Ephesians 6:21-22 - The All-important AND

"But in order that you yourselves should know the [things] according to me, how I am doing, everything he will make known to you, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in [the] Lord...who I sent to you unto this same, in order that you should know the [things] about us and he should comfort your hearts."

-Definitely not the information age, this.  No phones (no light, no motorcar...!), no faxes, no email or internet, no television or radio or even telegraph.  Given the uncertainty and challenges associated with any long distance travel at this time, news from afar could take weeks, even months to arrive.  One in shoes such as Paul’s would pack what you could in a letter and send it with a trusted protege or messenger, and for Paul, this was Tychicus, who he describes as both faithful and beloved (cf Col 4.7-9).  Even tho we are fairly certain Tychicus was in fact from Ephesus, Paul does not mention that here (cf Col 4.9).  Perhaps this is because the letter Tychicus carried was indeed more of a circular letter to a number of different assemblies which existed along the road between Ephesus and Colossae?

-No matter, Tychicus was entrusted not only with communicating factual information about Paul, he was also tasked with comforting and encouraging the hearts of these Asian believers, and since he WAS from that area (Act 20.4), all the more reason to send him.  But this faithful, beloved servant of Paul (and the Lord) was actually entrusted with at least three letters (the others being the one to the church in Colossae as well as the letter to Philemon), and the task of encouraging a number of different assemblies.  or this undertaking, Paul really needed someone he could trust, someone who was well suited to in fact carry out the mission.  So he sent faithful Tychicus.

-Sent.  We are likewise sent by Jesus (John 20.21, Matthew 9.38, Matthew 28.19, Mark 16.15).  Perhaps not in a strictly apostolic sense per se (cf John 17.18 - that is apostello in the Greek, which gives us our word ‘apostle’).  No, this word is pempo, the more common Greek word for ‘to send’.  It appears some 75 times in the NT, and it is all about the mission, that reason why there is a sending to begin with.  And if you are dispatching another in your stead, tasking them to do that which you are otherwise unable to do yourself, it is imperative that you can count on them to not only go in the first place but also to then actually fulfill the mission.  The primary response to the sending of course is to go, and it is not some vague directionless going.  There is the all-important ‘and’ - go AND take these letters and encourage.  Go AND make disciples.  Go AND preach the Gospel.  But the first act of the sent is to go.  We go out.  And go out we must.  Like the United States Coast Guard famously declares, we’ve got to go out.  “When storms shut down entire ports, we go out. When hurricanes ground the United States Navy, we go out. And when the holy Lord himself reaches down from heaven and destroys his good work with winds that rip houses off the ground, We. Go. Out.” -The Guardian (2006)  Like faithful Tychicus, on whom Paul could count to go out AND accomplish the critical task, we are called to go out.  Will we answer the call?  Where, to whom has the Lord sent me?  And what is my all-important ‘AND’?

Ephesians 6:20 - This. Means. War.

"...about which I am being an ambassador in chains, in order that I should be boldly speaking in it as it is necessary for me to speak.’

-This. Means. War.  That’s what Paul is saying.  Isn’t it true - if you put my ambassador in prison, that is a blatant act of aggression against my country, against my sovereignty and good will.  You have basically declared war on my country.  Well, isn’t this precisely what Paul has been talking about?  Tere is a war being waged against the kingdom of Heaven, a desperate battle, acts of aggression being perpetrated against both God and His emissaries (not to mention His glorious creation).  Paul knows full well that there is a vast unseen spiritual theater where war is being waged, and that behind the scenes, behind the earthly rulers and authorities who have put him in those physical chains, there are other forces in play, there are cunning and devious and determined powers who are the real enemies, who are ruthlessly pursuing an agenda of not merely imprisoning the ambassadors of Heaven but also the Message they bring, the Gospel, the Good News.  This is what they are trying to shut down at all costs.  They cannot unpopulate Heaven, but they can try their darndest to prevent anyone else from gaining entrance.

-And so Paul is asking for release, to get out of prison, a get out of jail free card.  Actually, no he is not.  His goal is not his own personal freedom and comfort.  Rather he wants the Gospel itself to be released, to be set free from the bonds of silence and compromise and timidity.  He knows that the only thing which can imprison the powerful message of the Cross is neither a closed door of a prison cell nor a closed lock but rather a closed mouth.  When I clam up about the Gospel, when I shut my proverbial trap I entrap that life-changing game-changing world-changing Good News.  I am the only one who can effectively stop it.  Which makes me the real (and potential) enemy.  A true frien-emy.  The world and the devil will ally and conspire to hinder and forbid the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, they will even kill those who follow Him, but the only ones who can truly silence the Gospel are the people of Christ.  Which is why Paul is instead asking for boldness.

