Bible Study - Power of Prayer and Knowing Who We Are in CHRIST!!! - October 5, 2025

Bible Study – Power of Prayer – Philippians 1:9-10 – October 5, 2025

The world is churning. We see unrest in our world. What can we, as Christians, do? Philippians 1:9-11:

⁹ And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

In our last week’s study, we discussed “suiting up for battle.”

Christians can look around, and evil has the upper hand. Evil still tries to silence the true Gospel of Salvation and silence those who know the truth. What can we do???

As Spirit-born Christians, we are to pray.

What happened when Charlie Kirk was assassinated? It made the message of JESUS stronger. It gave people, in general, a deeper awareness of their mortality. Many people have become keenly aware of, “What next after physical death?”

That is the Good News of the Gospel of CHRIST. All who place their faith in JESUS will never experience the death of their physical body.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:1-5: Boasting is necessary. It is not profitable, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 

Spiritual matters have to be discerned and may seem foolish to the non-Christian public. So, as The Apostle moved on, so will we --------

The man, the Apostle Paul knew, is believed to be Paul himself.

² I know a man in Christ who was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know; God knows.

Where is the third Heaven? The first heaven is where the birds fly and the second heaven is where the stars, moon, and planets exist, and the third Heaven is where GOD is.

I have spoken with several people who have witnessed Heaven including me. (If you care to read about my experience, go to my blog, actsclass.blogspot.com. In the upper left there should be a blank space. If you type the name Mrs. Green and press enter, it should take you to what I witnessed while fully awake, while driving on I-85 on a beautiful day.)

Back to The Apostle Paul and what is believed to be his witness of Heaven.

³ I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I don’t know; God knows— ⁴ was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a human being is not allowed to speak. ⁵ I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses.

When the Jews had JESUS crucified, it silenced HIM for three days on earth, but JESUS was still on mission.

It is through JESUS and HIS Passion, eternal salvation was fully established through faith in JESUS, HIS bodily resurrection. JESUS walked upon earth for 40 days until HE bodily ascended into Heaven and JESUS took HIS seat at the right hand of GOD, HIS FATHER.

And The FATHER of all who place their faith in JESUS. JESUS intercedes for those born-again and for those seeking to be in right relationship with GOD.

As Christians, we have CHRIST in us since we have been “born-again” by the Holy Spirit, which is the divine Sperm of GOD.

Our brother, through our Spiritual birth is JESUS. JESUS has already defeated evil and when we place our faith in JESUS, we are Born into GOD’S Family through the miracle of Spiritual Birth. We become a child of GOD, via the miracle of being “born-again” by The HOLY SPIRIT. This results in those who take this step of faith, in JESUS and HIS Passion, which includes the bodily resurrection of JESUS from the physically dead to eternally alive and a member of GOD’S Family.

WHO is your FATHER? If you are a “born-again” believer in JESUS, your Spiritual FATHER is GOD. How did that take place? Did you die upon the cross with JESUS? In essence, YES, you did!!!

Those who place their faith in JESUS and HIS Passion, in essence, died when JESUS died and were resurrected when JESUS was resurrected through our faith in JESUS. Those of faith in JESUS will never experience the death of their human bodies.

In the words of The Apostle Paul:

2 Corinthians 5:1

5 For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. ² Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling, ³ since, when we are clothed,^[a] we will not be found naked. ⁴ Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

⁶ So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Romans 6:8-18

Christian Standard Bible

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, ⁹ because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. ¹⁰ For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹ So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.^[a]

When JESUS gave HIS sinless life upon the cross, those who place their faith in JESUS, also died with JESUS. They were buried and resurrected on the third day. They ascended into Heaven.

What does that mean to those who have been born again by The Holy Spirit? It means that all who have been born again, through faith in JESUS will not experience the death of their human body.

The Apostle Paul said it best in 2 Corinthians 5:8:

Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Back to Romans 6:12-18:

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey^[b] its desires. ¹³ And do not offer any parts^[c] of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace. (I love being under grace, through faith in JESUS. Why? Because those under GOD’S Grace are all ways in fellowship with GOD, JESUS, and THE HOLY SPIRIT!!! NOW THAT IS LOVE FROM OUR FATHER AND JESUS AS CONFIRED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT!!! LET THAT POUR OVER YOU AS A BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIAN!

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God

¹⁵ What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Absolutely not! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone^[d] as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed^[e] over, ¹⁸ and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.

Philippians 1:9-10 (Christian Standard Bible) 

And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ,

When we look around at the things happening in the world, it may seem that evil is winning.

As Christians, we must keep in our minds that evil killed JESUS, but GOD resurrected HIM from the dead to reveal to all that what evil plans GOD shows that HE is greater.

We look around and see and hear of much evil taking place but there is also much good taking place. The curtain has been opened to reveal both evil and GOD’S work that is taking place.

It is time that, we as Christians, pray for wisdom for the decision makers in our government and the governments around the world. There are unprecedented world governments trying to be a part of the things taking place and Satan is not liking what may come together on the world stage.

What do we, as Christians do? We pray! Come, LORD JESUS, COME!

Pray for the world, the world leaders.

Pray for JESUS to come!!!

Let’s read Philippians 1:9-10 (Christian Standard Bible): 

And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ,

The Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Phillipi.

Christians must focus “on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment.”

Focus on that which helps us, as Christians, to grow in knowledge and to discern, as we seek knowledge. We must keep in our minds that we, who know the truth, are the target of deceit. All “Spirit-born” Christians are in battle every day. We must study, test and apply truth.

Know, as recorded in 1 John 4: The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world.

Know that as we get closer to the second coming of JESUS, study and know GOD’S Word! WHY?

²³ “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Over here!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 

Blessings!!!