WOW GOD!
by Tim Thomas
February 19, 2006
Ephesian 3:20-21
New International Version
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
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Verses 20 and 21 conclude the Apostle Paul's great prayer, but what a powerful conclusion! This conclusion gives high praise to God the Father, and along the way reminds us of His greatness and power.
We named the church we started Awesome God Christian Fellowship. When we named it that, verse 20 came to mind. In my way of thinking, God is amazingly awesome because He can do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (NIV) -- and I can ask and imagine a lot! Just think of your favorite miracle of the Bible. Was it Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead? Or Jesus casting out a legion of demons from the Gadarene man? Or perhaps it was when God parted the Red Sea for the Israelites, and then had it collapse on the Egyptian army? What about Shadrach, Meshech, and Abdnego getting thrown into the fiery furnace, and then just walking around inside it, with a fourth who looked like the Son of Man?
While impressed with God's track record, many of us desire to see God's greatness demonstrated today, in our generation. We long for genuine stories of the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, and the dead being raised. We love it when people who have been oppressed by the devil are set free, and go on to demonstrate that freedom by living radically transformed lives. We desire that these mighty miracles of God to become almost commonplace, so that every town will have examples of God's power and love at work. As the end of the age draws near, we especially hope and expect to see more of these things.
Looking carefully at verse 20, we see a small modification of the original idea: God doing "superabundantly" is because of His power at work within us. Hmmm. That is both exciting and threatening to us. It is thrilling to be a spectator of God doing superabundantly, but threatening that we would be in situations where we are totally dependent on God doing superabundantly in and through us.
What does God's power at work within us imply? I think there are two directions we can go in understanding this. One is what we already discussed above: God doing miracles through us. We pray for healing of someone, or take authority of demons, or pray for someone to rise from the dead. And we see it happen! This was supposed to be the "normal" Christian experience (John 14:11-14). Something for us to ponder is why it isn't.
The other understanding of God's power at work within us is that God's power is within us to transform us. This second understanding is also in accord with other Scriptures (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:5-14), and is very much in line with the thought in the preceding verse, as we see the fullness of God filling us as we become more aware of God's immense and amazing love for each one of us as individuals. As we display the fullness of God, people become impacted by the love and life of God they see emanating from us. Sometimes we don't have to say a word -- people see it in our countenances, our actions -- we might be described as radiating peace or joy.
I see no conflict between the two understandings presented. One is more outward and physical, while the other is more inward and personal (and perhaps we should add relational). We don't have to choose between miracles and fruits of the Holy Spirit -- they are both a result of God at work in our lives. We should desire both! Since God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, let's ask and imagine walking in the fullness of God which includes praying for the blind to see and the dead to rise, AND grace to be aware of God's presence with us and a new ability to be more like Christ than we ever imagined possible.
Paul's prayer in verse 21 will only come to pass as we see these amazing things done in our lives. That is, if God will receive glory in the Church and in Jesus the Messiah, then the Church needs to be transformed to be like Jesus, demonstrating the love and character of God while at the same time demonstrating the power of God. May this be! May God be glorified in His Church in this day and age, in my town, in my state, and in my nation. Amen! Come Lord Jesus!
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