The Riches of God's Glory

THE RICHES OF HIS GLORY

Eph 3:16

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

We are indeed new creatures. We have been transformed into the image of Christ Jesus. This means our very nature has been changed. Therefore, according to the Apostle Paul, “if we live in the Spirit, then we ought to walk in the Spirit.” Most in the Body of Christ, however, do not comprehend the severity of walking in the Spirit. They do not regard the fact that walking outside the boundaries of the faith is sin and the end result of sin is damnation.

1 John 4:17

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

This is the greatness of the grace the Father has bestowed upon us; “as he is, so are we.” This means we are capable of walking in the same mind and character of our Lord. Nevertheless, I am sure many leaders are totally unaware of the true ramifications of this great grace. Let us look further into this tremendous love of God.

Ephesians 3:16-19

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.

The riches of God’s glory are the spiritual blessings He promised.

1.TO BE STRENGTHENED WITH MIGHT BY HIS SPIRIT IN THE INNER MAN.

The Greek word used in this passage for ‘might’ simply means ability, able, power, strength and miracle. Note these are all terms relating to what God has done in the inner man, (the soul). He has enabled the soul, given it ability, power and strength. He has worked a miracle. “He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit.” (1 Cor 6:17). This means the soul has received all the attributes of the Spirit to which it is joined. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

The implication in this verse is we have the ability to walk in all the attributes of the Spirit. Now this must be at the center of your belief. If you neglect to embrace this truth you will never enter into God’s rest and you will be a stumbling block to others. You may think you are not a stumbling block because you do not engage in overt sins or any ungodly behavior. This is deception. It is impossible for you to be in any form of leadership, and those whom you lead are totally unaware of your stopping points in the faith. It is very discouraging and confusing for saints to hear a truth that bears witness with their spirit, but come to know their pastor or auxiliary head, or their most respected teacher does not embrace that truth. If they are convinced of God in this truth, but leadership is not, then it causes them to hear in general conversation or in formal teaching settings, an attempt to tactfully circumvent that truth. This is not the mind of Christ. It can easily cause confusion in the hearts of those you lead.

Even if you never say anything against a truth, it is just as damaging to not embrace it. A leader must always consider his or her affect on those they lead. You are dealing with the souls of God’s people. I am sure you do not want to do anything that leads to their discouragement in the faith. The spiritual disposition of the saints must be your priority. In the scenario above, righteousness and the love of the people, would cause you to go back to the source of the teaching and sit down with the individual to get some clarity and understanding on the matter. But to simply continue to avoid truth leaves a gap in your ministry and a gap in the spiritual development of the people God gave you to lead.

If you do not believe you can walk in the Spirit, then you will not wholeheartedly promote the same to your constituents. People look to their leaders for guidance. They have a right to expect a sure word and spiritual understanding from those they follow. If it is not your intent to be rebellious, then do not become nonchalant, unconcerned or dispassionate in this matter; for truly all sin is an insult to your calling. Obey God, go to the source of the revelation and seek out understanding. The salvation of your soul and those who follow you depend on it.

2. CHRIST TO DWELL IN YOUR HEART BY FAITH.

The heart is simply another term used to refer to the soul of the believer. Here again Paul makes reference to the soul in salvation. Now he told us in Romans, to reckon ourselves as dead to sin. The implication is the soul is not to use this body to go after the things of this world. “For all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1John 2:16). But the soul is also the seat of all emotions and desires. How is it possible for it not to want to go after the things of the world again? Well beloved, this is the miracle God has done. “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (Galatians 5:24). Here we come to the heart of the matter. God has slain the old man and his affections, (emotions) and lusts (desires). But He didn’t stop there. He has joined the soul to His Spirit. Now it is able to feel what He feels and love what He loves. This is the Spirit of Might in the inner man. This is the operation of God.

The question is, “Do you believe you have the emotions of God? Do you believe you can feel as He does about every situation?” If you do not believe it, you will never convince others. Go back and study all the material rendered to you on this subject. Look at the scriptures. If you do not believe them, then you will not embrace them. If you do not embrace them, then you simply reject them. But where does that leave you in your walk with God? Each truth is designed to affect God’s purpose in you. You cannot get to Heaven, having rejected any truth God lays at your feet. He warned us to study to show ourselves approved, (This simply means to examine yourself, to see if you be in the faith.); or we could end up workers who are ashamed (cast out of the presence of God).

3.TO BE ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE.

Leaders must be stable and settled in the faith. They must not be double-minded; for a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. The leader must walk in the spirit of contentment. The verse below describes what happens to a leader who is not grounded in contentment.

Romans 13:13

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

2 Peter 2:18

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

To walk in wantonness is to walk in the darkness of this world again. If you are to please the Father, then He must be trusted to take care of you. His will and calling for your life, must not be interrupted by your pursuit of things. Likewise, you must be rooted and grounded in the message. Your belief in the truth must not be shaky. If there is a shadow-of-turning in you, Satan will find it.

4. TO COMPREHEND THE BREADTH, LENGTH, DEPTH AND HEIGHT OF GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU.

This phrase simply refers to understanding the mystery of godliness; and to know all the things God has freely given to the Church. Paul is simply saying, you must comprehend all these spiritual blessings, which are the riches of His glory.

5. TO KNOW (EXPERIENCE) THE LOVE OF CHRIST.

Salvation, (the born again experience), is the greatest expression of God's love there could ever be. We are brought into the Royal Family. We are indeed the offspring of Almighty God. We are the only creatures in the entire universe that can boast of this.

6. TO BE FILLED WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD.

On the day of Pentecost, the apostles and others were filled with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God; and is able to fill every aspect of your being. It fills the soul with all the attributes of God. It fills the Body with all the desires of God. It fills the mind with all the thoughts of God. Therefore, as he is, so are we, in this world today. If leaders would embrace this truth, they would settle into contentment and fulfillment. But in my experience with ministry, most leaders, as well as saints, do not allow themselves to experience the fullness of God. They never truly give completely over to the idea of walking in the Spirit, therefore, they are cheated out of ever knowing its power. Don’t let this be your testimony.

Paul prayed for the church to be strengthened in the knowledge of Christ. The Body needs to truly comprehend the fact Christ really dwells in them. If they truly understood the power of this indwelling, they would not be easily shaken in their faith; even as they observe tribulation in the lives of righteous leaders. That is why it is so imperative for the chosen to endure hardness as good soldiers. There is always someone who is encouraged by the steadfastness of righteous leadership. The riches of God’s glory, allow you to comprehend the movement of God in your life. It gives you the ability to see things from God’s perspective; to see as God sees. These riches allow you to comprehend the wisdom of God rather than the reasoning of your mind.

Ephesians 3:1

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.

These are the spiritual blessings promised to the Church. These verses speak directly to the prospect of us knowing and experiencing the depths of the love of God. Paul uses terms like breadth, (width), length and height, in his attempts to convey the awesomeness of what salvation truly is. All this points to our understanding of the mystery of godliness; which again, is the indwelling of Christ in the sons of God.