-This is precisely the early church did when they were threatened (Acts 4.29) - they asked the Lord for boldness.  And boldness is what we see consistently throughout the book of Acts (Acts 4.31, 9.27-28, 13.46, 14.3, 18.26, 19.8, 26.26, 28.31; 1Thessalonians 2.2).  Indeed, boldness is for speaking (Acts 4.13, 2Corinthians 3.12).  It is free and fearless confidence to speak the truth, esp in the face of opposition, real or potential.  That’s the thing about news, right, including this incomparably Good News - it by its very nature needs to be communicated.  A message must be communicated, esp this One.  And Paul - like all believers - was a messenger, Heaven-sent.  Paul understood that his was a debt (1Corinthians 9.16, Romans 1.14), an obligation to communicate the Good News to the world, to all who would listen.  And so in the face of such forceful and determined opposition from both the Jewish and Roman authorities, he needs this boldness.  He is doubling down to avail himself of whatever resources are at his disposal, whatever it takes for him to continue to faithfully and powerfully proclaim the truth of God’s grace and forgiveness thru Jesus Christ.  He wanted these Ephesian believers to join him is asking the Lord to give him whatever boldness he would require in order to loose the Message of the Cross into the lives of his guards and opponents and to all who would listen.  In spite of those chains.  In spite of his circumstances.  Because even tho he was an ambassador in chains, his was still an ambassador.  He was entrusted with a Message.  And he was bound (literally) and determined to deliver it.  May God grant us a similar grace, may He find us similarly faithful...

Ephesians 6:19 - Bold ambassadors needed!

"...and about me, in order that word should be given to me in opening of my mouth, in boldness to make known the mystery of the Good News..."

-For his part, Paul is asking people - his fellow soldiers - to pray for him, to be constantly remembering him to the Lord, for two reasons.  First, he is an ambassador of the Good News.  And second, he is in chains and facing fierce opposition for trying to be a good ambassador.

-As an ambassador, his job (and ours as well - 2Corinthians 5.20) is to be relating to spiritual foreigners on behalf of that country which sent him - the Republic of Heaven, the land of the Good News - and promoting its interests.  Thus he needs words, he is looking for the right words to be given to him in order to clearly communicate this Good News to those to whom he has been sent.  And he also is asking for boldness.  Boldness is for speaking.  It means to speak beside or next to.  Confident, courageous, willing to take risks.  To be sure, communicating the Good News by its very nature is frought with risk.  Even though it IS good news - it often is not received as such by a world populated by so many spiritual rebels.

-And for Paul, all the moreso, since his bold speaking of the Good News to this point had actually landed him in prison.  Those who heard what he said so objected to his message that they locked him up, and in fact were looking to kill him because of it.  And this is the nature of the beast.  Jesus Himself said it - you will be hated by all because of My Name (Matthew 10.22, 24.9).  If and when you identify yourself with Jesus, the Despised and Rejected of men, if you try to tell others about Him, about the Good News, in spite of the fact that it is really good news, people will resist the message and they will resist you.  Not all, but some.  They will turn away from you - some of them.  Determine you a fool, or a freak.  Despise and reject you.  Just like they did Jesus.  And so the temptation for those who would follow Christ is to back down and shrink away from boldly declaring the truth of the Good News, that Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life.  We want to be liked, right?  We all want to be accepted and not rejected.  Boldness is willing to take that risk, to not give in to the fear of rejection, and to speak and share the Good Message about Jesus with someone else.

-This is precisely what Paul (and the other apostles) did consistently throughout the book of Acts (Acts 4.31, 9.27-28, 13.46, 14.3, 18.26, 19.8, 26.26, 28.31; cf 1Thessalonians 2.2).  Indeed, boldness is for speaking (Act 4.13, 2Corinthianss 3.12), which is what must happen since the Good News by its very nature is just that, it is news, it is a message.  Paul is asking his follow soldiers to ask God to give him free and fearless confidence to speak the truth, esp in the face of opposition, real or potential.  Is this not what all of God’s people need, every day?  If we are indeed called to fish for men as followers of Jesus, do we not all need a similar courage, a willingness to take a risk, to risk it all for Christ?  He gave it all for us, how can we not do the same for Him.  Surely Christ’s love should grip His people with the willingness and readiness to not shrink back in the least, but rather to live for Him and to make Him famous to our neighbors and our city and to the ends of the earth...

Ephesians 6:18 - The battle unfought...?

"Through all prayer and petition praying in every opportunity in [the] Spirit, and unto this watching in all perseverance and petition about all the saints...’

-All suited up, armored up for glorious battle... and what do we do?  We fall on our knees, not to surrender, but rather to pray (or at least we should).  This is how we wage war against our determined foe, against the assembled forces of darkness.  Prayer is how God’s people fight, prayer is what provides the impetus for the forward progress of the light of the Good News into the dark recesses of hearts and nations.  Yes, prayer is how we prevail.  We stand our ground firmly on our knees.  Or even prone, flat on our faces, prostrate before our Supreme Commander and Gracious Provider, in supplication and submission and sincere utter dependence.  For this battle of battles is ultimately waged in the heavenlies, against the dark unseen spiritual forces who tremble not at flesh and blood and sinewy muscle, but rather fall back in the face of Christ and His Word and flee at the mention of His Name.  Through ALL prayer and petition praying at every opportunity, Paul says.  Elsewhere he says to pray without ceasing (1Thessalonians 5.17).  In other words, be constantly on the alert, watching with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, he says.  We have our brothers’ backs, and they have ours.  Or should.

