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Discussion Forum : Revivals And Church History : If you think that this is useful, WILL YOU?

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LetUsPray
Member



Joined: 2004/10/12
Posts: 173


 If you think that this is useful, WILL YOU?

A number of recent threads have touched on: the power of Satan, the conquering power of Christ, law and freedom from the law, etc. For me, and I believe for many others, Christianity is both obedience to God’s Word and the living out of this obedience free from legalism. This seems to be very difficult for many of us; as a result we struggle in our faith to come to a place where we can say with Paul: I have fought a good fight, I have finished (my) course, I have kept the faith (2Tim.4:7).

Galatians 4:19. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until CHRIST BE FORMED IN YOU.

Colossians 1:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory:
28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present EVERY MAN PERFECT in Christ Jesus:
29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

These are a few Scriptures pointing towards the ultimate PRIZE which should be sought by every Christian: CHRIST IN YOU.

Paul in his letter to the Ephesian Church wrote two prayers that He prayed for the Ephesian Christians and, even though this is not recorded, likely for others also. I make this statement, because Paul talks about travailing in birth, laboring, and striving for the Christians in the early churches. The root of the Greek word for what Paul did is AGON. It is also the root of the word AGONIA which is used to describe the intensity of the prayer by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, when His sweat became drops of blood. Our English word AGONY comes from this Greek word.

I pray and ask the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him so that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened, each time before I read His Word, and before I share from the Word with the people I speak to.

For a number of years I have prayed the entire prayers in Ephesians 1:15-23 and 3:14-21, after I personalized them, for ourselves and for the Christians we worship with. I do this with confidence in faith because Jesus told us: how much more shall (your) heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13).

Just consider:

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that YE MAY KNOW what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the EXEEDING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER TO US-WARD who believe, according to the working of HIS MIGHTY POWER, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead,”

And:

“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”

I cannot think of a better way to learn to walk “in Christ,” than by the working of His mighty power, being strengthened with power by His Spirit in my inner man, so that Christ may live in me by faith!

For years I have done this and taught others. When I ask the Christians I shared this with through the years, if they do this, the answer is always: NO.

Will you?


_________________
Hans Prang

 2005/9/22 13:30Profile
letsgetbusy
Member



Joined: 2004/9/28
Posts: 957
Cleveland, Georgia

 Re: If you think that this is useful, WILL YOU?

I have. This verse is for real.

Matthew 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire"

I am confident that this is not the final step.

Corrie Ten Boom speaks on the subject, 'Professer or Possessor':

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=4144&commentView=itemComments

Other steps with Christ she talks about that she took and says are possible for other Christians:

1) Assurance of salvation
2) Surrendered will
3) Knowing the will of God
4) Total surrender
5) The fullness of the Holy Spirit
6) Abiding in Christ
7) Victory over sin
8) Heart' rest
9) Fellowship with Christ's sufferings


_________________
Hal Bachman

 2005/9/23 5:08Profile
LetUsPray
Member



Joined: 2004/10/12
Posts: 173


 Re: If you think that this is useful, WILL YOU?

Thank you LGB,

One out of 73 isn't bad. It is better than I have experienced in the area where I live.

For those of you who haven't prayed these prayers, God works through them in an amazing way. Maybe if you pray this, you will appreciate all that Jesus did and get the help to stand upright before our God and understand that Satan really has NO power over our lives.

God bless you all,


_________________
Hans Prang

 2005/9/23 17:39Profile









 Re: If you think that this is useful, WILL YOU?

LetUsPray,

When I was a teenager, I was at a youth event where we went through the whole of Ephesians quickly in a weekend. That and studying 1 Peter over a few weeks with Scripture Union, helped me to 'see' certain ways of reading scripture and thinking about it. Years later, I heard Ephesian texts preached on many times, and the prayers, although not suggested for use in the way you do, were brought to my attention, particularly the aspects you've pointed out - the resurrection and the inner man.

Years later [i]again[/i] I found myself depending on the first - the resurrection - and experiencing the second - the strengthening of my inner man through various healings.

This latter does tie in very well with some preaching I heard on 'resurrection', too - that in Psalm 22:14 'I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.' {out of...: or, sundered} and v 17 'I may tell all my bones': are answered by the manipulation of all his bones back INTO joint, at resurrection.

This is a key thought, when considering the Body of Christ and Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Surely within the concept of resurrection, there is the dynamic of death to life. We think of this as a miracle of [i]power[/i], rather than a miracle of [i]healing[/i], but, it is the [u]health[/u] of the life of God which the Christian should crave, to enable them to be strong for obedience to His calling.

I was never so glad to find the verse about the inner man, and connect it to Psalm 22, as between them, they described what I'd experienced strongly on one occasion as a result of being prayed for informally by a Christian who had a personal testimony of spiritual healing. The inner man is indeed a very substantial part of the Christian, whether the Christian recognises and nurtures it, or not.

 2005/9/23 21:19





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