Prayers For and Of an Ambassador in Chains
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18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you;
22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.
23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Being watchful, truely awake! not woke which is blindness. But awake! eyes open to the Spiritual opposition we face in this world.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We must be so very careful not to fall into the trap of thinking our battle is with flesh and blood. Our enemy is the same enemy of humanity since the very beginning. He tactics, have not changed. He is a deceiver, a lier. His message has alway been God is not good, God did not give you all that is good. He has withheld good things from you. follow your heart, take what is yours, take what God has not given you, you deserve it. As a lier he attacks truth. Objective truth. He tries to tell us that God is not the source of objective truth. Is it any wonder that the prevailing ideas in our culture are that there is no objective truth? That something can be true for me but not for you. I must live my truth.
Consider that great claim of Christ I am the way, the truth, and the life! It’s not just a claim to be a truth, it’s not a just claim to be the source, His claim is that He is the prevailing truth, He is the primary reality, He is the first truth and the last truth and all truth in between is His. He is objective reality.
So Christ is truth, and Satan, our Spiritual enemy is the father of lies. He is the source of all lies, Before Satan there were no lies and every lie is connected with it’s father Satan. So he says, sleep Christian, there is no spiritual danger. There is no need for you to pray just rest.
So Paul says Eph 6:18
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Notice “in the Spirit” there is a link here with the previous vs. which told us to take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
The Scriptures are the Word of God but if we attempt to weld the sword of the Spirit with our praying in the Spirit we can run into all sorts of trouble. Many have developed all manner of false doctrines from the Word of God. Remember Satan know the Word well and loves to use it to propagate his lies. So we must handle with prayer. Asking God for guidance through His Spirit
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
It makes no difference how wise you are, how educated you are, or how well spoken you are if you do not have the Spirit of God helping you to interpret His Word then you are on very shaky ground at best and you are at risk of becoming a tool of Satan to spread his lies at worse.
Paul knew this as well as anyone. He was highly educated and well spoken and yet as he told the church in Corinth
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
It is for this reason that Paul asks after telling them to pray for all the saints, and for me also, that utterance may be given to me.
Paul’s Prayer Request for Himself
Paul’s Prayer Request for Himself
Paul’s prayer request is powerful and reveals his priorities.
in vs 20 he say
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
The preaching of the mystery of the gospel was the very thing that put him in prison. We might think that Paul’s request would be to get out of prison or to ease his burdens or struggles in prison. Which any of us could understand that sort of request. But Paul’s heart is that he might be able to continue being an ambassador for Christ as he is in bondage. He wishes to be able to boldly proclaim the gospel even while he is in prison for this very reason.
knowing the weighty responsibility that he had making known the mystery of the Gospel, he humbly ask for their prayers.
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
The word utterance here is a very important Greek word. It’s important because it’s the same Greek word that John choose to use in his gospel for Jesus. “Logos”
It is believed that John used this Word to connect with both a Greek and Hebrew audience. The Greeks understood Logos to be the great power in the universe. Logos is the essence of philosophy. It is the power to put thoughts into tangible existence and has the power to change mind and therefore to change the world. But John also connected Logos with the Hebrew audience by link Logos with the Hebrew creation story.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Jesus is Logos He is the source of everything.
But here Paul says pray for me that Logos my be given to me. Words, but not just any words. He was well equiped to come up with words to say and to order them into convincing arguments but Paul didn’t want his words, he wanted God to give him words. That through the indwelling Holy Spirit he might be given the right words to speak.
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Paul knows that the only Logos worth proclaiming is the logos that is from the Holy Spirit and he knows that if God grants him words then he can speak them boldly as he ought to speak the words that God gives.
Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians
Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians
Paul sends his friend and colleague Tychicus both to deliver this letter and to encourage and comfort the hearts of the Ephesians.
21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you;
22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.
Often times it is good for us to share whats going on in our life with our brothers and sisters in Christ so that we can better pray for one another and that we can be blessed and encouraged in the way that God is working in our lives.
Tychicus would have been able to answer any questions that they may have had about Paul’s situation in prison.
Both Paul’s affairs and how he was doing. and that this might be a comfort to them. So it seems he wanted them to know that he was ok and that the ministry was continuing even in prison.
Paul then give a final benediction or prayer for the Ephesians.
Ephesians 6:23–24 (NKJV)
23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
First his prayer is for peace. This is rest, quietness. It is to have peace with God and with one another and with those outside the church. It is for this peace that we are to pray for our government
2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Then he prays for love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith and love go hand in hand. If someone claims to have faith in Christ but they have no love for the saints then their faith is empty.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
in Eph 1:15
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
But Paul had already acknowledged that they had faith in Christ and love for the saints However, Paul also understood that it is necessary that we continually grow these graces. He also knew that both faith and love are gifts from God not something we generate within ourselves. So Paul’s prayer is love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
And Finally
24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
The underserved favour of God continue on you and with you wherever you are and wherever you go. But this grace is not prayed for everyone universally but specifically for those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. As the previous verse suggest love and faith go hand in hand and they are the gift of God. To say you love Christ if you do not will not fool the Lord. He knows who they are who truly love Him. And if you truly love Christ in sincerity then is is the gift of God so that no one can boast. But to those who Love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity may God pour out grace upon grace may he grant more love with faith and may he keep you in perfect peace.