Section six: 3.13-21

Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D.

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13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

"Desire" is a word that has many shades of meaning. There is the desire to see someone, which can be mild to strong desire. The principals desire to see a student in need of discipline lacks somewhat when compared to the desire of a boy to see the girl he is engaged to.

The desire here seems to be a strong desire as in crave, beg or require. This is something that is very important to the apostle. This desire is also something that is partially from without. He is moved with this desire due to some outside force, namely the Spirit of God.

"Faint" has the thought of weary or tired out, someone that has really had it with something. When we were on deputation, I made a number of trips to the Midwest from the west coast. We did not have motel money so I always drove straight through both ways. When I arrived at my destination, I was weary to the point of exhaustion. I would faint at the thought of further driving. One commentary mentions the word "despirited" as an option for "faint" which really gives the thought of the word.

Paul does not want them to be deterred in any way by his tribulations. He wanted none of that.

Instead of fainting or being discouraged by his tribulation on their part, they are to glory in it. "Glory" is the word normally translated glory, and is the Greek word "doxa" from which we gain doxology. The Ephesians were to glory in the tribulation of Paul. Now, that is a statement that is going to need some explaining. Why should they glory or be proud of his tribulation - the tribulation that was caused because of them?

Some possibilities:

1. The text states more specifically that the tribulation is their glory. The tribulation is somehow a glory to them, a good mark for them in some manner.

2. Some suggest that God loved them so much that he gave His Son for them as well as allowed Paul to suffer on their behalf. This may be the thought of it, but if so I think to add the Son into it is to read a lot more into the verse than is there.

3. It would seem that Paul's tribulation is a glory to them in that Paul was willing to give his all for the propagation of the Gospel, which is a glory to all gentile believers. He was willing to do all for them, thus their worth in Paul's mind must have been great.

Now, I am going to meddle here and I am warning pastors right now. I have met many (pastors) on internet forums that indicate that their parishioners are rather on the dumb side, often obnoxious, and seldom what the pastor wants of people he has to work with. I have seen a real "US" versus "THEM" mentality between pastors and their congregations.

I see pastors that think they are above apologizing to congregants when they are wrong. I have seen men that feel the people should overlook his flaws while he makes mountains of theirs.

Here, Paul says he has suffered imprisonment for their sakes. Pastors, please catch that vision - honor your people as co-heirs with you in Christ, for that is indeed what they are.

Now, go back and read the last three paragraphs and substitute your name where I mentioned pastor and substitute pastor where I indicated the congregation. We are all equal in the church, we are all co-heirs with Christ and we ought to value one another.

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ouch, if you are old and have damaged knees you know what the old apostle might have gone through. I'd guess with all the walking, all the cold damp nights and all the heavy work over the years that his knees are in about as bad a shape as mine and I hurt when I bow, yet Paul was still getting on his knees before the Lord.

It was my privilege to attend a Bible study prayer time with three other men. Three of us were in our sixties and on bended knees is how we prayed. I must admit there was a lot of shuffling during prayer to find a more comfortable spot, but I'm sure God could hear over the background noise. Not that we were super spiritual, just that four men on their knees before their God was quite a unifying factor amongst us.

It has surprised me that more prayer meetings aren't conducted on the knee. In all my years of church life, I have only been part of two churches where the men knelt for prayer times. If you study the term worship in the Bible, you will find that many of the references include the thought of being on one's face before God. It is placing ourselves in a position of waiting upon Him for His will, not our own.

Now, notice the phrase "Lord Jesus Christ" and make a mental note to yourself to notice the words that are used with the term Jesus. You will find the majority of the time, outside of the time He spent on earth living as a man, that the name Jesus is also accompanied by either or both of the terms Lord and Christ. I have to wonder when people constantly use the term Jesus if they really understand that that is His earthly name, but his rightful office and position is Christ and Lord.

It seems to constantly use the name Jesus is to dwell upon His earthly ministry rather than all that He really is as Lord and Christ.

