Stand therefore,
having girded your waist with truth,
having put on the
breastplate of righteousness,
and having shod your
feet with the preparation
of the gospel of
peace; above all,
taking the shield of
faith which you will be
able to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked one.
And take the helm at
a salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God;
Ephesians 6: 14 -- 17
I would
dare say that there are few Christians, who do not know these verses and have
quoted them rather often, but too often they know about these verses and that
they should be applied in the life and yet that is not the case. One of the reasons that this could be the
case is that they become all too familiar, something like this could happen to those words in
Galatians were it speaks of the fruit of the Spirit. Familiarity often just gives the knowledge without any real
internalization so that a person actually has his character changed from the
inside out. This has been occurring in the
church from the beginning so if we look at the early church and what the
writers wrote whether it be the apostles of Jesus Christ, by the 12, or by
other writers who wrote to churches in aid them in their struggle against such
complacency, let us see how that might apply to us. Paul wrote in the above
verses that we should put on the whole armor of God and that simply means that
there is not a part of us that is not God's, therefore, our character and our
actions must be in accordance with God or we will not be able to stand against
the schemes of the devil. Things
haven't changed much, the church has gone through many. A struggle and persecution some brought on
by their own doctrines in theology and in practice, and others simply people
becoming complacent we find this in the things as people who have become Deist,
they believe in God they just don't believe in a God who reveals things to
them, rather a God that sits far back and just watches things go. You see people get complacent where they
just simply want a placid life and do not want to be disturbed or have their
feathers ruffled especially when it comes to religion. Paul had to address that very thing for in
place of pure religion and God, that pure worship that is owed to God, many
Christians were replacing that with all kinds of practices that were not of
God.
It is
always good to look back into the early writers in this writer wrote to the
Corinthian church and to many others as well as did Iraeneus, and Polycarp, and
Mathete and it would be good to look back and see what they wrote to give aid
to those Christians who were struggling in their Christianity and see how that
might apply in our struggle with our Christianity. Clement of Rome (30 A.D. – 100 A.D.) save the bandwidth of the
Paul at Philippi (57 A.D.) when the churches, particularly the Western
churches, were going to great trials of faith.
These godly witnesses who wrote to the church who were struggling live
in times where heroism was displayed, not of words, not just writers, but
soldiers, not just talkers, but sufferers.
It is interesting to note that we need to be grateful for them for what
they wrote comes down to us as we see the response of converted nations to the
testimony of Jesus, they are the primary evidences of the Canon and the
credibility of the New Testament. At
first those early Christians were faithful in their thing and in their virtue
even being established, that sobriety and moderation of your godliness in Jesus
Christ. Not unlike what happens to
Christians even today when they first come to Jesus Christ and are converted to
him they are full of faith and action until time goes by and then they become
placid, even at times apathetic, and some fall off into the deep darkness of
heresy. Clement could write about their
faith and their obedience, that obedience even to those who were in the overseers
and pastors, the prospectors among them when they gave them their due honor as
leaders they talked young men to be sober and to be serious of blind, they
instructed why do all things with a blameless and pure conscience, loving their
husbands as duty-bound, and that they should manage their household affairs
becomingly, in every respect be marked by discretion. This can only occur if a person puts on the whole armor of God
for if that is not happening they cannot stand girded with truth, they will not
have the breastplate of righteousness, and they will not take the gospel to
whomever and where ever they go because they will not even prepare to do so
even though this is a gospel of peace, unlike that Islamic heresy that is
infecting the world today. Faith is a
word and it is in some small way practiced and that smallest practiced leaves them short
when it comes to any form of persecution, or rejection by friends and family
due to their faith and often due to this lack of faith they cannot stand
against the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Paul tells the Ephesians, and that which was written was for all people
in all ages, that there is a necessity to put on the helmut of salvation, that
is by studying and praying you will be able to stand and you will be able to pick
up the sword of the Spirit for that sword is the Word of God. We are to be fully persuaded of the truth of
God's promises and threatening, and the way to stand against the threatenings
and hold fast to the promises of God and this is by changing from the inside out and
that will require authentic Christian faith.
Paul adds this important note:
"praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being
watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
--" (Ephesians 6: 18).
Brothers
and sisters cheer yourself up, strengthen your feeble knees, lift up your
thinking hearts, and do not delay unless Satan will come and destroy your face,
your wit is a end all that you will be left with is for people to see that you
were nothing more than a hypocrite.
Rest in the fact of God's grace and that is sufficient to not be one who
neglects to answer God's call to be his ambassador and let us consider these
things and continue our prayer with patience.
When Mordecai learned all that had happened,
he tore his
clothes and put on a sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city.
He cried
out with a loud and bitter cry.
Esther 4: 1
God gives strength: God is your help!
No comments:
Post a Comment