God's Armor

This is a serious battle so you better get your gear on.

Ephesians 6:10-13  A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  11  Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.

12  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.   

13  Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

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Our world has seen wars come and go, the battle between men can last for months or a few years and then it is over, there are estimates that there have been over three thousand wars in recorded history.

There is a different kind of battle taking place that has been raging for a long time, it is a battle that has caused many casualties and the enemy has taken captive a lot of prisoners, it is a battle that many people don't realize is happening or they just don't care. We are in a fierce war with a powerful enemy but we have no reason to be afraid if we are on the Lord's side.

The Enemy: Satan

1 Peter 5:8  Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Satan is seen in different forms in scripture, as a deceiving serpent, as an angel of light that wants to trick us and also as a roaring lion that is ready to devour and destroy. He resist every effort that we make to do something to please God and he wishes to destroy us by violent opposition, persecution, and death.

The Battle: Against Demons

Ephesians 6:12 warns us that one of Satan's most effective strategies is the delusion that everything is fine and that there isn't any serious threat in the supernatural realm. This is a very big danger and it is very naive and it leads to apathy, and indifference.

It is very dangerous to be a part of paganism, the occult, and various other things that Satan uses to trick people into his schemes. It looks harmless and it looks like a lot of fun to some people but the danger is real.

The Provision: The Armor of God

2 Corinthians 10:4  We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

The Greek word translated "put on" (enduo) carries the idea of permanence. The full armor of God is not something to be put on and taken off, there isn't a casual day where you can choose to wear part of the armor and you can't rely on a friend that is using part of the armor that you are missing.

We already know that we aren't fighting mankind and the enemy is in the spirit world so we should realize that we cannot rely on man's weapons any more than David could rely on Saul's armor.

The Victory: Standing Firm

1 Peter 5:9  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

The way to gain the victory is to stand firm. At the beginning of Jesus ministry he stood firm for forty days in the desert and and as his time on Earth came to an end he was bombarded by Satan again in the Garden of Gethsemane until he was sweating drops of blood. (Luke 4:2, 22:44)

Victory in Jesus
1 John 5:4-5  For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.  5  And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Notice that John says in the verses above that all of God's children will have victory over this evil world. That's a big deal because the enemy is very powerful but God has provided for our ultimate victory in heaven and he has provided the gear that we need to wear so that we will make it through the battle that is going on down here.

Thank you Lord for giving me the tools that I need to be able to live in this world and to be able to stand firm against Satan's attack.

Walk In Wisdom

Not all wisdom is created equal so be careful who's wisdom you follow.

Ephesians 5:15-17  So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise.  16  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  17  Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

Titus 2:11-14  For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.   

12  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13  while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.   

14  He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

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There was a lot of interest in wisdom in the society that Paul was living in. The people of the city of Ephesus included many Greeks that would be familiar with the popular philosophy and wisdom that the nearby city of Athens is famous for.

These lovers of wisdom studied the concepts of logic and the idea of reality, our existence, and knowledge. The wisdom that these people had is foolishness to God, the Greek idea of wisdom was about the mind and having superior intellect but God wants his people to have wisdom from him which is about living by his standards, the two viewpoints do not mix well.

The converted pagans had a difficult time breaking away from the man made gods and the philosophies of man. It doesn't take any effort to live contrary to God's wisdom, the wisdom of man comes naturally to us, it seems logical to us. It takes effort to align your idea of wisdom with God's because we can't comprehend his wisdom. How can the first be last or the greatest be the least?

Job 12:13 “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his."

Since our minds are programed to think that God's wisdom doesn't make sense, we have to be careful that we are following God's wisdom instead of mans. Sometimes we trick ourselves into believing that our human wisdom is actually God's wisdom so that we can do what we want to do.

Traits of the fool: Disbelief Luke 24:25  Then Jesus said to them, "You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Disobey Galatians 3:3  How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Desire Wrong Things 1 Timothy 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. Does Wrong James 3:15  For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.