-Sadly, calloused knees are scarcely a problem in our bloated western church.  Altho not a question of position, this.  Rather it is a question of perspective and neediness (or lack thereof).  Rather than daily waging war in the heavenlies from our prayer closet we are more apt to merely show up to a service once a week and get sidetracked by gnats, straining out things like sermon styles and carpet colors and song selection and music volume.  Ours is much planning and doing and not-a-little complaining, and not much of this ‘prayer and petition’ stuff, an exhausting cavalcade of meetings and building programs and mission statements and clever slogans and technology and social media, and prayer is a little-dab’ll-do-ya, a dainty morsel before the main course, or even just afterthought.  We devise our programs and outreaches and throw in a little dash of prayer for favor.  We show up in our fancy cars and sit in fancy auditoriums for a fancy service, a clever message and some modern worship.  We raise our hands and pay our tithe and need very little, expend very little in agonizing over and wrestling against the incalcuable spiritual needs all around us, and meanwhile the heavens stay closed.  But let us make no mistake - prayer is not preparation for work - it IS work, THE work.  Prayer is the battle, prayer is how the victory secured at Calvary is manifested in our world.  Flaming arrows and spiritual blindness are not overcome by any earthly means.  Failing here, we have yet to even begin to fight.  We (and I) have much to learn about the efficacy of prayer...

Ephesians 6:17 - Spiritual concussions and a divine machete

"And the helmet of salvation take, and the sword of the Spirit, which is [the] Word of God.’

-We get a helmet, too - gotta protect the head!  This is patently obvious, as the head is inherently fragile and yet controls the functioning of the entire body.  In fact, modern research has shown that there is no better investment in battlefield safety equipment than a good helmet.  It is the best piece of protective gear - by weight and by size - that any soldier has.  In battle, the head receives a highly disproportionate amount of trauma relative to its mass, and almost half of all deaths among infantry are due to head injuries.  Thus this last piece of defensive armor is in fact that which is arguably most important to our very survival.  How appropriate that our spiritual helmet is salvation, rescue from the very death towards which we were hurtling like a car over a cliff.  We were already dead in our sins, destined to pay the ultimate death penalty of eternal separation from God, and then He stepped in.  Christ stepped down from heaven and onto the battlefield and took the bullet for us, He went to the Cross in our place and there secured our eternal slavation.  This is the helmet we wear into battle every day (or should).  Death - the second one at least, the real one - is defeated.  It is no longer even a thing for us in Christ.  Granted, we most likely will still face physical death in some shape or form, but we are totally protected from the second death.  So yes, if we are in Christ clearly this is true for us, but taking our helmet into battle means we remind ourselves of this and live into this truth every day.  No need for fear, no need to worry - talk about preventing spiritual concussions!  I can plunge into the thick of the battle knowing that I am protected by the best helmet money can buy.  In fact, way better than that, as it was purchased with something far more precious...

-Now the armor here is that of a typical Greco-Roman hoplite, one of the foot soldiers which comprised the ancient battle unit known as the phalanx.  Their effectiveness derived largely from their solidarity as a unit, standing and advancing side-by-side in tight formation, shields up and spears leveled forward.  A formidable force, this.  And if by chance a foe was able to break their ranks and somehow break a hoplite’s spear, that warrior would turn to his backup weapon, a two-edged sword known as a xiphos.  It would be primarily wielded in a thrusting, stabbing motion, as hacking away at an armored opponent would be far less effective and more taxing an endeavor.  You would want to try and pierce thru a hole in their armor.  It is interesting to note, then, that Paul here says the sword we are to take up is actually the machaira, which was a single edged blade designed to be used in a striking, hacking manor, more like a machete (only this blade was perhaps a bit longer).  The machaira was more commonly wielded by cavalry soldiers.  This was a more effective weapon for mounted militia, where from above one could reign down powerful blows on more relatively defenseless infantry.  Which perhaps gives us an idea as to why Paul would tell Christ’s foot soldiers to take up such a weapon.  Could it be that rather than facing off a heavily armored hoplite, we are in fact facing an enemy who is rather more unprotected and defenseless against our divine weapon, this Word of God (James 4.7, cf Luke 4.3-4)?  Granted he does have a bow and some arrows, but once clad in our heavenly armor we become impervious to his pesky darts and in fact are able to mow him down with ease using the venerable Sword of Heaven.  There are other perhaps more iconic swords in our world, used against the worst of villains.  They are the stuff of legend.  Excalibur.  The sword of Gryffindor.  Zulfiqar (a scimitar of Islamic fame).  Narsil/Anduril from the world of J.R.R. Tolkien.  Kusanagi-no-tsurugi of Japanese legend.  Master Luke’s light sabre.  Yet the tales of glorious battles waged and won for the souls of men with the Sword of the Spirit are largely lost on a world more enamored with things physical.  We will only learn of most of them in eternity.  Many are perhaps aware of its existence, this Sword of Heaven, thanks in large part to the tireless work of so many translators and other faithful workers, yet it is way underappreciated and underutilized, even by God’s people, not really perceived as any kind of weapon.  Still, there is no blade more powerful (or real) than the one we wield in battle (or should - rather, must!) each and every day.  We take up this magnificent weapon, this Sword of Heaven, God’s Word, and we wade into the fray and defeat our enemy.  We cut down his lies, his half-truths, his false accusations.  With it we effectively hack away at unbelief and we take our stand for what is true and right and good, and for the glory of our King.

Ephesians 6:16 - A tortoise shell comprised of doors...?

"...in all having taken up the shield of faith, with which you will be able all the flaming arrows of the evil [one] to extinguish.

