Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Silence and Solitude (Part One) (RP1)


(Audio version; Music: "Touch The Sky" by: Hillsong United and "Great I AM" by: WorshipMob)









Introduction

Silence and solitude are not necessarily prized in our culture. Silence and solitude are an odd paradox that most people just can’t seem to grasp. In our fast-paced world of constant connectivity, we tend to forget that we hear best when we are in the midst of silence. Our lives are filled with noise of some sort both auditory and visual. Over a period of time we don’t even realize that we can no longer hear God’s voice. Additionally, when we are constantly surrounded by people, we tend to see primarily the faults of others and become blind to our own. However, we have a tendency to see  and examine ourselves more clearly in the mirror of solitude. The practice of silence and solitude was once a crucial discipline in the spiritual health and growth of Christians. I’d like to introduce you to the discipline as a practice that is now a regular part of my daily life. Before I begin my lesson, I want to share a short story with you written in 1889 by Anton Chekhov titled “The Bet.” The story illustrates the dramatic and transformational power of silence and solitude. Faced with ourselves, what will we learn? Will we allow silence and solitude to change us? Will it change our perspective?

The Bet” by Anton Chekhov, a Russian writer of the last half of the nineteenth century, involves a wager between two educated men regarding solitary confinement. A wealthy, middle-aged banker believed that the death penalty was a more humane penalty than solitary confinement because, “An executioner kills at once, solitary confinement kills gradually.” One of his guests at a party, a young lawyer of twenty-five disagreed, saying, “To live under any conditions is better than not to live at all.”

Angered, the banker impulsively responded with a bet of two million rubles that the younger man could not last five years in solitary confinement. The lawyer was so convinced of his endurance that he announced he would stay fifteen years alone instead of only five.

The arrangements were made and the young man moved into a separate building on the grounds of the banker’s large estate. He was allowed no visitors or newspapers. He could write letters but receive none. There were guards watching to make sure he never violated the agreement, but they were placed so that he could never see another human being from his windows. He received his food in silence through a small opening where he could not see those who served him. Everything else he wanted—books, certain foods, musical instruments, etc.—was granted by special written request.

The story develops with a description of the things the lawyer asked for through the years and the observations of the guards who occasionally stole a glance through a window. During the first year the piano could be heard at almost any hour and he asked for many books, mostly novels and other light reading. The next year the music ceased and the works of various classical authors were requested. In the sixth year of his isolation he began to study languages and soon had mastered six. After the tenth year of his confinement, the prisoner sat motionless at the table and read the New Testament. After more than a year’s saturation of the Bible he began to study the history of religion and works on theology. During the last two years his reading broadened to cover many subjects in addition to theology.

The second half of the story focuses on the night before the noon deadline when the lawyer will win the bet. The banker is now at the end of his career. His risky speculations and impetuosity had gradually undermined his business. The once self-confident millionaire was now a second-rate banker and to pay off the wager would destroy him. Angry at his foolishness and jealous of the soon-to-be-wealthy man who was now only forty, the old banker determines to kill his opponent and frame the guard with the murder. Slipping into the man’s room he finds him asleep at the table and notices a letter the lawyer has written to him. He picked it up and read the following:

“Tomorrow at twelve o'clock I shall be free, but before leaving this room, I find it necessary to say a few words to you. With a clear conscience, and before God, who sees me, I declare to you that I despise freedom and life and health and all that your books call the joys of this world. For fifteen years I have studied attentively the life of this world. It is true that I neither saw the earth nor its peoples, but in your books I lived. I sang songs, I hunted the deer and the wild boar in the forests. In your books I climbed to the summit of Elburz and Mont Blanc, and I saw from those heights the sun rise in the morning, and at night it shed its purple glow over the sky and the ocean and the mountain-tops. I saw beneath me the flashing lightning cut through the clouds. I saw green fields, forests, rivers, lakes and towns. I heard the song of the sirens and the music of the shepherd's reed-pipes. I felt the touch of the wings of beautiful angels who had flown to me to talk about God. Your books gave me wisdom. All that had been achieved by the untiring brain of man during long centuries is stored in my brain in a small compressed mass. I know I am wiser than you all. And I despise all your books, I despise all earthly blessings and wisdom. All is worthless and false, hollow and deceiving like the mirage. You may be proud, wise and beautiful, but death will wipe you away from the face of the earth, as it does the mice that live beneath your floor; and your heirs, your history, your immortal geniuses will freeze or burn with the destruction of the earth. You have gone mad and are not following the right path. You take falsehood for truth, and deformity for beauty. To prove to you how I despise all that you value I renounce the two millions on which I looked, at one time, as the opening of paradise for me, and which I now scorn. To deprive myself of the right to receive them, I will leave my prison five hours before the appointed time, and by so doing break the terms of our compact.”

