30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 11 5-13 Persistent prayer Persistent prayer 8
📖 Luke 11:5-13
*Christ in us the hope of glory* _Luke 11:5-13_
Yesterday, we said that Paul’s prayer for the believers at Colosse was that they may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding _Colossians 1:9._ So, we said that our persistence must be to know (experience), God’s will.
How does God reveal His will to us? He reveals His will to us through His word _James 1:18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures._ When we live out the word, we are living out His will for us. _When people say that they are not sure of God’s will for them, it is obvious that they are not living by God’s word. Unless we are familiar and acquainted with God’s word, we will struggle to know God’s will for us._
Jesus, who is God’s word, reveals all of God to us _Colossians 1:15._ Our pursuit and persistence ```must be``` to know Christ. Everything consists in Christ _Colossians 1:17._ In Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily and we are complete in Christ _Colossians 2:9-10._
Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus is that they may know (experience) Christ _Ephesians 1:15-17._ He does not stop there but he goes on to explain that he is persistently praying that their eyes would be enlightened to see all of the fullness and richness of Christ. Paul’s persistence is that the church would be fully settled and will function out of her identity in Christ _Ephesians 1:18-23._
Paul tells us that the mystery of God is *Christ in you, the hope of glory* _Colossians 1:27._ He then articulates for us, his entire ministry, in a few words and tells us that this was what he laboured for, by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. What was he labouring for? *He was warning and teaching everyman, in order to present every man, perfect in Christ Jesus*. This was the ministry of the apostle Paul _Colossians 1:28._
Eph 4:11-13 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, (13) till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;