Last week my family and I attended a ‘renaissance fair’ and saw young men dressed in full armor battle for the crowd in the jousting arena. While that armor is impressive in a way, it is a far cry from the real armor that Ephesians describes. For while the physical armor of the ancient warrior might be an impressive sight, it is sadly over-matched on today’s battlefield. Our ‘spiritual armor’ of truth, righteousness, proclamation of peace, faith, salvation, and God’s word are ultimately more lasting and more powerful.
Worship this week: Saturday 5:00 p.m. in the chapel
Sunday 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship
10:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship
Armor of God
September 1, 2013
Ephesians 6:10-20
Key Verse: “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11
Time: about 62 A.D.
Background: Paul used imagery of weapons and war to describe the battles that rage on the earth between good and evil. He encouraged the community of faith to adorn themselves with weapons of spirit: truth, righteousness, proclamation of peace, faith, salvation, and God’s word. With these, the “spiritual forces of evil” (6:12) could be fought. Paul recognized that the battles that mattered were not physical battles between people, but spiritual battles that could only be fought and won by the power of God.
Community: What spiritual battles are being lost in your community? How might you make a difference to those in your community so that those battles can be turned? Who will you rally? What spiritual weapons will you use?
At Home: How does battle imagery inform your understanding of good and evil? What other images might help move you to action against such evils as poverty, abuse, hunger, or injustice?
Read This Week:
Monday: Temptation of Christ, Luke 4:5-8
Tuesday: Example of Paul, Philippians 3:1-16
Wednesday: Imitating Christ, Philippians 3:17-4:1
Thursday: Exhortation, Philippians 4:2-9
Friday: Philippian Gift, Philippians 4:10-20
Saturday: Conclusion, Philippians 4:21-23
Next Week: Creation, Genesis 1:1-2:4a