-Shield of faith.  The word here is thureos, from thura, meaning door, for this shield did fairly resemble a door.  You could pretty much hide behind the thing, large and rectangular and curved as it was.  his was the ancient Roman scutum, which was extremely useful for blocking airborne missles, particularly when it was employed in a phalanx en masse, in what was called the testudo (tortise) formation.  The soldiers in front would hold their shields out in front of them, and the rest would hold their shields aloft, ostensibly shielding the unit from any incoming arrows.  The net effect was that it did indeed fairly resemble a tortise shell.  The method is still employed today by riot police in various places.

-And so we are trying to stop flaming arrows.  Some suggest these were not actually employed at all in ancient warfare, but the words here in the Greek indicate that these particular arrows are definitely on fire.  Most sources suggest that the shield would have been covered in leather and soaked in water, which served to douse whatever fire was borne by incoming arrows.  In this writer’s estimation, the intent of a flaming arrow would be to inflict mental damage as much as it would be to wound in any physical sense (there’s a reason why Hollywood is so intent on employing flaming arrows in ancient battle scenes - it creates a much stronger visceral impression).  Fire could instill fear and cause panic.  The evil one who is ever lobbing these flaming missiles at God’s people indeed wants to frighten, to dishearten and discourage any would-be soldiers of the Cross.  His attacks are designed to stop someone from following Christ, and the battleground as much as anything is in the mind.  which is precisely why we need this huge shield of faith.  Faith holds on to what is true in the face of the adversity which flies at us from all directions.  Faith is believing and trusting that God is (still) on the throne, that He is working it - 100% of all of it - out for good and that victory is certain, even when fire and arrows are raining down all around me.  And faith, this huge shield, is able to extinguish them all, every last one of them.  Shields up, people!  But wait - there’s still more...!

Ephesians 6:15 - Marching boots on!

"...and having shod the feet with readiness of the Good Message of peace..."

-We are told elsewhere that feet which bring good news and announce peace - shalom - are in fact quite lovely (Is 52.7, Rom 10.15).  Have you ever stopped, tho, to actually consider the importance of the foot?  Particularly in battle?

-Feet surely need footwear, all the moreso if you’re heading into battle.  And the role of foot soldiers - infantry - in warfare cannot be underestimated, even in modern times.  Foot soldiers have always been the primary means for holding and claiming ground.  To that end, a British officer and military historian once wrote, ‘Marching is the foundation of all operation in war. An army below the standard in marching power is at the mercy of a more mobile force. Actual battle consumes but a fraction of the time spent in marching. The most brilliant plans fail if the troops do not march the distances calculated upon. Mobility is the first requisite of the soldier.’  Elsewhere, from the US Army Medical Corps Handbook: “During ordinary troop movements using a standard march of 15 miles, each foot will strike the ground some 18,000 times during the day.  It is said that falling drops of water will ultimately wear away the hardest stone; and it will be apparent that even a relatively slight defect in the relation between the foot and shoe, if enabled to act with each step through such a vast number of repetitions in such a relatively brief period, can scarcely fail to do injury to the delicate and tender foot structures in contact with it. If the defect be considerable, it is apparent that more or less complete incapacity for marching will scarcely be avoided.”  18,000 foot strikes a day for soldiers in battle!  It should come as no surprise then that foot injuries - preventing them, down to even the tiniest blister - are a top priority for any military force, thus the critical need for good footwear.  Who among us has not had to endure the debilitating effects of a foot blister which resulted from a ill-fitting (or improperly laced) pair of shoes?

-Soldiers are instructed during basic training, your weapon and your boots - take special care of these, they are of utmost importance to an effective soldier. 

-Shoe fit and comfort, length and width and instep, breaking in the shoe, foot care, cleaning, toenails - for foot soldiers all of these must be given the strictest attention.  “It is quite conceivable that about any article other than shoes could be ill fitting and still be worn by the soldier without particular discomfort or detriment to his military efficiency.  An ill fitting pair of trousers or shirt would have no particular influence on the performance of field duty, though appearances might suffer somewhat.  But in respect to shoes, he must have exactly the length and width of shoes his feet require, or pay an undeserved penalty which is exacted not only from the man himself but falls in large part upon the Government which employs him... So long as infantry is the backbone of an army and mobility is the most important element in strategy, frequent careful inquiry into the condition of the feet, and constant interested oversight looking to their continued welfare, are properly to be required of all officers concerned... Probably no one thing will more conduce to greater marching radius, the success of tactics, and the delivery on the firing line of the maximum number of rifles, than will proper foot care of the command.  Conversely, neglect in this respect produces a vast amount of military inefficiency.”

-”It cannot be too strongly emphasized that any deficiencies of shoe supply, or any errors as to fitting, may tend to produce discomfort, dissatisfaction and foot injuries which might erroneously be attributed to the form of the shoe itself. Ideally perfect footwear cannot alone give good results. In other words, the shoe cannot be considered by itself alone, since its actual utility to the wearer depends upon the tripod of supply, fit and construction. If any leg of this tripod fails, the whole structure of foot comfort falls to the ground.”  In other words, an army must not only have a well-constructed shoe, it must also have sufficient supply in sizes that fit.