There is a connection between having God's wisdom, his righteousness and being devoted to him and there is a connection between being a fool and being involved in wicked behavior. We cannot be like God and be wise and also be involved in the pleasures of this world.

Lord, I am looking forward to the day that you return and this battle with human wisdom is over. I want to live by your wisdom and accept the truth of your word. The day of your return is way more exciting to me than the empty pleasures of this world.

Live In The Light

We need to be concerned about who we are making happy.

Ephesians 5:6-14  Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him.  7  Don't participate in the things these people do.

8  For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!  9  For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.  10  Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

11  Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.  12  It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.  13  But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,  14  for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

John 8:12  Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

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There are a lot more people in this world that are living to please themselves than there are that try to live to please God. It can be easy to be fooled into thinking that it really doesn't matter very much how I live but the entire Bible tells me that isn't correct. From cover to cover the message of the Bible to God's people is that he wants them to be different.

Ever since man was created, God has desired to have fellowship with us, but we cannot allow ourselves to be involved in the sins that the world gets wrapped up in and think that we will be able to maintain a close personal relationship with God.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13  "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases Him, and love Him and serve Him with all your heart and soul.  13  And you must always obey the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

Before we began following Jesus we were in the dark, intellectually we were ignorant and morally we were evil, we could not help but do what pleases ourselves. The devil has plenty of delightful tricks to get us to stay in the dark, that's where he wants to keep us, it is so much "fun" that we won't even realize that we are in the dark.

Living in light means living in truth and living in holiness, living to find out what pleases God, the light exposes the devils tricks and the lies that he tells you about how good life is in the dark. God's way is best, he has our best interest at heart, he wants to give us life more abundantly and he wants to change our eternal destination.

Before we became God's children we were living in a dark cave without any source of light. We couldn't know which way to go, we couldn't see to take care of ourselves, we were hopeless to do anything without the light.Then we get rescued from that hopeless environment and the next thing you know we go running back into the cave. It is amazing that we think that there is something better for us back in the dark.

Turn away from evil.

Titus 2:12-14  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,  13  while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.  14  He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Light and dark don't mix and so the the characteristics, if you're going to walk as a child of light, goodness, righteousness, truth cannot mix with the evil, unrighteous lies of the children of the dark. We are told not to do the things that they do and we are to shine our light so that it exposes the shameful things that they are doing.

I must be determined to shine my light in this dark world. It is a crime for a lighthouse to be out of service when the storms of life are raging and people desperately need the hope of Jesus.

Out With The Old, In With The New

God's children shouldn't look like the rest of the world.

Ephesians 4:21-24  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him,  22  throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.   

23  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  24  Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy.

Ephesians 5:6-7 Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him.  7  Don't participate in the things these people do.

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The new church in Ephesus needed instruction on what their new life in Jesus should look like. The new Greek converts came from a different religious background that included many different gods. Paul told the new church that it is the responsibility of the leader of this new church to instruct them on this new way of life.

As a child of God in this sinful world, you don't have any choice, you have to live among the people that you probably used to be like. You thought like them and partied like them but once you came to Jesus things should be different. That old life-style is not compatible with someone who has seen the truth about Jesus. The worldly way is ignorant about God and his desire for their life, they are busy taking care of their own passions, their happiness is all that matters.

Colossians 3:10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.

That's my goal, to become more like God, putting off the old man and putting on the new man. There should be a dramatic difference in my life-style when I come to know Christ, I now have a foundation for truth and for moral values, I should have new desires.

As a child of God we have the mind of Christ, we understand that the world's promise of pleasure and happiness is an empty lie, our enlightened minds require us to live different, we must throw off our old sin nature and be renewed by the Holy Spirit. My thoughts and attitudes cannot be the same as they used to be.

