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God gave His power over to His Son so that He can give it to us, His church.
Ephesians 1:19-23 - 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Have you ever felt powerless? Powerless against injustice, inequality, persecution, sin, the temptation of sin, disease, or the death of a loved one? Growing up as a Christian in Pakistan, most of my life there was nothing but a consistent reminder of powerlessness. The evidence for that was about two hundred fictitious court cases against my dad, his church leaders, and us as his children because of his church building. There was simply nothing that we could do but pray. So, early on, I learned that there is power in prayer. When we pray, regardless of whether we experience deliverance or not, we grow in faith and experience maturity in Christ.
The problem is that unless people are completely powerless, they will always seek out human solutions. They need to know that in facing injustice, inequality, persecution, temptation, sin, disease, death, or any other situation, they should turn to God in prayer because there is power in prayer. Regardless of experiencing deliverance or not, they will grow in faith and experience maturity in Christ.
In the last two times, we have been studying Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23 to learn how to experience maturity in Christ. We realized if we want to grow in faith and experience maturity in Christ, it starts with a prayer life.
First, we learned that the priority of our prayers should be knowing God.
Then we learned that the purpose of our prayer should be knowing Christ.
Today, in the last few verses of this chapter, we will learn that the priority of our prayer should be knowing the power of Christ. In Ephesians 1:19, Paul’s prayer for his readers was that they may know “what is the immeasurable greatness of God’s power” and that in verses 20-23, the proof of his prayer was the power in Christ.
On this first day of advent, as we light the candle of hope that Christ brought to the world at His birth, the big idea that I want us to close this chapter with is: do not measure the power of prayer by whether you experience deliverance or not because the proof of our prayers is in the power of Christ and not in our deliverance.
The Proof of Our Prayers Should Be Knowing the Power in Christ (Ephesians 1:19-23)
This whole chapter is written in the form of a prayer. The proof that Paul’s prayer and the prayers of all the saints are being heard is not whether believers experience deliverance or not. It is in knowing the power in Christ when we truly know that we grow in faith and experience maturity in Christ and do not ask for miracles like the unbelievers who seek signs, wonders, and supernatural experiences.
I think this is what Paul is going after in Ephesians 1:19-23 to get the readers ready for the later chapters. It seems he wants them to mature in faith more by growing deeper in knowing God, Christ, and the power of Christ. Probably for this reason, he set the model of prayer because whatever they needed, Paul wanted them to know they already had access to it in the person of Jesus.
It seems that their problem, our problem, and the problem of all believers in all times has and will be not knowing what and how much we have in Jesus. Therefore, in Ephesians 1:17, Paul's prayer was that God may grant the readers divine wisdom, revelation, and knowledge of Himself because the more we know God, the more we understand who He is and what He has done for us in the person of Christ and the more we want to know Christ, grow in Christ, and live in the power of Christ.
That longing would change the priority and the purpose of our lives and prayers. No longer would we exhaust our prayers for our petty needs and wants, but rather, we would pray to know Christ, grow in Christ, and live in the power of Christ.
This is precisely why, in verse 18, Paul's prayer was that the knowledge of God might give them the understanding of what they already have in Jesus. He listed three possessions: hope in Christ, inheritance in Christ, and power in Christ. The whole chapter comes down to one single cosmic reality— the power of Christ.
First, what this power is for us who believe? Paul's prayer in verse 19 is that they may know “…what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.” In the Greek, this verse uses four different words for power.
The verse says, “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power.” That power, in the Greek, is dunamis, from which we get the English word, “dynamite.” This is the inherent power that is explosive and cannot just sit without an extreme reaction.
The verse says it is applied “toward us who believe.” So, every born-again believer in the Lord has been born again with the built-in permanent explosive power of God.
Second, what does this power do for us who believe? The second form of power, in the remaining part of verse 19 which says, “according to the working of his great might.” The word “working,” in Greek, energeia, You can hear the English word “energy” there. That is the operative power. When you have the inherent power, you also need the operative power to make the inherent power operate the way it should operate in you. So, God energizes us with His power to fulfill His purposes.
Third, how can this power be activated in us who believe? The third form of power in verse 19, “might” is ischus in Greek which is endowed power.
