Transcript

We’re again going to be in Ephesians 6 during this time in God’s Word. If you have your Bibles please turn with me there.

John Beck used to be a football star for the University of Kentucky. Later on he became a preacher and later still was named as Chaplain of the U.S. Olympic Teams.

For a number of years he traveled with our Olympic Teams all over the world, leading in their devotions, counseling and praying with many of the athletes.

As he watched these young men and women train for the events in which they competed, he decided this was a picture of what Christianity really ought to be, people who were sincere, fervent, disciplined and dedicated to the task before them.

They were willing to pay any price, regardless of how much suffering or pain they had to endure. They were willing to pay any price to win.

Then one day John Beck was invited to visit the Special Olympics. Special Olympics, as you know, are made up of special athletes. All of them suffer from some kind of mental or physical impairment and disability.

He watched them as 8 runners lined up for the 100-yard dash. They all took off when the starting gun fired, and he was amazed at how good they were.

But as they reached halfway in the race, one of the boys fell down, skinned his knee on the track, and started to cry.

He said that what happened next was both beautiful and amazing. All 7 of the other runners stopped, and all 7 of them turned around and went to the boy who had fallen. Together they helped him to his feet. And the 8 walked to the finish line together.

Beck said that he then realized that he had seen how the true meaning of Christianity, is not so much in the Olympics, but more so in the Special Olympics.

Just as the seven runners stopped and went back to help the fallen boy, the Lord also sends us the Church to pick each other up, to help one another to the finish line, to gain the victory together.

That’s what is intended too in Ephesians 6:18: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” The spiritual battle we are engaged in is not just for one individual against Satan and his army.

We, the Church, are in this life and battle together, we are one Body.

And as 1 Cor. 12:26 says, “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.”

We are to watch out for one another, we are to continually lift each other up in our prayers, especially the hurting and the fallen ones in the battle.

God’s Word instructs us to serve as one and pray for all, that we the Body may stand against the wiles of the devil, and as Paul, that we might boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel.

Ephesians 6:18 says, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

It’s been rightly said that “Ephesians begins by lifting us up to the heavenlies, and ends by pulling us down to our knees.” (MacArthur).

God desires us to be “always praying ones,” and our lives to become as it’s also been said “a continual ascending prayer, a perpetual communing with Him.” (MacArthur).

We pray always as Paul says, “with all prayer and supplication.” I.e., we are to pray all the time with all kinds of prayer [in general] and with [specific] supplications.

In prayer we intercede for others, we make supplications or ask for God’s “supply” by specific requests. We petition Him and His help, guidance, strength and comfort; sometimes we just dwell in His presence and meditate on Him and His Person.

We thank Him in prayer, we worship and praise Him, we pray for change in our hearts, in this world, for the salvation of souls (mystery), for leadership in churches and government, and we pray for Him to work through us and the Church for His glory.

Brother Lawrence: “The most holy practice, the nearest to daily life, and the most essential for the spiritual life, is the practice of the presence of God…

“…that is to find joy in His divine company and to make it a habit of life, speaking humbly and conversing lovingly with Him at all times, every moment, without rule or restriction, above all at times of temptation, distress…and even of faithlessness and sin.”

Paul says we are to pray “in the Spirit.” This speaks of praying with His mind, consistent with His nature, according to His Word, desiring His will to be done, joining our minds and wills and hearts to His and praying in light of this.

To pray “in the Spirit” reminds us again of being “filled with the Spirit” as Ephesians 5:18 instructs us. Being filled with the Spirit is about allowing our lives and minds to be controlled and ruled by the Spirit and filled with His Word.

So praying in the Spirit, we submit ourselves to Him, and rely on His leading and strength, and we pray according to His Word, His will, His desires, His mind, His purposes.

Elisa Morgan tells the following: One night my 11-year-old daughter Eva noticed I was distracted as I tucked her in to bed. I told her about a friend’s teenage daughter whose hair was mysteriously falling out and I encouraged Eva to pray for Amy.

Her simple words really touched me, “Jesus, please hold Amy’s hair on her head.” As the doctors experimented with different treatments, Amy continued to lose her hair, and Eva continued to pray the same prayer.

After six weeks the doctors determined Amy had alopecia (allo-pee-shee-uh), an extremely rare disorder where hair loss is unpredictable but can be complete and permanent.

When I told Eva that night, she closed her eyes, and this time her prayer was different. “Lord, if you won’t hold Amy’s hair on her head, would you please just hold Amy?” That’s praying in the Spirit and knowing Him.

To stand in this spiritual battle, we “take up the Sword of the Spirit” in v. 17, and we pray “in the Spirit” as v. 18 says. As we do we have strength for the battle, as His Word and prayer have power and are both the instruments of God for us to use to be strong in life.

As we pray “in the Spirit,” we pray boldly because as Ephesians 2:18 says, “through [Christ] we…have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

We pray in the relationship we enjoy with God knowing we can speak directly with Him by the Spirit and that He is always listening intently and is wanting us to pray always.

