WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S IN THE AUDITORIUM WITH PASTOR
AT 6:30
Igniting Kingdom Prayer with Dr. Tony Evans
This week’s lesson is Piggybacking on Jesus’ Authority (Luke 7:1-10): You can count on one hand the number of times in the Bible that Jesus marveled at someone’s actions. In order to shock the Son of the living God, something highly significant has got to take place. One of those events can be found in the story of the centurion officer, which Dr. Tony Evans will look at in this message on acknowledging God’s authority.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart:
Ephesians 1:5, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”
According to its deepest meaning in the New Testament, vision is an opening of our eyes to see the major things on God’s heart.
The vision that can direct and control our lives, the vision that restrains us, is the vision that opens our eyes to see the unique will and purpose in God’s heart.
It is the vision of the good pleasure of His will spoken of in Ephesians 1:5.
It is the vision of God’s eternal purpose in Ephesians 3:10-11.
And it is the vision of the main burden of the apostle Paul’s ministry, which he defines as “the mystery of Christ” in Ephesians 3:2-7.
When we have vision in this sense, the scales are taken off our eyes to see directly into God’s heart the way Paul saw, the way John saw, and the way Peter saw.
The apostles lived under a heavenly vision.
They had revelation.
They had the full knowledge of God.
Their ministry brought enlightenment to people.
To have vision means to enter into the identical revelation of the apostles’ New Testament ministry.
If you and I were believers in the early church under Paul’s ministry, one of his main burdens for us would have been that we would enter into the same controlling, heavenly vision that governed his own life.
To the Ephesians who were already saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, he said, 15 “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your heart being enlightened; that you may know . . .” (Eph. 1:15-18).
In other words, when Paul found seeking Christians, he bowed his knees and prayed for vision and revelation in their lives.
He prayed that their eyes would be opened to know something deeper and fuller: “the eyes of your heart being enlightened; that you may know [1] what is the hope of His calling,[2] what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and [3] what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe” (vv. 18-19).
It is this kind of vision that governs God Himself, that governs the universe He created, and that should govern us as His children.
Until Tomorrow
With a Shepherd’s Love
Pastor
TODAY’S PRAYER LIST
Bill Lawhead – Hospice
Richard Blount
Mr. Bankston Sr
The Graham Family – Brandon’s Friends
Amy Garner’s Mother/Dad
Ashley Burn’s Sisters
Barbara Shed’s Family
Bill Moody
Carol Lawhead’s Brother
Charles Rambles
Charlie Sessom – Waiting
Colby/Connor – Allison’s G’sons
Darlene Thaxton
Denise Stubbs – Kim Allison’s Mom
Greg Payne – Lisa’s Brother
Hanna Hall – Pray for Grace
Kimberly – Dustin’s Sister
Larry Barker
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Mary Sims
Marynell Ford
Michael Stanley
Nora Allison – Dustin’s Mom
Paula Ferus’ Missionary Friend
Ricky Stubbs
Rod Gustafson – Cancer
Roseleigh Osborn
Scott Lanier – Linda’s Son
Shaelyn – Jill’s Friend
Sheila Simmons Cousin
Tom Witcher