The banker read these lines, replaced the paper on the table, kissed the strange, sleeping man and with tears in his eyes quietly left the house. Never before, not even after sustaining serious losses on change, had he despised himself as he did at that moment. His tears kept him awake the rest of the night. And at seven the next morning he was informed by the watchman that they had seen the man crawl through a window, go to the gate, and then disappear.

Silence and Solitude Defined

The discipline of silence is the temporary and voluntary abstention from speaking. Sometimes it is practiced in order to read, write, pray, etc. Although there is no audible speaking, there is internal dialogue with God and with self. Sometimes silence is maintained not only outwardly but also inwardly in a more meditative state to allow God’s voice to be heard more clearly.

Solitude is the discipline of temporarily withdrawing or separating oneself to a place of privacy. The duration depends on the intended purpose and can last for only a few moments or for very long periods of time. It should, however, be a temporary and completely voluntary practice. Essentially, solitude is sought in order to participate without interruption in other Spiritual Disciplines or to be alone with God.

Naturally, silence and solitude are often practiced together. It is often recorded in the Gospels how Jesus went off by himself to pray. In his book, A Center of Quiet-Hearing God When Life is Noisy, David Runcorn writes, “Punctuation is a helpful way of thinking about Jesus’ relationship with silence and solitude. Jesus punctuated his life with silence and solitude. His times alone were the commas, pauses and full stops in the story of his life. They gave the rest of his life its structure, direction and balance. His words and his works were born out of those hours of silent waiting upon God.”[1]


Biblical Support

            There are, of course, many reasons for making the discipline of silence and solitude a normative practice. Below are two such important reasons:

Reason #1: To follow Jesus’ example.

            Part of what it means to “follow” Jesus is to imitate Him—How He related to people and how He related to the Father. If you think you’re life is busy, imagine how busy Jesus must have been as the Savior of the world! There was much to do and He only had three short years to do it. There were so many misconceptions about God that He had to correct. So many people were desperate for the coming of the Messiah and He had to convince them that He was the one they were waiting for. In order to do that, He taught relentlessly and performed countless miracles for all to witness. He had to constantly confront the religious leaders of His day in order to expose their hypocrisy. There was always something to do or somewhere to go but Jesus never neglected the most important thing in His life—the intimate connection He had with the Father. And taking time out of our lives to remember the intimate connection we have with Jesus should be one of the most important things for us to practice as well.

v Matthew 4:1—“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” The Holy Spirit led Jesus into this lengthy period of fasting and solitude. Paul says that the battles in our lives are not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of this dark world. Often in the midst of silence and solitude is where we engage that dark world on a spiritual level.

v Matthew 14:23—“After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.” He sent both the multitudes and His disciples away so He could be alone with the Father. Popularity can be intoxicating. However, at some point our main priority must be time alone with Jesus.

v Mark 1:35—“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” The previous verses tell us that after dark “the whole city” gathered at the door of the house where Jesus was staying. There He healed many people and cast out demons. But before it was daylight again, He went to spend time alone. It can be hard to find the time to be attentive to all the things that are screaming for our attention. Nevertheless, our time alone with Jesus must be intentional.

v Luke 4:42—“At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them.” We love to feel needed—the sense of importance/power/indispensability, that comes from doing something no one else can do. Jesus, however, did not succumb to those temptations. He knew the importance of disciplining Himself to be alone.

Reason #2: To hear the voice of God better.