-But how much more important then, for us to give attention to our metaphysical footwear, our spiritual shoes, the boots in which we march to war against the enemy of our souls.  As it turns out, that which carries us into battle is the Gospel, the Good News of peace...!  And as it relates to that tripod (of construction, fit, and supply) in a spiritual sense, our Supreme Commander has all the bases covered.  The Gospel is just what our spiritual feet need, incomparable construction, always a perfect fit, and has no shortage of supply!  Each and every believer is furnished with the Gospel at salvation, and it always fits perfectly!  But we must be careful to remember to draw on these boots every day.  Gospel-preparation, that which enables us to march into battle, means I keep the truth of the Good News in the forefront of my mind.  The truth that God loves me and sent His Son to die for me to pay the penalty for my sins and procure for me forgiveness and eternal life which I then receive through faith alone - this must be my constant companion, my daily meditation, my mantra throughout the day, from reveille until taps, from the moment I fall out of bed for first call, PT and breakfast all the way through evening personal time and lights out.  Almighty God loves me!  I am forgiven, accepted.  In His eyes i’ve done everything right, thru Jesus!  I am His child - He is for me!  He is always with me!  I (should and must) preach this oh-so-better-than-Good Message to myself, every day.  The Gospel must carry me everywhere I go, everything I do,

-And a word to leaders: “At every post, if a cavalry horse is improperly shod in the production of a bad gait, interference, over-reaching or other fault, the troop commander does not hesitate to give his personal attention to re-shoeing repeated as often as may be necessary until the fault has been remedied. Surely the 

marching capacity of a foot soldier is of quite as much military importance as that of a horse, and the responsibility that it shall be kept at the highest efficiency develops in no less degree upon organization commanders in both instances. Neglect by officers to give proper personal supervision to matters of shoe fitting and supply is equally detrimental to the military efficiency of man and beast.”  It is most certainly incumbent upon those leaders within the assembly of Christ-followers that they similarly make sure that the people of their flock are well-versed in how to shoe themselves with the truths of the Good News every day.

-And in the midst of all this talk of battle, which of course is quite real, the great reality of course is that the Gospel, this Good News, is the Message of peace.  Peace on earth, good will among men.  It is peace with God, that which is our deepest soul need and longing - to be able to rest in peace with our Maker.  Shalom, overall well-being.  It’s all good, in other words.  Because if this is true, does it not far outweigh all else that concerns us?  Can it, should it not with Christ as our head lead us thru life in triumph?  Death is defeated!  We are forgiven!  Children of the King!  Peace!  Indescribable, incomprehensible peace - this is our reality, the truth which is found only in Jesus, the core of the Good News, that which enables us to daily march headlong into the brokenness of life and face first against the flaming arrows of our fiercely-determined enemy with our heads held high and a song on our lips.  Get your boots on, people!

Ephesians 6:14 - An arrow-proof vest and a manly man-girdle

"Stand, therefore, having belted around your loins in truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.’ 

-Paul here begins to unpack the ‘everything’ which we must do in order to be fully prepared for the battle we face, to be able to stand firm and withstand the methods of Diabolos.

-Now, understanding the need to suit up and prepare for battle, the first thing we will have done is to gird about our loins, in this case with truth.  The typical garb worn by a man in that place and time was a tunic, slung over the shoulders and hanging down around one’s feet.  Think of it as sort of like a dress.  Except for men.  A manly man-dress.  It was no doubt quite comfortable, but not at all designed for the kind of manuevers asked of a soldier in battle.  So the length and folds of the tunic would be gathered up around the loins and tied together at the waist - one was thus ‘girded about’ - like a girdle.  This was the all-important first step - any subsequent ability to move about and actually wield the rest of the armor in battle depended on girding up your loins.

-And so our spiritual loins must be girded about in truth.  All the various folds and fabric of our lives, right down to the core of who we are, our bowels themselves, must be wrapped up and around with truth, the truth of (and about) God, Who is the God of truth.  Remember, the enemy we face is a liar, a liar from the beginning, the father of lies, and there is no truth in him (cf John 8.44).  He is in fact the total antithesis of truth.  Thus we can be sure that every attack, every scheme will likely hinge on some aspect of (falsified) truth.  He twists it, distorts it, denies it, perverts it, contradicts it.  Truth is, truth is the staging point for the entire battle.  It is the fundamental truth about God which wicked men suppress and reject and disobey, to their doom (Romans 1.18, 1.25, 2.8).  It is God’s truth which the serpent twisted in the garden and which he along with his willing or unwitting minions have been opposing ever since.  They oppose and ultimately reject the truth because they are opposing God Himself.  Truth and God are essestially synonymous because God is truth.  Just as God is love and He is synonymous with love.  All truth - all that is true - is found in Him, and He has revealed truth in His Word, which is truth (John 17.17).  The battle, the very preparation for it, begins here, with a complete immersion in truth, steeped in and focused on whatever and all that is true (Philippians 4.8) - seeing and hearing and speaking truth.  It is the complement to the proverbial hear/see/speak no evil, only rather than simply creating a moral vacuum of sorts, we are to fill the void with truth, fill up our lives (and our world) with it.  But wait - there’s more...!

