Prayer is where the action is | Ephesians 3 | Bishop Paul Williams

Let me first, though, pray for us. O gracious

God, may the words of my mouth and may the thoughts

of all our hearts be pleasing in your sight.

Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. Well,

thank you, James, for your invitation to come

back and to be with you. It's a few years ago

since I was last here at Oak Hill. And I imagine

that apart from staff that this completely new

student body and look forward to meeting some

of you over lunch and waiting for your questions

after this service. The very first occasion I

actually came to Oak Hill was 19, I think was

1981. which when I was just 13, and I mentioned

my mother earlier, as you'll realize a few years

on from the time I spoke about when my... Faith

became very personal and very real and alive.

My mother responded to the need that we saw in

front of us, sensing God's call to serve in some

capacity, some way in an ordained ministry. At

that time, women were able to be ordained deaconess.

So my mother offered herself for ministry as

a deaconess in the Church of England. And she

refused to attend, resisted all attempts to move

her on to training programs. in the southwest

where we were living at that time. She insisted

she wanted to train at Oak Hill and felt that

would give her the best grounding that she would

need for ministry. And so she brought us along.

She trained on the part -time course that Oak

Hill itself ran at that time, its staff taught

on. And so she brought myself and my siblings

at various times along to share in weekends.

So my very first experience of kind of... challenging

theology. I can vividly remember the place I

was. I can even remember where I was in the room

as the principal taught on hermeneutics, which

for a 13 -year -old, there were some big words

there. I was quite excited about the big words.

I had very little idea quite what they might

mean, but I knew it was good, and I'm sure it

continues to be good, and that you are being

strengthened and equipped for lifelong ministry

as she was, and for which I personally am also

very grateful. So it's good to be back a few

years on and to share again with you at this

very critical moment for the church in our nation,

not just the Church of England. And I know many

of you are not part of specifically the Church

of England, but have a care for the Church of

England. But I do believe that before us... This

time, there are challenges, unique challenges

that we face as we face into the culture in which

we are seeking to proclaim the gospel. But we

also have unique opportunities. And I hope you'll

get a sense of that as I try to bring something

of a kind of personal perspective as well that

I hope will be reflected as we look and explore

Ephesians 3 together. My text for this sermon

is Ephesians 3, verse 20, and in particular,

Ephesians 3:20

where Paul writes now to him who is able to do

immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

And my question is this. How do we nurture in

ourselves and in others a healthy confidence

in this truth? I think we need to examine it

carefully if we're to avoid it simply being a

favorite verse for the perennial optimists among

us. People who can easily be given over to. the

possibility of exaggeration while seeking to

raise the expectation levels around them that

might at times frustrate them. But sometimes

we can find ourselves tipping over into trying

to enlist people into our good cause or plan.

Like an anxious senior minister, I've been one

of those who, having set out the vision and the

strategic priorities for the church over the

next three years, concludes with a rallying prayer

based on this verse. As if and hoping. that it

might in some way eliminate or diminish the deflating

effects of those who you fear are poised to jump

in and ask the probing question or to offer their

critical analysis that might push the well -worked

plan off course. And so we say, remember, he

who is able to do immeasurably more. We hope

it will kind of somehow close off some of the

debate. Well, there is an equally damaging risk.

to the well -being of the church and it's not

only in that sort of exaggeration the lack of

reality that sometimes can impinge upon the anxiety

of those who minister the gospel but also those

who've been knocked back in Christian life and

ministry managing a series of disappointments

a sense of failure who may read this verse as

containing truth that applies to others who are

more blessed than us, or at least where the gospel

is received more readily. Now, in my experience,

the church really does need more people of bold

faith and courage and imagination. And I would

far rather have those than people who have learned

to reduce or downsize their hopeful enthusiasm.

Don't let that happen to you. I don't know how

long you keep Christmas cards up in your home.

Most people keep them up just perhaps to turn

the corner into the new year. I received a Christmas

card in Christmas, coming up to Christmas 2022.

And it is still on the mantelpiece of our home

as a kind of centerpiece. And it has on it just

a simple etching of the nativity. There are shepherds

gazing down upon the Christ child. And the words

on the card are simply this. Nothing seems impossible

anymore. Nothing seems impossible anymore. It

arrived on a day and in a week when I was dealing

with a complex set of issues, of conflicts, of

setbacks in just about every sphere of life and

work. I was longing for some respite from the

challenges I was facing, but the encouragement

I needed in the end didn't come from immediate

resolutions to everything, but in the centering

of my attention once again on the reason for

the hope that we have and the confidence that

we have in the God who has called us. Because

of Jesus and his coming into the mess of our

world as Savior and Lord to conquer the greatest

enemy of sin and death, nothing should seem impossible

anymore. For this is the head of the church,

Christ Jesus himself. So I am very grateful to

Mark Green at LICC for his Christmas card that

year. It still has a special place. As followers

of Jesus, as part of his church, we are meant

to be a community filled with God's living hope.

