2/25/26

Midweek Service

Sunday we spent our time in Ephesians 3.

Over the last few weeks we’ve been talking about core values, and this week we talked about the importance of prayer in the life of the Church.

Well, actually I started with the authority of Scripture. Which I felt compelled to address because of the question many of you raised about the Apocrypha and why different Christian traditions have different numbers of books in their Bibles.

The point was not to criticize other denominations, but to clarify why we hold to the canon we do. The conversation is not ultimately about whether those writings are interesting or historically useful. It is about authority. Which writings carry the weight of “Thus says the Lord”? If Scripture truly stands as the Word of God — not alongside our opinions but over them — then that conviction inevitably reshapes how a church lives.

From there we moved into Paul’s prayer. Paul’s posture is where we began: “I bow my knees before the Father.” That image is not accidental. Paul is not lacking confidence or competence. He is lacking delusion. He understands that ability is not the same thing as sufficiency. That distinction goes directly into our own lives because, if we are not careful, we can become quite comfortable relying on our planning, discipline, and experience, then offering prayer as a kind of closing formality.

Paul presents prayer differently. Prayer is not ceremony. It is the acknowledgment of reality. We also considered what it means that we have access to God through Christ. Access is not something believers negotiate; it is something granted by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.

Yet many Christians hesitate in prayer, often waiting for better words or clearer thoughts, or we are intimated to pray out loud in groups because we don’t think our prayers are as good as others.

Even though Scripture plainly tells us that we do not know how to pray as we ought and that the Spirit Himself helps us in our weakness. Prayer was never upheld by our verbal precision.

That led us into a broader reflection on dependence. The example of Edward Payson was meant to confront our modern assumptions about efficiency and productivity. His prayer life appears excessive by contemporary standards, yet it reflects a conviction the church has historically recognized: prayer is not a preliminary activity supporting real ministry.

Prayer is central to real ministry. Dependence upon God is not religious sentiment; it is the operating reality of the Christian life.

We then followed Paul’s prayer into his language about love. Strength and love are not separate themes. To be “rooted and grounded” describes stability, not emotional volatility. The love of Christ is covenantal, steady, and unmoved by the fluctuations that so often define human affection. Much of our spiritual instability can be traced back to a shallow grasp of that love. Paul stretches language — breadth, length, height, depth — not to measure Christ’s love but to emphasize that it exceeds our categories. This kind of assurance is not produced by effort alone, which is why Paul prays for it.

Finally, we considered Paul’s closing reminder of God’s power.

God is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think. That truth challenges the smallness of our expectations and the caution that often shapes our prayers.

I have to be honest— every year— I write out goals for the year. Goals for me as an individual, husband, father, teacher, pastor, coach, student.

I stomped on my own toes. Every goal I wrote down, looks like it could be done under my own power. If I just put in enough hours, if I just stay diligent, I can make them all happen.

Shame on me. What wretched sinner I am. I wrote new goals— goals that could only happen if God is in them.

Prayer is not a symbolic exercise; it is the means by which the church expresses its dependence on God’s active, sustaining power. In a world marked by confusion and spiritual opposition, prayer is not optional background noise. It is essential.

We ended by revisiting a simple structure for prayer — upward, downward, inward, outward — not as a rigid formula but as a way of maintaining clarity. Prayer begins with God, moves toward surrender, includes our requests, and reminds us of our readiness to live faithfully.

That was the heartbeat of the sermon: Scripture stands as our authority, prayer expresses our dependence, humility shapes our posture, Christ’s love steadies our lives, and God’s power sustains His church.

What usually pushes you toward prayer the most?

What do people tend to misunderstand about prayer?

Why do you think people often define love emotionally rather than covenantally?

Do you think Christians tend to pray with expectation or caution?

What limits our prayers more: doubt or disappointment?

Do you think most Christians are actually dependent on God?

Where would you genuinely like to see God work “far more abundantly”?

Let’s open our Bibles to Ephesians 3.

Tonight we are going to pray together using the pattern we’ve been talking about: Upward. Downward. Inward. Outward.

This is not about formality. This is about clarity. We are simply allowing Scripture to guide our focus.

UPWARD — REVERENCE

Ephesians 3:14–15

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named…”

Church, before Paul asks for anything, he looks up.

Prayer begins here. Not with our burdens. Not with our needs. But with God.

We fix our attention on who He is.

Take a moment and pray out loud — one or two sentences.

Praise God for His character.

You may pray:

“Father, You are holy…” “Lord, You are sovereign…” “God, You are faithful…” “Father, You are gracious…”

Short prayers. Clear focus.

[Allow multiple people to pray]

Father, we look to You. You are God, and You are worthy of our worship.

DOWNWARD — SURRENDER

Ephesians 3:16

“…that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being…”

Now we move downward.

Reverence naturally leads to response.

If God is who He says He is, then surrender is not optional — it is logical.

This is where we yield. Where pride is laid down. Where resistance is named honestly.

Pray out loud.

Confess dependence. Acknowledge weakness. Yield to His will.

You may pray:

“Lord, forgive me for relying on myself…” “Father, I surrender this area of my life…” “God, strengthen me where I am weak…”

[Allow time for prayer]

Father, we humble ourselves before You. Strengthen us by Your Spirit.

INWARD — REQUESTS

Ephesians 3:17–19

“…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love…”

Having looked upward and yielded downward, we now bring our requests.

Not as demands. Not as negotiations. But as children with access.

Bring your needs before the Lord.

Pray for:

Personal burdens Family concerns Spiritual struggles Needs within the church

Pray out loud.

[Allow time for prayer]

Father, we bring these requests before You, trusting Your wisdom and Your care.

OUTWARD — INTERCESSION & MISSION

Ephesians 3:20–21

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think…”

Church, prayer never remains confined to ourselves.

As Paul lifts his eyes to God’s power and glory, our focus naturally widens.

Outward prayer directs our attention beyond our personal concerns.

Tonight we pray in three specific ways.

1. Interceding for Needs (Prayer Request List)

We carry one another’s burdens before the Lord.

Pray for the needs that have been shared:

For healing For comfort For provision For wisdom For strength

Lift these requests before the Father.

Pray out loud.

[Allow time for prayer]

2. Mission-Minded Prayer

We pray for God’s work beyond these walls.

Pray for:

The lost Gospel opportunities Boldness in witness Faithfulness in obedience Open doors for ministry

Ask God to move.

Pray out loud.

[Allow time for prayer]

3. Spiritual Protection & Endurance

Scripture reminds us that we do not live in a neutral world.

Pray for:

Steadiness in faith Protection from temptation Discernment against deception Endurance in difficulty Strength in spiritual battle

Pray with vigilance.

Pray out loud.

[Allow time for prayer]

Father, You are able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think.

Work in Your church. Advance Your gospel. Strengthen Your people. Guard us and keep us faithful.

To You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations.

Amen.

THANKSGIVING — GRATITUDE

Before we close, we take time deliberately to give thanks.

Gratitude is not assumed. It is expressed.

Thank God for:

His faithfulness His provision Answered prayers His sustaining grace His patience His love

Pray out loud — brief prayers of thanksgiving.

[Allow time for prayer]

Father, we thank You.

For Your grace. For Your patience. For Your constant faithfulness.

You have been good to us in ways we see and in ways we do not.

Father, tonight we have looked to You.

We have worshiped. We have surrendered. We have asked. We have interceded. We have given thanks.

Strengthen us by Your Spirit. Steady us in Christ. Keep us rooted in Your love. And use us for Your glory.

We ask these things in the name of Christ.

Amen.