Wayne Oates in his book, Nurturing Silence in a Noisy Heart, writes, “Some very important silences are indications that serious trouble is approaching, very near, or right upon you. You cannot afford to ignore these silences. You can ignore them; many people do so; no one does so safely. These silences are prophetic silences—they are filled with messages from God about critical conditions in your present, unlearned lessons from your past, and the shape of things to come for your future.”[2] Sometimes it is necessary to get away from earthly noise in order to hear from God more clearly. For example, Elijah fled to Mt. Horeb where he heard the “gentle whisper” of God's voice (1 Kings 19:11-13). Habakkuk stood guard at his post and kept watch to see what God would say to him (Habakkuk 2:1). When we are alone and silent, we can do exactly what Habakkuk was doing—listen! Richard Foster in his book, Celebration of Discipline-The Path to Spiritual Growth, writes, “Without silence there is no solitude. Though silence sometimes involves the absence of speech, it always involves the act of listening.”[3]

Part One Conclusion

There are so many other reasons to practice the discipline of silence and solitude including, physical, mental and emotional restoration, worship, intercession, confession and most importantly to experience and enjoy the connectedness we have with Jesus. It isn’t absolutely necessary to get far away from noises and people in order to hear God speak to us or to make an accurate self-examination. There are, however, times to eliminate the voices of the world around us in order to hear the voice of God and see ourselves more clearly.

Part Two Preview

            In next week’s lesson we’ll take a look at the historical uses and abuses of the practice of silence and solitude and some suggestions for how you can incorporate the practice into your lives on a consistent basis.





[1] David Runcorn, A Center of Quiet-Hearing God When Life is Noisy, (Downers Grove, IL, InterVarsity Press, 1990), pp. 5-6.
[2] Wayne E. Oates, Nurturing Silence in a Noisy Heart, (Garden City, NY, Doubleday & Company, 1979), p. 83.
[3] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline-The Path to Spiritual Growth, (HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY, 1998), p. 98.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

The Armor of God


(Audio version; Music: "Same Power" by: Jeremy Camp and "From The Inside Out" by Hillsong)








Introduction

            You have to admit that we live some strange and dangerous times. Nevertheless, most people blithely go about their daily business seemingly without a care in the world. With a shrug of the shoulder they brush aside blatant greed, corruption, lawlessness, brutality, and even murder as though they are an inevitable reality. However, if you’re anything like me, you can’t help but wonder what in the world is going on. At times it feels like every day is a battle against one more obscenity that assaults a biblical worldview. Muslims in the middle-east continue their murderous onslaught against Jews and Christians. Muslim rape gangs have made parts of Europe virtually uninhabitable for indigenous residents. Muslims in America continue their insidious plan to introduce Sharia Law in bits and pieces. And all the while, leaders here in America and abroad continue to desperately defend Islam as a religion of peace even with all the historical and contemporary evidence to the contrary.

            Here in America we have a national administration that has abandoned any attempt at trying to shake hands with the truth. Instead of upholding the laws on which our country was founded, they expend precious resources devising new and better ways of skirting the laws they were elected to uphold. Normally, our unique system of government provides hope for change every four years and this year brings an end to one of, if not the most, lawless and divisive administrations in American history. Unfortunately, the impending change offers little hope as the leading candidate from one party is an arrogant and bombastic narcissist whose speech and behavior is nothing short of nauseating. And one of the two leading candidates of the opposing party is desperately trying to keep from being indicted on federal charges for failing to secure national secrets while the other leading candidate of the same party can’t wait to destroy the few real freedoms we have left in our country by imposing his devoutly socialistic worldview on the rest of us.

            We watched as a courageous group of activists exposed the gruesome practices of the baby killing industry only to see many of our national leaders quickly race to the defense of the murderers and condemn those who exposed their practice of selling dismembered baby parts. We watched in horror as the killers being taped with hidden cameras boasted over dinner and drinks about how much money they were making selling baby parts. They bragged about the fancy cars and luxurious lifestyles it afforded them. And for true Christians, it is all the more painful when we realize that it is our tax dollars that make it all possible as the abortion industry receives hundreds of millions of dollars every year in tax subsidies and grants. However, the horrifying images captured on film seemed to have little affect on forcing any change whatsoever. In fact, in an effort to further embolden the baby killing industry, those who captured the admission of evil on tape for the whole world to witness have themselves been indicted on criminal charges because they publicized confessions of the abortionists who didn’t know they were being filmed or taped. I guess we aren’t supposed to know how our tax dollars are being used.

            From the opening pages of the Bible, it is clear that marriage was supposed to be between a man and a woman. For thousands of years, Christians have taken for granted that homosexuality is a sin. The Bible is very clear that God abhors homosexuality. However, in recent years, the insidious nature of homosexuality has taken root even in the Church with some denominations readily accepting it as an acceptable alternative lifestyle! Can you image that? Even in the face of all biblical admonitions against all forms of sexual impurity including homosexuality, homosexuality has suddenly been deemed acceptable. And all this is driven by activists that have, for some time now, tried to impose this same immorality on the culture at large. Not only is it no longer acceptable to declare homosexuality as sinful, Christian businesses have been successfully sued for refusing to participate in homosexual marriage celebrations. In short, Christians are being fined and have even gone to jail for agreeing with God!