-We must also have put on the breatplate of righteousness.  That which covers our front and back and protects our vital organs, which is most vital to our ultimate survival, is a bullet-proof vest (or the ancient arrow-proof version of it), in this case an iron-clad standing of being declared right in God’s sight.  That is righteousness - in God’s eyes I’ve done everything right.  That’s right - all my sins, all my mistakes, all my shortcomings - all washed away and completely covered over by the blood of Christ.  It really is a bullet-proof, arrow-proof, impenetrable barrier covering our upper core which repels all the slings and arrows and false accusations of our relentlessly slandering enemy.  Not one of his charges will ever stick.  Not one arrow will penetrate.  We have an airtight alibi - we were (and are) with Jesus!  We were (by faith) with Him on the Cross (Galatians 2.20, Romans 6.6), and we are now in Him forever.  In Christ God has justified us (Romans 5.9, 8.33), declared us righteous, which means we are now right in His eyes.  We have done everything right.  No more guilt.  No more shame.  When the enemy comes and tries to make us feel guilty for something we did in the past, inadequate for some shortcoming we may be tempted to think we bring to the table today, fearful over some misstep we might make tomorrow - we can stand firm knowing that God no longer sees nor will He ever see us in this light.  When He looks at us, all He sees is Jesus, His beloved Child, and so looking at us gives Him eternal great pleasure!  In His eyes, I’ve done everything right!  Tell yourself that every day.  Every morning.  Every time the enemy fires one at you.  Tell yourself that right now, and repeat it often.  Put on that breastplate of righteousness.

Ephesians 6:13 - Prepare for war

"Because of this, take up the full armor of God, in order that you should be powered to stand against in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to stand.’

-Because you are engaged in a desperate spiritual battle, do-or-die, where the stakes are eternal, life and death literally on the line with unimaginable consequences, you (and I) need this armor, we all need to take it up and put it on, right now, once and for all, because we need to be standing firm, like a stake.  standing against whatever evil comes our way.  Paul actually talks quite a bit about being steadfast in the faith.  Steadfast, firmly established, immovable, long-suffering (1Corinthians 15.58; Colossians 1.11, 1.23; 1Thessalonians 1.3; 2Thessalonians 3.5).  The language here and elsewhere makes ours sound very much like a defensive posture (defense wins championships!), a goal of withstanding and bearing up against the onslaught of evil.  While that is not entirely our situation, we do want to be standing firm and not moving even a fraction of an inch away from Jesus, from trusting and hoping in Him. and again, that which enables and empowers us to be able to stand firm in this grave battle against the rulers of darkness is the full armor of God.  We’re not talking about some walk in the park.  No leisurely bike ride, this.  We’re not merely donning some safety helmet.  This is war, full-out spiritual battle.  Make no mistake - we ride out - every day - into the valley of the shadow of death, against a cunning, determined enemy.  We don’t necessarily hear the bullets, or the screams and moans of the wounded and dying, though they are all around us.  Sometimes we see the bruises, the frowns on their faces.  Most likely we see pain and brokenness spilling out into someone else’s streets on some news channel or social media.  But rest assured, the battle is real, and the closer we endeavor to follow Jesus, the more we will find ourselves on the front lines.

-And so Paul says we must prepare everything.  Everything.  Not one detail can be missed.  Because the goal in battle isn’t to only get hit a little bit.  It is to not get hit at all.  Zero bullets.  Zero casualties.  It is said that the soldier who stops getting better stops being good.  There’s a darn good reason why every new US army recruit goes thru a full ten weeks of intense combat training - boot camp - with weeks and even months of advanced infantry training to follow.  War is serious business.  Prepare everything.  Don’t forget even a single item, not one piece of that armor.  Prepare as best you can, and strive to be the best soldier of Christ Jesus that you can be (2Timothy 2.3-4), so that you can fight the good fight (1Timothy 1.18, 6.12; 2Timothy 4.7).

Ephesians 6:12 - The REAL enemy

"Because the struggle to us is not toward blood and flesh but rather toward the rulers, toward the authorities, toward world forces of this darkness, toward the spirituals of evil in the heavenlies.’

-Paul says, suit up!  Get God’s armor on because there is a real battle, and we are in it, for real.  But no ordinary battle, this.  Our fight, our struggle is not against flesh and blood people, not really.  In fact this is such an important point.  People are not my enemy.  People are not the problem.  My spouse is not my enemy.  My child is not my enemy.  My neighbor, my boss, my employee, my teacher, my student - that other person who is out to get me or perhaps merely exhausts my patience and bugs the heck out of me - they are not the real enemy.  Flesh and blood people are not source of my struggles, they are not the ones I need to worry about.  Rather it is the unseen forces of evil which are the real antagonists.  These are the powers of darkness, an army of fallen angels led by Diabolos himself.  These are the ones who oppose the purposes and people of God, who scare and frighten and intimidate helpless sheep and hold them captive to do what Diabolos dictates (2Timothy 2.26).  Some of these sheep are actually possessed - indwelt bodily and controlled by these demons.  Many live in fear and bondage and lifelong servitude, struggling to appease these spirits.  In the ‘civilized’ west, where we’re too smart to actually believe in that kind of hocus pocus nonsense, their influence is more subtle, nudging the prevailing thoughts of culture towards godlessness, towards the emphasis on any and all aspects of creation and the creature over and above the Creator.  But there is a reason they are referred to as rulers - they exercise a degree of temporal authority and control over this earthly realm and over these ones they thus hold captive (cf Luke 4.18, Ephesians 4.8).  Which means freedom in Christ is not just a concept, it is a real thing, of eternal significance.  Jesus came to set the captives free indeed (John 8.32, 8.36)!  But these powers of darkness thus stand ever at the ready to oppose the heavenly rescue mission and all who would engage in plundering what these rulers otherwise possess.  They will do all they are permitted to do in an otherwise vain attempt to hinder the work.  These are the real enemy, and the battle must be directed against them.

