Kingdom Tension Part 14
At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Tension,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.
Last week in our ‘Kingdom Tension’ series, we talked about how we are the portable presence of God. This week, we will discuss the love and power of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
In Ephesians 3, Paul offers a powerful prayer on behalf of the believers. He asks that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith and that they would be rooted and grounded in love. Then he takes it a step further and prays that they’d truly grasp just how wide, long, high, and deep the love of Christ is, a love so great that it goes beyond our ability to understand it fully.
Why is that so important? Because most of us, if we’re honest, base our sense of being loved on how we feel in the moment. If things are going well, we assume God loves us. But when things get tough, we start to wonder: Where is God? Why is this happening? Does He still care?
The Ephesians were asking similar questions. Paul had been telling them all about God’s power and love, and now he was sitting in prison. Naturally, they were confused. So Paul reminds them, ‘Don’t lose heart.’ God’s love is still real, and it’s bigger than you think.
God’s love doesn’t disappear when life gets hard. Even in the middle of difficult seasons, God uses those moments to grow us, stretch our faith, and shape us into who He’s calling us to be. Paul’s prayer is that we wouldn’t just know about God’s love, but truly know it deep in our hearts in a way that brings peace even when things don’t make sense.
And here’s something else Paul points out: we learn about God’s love best together. “With all the saints,” he says. That means doing so through community, encouraging one another, showing grace, forgiving, and serving. That’s where love becomes more than a concept. It becomes real.
Paul’s prayer ends with a bold vision: that we’d be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” That’s a life fully rooted in the love of Jesus. Not chasing approval or comfort, but resting in the truth that we are deeply and completely loved by the One who holds it all.
When we get that, when Christ’s love becomes our foundation, we find the strength to keep going, no matter what comes our way.
This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.