We should be the most creative and the most bold

and hopeful organization on earth. But that is

not easy when we also face the daily reality

of a spiritual battle that never goes on pause.

And the apostle will come on to that later in

Ephesians. So how do we retain hopeful confidence

in Christ while remaining vigilant in the battle

for salt? Now, the substance of our confidence,

I believe, is held out for us within this prayer

of Paul. It's the centerpiece of his great epistle

to the Ephesians. With some obvious qualifications,

the first three chapters, as you may know, focus

on doctrine and the last three on practical Christian

living, the implications of that doctrine. Verses

14 to 21 form the vital connection or the meeting

point between the two parts. Now, in one of the

older Bible commentaries by Bishop Handley Mool,

published, in fact, 125 years ago, but as fresh

as ever, he includes a very moving chapter in

the center of his commentary. He sort of steps

back from the detail of the commentary to reflect

on this moment in the epistle. And he writes

this. He says, we have, as it were, in this prayer,

reached the top. of a mountain road. The place

invites us to rest and also retrospect. We shall

soon move on towards the plains and the cities.

Let us sit still for a time under the quiet sky.

and contemplate the everlasting hills among which

we have ascended as they lift their heads heavenwards

and pour their waters down the paths at our feet

towards the scenes of human life and on he goes

Sounds like Keswick James, actually, when I read

that again. I mean, how do we nurture such confident,

hopeful faith in God as his people and as his

church? Well, the answer is simply this prayer.

Simply this prayer. But here is the primary source

of our confidence in expecting God to move him

in power. This prayer is earnest and it's humble

and it's far reaching in the scope of its vision.

Paul begins, for this reason, I kneel before

the father from whom every family in heaven and

on earth derives its name. As you may know, bowing

the knee is a sign not only of prayer, but specifically

of reverence, of surrender, of humility before

God. So here is where I let go of my need to

prove myself as a bishop, as a minister of the

gospel, as a husband, as a father, as a friend,

as a follower of Christ. Here is where I no longer

try to exert pressure on God to enlist him into

my cause. This prayer... is about a response

of the soul to all that Christ has done for us.

That's the journey that Paul has been traveling

through the landscape, the mountaintops of the

gospel, the reality of our salvation. And so

what could he do but kneel in humility and surrender

before God and to plead with God on behalf of

the church in prayer? So this prayer is about

a response of the soul to all that Christ has

done for us, seeking him above everything before

the journey back down into the valley. You see,

on the other side of this prayer is Paul begins

to descend then towards the plains and the cities

of practical Christian living. He says, I urge

you to live a life worthy of the calling that

you've received. Be completely humble and gentle.

Be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit

and the bond of peace. We often finish at verse

21. I think it's helpful in understanding the

positioning of this prayer if we begin the journey

then down that mountain into the valley of practical

Christian living. Paul doesn't think it is going

to be easy for the Ephesians. That's why he prays

so intensely for them. And he does not believe

that his prayer for them is going to keep them

out of trouble. In fact, he reminds them in the

very beginning of this journey back down the

mountain that he is a prisoner for the Lord.

Just remember what it has already cost me. So

what sort of prayer will the summit of our salvation

inspire in us when we take those moments as we

do in this communion to look out and survey again?

The reality, the wondrous reality of the gospel.

Well, three things Paul prays for the Ephesians,

which we should pray for ourselves consistently

and above all, pray for others earnestly and

with humility. For inner strength, for inner

love and for inner growth transformation. So

first of all, inner strength. Paul says, I pray

that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen

you with power through his spirit in your inner

being. so that Christ may dwell in your heart

through faith. Now, of course, they'd already

received the Holy Spirit, but this is about seeking

the continual indwelling of the Spirit of God.

John Stott puts it like this. He said what Paul

asks for here, for his readers, is that they

may be fortified, braced, invigorated, that they

may know the strength of the Spirit's inner reinforcement

and may lay hold ever more firmly by faith of

this divine strength this divine indwelling i

love that phrase this the spirit's inner reinforcement

i tend to find that if i try and put my own reinforcement

in place it makes my heart heart impenetrable

And we need to protect ourselves at times. And

we will do that at times in a way that creates

almost a sort of a concrete -like protection

around our souls, our hearts, in a way that can

make us difficult to connect with. And that includes

connecting with God, pouring out our heart or

soul to him in prayer, as Paul does here. So

what Paul is praying for here is that the Spirit

would bring that inner reinforcement. that we

will know our protection inwardly to come through

the Spirit that keeps our hearts soft towards

one another. We're able to be completely humble,

gentle, patient, bearing with one another in

love. I certainly, I know I need that as I face

the challenges of ministry day by day. Now, of

course, this doesn't happen overnight. It is

the inner resilience that the Holy Spirit brings,

especially as we daily... seek to be filled and

refilled with the strength of God through his

spirit the reality that Christ is dwelling in

us the word Paul uses here is not the the word

dwell is not the word for someone stopping over

as a temporary guest he could have used that

word that's the word that's used most frequently

in the new testament for dwelling what Paul is

using here is a word that talks about a permanent

residence because Christ dwells in you by faith.