The fourth form of power is not mentioned in the ESV translation, but it is in the Greek text. The fourth form of power in this verse is seen in the NASB translation, which, according to most scholars, is the most accurate English Bible translation. As opposed to the ESV, which says, “according to the working of his great might,” the second half of verse 19 in the NASB says, “These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.” There you have the fourth one, “strength,” which is kratos in Greek. That is the ultimate power, also translated as dominion. So, no man activates the power of Christ in us. Kratos, ultimate power, comes from God and is channeled through the power of the Spirit.
Ephesians 1:19 can be translated as “God’s power toward you is in keeping with the power of the power of His power.” To comprehend and experience the magnitude of the ultimate power, dominating power, operative power, and permanent power, we need the power of prayer that God may open the heart, that is our comprehension, to understand as v.19 says, the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.
The problem is that most of us do not understand the power of Christ so we feel powerless against injustice, inequality, poverty, sickness, disease, death, temptation, sin, and hope.
Paul argues that while we will experience the full power of God in heaven, God is already sharing it with us on earth. The remaining four verses show us how this unexplainable, incredible, surpassing power is being realized in believers on earth with the future expectation.
It is being realized in Christ’s power. When Paul write in Ephesians 1:20, “that he [God] worked [that powerful power described in verse 19] in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,” he says that the very power that brought Jesus back to life also brought us back to life from spiritual deadness so that we may believe in Christ. The same power exulted Jesus to the place that no man or god had ever held because Jesus was and is fully man and fully God. That same power also will resurrect our dead bodies to eternity one day.
In 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, he calls it a mystery and writes, “51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed (that’s the rapture), 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul further elaborates on this power of resurrection, starting at verse 16, he writes, “16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Yes, my friends, the next future event on God’s calendar is the rapture, but before that, the dead who believed in Jesus will be resurrected. That is the hope of the resurrection.
It is being realized in Christ’s authority. Ephesians 1:21 says, “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” Jesus' authority is not just a future reality. It is our current reality. Like in Hinduism, in Paul’s cultural context, people believed in many gods who were assigned different powers such as controlling the wind, rain, plagues, birth, etc. Paul said that Christ has authority over all and everything. He is so above all that there is no contest. Christ has absolute power, authority, and dominion over the created order.
It is being realized in Christ’s body. Ephesians 1:22-23 continues, “22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” God’s power raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him above all by putting the whole creation under his feet. God gave Jesus eternal rulership, kingship, and lordship. The most incredible news that Paul shares with the readers is that God gave His power to His Son so that He can give it to His Church, His bride, which is us.
Last week, my son was scrolling through YouTube shorts, and one that he landed on was of a street evangelist who would go and look for people who were ill or sick and pray for them in the name of Jesus. Instantly, they felt relief. Now, I know there are many fake healers, but I do believe in the power of Christ that can heal, save, and restore.
Jesus, in Luke 10:19, said, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” Yes, some have abused this verse, but the truth of it stands that we have power in Christ.
Imagine God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit having a conversation before all the angelic beings about how God will give His power over to His Son so that He can give it to us, His church.
Action Step
When you pray, pray that God may grant you the understanding of the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might because there is power in prayer and the proof of that is the power of Christ that raised us from spiritual death and one day will raise us from physical death.
Appeal
Always pray in the name of Jesus. Jesus, in John 16:23, said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”
In John 14: 12-14, Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you…You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” No religious leader has ever uttered those words except Jesus because there is power in Christ that equals the power of God because He is the very essence of God. That does not mean that Jesus is obligated to grant all your wishes but it does mean that you can approach Him with confidence in prayer.
Study Questions
1. How is the power of resurrection the proof of our prayers?
2. Discuss the significance of the four types of powers mentioned in v21:
inherent power
operating power
ultimate power
endowed power
3. What does v22 mean when it says, God “appointed him [Jesus] to be head over everything for the church?”
Deeper Study Questions
1. How have you personally experienced the power and dominion mentioned in v19-23 in your life?
2. We are surrounded by people who believe in many gods. How would you share with them that Jesus is supreme over everything?
3. Suppose you are talking to a Hindu, a Muslim, or an atheist. What do you propose might be an effective way to communicate v21-23? More specifically, how would you share that God put all things under Jesus’ feet?
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