Ephesians 3:12-13
according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord
The manifold wisdom of God was not the result of a last minute idea which God had. Israel’s rejection of their Messiah did not make it necessary for God to quickly come up with plan B, namely, the Church. It was His plan all along. And the demonstration to angelic leaders of God’s multifaceted wisdom was according to the standard of God’s eternal purpose which God will always make sure is carried out. The inclusion of believing Jews and Gentiles into one body the Church was accomplished by Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. This purpose has been accomplished in Christ and by Christ, which is the basic confession of the Church. It is the confession that the Church is built on. (see Mark 16:13-18).
in whom we have the boldness and access with confidence through faith in him.”
in whom–In Christ we have access to God the Father. This access was purchased for us by Jesus at the cross. We see this demonstrated by God in Matthew 27:51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
Jesus boldly asserts this in John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. He doesn’t just mean that he’s going to pray for them, He means that it is through Him, His sacrifice on the cross is the only way that we could have access to God. He is the Way, the Access itself, it’s through Him, which is why no-one comes to the Father accept through Him—there’s no other Way! Eph 2:18-19 18 for through Him [Jesus] we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, (see also Heb 4:14-16)
We can with confidence continually speak freely to God and boldly enter God’s presence. And we do this through prayer
Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
We address our prayers to Our Father in Heaven. This is because we have been adopted as sons and daughters in Christ.
hallowed be thy name. We have freedom of access to God, but we should always approach Him with reverence and awe.
Thy kingdom come.—It is God’s Kingdom that is coming fully onto the earth, not man’s and not the Church’s.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,–We pray not for all our wishes forever to be granted, nor for even our needs for all of the future, but primarily for the needs of that day.
Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,
Forgive us as we forgive- In the Lord’s Prayer, we are told to petition God for the forgiveness of our sins and to forgive others who have sinned against us. Jesus makes it even stronger when he says: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:14–15). our ego is going to want to assert itself and demand “they can’t treat me that way”, “I don’t have to take that”, “I know my rights”.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil– This is what Jesus says that we as believers should pray for. It also means victory by responding as followers of Jesus when we are persecuted. Matthew 17:14-15 says 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from [e]the evil one. Not paying back evil for evil, not responding with hatred toward people who hat us: these are the marks of a more mature Christian, one who is surrendering their fleshly desires for the desires of the Spirit, one who walks according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh. You are putting on the full armor of God, and standing firm, resisting the devil and his fiery darts with the shield of faith.
For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. We adore God, and glorify Him for who He is.
ACTS Model of Prayer
The ACTS prayer model is a very good way to focus our hearts of Who God is and What He has done before we turn our hearts to asking Him for His continued work. In the A.C.T.S prayer model, the A represents the word adoration, C represents confession, T represents thanksgiving, and S represents the word supplication.
Adoration-During this time, focus directly on God, adoring Him for Who He is—His names, His character, His roles, etc. Worship and praise God with your heart, mind, and voice. (I Chronicles 29:10-13, Psalm 63: 3-4, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 5:12, Psalm 25:8, etc.)
Confession-When we acknowledge Who God is and adore Him for all that He is, confession is a natural follow-up. For, we cannot stand before the throne of a holy God with sin between us and our Savior. Thank God, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins! Ask God to search your heart for areas that displease Him (Psalm 139:23-24, Psalm 51:10-13, I John 1:4-9, Jeremiah 31:34, 2 Corinthians 7:9-10, Psalm 25:11, etc.)
Thanksgiving-This is a time for prayers of thanks for what God has done. Thank Him for salvation, the many blessings in your life, protection, provision, open doors, opportunities, and His gifts. (I Chronicles 16:34,I Thessalonians 5:16-18, Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 100:4-5, etc.)
Supplication- Prayers of requests. This is the time to ask God for His divine help to meet
neets, solve problems, work in someone’s life, etc. Philippians 4:6, Ephesians 6:18, I Timothy 2: 1-4, etc.)
Therefore, I ask you not to lose heart in my tribulations on behalf of you, which is your glory.
Paul is requesting the Ephesians not to lose heart due to his afflictions. Sometimes it’s easier to bear things that happen to us than things that happen to the ones that we love. Remember that Paul is in prison, and being treated badly by the Roman guards. He reminds the Ephesians that His imprisonment, and his suffering is resulting in glory for him, and even for them, because they are able to help support him during his trials and tribulations.