Ephesians 4:30  And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is not to be taken lightly and it is very dangerous to continue chasing after the desires of the old man and ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God in us attempting to lead us to be dead to the world; yet we go on with our plans of financial gain. We continue to pursue the folly of fashion and vanity and deck ourselves out in the best apparel. We continue to chase after the next thrill and indulge ourselves when this isn't the appropriate life-style for God's children.

The Holy Spirit is there to help me know right from wrong and help me to become more like God. When I yield to his control I will become more like my heavenly father which is what I am supposed to become.

Lord help me to keep my eyes on what is really important. I want to protect the new man and help him to continue to grow. Keep me from the deception of my sin nature.

Perfecting The Saints

The body of Christ cannot grow without some assistance.

Ephesians 4:11-16 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

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Before Jesus left earth he provided the leadership that the new organization called the church would need so that the church would be sustainable throughout the ages. The church leaders included apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

The two main purposes of these leaders is to help the believers grow and to help them get along and work together in unity. Don't fall for the lie that these are the "professional" Christians that are employed to do all of the work of the church.

Ideally, if the leadership is successful then the work of the church will get done efficiently and the people in the church will be very happy doing their part. We don't usually take it very seriously but our maturity in the body of Christ is very important for two reasons:

1. Without maturity in our faith we will fall for the devils lies, he will send people that will try and trick us into believing something that is almost the truth, something similar to the deception that he used on Adam and Eve.

2. The world needs to see the body in a mature condition because a lack of maturity will result in behavior that will not be appealing. We must be mature so that we can be attractive to the world, if they see fighting and childish behavior and an absence of love then they will be repelled from us, love and unity are the best reasons for them to notice us.

Becoming like Jesus.
1 John 3:2  Dear friends, we are already God's children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is.

The work of perfecting the saints is a job that will not be finished until Jesus returns and takes us home to heaven. Until then the leaders of the church are here to equip us and help us grow to maturity. They will work along with the Holy Spirit and the Bible to help us grow more like Jesus. (Galatians 5:16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 13:17)

Thank you Lord for the men of the Bible that show me how to live, thank you for the guidance of pastors and church leaders that help me know you better and help me apply your teaching to my life.

One

The number one should be your favorite number.

Ephesians 4:3-6  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.  4  For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.  5  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  6  and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

1 Corinthians 8:6  But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for Him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.

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People in the church come from every racial, cultural and social background. There are people that have been involved in sin that leads to prison time and there are others that have been involved in more socially acceptable sin. There are some that have been in the church since they were in the womb. God's family is full of variety.

All of these differences can make a lot of trouble in the body of Christ but we must not allow these differences to spoil the unity that God desires in the church. We see our differences as a really big deal but God isn't looking at all of that, why would he? He only sees people that are his children and people that need to be his children. The only reason we get so busy checking out the differences between us is so that we can compare and judge one another.

We get distracted and forget to look at what we have in common:
✔ Body ✔ Spirit ✔ Hope ✔ Faith				✔ Baptism ✔ Lord ✔ God ✔ Father

The things that we have in common are far greater than our differences and they are also far more important than our differences. Despite our religious differences, there is one body of Christ which all have the same hope for our eternal destiny. We are a bunch of ordinary people that have been chosen by the one Father, the one Son and the one Holy Spirit to be a part of the one body of believers.

Romans 15:5-7 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.

We all know what it looks like when our physical body doesn't work right, life is a challenge for people that have body parts that do not work properly, unfortunately we all have seen the body of Christ work in much the same way. There are a lot of mischievous body parts that are not working for the common good. Some parts want more attention that they should have and some parts are a lot more maintenance than they should be.

We should all be working for the same goal of glorifying God and leading others to him. The world should look at us with wonder and amazement because we are one. They should be drawn to us because of the unity and love that we have for each other. They should look at Christ followers and think "I want to experience that."

Someday we will be one and we will join together with one voice to sing praises to God, too bad that isn't a reality on earth today, the events of world history would be so much different if God's people had put unity into practice.