Ephesians 6:18-24
Rich Lanning
2-23-25
Introduction
Pastor Rich mentioned some fantasy story power sources, one of which was the flux capacitor from “Back to the Future.” Watch this short clip from the movie to introduce the idea of power sources.
Background
The verses before our passage today described the armor that God has provided Christians in our battle against our enemy.
Ask: Who is our enemy? Can you remember all the parts of the armor and the weapon we have to use against him? [The list is in Ephesians 6:13-17]
Like the flux capacitor worked with the DeLorean to move it through time, so Christians have a power source to complete our armor for carrying out the work of God’s kingdom.
Looking into the scripture passage
Read: Ephesians 6:18-19
Ask: According to these verses, what is the power source we need to use?
[It’s important to note that prayer is defined here as IN THE SPIRIT. This is a challenging concept for adults, so it takes some work to explain it to kids]
What do you think it means to pray “in the Spirit?” Pastor Rich gave us some examples.
- We can’t pray with the kind of attitudes in our heart that God hates (e.g., Proverbs 6:16-19), so praying in the Spirit involves repenting of our sin.
- The Lord’s prayer gives us a model of the attitude we should have.
Read Matthew 6:7-13.
We pray humbly recognizing God’s holiness and our dependence on him as our Father.
- The Lord’s prayer also tells us what God wants us to be asking.
- Ask: What are some things we can ask that we know are God’s will? [help in temptation, growth in the church, strong marriages, love between brothers, boldness to speak the gospel, people to come to faith in Jesus, etc…]
Apply the passage
Ask: What word is used four times in verse 18? [“all”]
Let’s look at these four “Alls”.
Activity 1 At all times. List some times when you already pray (meals, bedtime, family devotions, church, etc…). When are some other times you could pray? How about when you’re brushing your teeth or doing your chores? When you’re driving to lessons or practices? Be creative with what might work for your family. Choose one to begin practicing this week.
Activity 2 All kinds of prayer. This means we can pray spontaneously and we can pray prayers that have been written out for us. We can pray happy prayers and sad prayers. The book of Psalms is full of both kinds of these prayers. Try praying some Psalms this week.
Activity 3 With all perseverance. Sometimes we are distracted from praying. How can your family overcome your particular distractions? List them out and come up with a plan to deal with each one.
Activity 4 For all the saints. Create a family prayer journal of others you are praying for. Global Christian Relief has an app that helps you pray for our persecuted brothers around the world. Find a time each week when your family could pray from that.
Memorize
Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Practice the verse
Say the verse out loud ten times every morning this week. That’s a taste of without ceasing.
Extra Stuff
Seeing Jesus in the passage
Jesus taught about prayer in ways that help us think about the “alls” of Ephesians 6:18.
Read: Luke 11:1-15
Songs to sing
“Helmets and Swords” (Seeds Kids Worship)
Books to read (these can be borrowed from the Kidstuff table in the church foyer)
Prayer is an Adventure by Patricia St. John (middle grades level)
Any Time Any Place Any Prayer by Laura Wifler (Tales that Tell the Truth series)
Every Moment Holy a series of liturgies for the stuff of life (not available at the resource table)