And so as Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

And we pray in the Spirit, knowing that Romans 8:26,27 says, “the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities… the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered…He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

We know that the Spirit is at work in our lives and circumstances, and is right there with us in and through them because He dwells in us and is always there.

And we pray knowing that the Spirit hears our words and our heart and makes intercession for us through our prayers for our good, according to God’s will, and for God’s glory.

Also as we pray, we are to be “watching” Paul says. Watching and praying go together in God’s Word. Col. 4:2 says “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.”

In His Olivet Discourse, the Lord instructed those at the close of the tribulation before His Second Coming to “watch and pray” (Mark 13:33).

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord told Peter in Mark 14:38: “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”

To be watchful in prayer speaks to us of the need to be vigilant, on guard, on alert, wide awake, praying with your eyes open spiritually, and being informed. As we pray in this spiritual battle, to be watchful is necessary to be prepared for Satan’s attacks.

We’re to be watching for opportunities to pray, for circumstances or needs that call for our prayer, watching out for others, for the fallen (by sin or bad doctrine) in this spiritual battle, for the sick or hurting who are in the midst of a trial or hardship.

And we are to be watching out for ourselves against Satan’s attacks and temptations, for our weaknesses, watching for our need for growth and to pray more. And we should also watch for answers to prayer, and thank God for them, whether the answer be “yes,” “no,” or “wait.”

And we should also watch to remain faithful in prayer, as Paul goes on to say that we should be praying “with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

Perseverance in prayer speaks of persistence, diligence, sticking to it, continuing in prayer.

God wants us to persevere in prayer, to be faithful, intent, steadfast, persistent prayer warriors, who think about and are sensitive to the needs of others, and who earnestly and courageously pray for them.

Watching attentively and praying with supplication, does not speak of praying in generalities or vagueness, but praying intelligently in detail about particular people, about exact, specific needs, about known definite problems. It’s about being precise in the requests we take to the Father on behalf of our fellow soldiers in Christ.

We don’t say prayers, we pray and speak to our God in our relationship with Him.

We are to pray faithfully and we pray in faith, knowing that God is infinitely wise, that His ways are higher than ours, and knowing He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, as Ephesians 3:20 says.

Paul then instructs the Body of Christ to pray “for all saints.” We watch and pray for “all” that we “all” may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil in this spiritual battle, we pray for spiritual protection and strength for “all” in this battle and for ourselves.

Paul instructs us to pray for unbelievers elsewhere, but here he limits it to believers, to “all the saints.” In Christ, we’re all family; we’re part of the family of God. We pray to our Father, and we are to pray for all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

And as we pray for all the saints the Body grows spiritually and it grows in Christ’s love. So we learn that as we pray we are to be informed, thoughtful, thorough, and faithful as we pray, praying for the physical and spiritual needs of all the saints.

Ephesians 6:19-20 says, “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

A father once tried to talk to his son about how college was going: The father said, “How are things going?” The son said, “Good.”

The father said, “And the dormitory?” He said, “Good.” The father said, “How are your studies going?” He said, “Good.” The father said, “Have you decided on a major yet?” He said, “Yes.” “Well, what is it?” asked the father. The son said, “Communication.”

Paul is speaking about communication here, communication in prayer with God and communication with others in making known the mystery of the gospel.

Paul instructs the Church to pray for all saints, and then in v. 19, he also asked for prayer for himself: “and for me,” he says. And his request was that he might have utterance and boldness in proclaiming the mystery of the gospel.

In his ministry, Paul had often opened his mouth boldly before and as a result been imprisoned, beaten, caused riots and revivals or both. By opening his mouth boldly, he planted churches and brought many to Christ all over the known world at that time.

We think of Paul as fearless, impervious to discouragement and unstoppable in the pursuit of his calling and making known the gospel of the grace of God.

But Paul was not superhuman. He was a person just like us, with ups and downs, who fought a battle and tendency to keep quiet, and needed the prayers of others and God’s help to be bold, courageous, and faithful to make known the gospel.

And he was humble and honest enough to admit his need and ask for help from the Lord and from the Lord’s people.

What we can take away from this is that if Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, needed prayer for boldness, we need prayer for boldness also. Paul needed the Lord just like we do. Paul served in the Lord’s power and he needed prayer.

The other part here that is amazing is that Paul is in prison in chains as a direct result of preaching this gospel, as he says “for which I am an ambassador in bonds,” yet his sole focus here and concern is to continue preaching it!

He doesn’t ask for prayers of protection, comfort, or release, but to fearlessly continue to proclaim the good news which put him in chains in the first place. That’s commitment to the message and the ministry.

Paul’s prayer request was for “utterance” that words may be given him so he might clearly proclaim the mystery of the gospel. Paul didn’t want his mouth to be closed or for the truth to get stuck in his throat because of apprehension.

He asked for prayer to open his mouth, and to open it fearlessly, even knowing there might be consequences if he did, like longer imprisonment or even facing death.

But what exactly is “the mystery of the gospel”? The word “mystery” is the Greek word “musterion” which means “a secret or to shut the mouth.”