            For many of us, every day feels like a battle against all the forces warring against God. And in many respects, that’s exactly what it is—a battle. But not the kind you fight with bullets and bombs. It’s the kind you fight with truth and righteousness. And it is a battle that is far more ferocious than even the bloodiest battles in our world’s history. This battle is a battle not for land, or freedom, or even ideals. This is a battle for souls and it is fought on a different battlefield; it is fought on a spiritual battlefield. On the spiritual battlefield Kevlar, bullets, and bombs won’t help us. On the spiritual battlefield our only hope of survival is to wear The Armor of God.

Subject Text

Ephesians 6:10-18

            10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Context

            Paul’s letter to the Ephesians wasn’t written to address any specific issue. Instead, it was written to encourage the Church in Ephesus in the way they should face and present themselves to the unbelieving world around them. Paul reminded them who they were as Christians and the new life they now had through Christ. More importantly, the letter to the Ephesians explained how husbands and wives were supposed to relate to one another, how children were supposed to relate to their parents, and how employers and employees should treat each other. Paul implored the Ephesians to be imitators of God because they had become children of light. And as children of light they should no longer walk in the darkness as they had done before they became Christians. And finally, Paul understood that the only way the Ephesians could withstand the daily barrage of immorality from the unbelieving world that surrounded them was by being united—by being of one mind as the body of Christ. Paul knew that the Church would be an unstoppable force if it was unified in its commitment to one another and its devotion to Jesus Christ. Paul knew the Church would face opposition in the same way that he constantly faced opposition. In fact, Paul wrote this letter while under arrest in a Roman prison for preaching the gospel. In the same way a military regiment must be united in purpose in order to stand firm and successfully oppose its enemy so the Church must remain united in purpose in order to strand firm and oppose its enemy—Satan.

Text Analysis

            10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

            I wonder if Christians often feel over-matched because they are trying to fight the battle all on their own. I think Christians don’t realize just how strong they are. I wonder if that’s because they’ve forgotten that God is not in some far-off land watching the battle as a spectator would. Instead, God is right here in the battle with us. When we became believers, the Holy Spirit of God came to live within us. Stop and think about that for just a minute. When you have to stand your ground against those who oppose your biblical worldview, it is God who is standing with you and God is an immovable force. God is the Rock upon which unbelievers and those who are unfaithful will smash their lives. That Rock resides in you! According to v. 10, you are strong because God is your strength. I’d like you to do a simple exercise for me tonight or some other night when the skies are clear and look up at the stars in the sky. God created every one of them and placed them in the sky as a reminder to you and me of just how mighty He really is. This same God who placed each star in the sky faces and engages the world through you.

            “The words ‘be strong’ describe continual empowering of the Christian community. God’s strength and power are part of the Kingdom blessings available to God’s people. The power that raised Christ from the dead empowers God’s people as they prepare for the spiritual battle they must face on this earth.”[1]

11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

            Paul’s imagery of wearing armor in vv. 11-13 is strange to many, even most of us. But you have to remember that Ephesus was part of Rome’s conquered territory. In order to maintain the pax romana, the Roman Peace, soldiers were stationed in the larger, influential cities within the various Roman provinces. Ephesus was such an influential city as one of the major centers for travel and commerce within Rome’s vast empire. Consequently, armed Roman soldiers walking the streets would have been a common sight and Paul’s audience would have easily understood the imagery.

            I want you to pay close attention to something Paul is communicating in these verses. Paul’s letter to the Church in Ephesus was written right around 60 A. D. when persecution against Christians was starting to pick up steam. Nero was the Roman Emperor from 54 A. D. to 68 A. D. He is renown as spearheading one of the worst persecution campaigns the early Church experienced. In 64 A. D. he set fire to seventy-five percent of Rome and blamed Christians. While he didn’t need an excuse to persecute Christians, having the public’s support certainly helped and a devastating fire blamed on Christians gave him all the support he needed to brutalize Christians. Christians were sown into animal skins and then put in the coliseum where they were killed by hungry lions. Christians were killed in every possible fashion including crucifixion and dismemberment. To demonstrate his disdain for Christians, Nero had Christians impaled on long poles and set on fire to light the streets leading to the palace and to light the palace gardens. So what’s my point of telling you this? Because look where Paul is placing the blame. Wherever there is evil we will find Satan’s fingerprints. Presidents may be lawless, doctors may kill babies, people may distort God’s definition of marriage but behind it all are the devil’s schemes. This is very important because until we know the enemy then all our efforts in the battle will be useless. Once we know who the enemy is then we can devise an appropriate battle plan. Our battle is not against Presidents or doctors or any other person in this world. Our battle is against Satan and that battle rages in the spiritual realm and that’s where we must be prepared to make our stand.

            Satan has one goal in mind, to prevent those who don’t know Jesus from ever getting to know Him and to discourage those who do know and believe in Jesus in the hopes of turning them away from Jesus’ saving grace. “The evil one is committed to hindering the progress of the gospel and the fulfillment of the divine plan of summing up all things in Christ. He will attempt by his ‘insidious wiles’ to turn believers aside from pursuing the cause of Christ and achieving this goal.

            Mention of the ‘schemes’ of the devil reminds us of the trickery and subterfuge by which evil and temptation present themselves in our lives. Evil rarely looks evil until it accomplishes its goal; it gains entrance by appearing attractive, desirable, and perfectly legitimate. It is a baited and camouflaged trap.

            The apostle’s intention, however, in urging his readers to put on God’s armour is that they might prevail against the stratagems and tactics of this enemy. Paul wants to see Christians strong, stable, and robust so that they remain firm against the devil’s wiles. The notion of doing battle with Satan and the powers of darkness ‘may seem a frightening prospect’, and indeed to take on such formidable foes simply with ‘one’s own resources would be to court disaster’. Believers would be fatally unprotected and exposed. But this paragraph ‘does not foster an attitude of fear. The entire passage is suffused with a spirit of confidence and hope and the reader is left, not with a feeling of despair, but with a sense that Satan can be defeated’.”[2]

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

            Beginning in v. 14 Paul moves from the general imagery of armor to the more specific components of that armor beginning with the belt and the breastplate. Paul refers to the belt as the belt of truth. A belt worn by a soldier kept his clothing tightly bound to his body so that loose clothing wouldn’t become an obstacle during battle. Truth functions in much the same way. Biblical truth allows us to engage the world confidently. Christians are not burdened with relative truth like the unbelieving world around us. First of all, truth is represented by the person of Jesus Christ who called Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Secondly, we are convinced of God’s truth because we have received the Holy Spirit who reminds us of all the things Jesus taught. And finally, God has given us His written word which represents divine truth that we must use to guide our lives.

            Paul refers to the breastplate as the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate was used by soldiers to protect their vital organs—specifically the heart. The breastplate of righteousness works in much the same way by protecting the Christian’s heart from the temptations they face from a sinful, self-prioritizing world. A Christian’s righteousness falls in the already/not yet category. We were made righteous when we became believers because Jesus gave us His righteousness. We are also being made righteous every day as we consistently surrender our way of doing life to God’s way of doing life.

            “When the belt was fastened, the soldier was ‘on duty,’ ready to fight. A slackened belt meant ‘off duty.’ Christians, however, must face each day with a fastened belt, ready to fight the battle when needed. As the belt formed the foundation of the soldier’s armor, the truth is the foundation of the Christian life. When the enemy, the father of lies (Jn 8:44), attacks with his lies, half truths, and distortions, we believers can stand firm in the truth…

            Next, the soldier must put on the body armor of God’s righteousness…Righteousness provides a significant defense, it gives the evidence that we have been made right with God and that this righteousness has been given us by the Holy Spirit. Satan seeks to thwart righteous living. When the enemy, the accuser (Rev 12:10), tries to convince us that we are not really saved, that we just keep on disappointing God, and that we’re ‘poor excuses’ for Christians, we can stand up to him because of the righteousness we have been promised through our faith in Jesus Christ.”[3]

15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

            Paul doesn’t miss a detail when he get’s to a soldier’s footwear in v. 15. You have to remember that Paul isn’t describing modern military movement with troop movement vehicles. Nowadays we can move military personnel thousands of miles in hours using ground and air transport vehicles. During Paul’s day, troops moved around primarily on foot. Some parts of troop movement was by horseback but most was done on foot. Considering the size of Rome’s vast empire, large scale troop movement to the farthest regions could have taken many days or weeks. Consequently, quality footwear was essential because it also needed to survive the rigors of battle in addition to what could be long travel distances.

            For the Christian, wearing quality footwear is the equivalent of being ready to carry the gospel of peace to whomever God may direct. “At the center of the gospel stands the death of Christ on the cross, the peace that this death brings between rebellious humanity and its Creator, and the peace that it brings to the various competing factions within humanity itself. The message of this multifaceted reconciliation is the subject of the church’s proclamation to ‘the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places’. Fully embracing the gospel of peace in faith, then, is necessary preparation for doing battle with the forces of evil, which stands against the believer and against God’s plan to unite all things in heaven and on earth in Christ.”[4]

16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

            We imagine Paul’s description of a shield in v. 16 as being made of bronze or some other metal like we see in the movies used by gladiators. While gladiators and other warriors did use metal shields in battle, the regular Roman soldier was issued a Scutum. It was rectangular and curved so as to wrap around the soldier during battle. It was made of laminated wood and covered in canvas and leather. In order to extinguish the enemy’s flaming arrows, soldiers would soak their shields in water.

            For the Christian, our faith is our shield against Satan’s flaming arrows. Flaming arrows like: “Why would God save someone like you? Look at the mess you’ve made of your life.” Or, “You’re useless. God could never use a screw-up like you.” I could give you a dozen more because I’ve had to use my shield to extinguish those arrows when they were fired at me by Satan. It wasn’t easy and I’ll admit that some of those arrows got through. However over time, as my faith grew stronger, I got better at using my faith as a shield to extinguish Satan’s flaming arrows.

            “Faith is mentioned throughout the letter, and in this context it is the confident trust in and receptiveness to Christ and his power that protects the whole person. Faith takes hold of God’s resources in the midst of the onslaughts of evil and produces the firm resolve which douses anything the enemy throws at the believer. Faith will enable the believer ‘to extinguish all the burning arrows of the evil one’…Here the burning arrows represent every type of assault devised by the evil one, not just temptation to impure or unloving conduct but also false teaching, persecution, doubt, and despair. Faith is the power which enables believers to resist and triumph over such attacks.”[5]

17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

            Finally Paul gets to the last two pieces of a soldier’s equipment in v. 17. The first is a helmet and the second a sword. The value of a helmet in battle is immediately obvious for protection against head injuries. Soldiers continue to wear helmets as part of their combat gear to this day. For the Christian, the soldier’s helmet represents our salvation. With the protection of the helmet that is our salvation, we can stand our ground without fear. Because regardless of what might happen to our mortal bodies, God’s salvation has already signaled our victory over death. “[The] believers’ salvation, already accomplished, will be consummated when Christ comes to claim his own. With the assurance of salvation protecting their minds, Christians can stand against Satan’s attacks. As a blow to the head often means death, so a person without hope of salvation will be easily defeated by the enemy. When the enemy, the Devil (1 Pet 5:8), seeks to devour and destroy God’s people with empty or evil thoughts, trying to get us to doubt our salvation, we can trust in the protection of the helmet. Our salvation will be accomplished, for God has promised it.”[6]

            To this point, Paul has described the defensive elements of a soldier’s armament—how a soldier protects himself against attack. He now comes to a soldier’s primary weapon which was a sword. Although the spear and bow and arrow were weapons used by specialized regiments during the period of the Roman Empire, the sword was standard issue for every soldier. The sword is also the standard issue weapon for the Christian. However, Paul describes the Christian’s sword as the Spirit of God’s word. There are other weapons as well at the disposal of Christians—teaching, preaching, evangelism, etc. But the standard weapon issued to every Christian is God’s word. Too many Christians insist that Christians are supposed to be doormats; they’re supposed to take the abuses heaped on them because that’s what Jesus did. When they came to arrest Him, He didn’t fight back. However, what these Christians fail to realize is that we have not be called to give our lives for the salvation of the world the way Jesus was call to give His life. Additionally, these same Christians conveniently forget how Jesus got in trouble with the ruling authorities in the first place—by constantly confronting and combating their oppressive and manipulative interpretation of the scriptures by speaking the truth of God’s word and demonstrating the Spirit of that word through His actions and attitudes toward those who needed to know the real truth of God.

