The Lord has two great destinations for mankind – the Cross and the Throne. If people reject the invitation to those locales, the Lord has another destination where individuals may find themselves…hell. When you read Romans, you find the Cross. When you read Ephesians, you encounter the Throne. The complete believer is one has been fully equipped through Romans and its associate books of Corinthians and Galatians, and who is going beyond the Cross to press into the realities and authority of the Throne. At the Throne is where the believer becomes the fully matured representative of the Master.

December 6, 1971 – what an amazing night! I met Debbie at her home and went with her to the house church at Mike and Lynn’s apartment. The living room was filled with young believers, and Jerry, another high school kid like me, shared from the Bible about the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, Jerry and Debbie invited me to get filled with the Holy Spirit. I said, “Uhhh…maybe next week!” Jerry thought for a second, and said, “No. C’mon!” Jerry was a leader. I got filled, and my Mom got very frightened when I spoke in tongues for her later that night. I found out later that she had spoken in tongues as a child. My journey to the Cross had been made years before… now my journey to the Throne had begun!

The Lord never intended the New Testament saint to try to live for Him without the gifts of the Spirit operating effectively in their lives. Of the five great records in Acts that show believers receiving the Spirit, the one time that they didn’t receive was in Samaria in Acts Eight where when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that report, they sent Peter and John to correct the situation. When they corrected it, the believers got filled like all the other saints.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19 NKJV

The truths of the Pauline Epistles are to be read and received in light of the believers being filled with the Spirit. For instance, consider Philippians 4:19. What we have been taught is that we are to pray and ask God to meet our needs. Maybe there is a better, more effective way! Let’s look at verse nineteen from our Spirit-filled perspective.

If we read that promise in light of the gifts, then we would realize that what we are to do is to ask God for revelation, a word of wisdom – WISDOM IS HOW TO GET THINGS DONE – which will show us HOW to receive the answer of the need being met. This works ALL – THE – TIME (James 1:5). Did you see that? ALLTHETIME! God knows all the answers, and He loves to tell us about them, when the fire of God has burned all the doubt out. Ask yourself, How many times have I been praying in tongues, and all of the sudden, I know the answer to a problem? Hello! The Pauline Epistles come alive for the Spirit filled believer – the way of the Cross and the way to the Throne.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…Eph 2:4-7 NKJV

No epistle shows us more clearly the way to the Throne of God than Ephesians.

There are two great prayers in Ephesians that lay out the will of God for every born again one. Today we are going to look at the prayer in chapter one. Remember, we are on a journey to the throne of God and are seeking to manifest His will from there into all of our lives, into the world around us.

…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him… Eph. 1:15 NKJV

This is a prayer of asking for you and I to receive revelation. This is another example of how the Epistles are oriented toward Spirit filled believers. Do you see it? Notice the word ‘give.’ A gift is an unearned expression of love. In our western way of thinking we despise gifts; we want to earn everything. So, we must galvanize our thinking to receive revelation humbly and eagerly. Revelation comes easily when I have been praying much in tongues and am quiet on the inside. Fasting helps to humble the flesh (PS 35:13) and position us for revelation.

By the way, don’t ever let anyone anywhere accuse you of mental illness because you say you hear from God. This is an insult to God and you, so forgive them. Everyone, every living, breathing person, hears from demons, angels and/or the Spirit of God daily. Their blinded, rationalizing minds call it ‘intuition,’ daydreams and a host of other things, but never recognize the truth. You have a sound mind, and your spirit, soul and body were designed to hear from God!

