KaBoom!

No – I am not trying to sell you a laundry detergent that was promoted by the late pitchman, Billy Mays. I want to tell you about some of the most power-packed verses in the whole Bible! They are so power-packed that KaBoom is the best word that I can think of to describe it.

So to which verses am I referring? Ephesians 1:19-20 is the reference. It says, “and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which he brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.”


Verse 19 includes four kaboom worthy words – power, strength, working, and might*. Verses 19-20 are part of a beautiful prayer that Paul is bestowing on the Ephesian believers. He desperately wants them to understand the power they possess within because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Ephesus has been described as a “city of magic” by some scholars because of all of the witchcraft, sorcery, and magic that was going on there. These new believers needed to understand that the power of God in Christ is supreme over anything that Satan could hand out to his demons.

Note that it refers to God’s surpassing greatness. Surpassing means that his power is in a whole other realm beyond what we can even imagine. Guess who that power is directed toward – us who believe!! Get ready for a little grammar lesson. The verb tense of “believe” is a present active participle. That means that this power is directed toward those who are actively, presently, and continually believing in God! What about it? Is God catching us in the current act of “believing”? I know many of us “have believed” in God at some point, but are we believing in God at this very moment?? (ref. Believing God, Moore, B.)


This power directed toward those of us who are believing is simply an overflow (“in accordance with”) of the nature of God. The same strength and might that brought Christ up out of that grave and seated Him at the right hand of God is dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit of promise! Do we “present active participle” believe this? If we do, our lives will be marked by the sweet fruit of the Spirit.

*Here are the Greek words and definitions for all of you word-geeks like 🙂

•  Power (Gr. dynamis) is the strength or ability
•  Working (Gr. energeia) is efficiency
• Strength (Gr. kratos) is power or might
• Might (Gr. ischys) is God’s inherent strength or power