Praising the Glory of God Together
Ephesians 3:14-19 says,
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
The Apostle Paul is praying that God would strengthen the church through his Spirit, that Christ would dwell in our hearts, that we may comprehend God's immeasurable love, and that God would then fill us with Himself.
Why does Paul pray this for the church? Because God answers, hears, and strengthens the church through his Spirit. As a result of growing in the Spirit we grow in love. When God fills our hearts with the Spirit, there is an overflow of love in the response of praising God. In verse 19, we see this end result of giving thanks to God.
Our songs this week show our thankfulness to God as we praise him for his goodness. They also are songs filled with requests we make of God: For God to fill us with his Spirit and for him to be around us and in us. We can find refuge and comfort in God because of his love.
Here are the songs and Scripture that will be a part of tomorrow's service: