The Armor of God – The Nexus

Morning…or Afternoon Musing: Ephesians 6:10-13

June 23, 2023Leave a comment

“Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Today brings the week of camp to an end. It has been a good week. There’s something about stripping away the pressures and distractions of the world we call “real,” combined with a context focused on worship that allows us to experience God in a special way. And God has indeed moved in the hearts and minds of many of these students. As things come to a conclusion today, let’s take a look at the whole passage we’ve sat with this whole week to see what other truths we can glean from it.

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Morning…or Afternoon Musing: Ephesians 6:13d

June 22, 2023Leave a comment

“…to take your stand.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We often imagine spiritual warfare in terms that have generally been set by Hollywood and popular media more broadly. The trouble is, that is almost never what it is really like. As we finish up breaking down the theme verde from camp this week, we’re going to focus on a word that Paul comes back to three times in this section and which gives us a better picture of what our real task is. Let’s talk about standing.

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Morning Musing: Ephesians 6:13c

June 21, 2023June 22, 2023Leave a comment

“…and having prepared everything…” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever started something before you were actually ready for it? When I ran cross country in high school, one of the things my coach always told us was to remember the five P’s. Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. While there are folks who enjoy flying by the seat of their pants, it is always a good idea to have some sort of a plan for the journey ahead of us. It’s been a great week so far here at camp. Let’s talk about the next part of our theme verse.

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Morning…or Afternoon Musing: Ephesians 6:13a

June 20, 2023June 22, 20232 Comments

“For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day…” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Spiritual warfare is an interesting topic. It’s one that attracts a lot of interest, but about which no one seems to have very much knowledge. This is because we don’t have any reliable source of information outside the Scriptures, and those don’t seem nearly as exciting as whatever popular culture has to offer about it. This week I’m away at camp and the theme of the week happens to be spiritual warfare. Since it’s fresh and active, I’m going to take this week to offer some reflections on our theme verse, Ephesians 6:13. Let’s start here.

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Morning Musing: Ephesians 6:14-18 (Part 3)

November 4, 2021November 4, 20212 Comments

“Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation 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. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

For much of the last week now we have been unpacking Paul’s description of the armor of God together. This is the protection afforded us as followers of Jesus in the great spiritual battle we are engaged in with the powers of this world. We first clarified that the battle is not against the people around us. They are never our enemies. We’ve also settled the fact that our primary task is resistance to the enemy’s attacks. Then, for the past couple of days, we have examined each of the pieces of armor themselves. We are covered from head to toe by the various spiritual blessings available to us when we are found in Christ. We even have an offensive tool in God’s Spirit which is accessed through His word. This is all well and good, but if we are in a battle, that implies we are occasionally going to have to do some fighting. We are tasked with advancing God’s kingdom which means moving forward into enemy held territory. The enemy is not going to simply give up the ground it is holding and walk away. The question that has been hanging over the top of all of the conversation we’ve been having is this: How do we actually fight? This morning as we wrap up this short series, I’m going to seek to answer that question for you. Let’s dig into it.

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