Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church

 

What would you write if you were unjustly jailed?

 

The Apostle Paul, imprisoned for his faith, wrote a Spirit inspired letter to fellow believers in Ephesus.   Martin Luther King’s letter from a Birmingham jail ignited a Civil Rights movement.  Thoreau’s jail house communication with Emerson shaped a consensus of conscience.

 

Paul’s letter challenged the church to change the world by living in God’s strength.  All of Paul’s writings were letters initially addressed to churches & individuals who resided in the Roman Empire.  As individuals, families, neighborhoods, cities, and regions were changed by the life giving relationship of conversion through Christ - the Roman Empire changed.

 

These same promises now inspire us to live powerfully in our 21st century world.

 

The “How” - Ephesians 6:10-20

As Paul prayerfully thought through his current circumstances, he saw the Roman soldier’s armor as a way of understanding how believers can live in the power of God’s might…

 

Instead of envying what he did not have - the Roman soldier’s armor - Paul claimed the greater power offered by God (6:10).  “Daily, be made powerful by God’s strength being the source of your strength,” is a faithful translation (6:11 & 13).  “Put on God’s whole armor” is twice emphasized by Paul to clarify that our strength comes by yielding our “complete self into God’s presence” (6:12-14).

 

Four times in three verses Paul emphasized why we need to “stand” in God’s presence (in God’s “armor”).  Paul inspires us “to stand” in God’s armor so we can “withstand” long stretches of temptation.  We can then “stand” by positioning our entire self in God’s presence (6:11-13).

 

How is your stance with God?

 

Be aware that the “evil one” (Satan means “deceiver”) seeks to deceive us through the use of principalities & powers” at work in this world (6:14–17).

 

God’s armor includes:

 

• The belt of truth which keeps us balanced; the breastplate of righteousness which protects our

   inner relationship with Christ;

• Footwear of gospel peace that steadies us during unsteady times, wherever we go;

• The shield of faith wherein God’s trustworthiness absorbs the world’s enflamed darts;

• The helmet of salvation, meaning the mind of Christ, and;

• The Spirit’s sword … God’s word. (6:18-20)

 

Prayer is God’s provided link of communication which sustains us in God’s strength and enables us to be God’s ambassador in all circumstances.  Together, in God’s armor, we stand firm as members of God’s family.

 

Pastor Les Hollon

 

The Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For 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.  Therefore 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.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And 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 saints.

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

-Ephesians 6:10-20 (NIV)

 

This article was written by Les Hollon, Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church.  For more information about God and your place in His world, contact Dr. Hollon, click over to Trinity Baptist Church.

 

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