Barnes suggests the following texts for further information on prayer. "2Ch 6:13 Da 6:10; Lu 22:41 Ac 7:60, 9:40; Ac 20:36 21:5"

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

Which member of the trinity are we named after? It could be the whole human family, and we are called God's creation, or it could be that the family relates to the believers and we are named after the Son - CHRISTian. The verse limits the family to a group in heaven and earth, thus must relate to believers.

It may be that this should be more specific. Since Paul's comments prior to this verse are related to the church very specifically. If this relates to the church, and I believe that it does, then those that reject the thought of a universal church are proven incorrect with this verse. He names a group that is in heaven as well as here on earth, thus all believers, living and dead, thus a universal church would be the result.

I have no idea why these people reject the thought of a universal church for it makes no difference to their doctrine of the local church, unless they believe something more than what I have been able to discover about their belief.

We might apply this to the fact that we are, as Paul has taught, us co-heirs and equal to all others in the church - we are equal to Calvin, we are equal with Arminius, and we are equal to Augustine, we are equal to every other great saint that has gone on before. It does not mean we have accomplished what these men and women have accomplished, but it means we are equal heirs in the eternal state - we are all His children.

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

Do we have two prayers, one relating to riches and one relating to power. Now, watch the charismatic use this verse. I'd bet it is one of the arsenal of the rich and powerful group that believes all should be rich in the church - not that the leaders don't get rich, but seldom does the congregation.

No, I believe there is one prayer here, that we will have power to live a proper life, and that life being, not one of riches, but one that is described in the following context.

Paul asks that out of His great riches, he might empower us to live a proper life. Bummer, no money, no cars, no jewels - oh well, might as well go eat worms as the children's song goes - the song we sing when we don't get our OWN way.

Now, put that on your prayer list for those you pray for and don't spend so much time on the material stuff that we often pray for.

There is an assumption that God has enough of this stuff to go around, and he also assumes that He is desirous of giving this stuff to believers. He further knows that it is the ministry of the Spirit that will do the giving.

Some things to note. First, this passage shows the subservient nature of the Spirit to the Father. The Father is being asked to do something, but it is the Spirit that will do the outworking, or inner working in this case :-)

All this is related to the Father's glory and its richness. His desire for all believers is for us to be empowered to live a godly life, and Paul is just asking that He assure this in the lives of the Ephesian believers.

Note, that the inner man is where the Spirit is to do the work, and it is the inner man that is to be strengthened - to live a proper life. I won't push the verse to say that the inner man is where the Spirit resides, but that is probably the case. The preposition used here is rather general and could mean this or it could only mean that the inner man is where the work is to be done.

At any rate the Spirit has access to our inner most central core. In medicine there is what is called the "core temperature" that temperature that is measured at the inner part of our body. The spirit of man is the inner most part of our being and glory to God, that is where God the Spirit works - it ought to show forth to the outside don't you think? Thus if the Spirit is really working, outward change would seem to be the result in the believer.

"Might" is that word "dunamis" which relates to explosive power - something to be reckoned with might be the thought. Power to live the proper spiritual life. Paul prayed for it assuming that God would do it according to His riches. It seems to me that the proper Christian life would be rather an automatic thing if we have all this power to live it within our inner most being.

I guess those believers that don't live a proper life have their will surrounding their inner man so as to control it completely. Seems like a rather plain picture of what really seems to happen in the loose living believer.

Inner man is of interest to us for a moment. "Man" is that word that simply relates to our humanness, the term "inner" is the Greek word "eso" which means inner or interior inner man. It is used of going into a room, it is used of Peter going into the palace after Christ was arrested, and Paul uses the term of the inward man in Romans. Simply it means that inward part of man that relates to spiritual things - the spirit if you will. If the Spirit does this work in the spirit, how can we possibly thwart that work - only by our will to act differently on the outside.

A conscious effort to act against what we know God wants us to do - scary thing, yet so many believers live their life like this.

