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Right at the outset of Paul's letter to the Ephesians he commends them yet instantly says they need prayer. I was struck that this addition that Paul was praying for (spiritual wisdom) is something we must not take for granted, or even aim for; rather, it is something that can be added only after we have become spiritually more mature. But why? Paul writes this:

'Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.' Ephesians 1:15-18 (NLT)

What were the Ephesians good at?

Paul mentions two areas in which the Ephesian church excelled; the first is strong faith. It is clear that Paul was impressed with this, and by looking at other New Testament passages we can see that faith is held in high regard (Romans 3:30-31, 1 Corinthians 13:13, Galatians 3:11 to name but a few). I think it is important to note that Paul specifically mentions the name of Jesus; I am just as guilty as many other Christians in the way that I can be so happy to talk about God but the name of Jesus somehow needs no mention, to the point that I visited an event recently in which the name of Jesus was literally not mentioned anywhere except as a 'prayer sign-off': "in the name of Jesus, amen". Paul is not apologetic in that he recognises Jesus to be Lord and God, and therefore commends faith in Him. We, too, should be 'unashamed of the gospel' (Romans 1:16) and be willing to proclaim Jesus' name, particularly as we gather corporately but in our daily lives as well.

The second area they were praised for was their love for God's people. Jesus Himself said that the way that all would know that we are His disciples is by our love for one another (John 13:35). We should be those who are willing to sacrifice for each other, who are patient with one another, who are quick to forgive and bless one another. To live for the body of Christ rather than our personal interests is so counter-cultural that it is noticed by the world. We can see that Paul had heard of their faith and love - he must have heard from somewhere so we can safely deduce that people had been talking about them in such a positive way that it ended up in Paul's ears. Would it not be great if we could be those who are almost gossiped about as the ones who have great faith and great love?

Something of interest here is that the two things that Paul mentions - essentially love for God and love for others - are the two things that Jesus commands in Matthew 22:37-40. Jesus says there is no other commandment greater than these, because 'on these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets'. If, therefore, the Ephesians have achieved a great deal by obeying Christ's greatest commandments, what does Paul need to pray for? He does not pray that they continue to have faith and love, he prays for addition: 'spiritual wisdom and insight'.

What did they need?

Paul prays that the Ephesians would grow in their knowledge of God. In other words, they already had faith - what they needed now was for their knowledge to deepen so they could mature in their relationship with Jesus and not stagnate. This understanding is specifically mentioned to be around His confident hope to which all believers have been called. This draws an interesting parallel with 1 Corinthians 13:13 in that the three gifts that will remain are named as faith, hope and love. The church in Ephesus clearly already had faith and love, what they needed now was hope, and what leaps out here as being very relevant to us today is the medium by which we receive an understanding of this hope.

Simply by being believers we must recognise that we have received the gift of faith, for it is our faith that is the evidence of our salvation (Luke 7:50, Hebrews 11:1). In the same way, as we become Christians and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit we will demonstrate His love as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and as we become more like God by worshipping Him we will become more loving, because God is love (1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16). We therefore must also desire that same wisdom which Paul wished for the Ephesians, in order that we might benefit from an understanding of God's hope. The wisdom we must desire must not be wisdom of the world but of God (1 Corinthians 1:19-21); this wisdom is found through a combination of logos, the Word of God, and pneumos, the Spirit of God.

Our response

There are two active things we must do in order to press deeper into a relationship with God. He has already made the first move to bless us with His word, the Bible, and His Holy Spirit. To show our gratefulness to Him, and our willingness to follow Him, we must be those who are, on a daily basis, studying Scripture for deeper meaning in our lives, and welcoming the Holy Spirit to equip us and empower us like only He can! By having faith in Jesus, love for one another and an ever-deepening knowledge of the hope to which we have been called by study of God's word and constant contact with His Spirit we will live the lives God has intended for us, for our good and for His glory.

"Point of Reference" from Fred Price

Counting the Cost and Bearing the Cross