The Focus of Prayer: Knowing Christ's Love Beyond Present Circumstances
Most people turn to prayer first for practical solutions to immediate problems. Yet Paul lifts prayer to a higher plane, making its primary aim "to know the love of Christ." David Jang underscores this as a model for reorienting our own intercession.
- A New View of Suffering
Paul urges believers not to lose heart over his imprisonment, calling it instead the Church's "glory." Afflictions born for the gospel become a badge of spiritual authority and a testimony to God's power at work. - The Meaning of Kneeling
Unlike the usual Jewish posture of standing to pray, Paul says he "kneels" before the Father. David Jang interprets this not as mere bodily position but as a dramatic act of surrender-laying down every personal right under the sovereign hand of God. - Ultimate Purpose
Prayer must transcend the quest for relief and pursue a deeper grasp of Christ's love, "that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." When such a fundamental shift occurs, prayer becomes the conduit by which God's will is realized on earth.
Inner Strength: Renewed by the Spirit's Power
Central to Paul's prayer is the plea that believers be "strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner being."
- Outer vs. Inner Self
While the outer person wastes away, the inner person is renewed day by day. David Jang points out that the decisive issue in faith is not physical shortage or social weakness but the vigor of the Spirit‑strengthened inner life. - The Spirit's Role
The inner self, created in God's image, is fortified by the Holy Spirit, who mediates divine glory and houses the life of Christ within us. - Purpose of Strength
Strengthening is never for mystical thrills alone; it equips us to practice love. According to David Jang, every genuine work of the Spirit draws us deeper into the truth of the cross and the love of Jesus Christ.
Dimensions of Love: Beyond All Knowledge
Paul prays that the saints may comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ's love-"a love that surpasses knowledge."
- Four‑Dimensional Love
- Breadth: Its universality embracing Jew and Gentile alike.
- Length: Its eternal span from before creation to the end of time.
- Height: Its transcendence reaching the throne of heaven.
- Depth: Its humility descending to the lowest point in the incarnation and the cross.
- The Love of the Cross
David Jang insists that the heart of this love is substitutionary atonement revealed on Calvary-redeeming blood that wields transformative power. This reality lies beyond human intellect and can be grasped only under the Spirit's illumination. - The Church's Fullness
When the Church is saturated with this cruciform love, it becomes a vessel filled with God's own pleroma, free of spiritual void, and lives out its identity as "the body of Christ filled with all the fullness of God."
God's Plan: Glory Displayed through the Church
Paul concludes with a cosmic vista: God's eternal salvation plan is accomplished and His glory revealed through the Church.
- Essence of the Church
The Church is Christ's body and God's dwelling built by the Spirit; it is the primary instrument for manifesting God's timeless purpose on earth. - Our Response
Participation in this grand design begins when each believer receives Christ by faith. David Jang notes that the personal decision to open one's heart to the knocking Christ aggregates into the collective reality called the Church. - Ultimate Aim
All ministries and individual lives must focus on ascribing eternal glory to God: "To Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever."
Conclusion
David Jang contends that the Apostle Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3 is the master blueprint every Church and believer must hold fast. When our prayers move beyond temporal needs to seek the strengthening of the inner person and the fathomless depths of cruciform love, we join God in revealing His glory-and discover the secret of an unshakable faith that never loses heart, no matter the trial.