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

"Rooted" and "grounded" are perfect passive, thus telling us that we ARE rooted and grounded in love, but the power of God for the action is coming from without. On top of that we are rooted and grounded in a continuing manner until a final completion in the future - namely when we are glorified.

Now, we ARE rooted and grounded, thus we will always know all about love, and this is the self sacrificing love of the brethren. This is a fact of Scripture, however I know some are saying, but what about so and so, she is the most unloving person I have ever met? To this I would suggest that someone is not choosing to allow the Spirit to reign over their life so that this love can show through.

The key - if we walk with God this love will naturally flow forth - fact - it is up to us whether we are loving to the outside world or not. The possibility and ability are present in every believer. That is if you have allowed the first part of the verse - allowing Christ to dwell in your heart by faith. I am assuming this is salvation, since it is dependant on faith. The dwelling is an aorist tense thus a one time incident and would be indicative of salvation.

"Dwell" is not only just a living in, or a dweller, but it also can carry the thought of "pervade" or inhabit every part or area of the heart. Not just a passer through, but Christ is to be one that lives permanently in every part of your being.

In this course thus far, it is quite evident that the casual on again and off again Christian living is not the norm, nor the desired by God. In almost all we have seen we have noticed that these changes that come from salvation are far reaching, permanent and complete. I trust we are all acting in a manner consistent with that description.

With this strong emphasis on how we ought to appear on the outside, is why many wonder if the average loose living person in the pew is even saved. We certainly don't see this sort of Christian living in many churches. What we see are pew sitters that resemble the world rather than Christ. If we are really Christians, then one would expect a more Christ like life.

This is the second in a series of four desires of Paul for the believers.

Just read through Paul's words again. 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Imagine yourself sitting in the church of Ephesus and hearing this letter read. How would those few lines strike you as you contemplated them? This is the apostle Paul praying these things for me - it is his desire for me to be and know all of these things.

Excited - honored - impressed - humbled, are some of the words that come to my mind - wow - Paul wants all this for me and he barely knows me. Then to realize that these things are very real possibilities for the believer. If you didn't know these things, imagine the joy and excitement this would have generated in those people's lives.

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

"May be able" is not just able, but fully able or imminently able to comprehend. The easy ability to comprehend. It might relate to the weight lifter coming along in the grocery store and his ability to pick up a ten-pound bag of sugar for an old lady that is struggling with it.

Paul wants them to easily comprehend this information, not to have to struggle with it, not to have to work at it and not to have to figure things out. They are to easily understand the love of Christ, indeed hasn't Paul set forth the ground work for their easily understanding it in the previous passages?

What is the "breadth, and length, and depth, and height;" rather well covers the "entirety" of the subject. Paul desires they easily understand the hugeness, the entirety, and the completeness of the subject. He doesn't want them to struggle to understand any portion, not even a small portion of the subject. The term breadth has with it the suggestion of great breadth.

Now, anyone that knows me knows that I am a consummate organizer. You probably also know I love to reorganize our home for the maximum use and convenience. If you were to ever get in on the beginning of one of these sessions you would probably see me sitting and looking at the furniture in a room and thinking. You might see me get up and measure an empty spot. You might see me get up and measure a piece of furniture or maybe even measure every piece in the room. You would see me sit down again and maybe even take a nap.

The point being, I want to comprehend the entire situation before I begin my planning. I want to know where I am headed before I begin. You would also know because of the smallness and the fullness of our house that within all this planning there is a planning of how to shuffle the furniture and in what order so as to move each piece a minimum amount of times and distance.

The point, I struggle at length to come to a decision and to a plan of action. Paul doesn't want them to have to go through this entire struggle, he wants them to EASILY comprehend the entireness of the subject.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I read this passage I notice, due to my organizational skills, that there is an added dimension that is not needed in moving furniture. You need to know the height, depth and width of a subject but what does the breadth have to do with anything? Is it the overall enormity of the subject?