There’s a play on words here as Paul speaks of opening his mouth about something that God had closed His mouth and kept secret in time past.

The term “mystery” speaks of a revealed secret, something God had said nothing about until He opened His mouth and revealed it directly and only to the Apostle Paul.

And what God made known to Paul, what the mystery of gospel is, is all the glorious accomplishments of the Cross. The preaching of the Cross was the basis and focus of Paul’s ministry and message, the revelation uniquely committed to him.

Now God’s plan of redemption is woven thru Scripture, and the Cross was prophesied in the O.T., but Peter tells us the prophets searched “what…the Spirit of Christ…did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ” (I Pet. 1:10,11).

But to Paul, God explained and fully revealed the Cross in all its glory and how we are reconciled to God, justified by His blood, how we have peace with God by the Cross. Today “unto us which are saved [the Cross] is the power of God.”

The message of the Cross is that of God’s infinite love for guilty sinners, that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again, and having trusted Christ, God gives us “the gift of righteousness,” and makes us fit and ready for heaven.

But I think the mystery of the gospel also entails much of what Paul has been explaining in this very book, how this gospel offers salvation thru Christ alone, by grace through faith alone, not of works, and gives us a new hope and calling: heaven.

By the cross, we have “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (1:7).

It tells us how having trusted this gospel we are “in Christ,” joined to Him, and are part of the “one new man” of today, the Body of Christ,, as God is building a new Church today of Jews and Gentiles without distinction made one in one Body by the shed blood of Christ.

Paul prayed for clarity of speech and boldness as he shared the Cross, the gospel of grace for today that saves men from their sins and gives them a heavenly hope.

Bible College professor Yohanna Katanacho pastors a small church in Jerusalem. As a Palestinian living in Israel, and a Christian to boot, he faces a wide variety of persecution. One of the more dangerous forms of harassment comes from the Israeli soldiers who patrol the city, looking for potential terrorists.

These soldiers routinely impose spontaneous curfews on Palestinians, and even have the legal right to shoot at a Palestinian if he or she does not respond quickly enough to their summons. God’s instruction to “love your enemies” seemed impossible to Yohanna. And yet there it was—unambiguous and unchanging.

“For me, love was an active and counter-cultural decision, because I was living in a culture that promoted hatred of the other,” Yohanna says.

“And not only did the context promote hate, but the circumstances fed it on a daily basis—the newspapers, television, media, neighbors, everything.

“One of the markers of the Israeli Jews and the Palestinian Arabs is alienating the other. To break that marker, I must have some other worldview.”

At first, Yohanna tried and failed in his attempts to feel love. Instead, the Israeli soldiers’ random, daily checks for Palestinian identification cards—sometimes stopping them for hours—fed Yohanna’s fear and anger.

As he prayed and told God of his inability, Yohanna realized something significant. The radical love of Christ is not an emotion, but a decision.

He decided to show love, however reluctantly, by sharing the gospel message with the soldiers on the street. With new resolution, Yohanna began to carry copies of a flyer with him, written in Hebrew and English, with a quotation from Isaiah 53 and the words “Real Love” printed across the top.

Every time a soldier stopped him, he handed him both his ID card and the flyer. Because the quote came from the Hebrew Scriptures, the soldier usually asked him about it before letting him go.

After several months of this, Yohanna suddenly noticed his feelings toward the soldiers had changed. “I was surprised” he says. “It was a process, but I didn’t pay attention to that process.

“My older feelings were not there anymore. I would pass in the same street, see the same soldiers as before, but now find myself praying, ‘Lord, let them stop me, so that I can share with them the love of Christ.’”

That’s boldness, the kind of boldness that Paul prayed for here, the kind of boldness we should pray for ourselves and for each other in the Church as well.

In verse 20, Paul refers to himself as “an ambassador in bonds [or chains].”

It is ironic that this ambassador, who was the champion of the liberty we have in Christ, is in bonds, that the one who proclaimed how the shackles of sin have been broken off completely by the Cross, is in chains.

As we are, Paul was an ambassador for Christ, a citizen of heaven with an earthly mission and a temporary representative of the risen Lord to this world.

Paul asks for prayer to speak out boldly for Him, to proclaim the gospel even in his bonds and he says this is “as I ought to speak.” And so the gospel ought to be made known with clarity and boldness.

But when Paul says “as I ought,” he also is referring to the responsibility and duty God placed on him as the apostle of the Gentiles and as His ambassador. It was his duty and mission as an ambassador to make the gospel known.

And so all of us in the Church too have a responsibility and mission before God as His ambassadors, to beseech all people everywhere that they can be reconciled to God by the Cross and trusting Christ alone that He died for their sins and rose again.

So in summary, in the spiritual battle we are called to be persistent prayer warriors who make precise requests for each other in the Church, being watchful in prayer for the needs of the Body of Christ.

And as ambassadors, like Paul, we are called to open our mouths boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel and the glorious accomplishments of the Cross of Christ.