This is where our resilience comes from. Now,

secondly, not only is Paul praying for inward

strength, but also for inner love. He says, and

I pray that you being rooted and established

in love may have power together with all the

Lord's holy people to grasp how wide and long

and high and deep is the love of Christ. Paul.

deliberately mixes his metaphors here um one

botanical the other architectural um and and

he does that i think purposefully perhaps there's

a you will know there's a rich theological seam

in both these images of being rooted um and established

in love and they run right through scripture

these foundations these roots are given to us

they're a gift from god and they're given to

us notice first of all not primarily to prepare

us for the work that god has has prepared in

advance for us they're given to us for the purpose

for which we were redeemed that we may know more

and more of the love of god that we may know

christ better as paul says in in ephesians 1.

that we might live to his praise and his glory.

And of course, then our work, our ministry flows

out of that knowledge of his love, that feeding

on and dwelling in and soaking in his love. And

in the process, we become more loving people

as we learn to receive God's love as a consistent

part of our daily Walk with him. We need to soak

in this ocean that the picture almost certainly

that Paul has in mind here as he considers the

expanse of God's love. We are meant to soak in

that love and to allow it to go on transforming

us, renewing our vision, our vision of Christ,

but also renewing our commitment to then walk

in his ways as we... daily go down that valley

into the towns and the villages and the cities

where we live out our faith. Which leads to a

third prayer of Paul, and that is for inner transformation.

He prays that we may know this love that surpasses

knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure

of all the fullness of God. Verse 19. Now Paul

surely has in view here our final state of perfection.

When one day God will complete the work he has

begun in us, that glorious day that we look towards.

But his promise here is also that God will continue

now what he has started. He says elsewhere in

2 Corinthians that though outwardly we're wasting

away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by

day. As we're being transformed into his image

with ever increasing glory, which comes from

the Lord, who is the spirit. You see, God is

always building. God is always at work. Jesus

reminded his disciples about in our gospel reading.

My father is always. And God is always continuing

his work in our lives and in his church. And

he is building in the ruins. We often can be

overwhelmed by the sight of the ruins around

us, sometimes the ruins within the life or the

ministry of the church, or the ruins in our society,

our culture, but we're also maybe conscious of

the ruins in our own lives as well. The things

that we would dearly like to sort out or fix

as though somehow once those ruins are sorted,

we can then begin to move on. We have been as

a family in Nottinghamshire for 10 years. We

live in a house that was built in the ruins of

a medieval palace. And it's a thousand year old

ruin. And about a quarter of it has been restored

into a modern, well, a hundred year old house,

modern by Episcopal terms anyway. And but I look

out. It struck me very early on as I start set

out on the ministry as a bishop in Nottinghamshire

with all the challenges around both in the church

and the wider culture that I look out every morning

as I begin the day on ruins. But actually noticing

that those ruins didn't prevent a rebuilding

work. And that is always how God works. In fact,

we heard that described, the restoration work

of God that was foreseen by the prophet Isaiah.

God begins every day as we arise. God is continuing

that work in us and in his church. And so sometimes

we have to be reminded of that. This prayer reminds

us of that when we may be overwhelmed by the

ruins. And of course, that includes sometimes

the things that fill us with despair when we

see some of the ruins within our own lives. I

think C .S. Lewis captures this brilliantly with

an analogy that I'm sure some of you have heard

from mere Christianity, where he says, imagine

yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild

that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand

what he's doing. He's getting the drains right

and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on.

You knew that those jobs needed doing, and so

you are not surprised. But presently, he starts

knocking the house about in a way that hurts

abominably and does not seem to make any sense.

What on earth is he up to? The explanation is

that he is building quite a different house from

the one you thought of. Throwing out a new wing

here, putting on an extra floor there, running

up towers, making courtyards. You thought you

were being made into a decent little cottage.

But he is building a palace. He intends to come

and live in it himself. Christ dwelling in us.

So we should not be overwhelmed by the ruins

that we may see, whatever form they take around

us and even within us, because God is always

working. And so Paul, in this prayer, pouring

himself out to God earnestly, pleading with God

on his knees before God, prays for inner strength,

inner love and inner transformation. And I wonder,

do you know any follower of Christ who would

not want more of these things in their lives?

