Then Importance of Christians Gaining Courage from the Ministry of Others, to Fearlessly Speak God’s Word!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 August 2026  Ephesians 3:20.

Ephesians 3:20.        Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

And then it was Wednesday; our second wind day. And brother, do I ever need to catch my second wind, having just returned at mid-day from taking the Duchess to an early morning doctor’s appointment in Toronto. And it’s not something I can do very often. No sir! The traffic’s disgusting, the roads are full of potholes and cracks, with lanes blocked off everywhere for construction or some such thing. I don’t know how some people traverse those rough, traffic filled roads, twice a day, five days a week. No wonder stress levels are so high, and road rage is prevalent.

But as a certain friend would tell me; ‘that’s progress.’ Well you can keep that kind of progress yes. I certainly don’t want to live, or even visit a city that looks uglier and dirtier than it did fifty years ago. But that’s only my opinion…and who cares about that? Nobody! So let’s see what kind of scriptural message the Lord wants to bless us with this warm, sunshiny August day that’s slightly overcast. And today, it seems He wants us to look at Bruh Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians.

After explaining how he came to be an apostle, (Eph. 3:1-12) he says: ‘Wherefore I desire (ask) that ye faint not (not lose heart) at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.’ (Eph. 3:13) And the scholars explain that verse by saying: ‘God will use Paul’s tribulations and sufferings in the ministry to spiritually benefit his recipients. Such edification will then bring about glory on their part in that they praise and honour God.’ It corresponds to what he says in Philippians: ‘And many (most) of the brethren in the Lord, waxing (becoming) confident by my bonds (chains) are much bolder to speak the word.’ (Phil. 1:14) Meaning that the majority of the Roman believers, seeing Burh Paul standing strong despite his imprisonment, depending on God, developed much more courage to speak the Word fearlessly

Then Bruh Paul continues: ‘For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.’ (Eph. 3:14-15) That means the whole Christian family, those saints now departed and in heaven, and those saints still living derive their spiritual life from God. And furthermore; ‘That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints, what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth, and height; And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’  (Eph. 3:16-19)

And per the scholars in verses 16-19, Paul makes three prayer requests for the Ephesians.: (1) That they would be strengthened with might by his Spirit (vs. 16), that is, they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life. (2) That the readers be able to comprehend … the LOVE of Christ, that is, to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. And (3) that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, that is, that the life, character and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’

Ah friends, it’s the same sort of prayer that I pray for us in these critical times. For do we ever need our inner man to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit, so that we can successfully handle, in a Christ-like manner, all the ungodly and evil stuff that’s happening around us every day, as well as the personal temptations that Satan are constantly bombarding us with, to make us turn away from God. And one of the aids to doing that is our understanding the great LOVE that Christ has for us, so that our faith can be rooted and grounded in that LOVE, for if out faith isn’t solidly rooted and grounded, then we can be very easily led astray by all the seemingly wonderful  temptations of the evil one.

And when we understand and have that overwhelming LOVE of Christ buried and rooted deep in our souls, then we will begin to see the virtues and characteristics of God blooming forth in us. In other words the fruit of the Spirit; LOVE, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness and self-control, will begin to flourish in our lives. Then Bruh Paul ends the prayer thus: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amne.’ (Eph. 3:20-21)

And according to the scholars, Bruh Paul ‘In making the three above petitions (vs. 16-19) (strengthened with might, understanding the LOVE of Christ, and filled with the fullness of God), he’s not asking too much. For he prays unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that he can ask or think.’ Meaning that our God is so great that those things He’s asked for are not too difficult for Him to accomplish. And we all know that nothing is impossible for our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God! That’s why He’s the Creator and Sovereign Ruler of the Universe!

Above all though friends, let’s remember that all the good things that Bruh Paul prayed for are within God’s reach, but individually, we all have a part to play by living obediently to God’s Word and Will, else none of it will happen. And with those words of wisdom (smile) let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And if we’re serious, then for all of those who endure to the end with Jesus, a more than glorious future lies ahead. So let’s be wise and endure to the end, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…God’s already done His part of our partnership…it’s now up to us to do ours…so we can reap the full benefits of the partnership…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 March 2021 Ephesians 3:17.