Ephesians 6:11 - There IS an enemy, and his name is diabolos...

"Put on the full armor of God toward you all to being enabled to stand against the methods of the devil."

-As it turns out, strength is for battle.  For there is an enemy, an adversary, a liar, a deceiver and a thief - a cunning schemer, this one.  He comes in an albeit vain attempt to steal, kill, and destroy the glory of God, constantly prowling around and probing for ways to frighten and paralyze and devour God’s people (1Peter 5.8).  His name is Diabolos - the slandering one.  And that’s what he do - throwing across lies and half-truths, trying to condemn, discourage, ensnare.  Diabolical.  In modern English, diabolos is ‘devil’, once an angel, but rest assured he is no longer angelic.  He is our ultimate adversary, and we ignore or dismiss his existence and exploits to our great peril.

-He is referred to by this name ‘devil’ only in the New Testament, but he is known by other names (Revelation 12.9).  He is the serpent of old, first appearing on the scene a long time ago in a garden paradise far, far away.  He was fundamentally a deceiver even then, and he is a deceiver still today.  He twists and distorts truth about God and what He wants, about who I am, and about life.  And in perverting the truth he is able to steal and kill and wreak destruction on the glorious creation of God, all the morass of cascading brokenness attendant with rejecting God and His truth.  The goal then for God’s people is to be enabled and equipped by God to stand firm like a stake in the face of whatever methods Diabolos may be allowed to employ against us.  And to be sure, our heavenly Father will not allow him to do anything against which we cannot survive - and triumph! (Job 1.9-12, 1Corinthians 10.13, 2Peter 3.9)

-Towards this end, God has provided each believer with a kind of panoplia (from which we derive our modern English ‘panoply’).  We’re talking about a full set of battle armor designed specifically in this case for successfully engaging in spiritual warfare against this desperate and determined deceiver.  Paul here says put it on, once and for all.  Suit up, people!

Ephesians 6:10 - Powered by THE Power

"For the rest, keep on being empowered in [the] Lord and in the strength of His might."

-For all these and for everything else, really... Every last facet of the Christian life is powered by Christ Himself.  Godly living is the life of God energized and unleashed in and through me.  Paul uses three different words for power here, all intended to drive home the truth that ours is a divine calling, a supernatural lifestyle which is impossible to achieve by any strictly human effort.  There is no earthly way we can attain to a life which even partially approximates the perfect everlasting love and goodness and mercy and purity and holiness of our heavenly Father.  But then we have that tiny little prepositional phrase - ‘in the Lord’.  ‘In Him’.  It can be rendered, ‘by the Lord’.  Powered by Him, by Christ.  By His strength, His might, His omnipotence.  The ability, the power to live this life, to run and win this race comes from above.  THE Ability.  THE Power.

-So many claims of power.  Powered by Intel.  Powered by Reebok.  Powered by Honda.  Powered by Microsoft.  Powered by Caffeine.  Powered by Energizer.  Powered by pork.  Pretenders, all.  Finite, flawed, falling short of even the barest minimum power required to raise a single soul out of spiritual death, out of brokenness and depravity and abject selfishness.  The power to faithfully love and nourish my wife and my kids and to love and serve and build up my fellow Christ-followers and to love my neighbors (not to mention my enemies), the power to pray and to do good in season and out of season and to rejoice always and pray without ceasing and give thanks in all things - the ability to do any of these things and all the rest does not reside in me, not anywhere in my dying carcass of flesh, $3.50 worth of chemicals animated by a soul insinctively hell-bent on serving the three-fold self.  And yet, if I am in Christ, if I have put my trust in Him - this One Who defeated sin and death - there is a new source of power coursing thru the veins of my soul, the same Power which created everything out of nothing and which sustains a billion trillion stars, limitless, inexhaustible, power to move mountains and love enemies and bring heaven down to earth.  Tap into just a tiny morsel of this divinely-powered stuff, and I have enough power to... do all things (Philippians 4.13).  Do we believe this?

Ephesians 6:9 - The Mindset of A Leader

"And the lords, the same things be doing towards them, giving up the threatening, having known that the Lord of both them and of you is in heaven and favoritism is not with Him."

-Lords, do the same things to them, to your slaves, towards those who in a free society serve under your authority.  These ‘same things’ are good things (v. 8) done with good will - AS TO THE LORD (v. 7), with fear and trembling (v. 6).  So obviously we are talking about those in authority who are God-fearing, who understand that there is a God in heaven with Whom I have to do, Who sees everything I do and knows every intention of my heart, and Who will hold me accountable for how I have treated those under my authority.  And so the way I lead them, speak to them, care for them, I strive to do so in a way that pleases the Lord of heaven, Who happens to be the ultimate Lord of anyone who might be serving under whatever authority He has entrusted to me.  It is a divine stewardship, and He will certainly hold me accountable.