The answer is no. We long for that inner strength,

that inner love, the love that flows out of a

heart that is being overwhelmed by the love of

Christ and that continued transformation. And

it's in answer to these prayers that we receive

the confidence to go on boldly trusting God for

more, for more than we could imagine. And so

that's why I would urge you to give yourselves.

to bolder prayers, so that you are able to engage

with the vision and the purposes that God has

for you and for his whole church. Whatever that

may mean for each one of you in the days to come,

and whatever that may cost. It's why John Wesley

famously said, prayer is where the action is.

Prayer is where the action is. The prayers of

the New Testament and particularly the context

in which this prayer sits within the narrative

of Ephesians, I would encourage you, are prayers

to take on, to soak in, even to learn by heart.

Prayer is where the action is. The Diocese of

Sutherland and Nottingham has a reputation that

it's built up over time of being... one of the

most strategic dioceses in the Church of England

in terms of its planning and its focus on implementing

a clear plan for the development of gospel ministry.

I'm always quite pleased when I hear people reflecting

on that, sometimes not with entirely flattering

terms, but it depends who you're listening to.

It's something of the reputation that we have

gained. Partly on the back of the development

of that, we had the encouragement only four months

ago now, the further investment in those plans

of £33 million of church commissioners' funding,

which is entirely for the revitalisation and

renewal of the church, with a vision of discipleship

at the centre of it. And I was thrilled that

the Church of England, the church commissioners

wanted to release that funding that will just

help us to go on accelerating and trusting God

for more. But the reality is that I don't believe

that the most strategic thing that we are engaged

with as a diocese, the thing that I'm thankful

for is the plan and the alignment around that.

Now, the thing that I know is most strategic.

to the health and well -being of the diocese

going forward of every church within it is our

commitment to earnest humble dependent prayer

upon god and that is why the meetings for prayer

are the most significant in the life of the diocese

and certainly for me as a bishop every monday

morning at eight o 'clock when we gather as a

senior team to pray and to worship. That is all

we do. And we try not to go straight into simply

praying for the things that we hope will get

fixed this week, or at least won't completely

fall apart, but to focus our prayers with praise

and adoration and thanksgiving. And I know that's

really important to the health and the well -being

spiritually of the team that I lead, but also

the life of the diocese. And then the most significant,

the diocesan day of prayer, which we have every

month. And it's the one day which I won't allow

other things, whatever form they take, national

responsibilities, even some quite important commitments

that I might be asked to respond to. It is that

opportunity to give ourselves in a way that expresses

the orientation of the diocese in its dependence

on God, not on having a plan. that has been developed,

I hope, in alignment with the gospel, but in

depending upon God to pour out his power to continue

to move because prayer is where the action is.

And the health of the church at this time, not

only the local church or the diocese, but the

health of the church in our nation and around

the world. We face extraordinary challenges,

but also unique opportunities. I do believe,

and some of you may have kind of have a sense

of this as well, there is a shift in the spiritual

culture. There is an openness that we are certainly

encountering on the ground in local churches

across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. People

just bringing themselves into church for no reason

apart from, I knew I needed to come here into

this building today. Now, we're always encouraged

when that happens. I think for a year or so,

I thought, well, maybe we're just noticing what

God has already been doing. But I'm clear now

that this is a shift. And we're simply going

to trust God for more. But not simply that people

might be filling up our churches. That cannot

be our strategy. But that people might not only

come to a commitment in Christ, but... We're

sharing a vision for lifelong discipleship. We

can't keep people, as it were, suspended up there

on that mountaintop. But we need that mountaintop

vision that we might live out the life of faith

in our world today as faithful disciples. D .L.

Moody once said, if God is your partner, then

make your plans big. If God is your partner,

then make your plans big. But I believe that

as we pray the scriptures into our lives daily

and into the life of the church, we can avoid

the danger that our plans are about making ourselves

feel big, or at least better. But they're a reflection

of the God who is calling us and who has a gospel

that is salvation and good news for all who will

respond. Now, of course, that big is not always

big in the way that others see it. In God's eternal

plan and purposes, some of the things that may

seem small to us at the time are for greater

purposes than we could ever possibly imagine

and might ever know in this life. But we continue

to give ourselves in surrender to the Lord. And

so I simply want to urge you today, and as we

come to the Lord's table in a moment, I urge

you, do not lose heart. Anyone who may have woken

up this morning feeling somewhat more despondent

by the things that are before you, maybe the

ruins around you, do not lose heart. And especially

when the battle is raging fiercely. And when

your body and your mind and your soul grow weary

in the face of that. Let us make sure that we

pause, as it were, with Handley Moll. We take

that time to step back, to take in the view from

the summit of all that Christ has done for us,

and then to renew our confidence again in him,

in Christ alone, who is able to do immeasurably

more than all we ask or imagine, according to

his power that is at work within us. To him be

glory, in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout

all generations forever. And forever. Amen.