Ephesians 3:17.     ​ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye be rooted and grounded in LOVE,

Gather round friends, gather round your technological devices let’s have worship! Let there be praise and singing, adulation and exultation of God’s holy name throughout His universe! For it is the right thing to do on the Lord’s Sabbath! And the Lord looked down from His high heaven and saw that His people were being obedient to His word, and He said: ‘It is good!’ And God is especially grateful when we make the necessary effort, despite the pandemic lockdowns, to praise and worship Him, because it means that our hearts are in the right place, our motives are sincere, and that’s what He most desires of us. 

So let’s begin by singing one of our favourite songs of worship nuh, Jesus LOVES Me. Yes mih bredrin, we going to mash that up today. Glory be! But before we do, here is some background info on the song, from the Wikipedia website.”Jesus LOVES Me” is a Christian hymn written by Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915). The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of an 1860 novel called Say and Seal, written by her older sister Susan Warner (1819–1885), in which the words were spoken as a comforting poem to a dying child. 

The tune was added in 1862 by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868). Along with his tune, Bradbury added his own chorus “Yes, Jesus LOVES me, Yes, Jesus LOVES me…” After publication as a song it became one of the most popular Christian hymns in churches around the world, especially among children.So let’s belt it out in a nice, sparkling, scintillating, harmonious, up-tempo version nuh. 

As one sweet voice: ‘Jesus LOVES me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so; Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong. (Refrain: Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! The Bible tells me so.) Jesus LOVES me! This I know, As He LOVED so long ago, Taking children on His knee, Saying, “Let them come to Me.” (Refrain) – Jesus LOVES me still today, Walking with me on my way, Wanting as a friend to give Light and LOVE to all who live. 

(Refrain) – Jesus LOVES me! He who died Heaven’s gate to open wide; He will wash away my sin, Let His little child come in. (Refrain) – Jesus LOVES me! He will stay Close beside me all the way; Thou hast bled and died for me, I will henceforth live for Thee. Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! The Bible tells me so. Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! The Bible tells me so.’ 

And isn’t that the awesome truth friends? Why else would Jesus sacrifice Himself for us on the cross at Calvary, taking such brutal punishment for sins He had not committed eh? There could only be one reason: LOVE! True compassion for us, not wanting us to end up in eternal damnation with the evil Satan. 

And the website God Tube gives us this comforting explanation. ‘The Bible tells us that God LOVES each and every one of us, despite our sins and faults. Be comforted by the simple lyrics of ‘Jesus LOVES Me’ and remember that our Creator is almighty and all-LOVING. He is with us each step of the day and will never leave our side. We may be weak, but He is our strength.’ Now that ought to boost our trust and faith and strength in Him! 

Oh friends, it all comes down to that marvellous and wonderful word LOVE! Hear Jesus when He spoke to the disciples re the promise of the Holy Spirit. ‘He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that LOVETH me: and he that LOVETH me shall be LOVED of my Father, and I will LOVE him, and will manifest (reveal) myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man LOVE me, he will keep my words: and my Father will LOVE him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode (home) with him.’ (John 14:21-23) 

And the scholars tell us that ‘the divine indwelling of verse 23, is conditional on LOVE, and obedience to Jesus’ words. The Word of the gospel is primarily (though not exclusively) in view here.’ Try as we want friends, to be true believers, we can’t get away from LOVE, or obedience to Jesus words; one leads naturally to the other, they are inseparable. 

And that’s why Bruh Paul prayed thus for the Ephesians, and we also ought to pray for ourselves and others. ‘That he (God) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye be rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth and height; And to know the LOVE of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with the fullness of God.’ (Eph. 3:16-19) 

Oh my people, Christ’s LOVE for us is so big, so enormous, so wide, deep, long, and high, that it’s only through the help of His Holy Spirit dwelling in us, that we can ever come close to understanding it! Yes, we need divine enablement to successfully live the Christian life. That’s the only way that the characteristics and virtues of God will ever develop in us. So as we go about our business today, let’s concentrate on those two immortal words nuh; LOVE and obedience, for they are the basic foundation of our very lives in Christ Jesus. Much LOVE!

…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) likes to say…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…that’s divine wisdom… 

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