2. Paul’s Practice
Passion for the spiritual development of the believers
In his preaching and teaching
In his prayer life.
“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love
for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of
you in my prayers” (Eph. 1:15–16).
“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for
you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all
wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col. 1:9).
“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our
prayers” (1 Thess. 1:2).
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3. Paul’s Prayer 1&2
Ephesians 3: 14-19
Inner man be strengthened with power by God’s Spirit
Christ dwell in our hearts by Faith
Know the Dimensions of the Love of Christ
Know the Love of God that surpasses all Knowledge
Grow to the Fullness of God
Ephesians 1: 16-19
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5. Spiritual progress in love
Knowledge is not a grasp of the facts about something or someone.
A deeper into a personal relationship with Christ
Knowing more and more about who Christ is and what He can be to
us.
Discernment indicates
Perception or discrimination
The ability to make moral decisions
Our hard decisions are not usually between what is clearly good and what is
clearly bad.
We struggle between what is good and what is better.
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6. Excellence
Excellence = Thinking and living biblically.
Desiring to live our lives according to God’s will and in a manner that pleases Him.
Dedication and consecration to God = Living with spiritual focus or have the mind of
Christ.
The word sincere carries the idea of testing something by sunlight.
Roman potters putting ‘hard wax’ on small cracks
Sunlight reveals the cracks
Products stamped “sine cera” (without wax) as a guarantee of high quality.
In 2 Corinthians 4:7 – Lives kept under the light of the Word of God, we begin to see
where we need to grow and develop spiritually in our relationship with God. The
experience of salvation includes justification, sanctification, and glorification.
Sanctification is the continual process where God works in the cracks in our lives.
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7. Integrity
Once we come into a saving relationship with God through Christ, God
comes to live in our lives in the person of the Holy Spirit
It is the Spirit of God within us that enables us to be filled with the fruit
of righteousness.
In and of ourselves we could never live in holiness or with spiritual
integrity.
In Romans 8:12–14 the apostle Paul says to us, “Therefore, brethren, we
are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you
live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to
death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
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8. Good Works
Bi product of Righteousness
Our Righteousness = Filthy Rags
Faith without works is dead
When Christ by faith dwells in us, we are righteous
We do good works
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9. Glorifying God
1 Corinthians 6: 18-20
Depart from Evil
You are the Temple of the Holy Spirit
Glorify God with your bodies
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