Webster suggests that it is the width of a subject, or how wide a table is from side to side while one is looking at it. "breadth, and length, and depth, and height;" In this context the breadth cannot be the width if the other three terms are to be used. Length would be the longest measure, depth would be the narrower measure and the height would be the top to bottom measure. The depth and height must be two different things in this usage even though depth might be construed to be the top to bottom measurement.

In this construction/usage I would assume that breadth would be the overall extent rather than a measure. It would relate to my moving furniture if I said "This tables HUGENESS is really a problem because the table is so long, so wide, and so tall. It won't fit anywhere.

Indeed, it seems to be used this way in Rev. 20.9 "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." But to be forthright it is also used of width in Rev. 21.16 "And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal." It seems to be a general term that is defined by its context since these are the only three usages of the word in the Bible.

As to the subject of all these measurements there are some that suggest it is the cross of Christ, others the New Jerusalem, others the power and/or wisdom of God, others the completeness of salvation, while others suggest we look in the immediate context and find the object is the love of Christ. This seems the more sensible at this point to me.

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

By knowing Christ's love, we can be filled with the fulness of God. We can know all that God wants us to know of His presence. Just by knowing Christ's love for us.

I'm not sure we can completely know that love, for we seldom move toward knowing His love at all. We often view Christianity as a gimmy religion rather than a personal relationship with Christ. We get in for the correct reasons, faith in Christ, but we so often move right into what God can do for us mindsets. We pray in line for our own wants, we work toward our own goals and we seldom check with God as to what He would have us do.

We need to know how much Christ loved us - the cross that He suffered, the death He suffered, and the isolation He suffered. He did it for each of us as individuals. He loved us so much that He did all this for us.

"Which passeth knowledge" shows that we can never know that love completely, but we can know it enough to change our lives, to fill us with the fullness of God.

Just what is the "fullness of God?" We are to be filled with it, but what is it?

The term "fullness" is a different form of the word translated filled. "Filled" relates to full to the top so that nothing is lacking. God is also full to the top, nothing lacking. The fullness of God seems to be substantive because we are to be filled with it. We are left to assume that the "fullness of God" is the totality of who He is. Nothing less, and nothing more, we are to be filled with who He is, his total being, His presence, and His being. Contemplate that sometime.

We know we are indwelled by the Spirit, and by Christ, and here we seem to have clear indication that we are indwelled by the Father as well. We have within us the Godhead, the trinity, the entirety of the Godhead that set these decrees, the God that predestined us, the God that brought us to Himself. He is resident and we live as we live in our every day lives? Shame on us.

I suspect that as we understand the love of Christ, we will come to know the fullness of Him that is within. We are, at the point of salvation, indwelled by the Godhead, but we do not realize all that is within. As we learn of Christ's love, we will come to understand more completely that God that dwells within.

The question naturally comes, just how can we know the love of Christ? Obviously we need to get to know Christ and Who He is. When you meet the girl that you ultimately marry, you do not know her, you do not love her, you do not understand her, and you do not know the totality of who she is. As you get to know her, you gain insight into who she is, you gain knowledge of her feelings for you, and ultimately as love develops, you both begin to understand the whole of what is going on. As you marry and continue on through life, you continue to understand the completeness of the relationship. I think this is the way believers develop in their knowledge of Christ's love and from there the Godhead that indwells them.

Different man/woman relationships develop at different rates, and so does the relationship between the believer and God. Some get to know Christ early in their walk, while others never really get to know Him due to their lack of interest and walk. This is why Paul asks this for the Ephesian believers.

As church leaders we should attempt to help people develop this knowledge of Christ's love.

Still, this does not answer how we can know that love. Let’s list some items of interest.

1. Prayer: As we pray and begin to understand that communication with God we will naturally see the love of Christ in the answered prayer, in the fellowship, and in the comfort we feel.

As a young believer I trusted the Lord to care for some financial needs as well as physical needs. I just knew in my mind He would take care of me and He did. The over riding thought was that He must really love me to do this for me even though I don't know what I can do for Him. I was untaught in the spiritual life, but I knew that there was a reciprocity that should exist in the relationship.

