Experience over Knowledge

Ephesians 3:17-19

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Paul wrote the book of Ephesians to the Church at Ephesus with a desire to encourage and bring unity to their body of believers. He expressed the need for a savior for both Jews and Non-Jews. In this particular passage in Ephesians, we find a template of focus for the body of believers. His instruction is to be rooted in love with one another and to bond together to experience the fullness of Christ’s love.

His first suggestion is to be rooted in love. Christ gave a perfect example of love in his sacrifice for our sins on the cross, his service to those he did not know and the relationships he built while on earth. As followers of Christ, our service and relationships are what people see the most. Guarding these aspects of our lives can be tough, which is why Paul recommends support. Paul recognizes that support and accountability can be achieved through numbers within the existing body and those who have come before us. Finding great mentors to pour into us to learn from our mistakes and theirs can be encouraging.

Lastly, Paul lets us know that Christ and his love is not something that can just be read. It is something that has to be experienced and experienced together. This love is something that is first experienced through salvation and grows through a personal relationship with God. Salvation and this personal relationship are centered around the faith we have in the immeasurable love of Christ. Recognize the depth of this love and share it with others through simple acts of kindness, prayer, and service. Take more time to experience God’s love through these actions rather than just learn about him. If we strive to be rooted in love together through the example of Christ, he will do more than we could ever ask or imagine. (Verse 20