The word for ‘knowledge’ is EPIGNOSIS, meaning a full, experiential knowledge. The believers reward is God Himself. There is fuller, more complete knowledge of the Father and the Son that is revealed by the Spirit as we grow up in Christ. As this knowledge comes, your faith skyrockets! It is experiential knowledge, so the learning of God is as much out on the streets as it is in hitting the books. Meet God at the corner of Third and Main!

the eyes of your understanding (Grk. KARDIA) being enlightened (Grk. PHOTISMOS);

KARDIA is your ‘heart,’ your inner man, your spirit. God speaks to your spirit, then your spirit speaks to your soul and mind. Many times, you may have a word in your spirit which contradicts the word that is in your mind, causing a conflict in you. In wisdom and love go with the word in your spirit. Without revelation you are in the dark. Do you see why God intended for every born again one to be filled with the Spirit?

The first time I consciously got revelation I was sending in an offering by mail to a local ministry. I had an envelope but no address for the office. I closed my eyes and asked the Lord to give me the address. I pictured my empty envelope. Suddenly, I saw the address on the envelope in my mind. I wrote it on the envelope in my hand and sent it in the mail. A few days later a ‘thank you’ from the ministry came back to me. They had received my mail with the address I got from Heaven’s directory!

…that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding (Grk. HUPERBALLON) greatness (Grk. MEGETHOS) of His power (Grk. DUNAMIS) toward us who believe…

These three realities keep me going, keep me on fire for the Lord. I must admit the hope of Heaven would seem hollow and fruitless if I didn’t see Heaven come to earth right now. How can you trust Him to bless you up there if He doesn’t bless you down here? The inheritance indicates that we share with our beloved Lord fully in all that He is as the Christ. Think that through for a minute! Do you think you have access to twelve legions of angels to help you in any situation? Yes, you do.

Then you get to that third great reality – HUPERBALLON, MEGETHOS, DUNAMIS – the great practical reality of what we can do right now. This stuff is so much fun that it makes me forget I’m an old white guy! HUPERBALLON literally means to throw beyond the mark. The mark is what you are aiming towards, but the power of God goes way beyond – exceeding, abundantly above – the bare minimum of what you are aiming for. Its like I teach our people – always go for the greater, and you will at least get the lesser. But if you only go for the lesser, you will never get the greater. Aim high, and HUPERBALLON will take you even higher!

They two were ‘Peaches and Cream.’ Don’t ask me why! I certainly at the time did not understand teenage girls, and women in general remain much of a blessed mystery to me. But ‘Cream’ got instantly healed of a broken ankle, shocking all of us, when I prayed for her, a first for me. High school was so much fun after I got filled with the Spirit…

MEGETHOS – greatness – sounds like the name of a Christian rock music group, probably from Seattle. But it’s a reality for every born again one to enjoy! You can believe God for the impossible according to what God has revealed to you. I’m so excited because I see we are starting to build believers all over the world that are seeking to do the impossible, who aren’t satisfied with mundane Christianity, and who are changing the face of the Church and their nations.

…according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

DUNAMIS is our potential power that we access by the gifts of the Spirit, the power that created the universe, crushed demons and raised Jesus from the dead. Joshua used it to stop the sun and moon for about a day, a fact that is scientifically verified. What are you using it for?

Again note that exercising spiritual authority is directly related to the gifts of the Spirit including, of course, speaking in tongues.

And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Eph 1:17-23 NKJV

All things under His feet equals all things under our feet because we members of His body.  This is a great truth of our inheritance in Him. Now, we have to learn how to manifest and demonstrate that inheritance. We can change cities and nations. In fact, we ought to run cities and nations. Why let the devil be in charge of anything? Born again, Spirit filled ones should be in decision making positions for all of our communities, cities and nations. The world will become a far better place!

Dear one, if you are enjoying this teaching, forward it to your pastor and all your other friends. Lets turn the world upside down!

We are going to continue our study of the complete believer. But I want you to see right now is that the Lord intended every born again one to be filled with the Spirit, and that the Pauline epistles, the Church epistles of Romans through Thessalonians, were written in light of that assumption. We are on a journey to the throne of God, dear one, and Holy Spirit will take us there! Love you…

Remember dear one, we must be about our Father’s business…