2. Reading the Word: As we read the Word we will learn of Christ, we will learn of His actions toward people and we will learn of the work of the cross. We will begin to see all that He did for people, and for us, and we will begin to understand that He loves people, including us.

3. Study of Christ: As we get deeper into the Word we will understand the ramifications of all that He did in His earthly life as well as in His death. We will learn of His activities in the Old Testament and His actions on the part of the Jews, which will illustrate His love for them as well.

As we begin to understand just who He really is - that He is God, that He is equal to and united with God - we can understand further the Love that He must have had to come down to earth as a human being.

As we know Him we will understand and know His love - not an option, but something we should certainly be doing, and certainly be encouraging others to do.

4. Good works will ultimately help us understand who He really is as well. As we allow Him to work through us in the lives of others we will witness the love He has for them shown through us and see that love develop in their lives.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

"Power that worketh in us" must relate to either God the indweller, or possibly to our own faith. This is a good point to contemplate.

He is able to do exceeding abundant things, over and above any of our prayers or even our needs that we don't know about. He can do things we can't even think of - this is impressive, we have a God that is above our own thoughts. How does that relate to those idols that WE create, how does that relate to those belief systems that WE create? He is above all that we can think and yet, bend to our need and request.

There is the reverse thought of this passage as well. He is able, but He may not do exceedingly abundant things. This is why one might surmise the power within is faith rather than the Spirit. His actions toward us and on our behalf are always dependent on our current walk with Him.

Further, the term "worketh" is a middle voice indicating the subject is involved in the action. This seems to mean that the action of the "power" is involved rather than the person. On the surface it would seem that power would better relate to the Spirit, rather than to faith. He is powerful, and in the context it seems that God is the focus of the work, while we are the recipient or beneficiary.

21 Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

"Glory in the church" not in the world. The world owes God nothing in the way of glory, for they understand Him not. Any glory that is going to come to God is going to come from the church or Himself via Christ and His work. This is to be the plan of action throughout the ages.

The proof of my comment about the world can be seen on practically any television broadcast. He is not upheld as God, He is not upheld as a supreme being, nor is he indeed upheld at all in most shows. If He is mentioned it is in a joking or derogatory manner at best.

Someone did a survey of the media's presentation of things religious and in the vast majority of cases the portrayal was negative. God's people are portrayed in a negative light as well. They are the perverts, they are the whackos, and they are the deranged. No, don't look for the world to glorify God in any way. If they do see Him in a positive light it is often for a profit in the end.

Next, we need to consider how He is glorified in the church. Or is He in our current day? Most would say that He is and I would probably agree, but I question how much glory He is finding there in recent days. The glory seems to be shared by the flashy dress, the technologically correct presentation, the accomplished musicians/instruments, and the flash of the current "worship" climate that is specifically designed to appeal to the flesh of the lost.

How can it relate to the glorification of God when we appeal to the flesh of lost man? How can satisfying the fleshly desires of Christians even glorify God. Many worship services are totally designed to reach the human side of man rather than to stir the spiritual side to consider God and His desires.

APPLICATION:

1. I would like to look at two things here.

a. Verses fourteen and fifteen speak of our relationship to the Father. I would suggest for your thinking and contemplation the fact that the single female parent family that is in our society, lacking a father image, is not. God the Father is our father. Any single female parent needs to understand this and apply it to their lives and their children's lives. Yes, a man in the house is great and needed but the Father can supply many of those things that the child will need. He is their support, He is their strength, and He is their comfort and all those fatherly items.

What is needed is for the child to be trained properly to understand God's purpose in their lives. This passage totally speaks to this aspect of God having a plan and Him supplying that which is lacking in each of us to accomplish that plan - that goes for kids as well as seniors and all between.

b. The passage mentions, "the whole family in heaven and earth" and some relate this to not only humans, but also to the angelic host. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown mention that the angels are sons by creation and we by adoption. Whether the angels are included or not I am not entirely convinced. I don't know that it makes a lot of doctrinal difference either way, it is impressive enough to me that I am a brother same as Paul, same as Abraham, and the same as Moses. If you want to include Michael and the other archangels, I'm even more impressed that such as I can be in the same family as such as we have named.