The sword of God’s word is an offensive weapon not a defensive weapon. It is a signal to the Christian that their task is not only to stand firm but to advance the truth of God’s word in an unbelieving world; it means Christians are to take the battle to the enemy. “The gospel is closely aligned with ‘truth’, ‘salvation’, and ‘peace’ in Ephesians, whereas the devil stands behind the ignorance, estrangement from God, and enmity that characterizes the rebellious, unbelieving world. The gospel, with its proclamation of peace between God and humanity and between warring factions within humanity itself, and with its accompanying implications for day-to-day  living in ‘the righteousness and holiness of the truth’ (4:24), is the sword that will successfully answer every attack of the evil one. It does this, however, not merely because it provides reliable information and outlines a sensible way of life but also because it is the word of God and therefore carries with it the effective power of God.”[7]

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

            Paul finishes this section of verses with an interesting admonition in v. 18 to pray—pray in general and specifically to pray for all Christians. Prayer is as much an element of a Christian’s armament as is a shield or a sword for a soldier of war. Prayer is a shield to protect the Christian against the devil’s schemes and a sword to fight against those schemes. Praying in the Spirit implies prayer that is consistent with God’s will, and in this case God’s will is that Christians must stand firm in the security of their salvation and take the fight to the devil with the truth of the gospel. Praying in the Spirit brings the entire weight of God to bear on the Christian’s particular circumstance in the battle against Satan.

            “ ‘Praying in the Spirit’ does not refer to speaking in tongues…The Spirit communicates God to us, and through him we receive all gifts and empowering from God...No sharp distinction is intended between ‘prayers’ and ‘requests’. By using both words Paul only sought to emphasize prayer. The word translated ‘requests’ is used again in the second half of verse 18 but translated ‘praying’. Prayer is the focal point of this verse, mentioned four times; the word ‘all’ is also used four times, one of which the NIV translates as ‘always’. With this repetition Paul underscores how important prayer is for all of life. The believer’s entire life is one large prayer to God.”[8]

Application

            I love soldiers—I always have. Mind you, I don’t love war but I love the soldiers who are prepared to give their lives in war. I admire them because they have something I don’t always have much of—courage. Growing up with an abusive alcoholic father, I was afraid all the time and I carried much of that fear into my adulthood. Every decision I made came from a place of fear. Every decision I made was an effort at self-preservation and to avoid conflict. But soldiers are different. Soldiers stand their ground when they’re ordered to stand their ground; even in the face of insurmountable odds. When the time comes and the battle is at its fiercest, a soldier won’t retreat unless ordered to do so. Instead, a soldier will race headlong into the teeth of the battle because that’s what soldiers do and that’s what makes them so special.

            It seems so unlikely that God would call me to be a pastor and place me directly into the crosshairs of a world that hates the gospel that I’ve been called to preach. But once I made the commitment to be a faithful follower of Christ instead of pretending to be one, God spent the last thirty years preparing me even though at times I still manage to stumble over the obstacle of my fear. That’s why this lesson has always been so important for me and I hope it will be helpful for you as well. I want to remind you in the same way that I have to remind myself. If you are a faithful follower of Christ, you are stronger and more courageous than you realize when you face the devil’s schemes that attempt to derail your faithfulness. Like a soldier preparing for battle, you too must prepare for battle with the belt of God’s truth wrapped around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness protecting your heart, and with footwear that will carry the gospel message wherever God may be leading you. You’ll also need a shield to deflect the constant onslaught from Satan who will throw everything at you in order to try and discourage you and destroy your faith. Be sure to remember the helmet that is the hope of your salvation and as a reminder that even if Satan’s schemes lead to the death of your body, your eternal life is beyond his reach. And now that you are fitted to defend yourself, you can take up the Spirit’s sword which is God’s word and race headlong into the teeth of the battle if necessary because you have been outfitted with The Armor of God.





[1] Bruce Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, and Dave Veerman, Life Application New Testament Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), p. 832.
[2] Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians—The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999), p. 464.
[3] Bruce Barton, et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary, p. 833.
[4] Frank Thielman, Ephesians—Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), p. 426.
[5] Andrew T. Lincoln, Ephesians—Word Biblical Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1990), pp. 449-450.
[6] Bruce Barton, et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary, p. 833.
[7] Frank Thielman, Ephesians, pp. 429-430.
[8] Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians—The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 344-345.