the Western Wall. The list goes on and on, and sometimes you feel that God doesn't want to speak to you or answer your prayer request for whatever reason like some past unknown and un-repentant sin or some other yet unknown reason. Why does God seem to work in power for seemingly so few? I believe that the big jump in the middle between "can" and "will" is faith. So then the question becomes how do I build my faith? I believe that the way to build our faith is through our choice of relationship and obedience to Jesus and through the Holy Spirit working through our lives. Something seems to have been lost in between the 1st-2nd century Church and the Church of the 21st century today, although it seems to be coming back more often through major movements of prayer and humbling ourselves before God. I just took healing as a personal example out of my own life, but I think this principle will work for any area in which we need God's touch in. I believe in faith that God is able and is willing to provide His power for us in the name of Jesus, we just need to be able to reach out in faith and receive it. I pray this post ministers to you aguayo and leads you toward the real goal which is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Contact me anytime via personal e-mail if needed. PS: I like the name aguayo it reminds me of Spanish for "yo" which means "I" and "agua" which means "water". So my brain roughly translated your name "I am water". Ref John 4:14, John 7:37-38. In Christ, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tess Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 They were blind to the extent of the power provided through Jesus Christ, such as most of us. This power is available in each believer and operates from the heart through faith in Christ and the level of this power is equal to the power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead. I don't think we as believers have to pray for this power, it is available to the extent that we believe that Christ in us and working through us is all the power necessary to carry out the work Christ has for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsKathy51 Posted July 7, 2003 Report Share Posted July 7, 2003 Ephesians 1:19) 1A) Why does Paul pray that God would open the Ephesians' eyes to discern "his incomparably great power"? Paul wanted us to see things the way God intended for us to see them. 1B) What is wrong with their eyes? Where does this power operate according to 1:19? Their eyes were blinded by the things of the world not open to the things of God. 1C) Which miraculous event does Paul use as an example of this level and type of power? Christ Jesus being crucified on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world and our salvation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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