Keep your Armor On -- The Christian Defense

Dear Friends: This Sunday we are going to discuss the New Testament lection, namely Ephesians 6:10-20, one of the few places, and unquestionably the best know place, where the Great Apostle talks about spiritual warfare.

First, let's look at his circumstances. Paul is in prison, and writing to a church that he not only founded, but also one at which he spent a lot of time in evangelical outreach and teaching. In this letter, Paul is like the great general of the troops, temporarily sidelined from the front lines of the war, but who is still trying to give tactical instructions to those who are still on the front. No doubt he is surrounded by Roman guards and troops, and so their armor becomes the perfect illustration of what he wants to say.

Ephesus was a big, cosmopolitan city in Paul's day. The church was surrounded by all kinds of pagan religious practices and peoples. Among other things, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, the Temple to the god Artemis, was prominent on the city skyline. Spiritual warfare was a reality for the Ephesians.

And it is a reality for us today. Now I'm not trying to excuse or minimize human sin or corruption, nor am I trying to downplay the reality of tragedy in life. But Paul is right -- there is evil in the world, and although I don't believe in a little guy in a red suit, with a tail and a pitchfork, we shouldn't forget that there are malevolent forces in the world. These forces array themselves against the Kingdom of God in general and against Christians in particular.

So, as Paul advises, we need to keep our armor on. Paul gives a detailed explanation as to what this armor consists of. We'll look more closely at that on Sunday, but suffice it to say that evil is no match for the power of God. And prayer is the power behind the thrwarting of the threats of the Evil One.

This Sunday we're going to look at the Christian's defence. It's a lesson you don't want to miss, so I'll see you then.