Paul’s prayer in the center of Ephesians (3:14-21) gives us a robust, grandiose vision of how we can actually start live into being the New Creation people he’s been describing — and it starts with prayer.

The manifold wisdom of God evident in Christ’s united body, the church, becomes a witness to all of creation (both humans and the heavenly realm) of the greatness of the gospel’s transformation of the human heart.

Ephesians 2:11-22 shows us that rather than the church gathering at the temple to celebrate God’s victory in Jesus, she gathers as the temple of the victorious Christ Jesus!

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…”

Jesus, the suffering and exalted Messiah of Israel, fulfilled God’s calling for Israel and all humanity. Now, the people of Jesus share in his death, resurrection, and exalted rule over the cosmos.

Paul makes three petitions to help us pray... We should pray to know God better (v. 17). We should pray to know God’s riches (v. 18). We should pray to know God’s power (v. 19).

Ephesians 1:11-14 teaches us that apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, we would neither believe in Christ (1:13) nor have the eyes of our hearts opened to the realities and promises of his word (1:18).

At the core of our gospel — what the Father purposed in the Son — is that this world is far from all there is. There is a glorious reality beyond what we can see from this earthly perspective.

United to Christ, we are also adopted by the Father, and as such have all the rights, privileges, and affection that the Son of God himself receives from God. What joy is this?!