"This brings us to our second point, which is that this beautiful prayer in Ephesians is for us. The "you" Paul is praying about is clearly "you" plural--"you-all." He is speaking to the body of Christ in Ephesus. The knowledge he prays for is held "together with all the saints," and the result of that knowledge is taht we "reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God" (Eph. 4:13). We mirror Christ most clearly when there is unity among God's people (Eph. 2:19-22). Such unity is achieved not when we are psychological cups, but when we are God's servants."Of course, this assumes that individuals must know the love of Christ. But the same individuals must realize that, by themselves, they do not constitute the body of Christ. It takes the entire church to provide a vague imitation of the glory of God. This has been the message throughout Scripture.
"According to Ephesians, what do we really need? We need to be a corporate body, smitting with the glory of God, committed to the unity of the church, deluged by his love, and faithful as we walk together in obedience to him, even in our suffering. We need to need other people less and love other people more."
Edward T. Welch, When People Are Big and God Is Small (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 1997), p. 166-167.
And One to Grow On...
"Self-serving needs are not meant to be satisfied; they are meant to be put to death." (p. 162)
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