2. It is of note that this whole section is full of doctrine and it leads to Paul's grand doxology in the final verses of the section. When is the last time doctrine moved you to praise and worship? Many pastors criticize doctrine as being to "super saintly" and a waste of time, but Paul found it vital and it brought him to great praise for the God that set all these doctrines into existence.

When you study doctrine, always take time to contemplate God and how it relates to Him and His glory. Doctrine is not and should not be treated like a four-letter word. It is the meat that the believer ought to be feeding on daily.

It is no wander the church is full of screaming babies and problems, all they are getting is milk - they need meat so they can grow and be nourished into adulthood.

3. We mentioned that bowing if not prostrating one's self in prayer was preferable to other positions. This is due to the concentration of the mind on what we are doing. When sitting or standing our minds tend to wander off into oblivion, while kneeling or laying face down tends to remind us of what we are supposed to be doing.

Many there are that have joked about the fact that when fishing and hunting, they can worship God just as easily as when in church, but I have never seen a fisherman fish or hunter hunt kneeling or prone with his face to the ground.

HE IS OUR LIFE, NOT HIS CREATION! Is this not what Romans one is about - worshiping the creation rather than the creator? (Rom. 1.19-25)

Of course we can praise God without being in a building with a cross on top, but we seldom do if we are all really honest. Making a conscious effort to be with Him is the key.

4. In verses sixteen through nineteen we see, "16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."

This seems to describe super saint in our day and age, that one that walks with God daily, moment by moment and the one that is always in the Lord's control to do what is right at every turn. It describes the one that is able to answer every question with Scripture and defend against every detractor with the Word.

However - note that he is not speaking to a few, or an individual, but he is speaking to every believer at the church at Ephesus. Today in our churches, we seem to have a few super saints, that are really those average saints that Paul is speaking about, and then we have a lot of superficial saints that are far from living up to this Scriptural standard. This is wrong. We all should be as those Paul is speaking of - filled with the love of Christ, empowered with strength for the spiritual battles before us.

"Strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" - Does that really sound like the run of the mill Christian today that has every self help book ever published, the run of the mill Christian today that watches the Dr. Phil Show in the hope of finding strength to go on, or the run of the mill Christian today that attempts to live by the quack of the day advice on the television - those that can't get their life together enough to function in life.

God stands ready to strengthen each and every one to the task at hand if we will only walk with Him and allow Him to do the work He wants to do within us and around us. God desires a powerful church not a church that is poorly balanced on the brink of emotional collapse.

In nineteen eighties I was told by a friend that was part of the leadership in a fairly large church in one of our large cities that his church has a hard time keeping enough families emotionally healthy enough to minister to the unhealthy. He was speaking in the context of the many divorces, drug and drinking problems, and the child rearing problems. The churches entire emotional strength was being drained by those Christians that were unable to operate in the strength of the Lord.

It is wonderful that the church had healthy members to minister, but oh how sad that so few were there that could have the freedom to do the work of the Lord outside the church due to their total immersion in ministering in the church to faltering believers.

Where is the strength in the church today? Where is the power in the church today? These passages of Paul's are for us today as well as to the Ephesians - we need to be teaching these principles to our believers and getting them on track for use by God in His work inside and outside the church.

5. Verse nineteen states, "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." Filled with the "fullness of God." Does that sound like the average believer today? Does the temper ridden believer show forth the fullness of God? Does the cheating believer show forth the fullness of God? Does the lying believer show forth the fullness of God? Does the swearing believer show forth the fullness of God?

I might ask whether the famous believer that commits adultery shows forth the fullness of God. Does the famous believer that swears on the sports field show forth the fullness of God? Does the famous believer that takes acting roles of immorality show forth the fullness of God? Does the famous believer that is in the political arena that uses the tactics of the world show forth the fullness of God?

One further question. Are you showing forth the fullness of God in your life?