-Paul specifically states that leaders are to give up threatening those under their authority.  A threat can be overt, but can also be more subtle.  Implied.  In truth a threat is a mechanism wielded by a maniac (cf Acts 9.1), specifically an ego-maniac.  To employ a threat is abusive and manipulative and excessive use of my power (God’s power!) leveraged in order to more fully secure some desired action from another.  It has a narcotic effect on my mind, makes me feel good, better about myself.  It is fostered in a seedbed of perceived superiority, where I presume that I am somehow better than this person, possessing greater dignity or worth than they.  The reality may very well be that in my threat I trying to compensate for my own insecurity.  I am nothing more than a playground bully, grasping at a glimmer of greater size or power in an attempt to intimidate another and make myself feel better about me in the process.  Um, no way, says Paul.  Uh-uh.  In God’s eyes, we are equals.  The Lord of lords totally levels every playing field.  I am no better (cf Philippians 2.3-4).  This attitude I must keep in mind as I wield God’s authority - whatever authority I may happen to have over another person has come from above and has not come to me because I am God’s favorite or somehow better or special or more deserving than they.  God has put me in this position, yes, but it is His authority, His power which I wield, and I must wield it wisely, with humility and in good faith, with purity and patience and gentleness and self-control and mercy and goodness and consistency and without any tinge of hypocrisy or severity (cf Leviticus 25.43, James 3.17).  Grace be with me, and with us all...

Ephesians 6:8 - #ALL4U

"...having known that each one, if someone should do good, this he will receive from [the] Lord, whether slave or free."

-God sees.  God knows.  He sees all that we do, He fully knows every intention of our heart.  And He is faithful.  He does not forget, never, ever, photographic to the n-th degree.  Well, He does forget our sins when they are covered with Jesus’ blood, but He does not forget His Word, nor His people.  he nations, they forget God, the Lord their Maker, even His people have a long history of forgetting Him, His commands, His benefits - but the Lord, He never forgets, never forgets His children (Isaiah 49.15), His covenant (Jeremiah 50.5), never forgets to be gracious (Psalm 77.9), and He will never forget the good work and the love which we show towards others in His name (Hebrews 12.5).

-And yes, the Lord does repay - God is the consummate payback artist, and He is indeed a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11.6).  Scripture is replete with the truth that there is a reward (Proverbs 9.17; Jeremiah 17.10; Matthew 10.42, 16.27, 19.29, 25.34; Luke 12.32; James 2.5; 2John 8; Revelation 11.18,  22.15).  It is affirmed repeatedly, held up as incentive for God’s people to faithfully persevere and endeavor to engage in good deeds.  There may be some ambiguity as to the exact nature of the reward - is it the pride and joy and praise of our Lord in eternity (cf Matthew 25.21), is it perhaps something tangible like a crown, a victor’s laurel wreath (Revelation 2.10, 1Peter 5.4, James 1.12, 2Timothy 4.8, 1Corinthians 9.25 - or are these even more metaphorical)?  Is the reward perhaps not even the Lord Himself, the glorious, brilliantly breathtaking and stunning Creator God, He of manifold perfections and Who outshines the brightest stars in the universe, more awesome to behold than a gazillion sunsets and seashores and mountains and canyons?  To be with Him for all eternity will surely be better than any other reward.  Regardless of the reward, know and be confident of this, would-be do-gooder - God sees.  He is watching, and He has something good in store for His people who are careful to keep Him in mind and give their all for Him in all that they do.  This house I’m cleaning, Lord - this one’s for You.  This food I’m preparing and serving, Lord - this one’s for you.  This class I’m taking, this class I’m teaching, Lord - for You.  This thing I am being asked to do, Lord - this one’s for You.  They’re all for You...

Ephesians 6:7 - Going vertical

-’...slaving with good will as to the Lord and not to people...’

-What if Jesus asked you to do something?  Christ-follower, if the Lord of heaven and Savior of your soul appeared to you and asked you to do something, even something difficult or daunting, would you not readily and gladly do it?  With all your heart?  And tho' it were a cross I must bear, surely His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11.30).  This then is the perspective I must bring to all I am asked to do by my God-ordained superiors in this life, that it is not in fact they who are doing the asking, but rather it is Christ Himself.  He is doing the asking, the Lord.  THE Lord.  Not some penny-ante operator.  He has all authority and power in heaven and earth.  That, and He is good, oh so good, breathtakingly so.  And He has good plans, plans to do good to us and our families and to the nations.  And as we come to know Him in this light, it is natural for us to want to do whatever He asks of us, readily, heartily.  He is our Master.  He is Who we serve.  He is Who we are ultimately serving when we submit to our authorities on earth and to one another.  Which means we can serve with good will.  The word literally means, ‘good mind’.  It all begins with our mind.  This is where we make the switch, our mindset shifts from serving on the horizontal level and goes vertical.  In our mind, now we are serving the King of heaven in whatever we do.

-So that supervisor who is harsh and unreasonable?  Throw that mental switch and shift to vertical.  Don’t focus on them.  Fix your eyes on Jesus.  Do what you are being asked to do as if Jesus is the One doing the asking.  That husband or parent who is so flawed?  Jesus.  That teacher who is making your life miserable?  Jesus.  Of course the caveat here is that we are doing things which fall under the category of what God wants.  We are not obeying authority which is asking us to do that of which the Lord does not approve.  But within that field of play, everything is fair game.  Do it for Jesus, as unto Him, and He’ll take care of the rest.  He’s got your back.  He’s got this.