Time to go to war
This is a battle song, brothers and sisters
Time to go to war."
- Vox Populi, by 30 Seconds to Mars
Did you know that as followers of Jesus we are called to war?
Well, we are.
But we are not called to fight with guns and bombs. We do not fight against other people, or religions, or nations.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Ephesians 6:12
But we do have an enemy. The Enemy. He's been our enemy since the beginning in Eden. He's been working against God ever since. Jesus said this in John 8:44
"...He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
There are many other places in the Word that give other descriptions of the Enemy and his character. One other I'll mention here is also from Jesus
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy..."
John 10:10
So we know we are in a battle. We know who are Enemy is. What now?
We take up arms.
Paul lines out in Ephesians 6 what these arms are. (verses 10-18)
The Belt of Truth
"...Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,..."
The belt. It holds everything together. And what does Paul call it?
Truth.
"A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like" is one of the definitions in the dictionary. But truth being verified, is not where it stops for us. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life..." So for us, Jesus is Truth. Jesus is a verified or indisputable fact. He is what holds everything together. He holds us together.
So if we are buckled with truth, we must live in truth. Lying does not become a follower of Jesus. We must live out what we claim to be. If we are Christians, let us be Christians. And to do that we have to know who Jesus is. How? Well that's coming up later.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
"...with the breastplate of righteousness in place,..."
The breastplate covers and protects our vital organs. Not least of which is our Heart. Paul is telling us that we cover and protect our heart with Righteousness. How do we get this Righteousness?
"...the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it."
Romans 9:30-31
Through faith in Jesus, in what he taught, lived, died and resurrected for, we can be covered with Righteousness. It is defined as: 'acting in an upright, moral way; virtuous." How do we do that? How does that protect our heart?
We strive to live upright, morally, virtuous...we do so by living like Jesus, and having faith in Him that he is the ultimate example of righteousness. This protects us because Jesus didn't do things that would hurt his heart. He wasn't sneaking around doing things that were questionable. He didn't talk back to his parents. He spent most of his time seeking God. The rest of the time he was teaching what he knew to others, helping them, caring for the poor, healing the sick.
And isn't that exactly what he told the disciples (and us) to do? And look what word is used at the beginning:
"Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’"
Matthew 25:37-40
When we seek to serve others, and not ourselves, we guard our heart by living in righteousness. Righteousness that comes from Jesus.
Readiness from the Gospel of Peace
"...and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."
Peace. The Gospel or Good News of Peace. It's the story of Jesus. What he accomplished on Earth, through the Cross and Resurrection.
Paul says in Ephesians 2:14-18
"For he himself (Jesus) is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."
So this piece of weaponry is not as "obvious." The readiness comes from the Good News, the Cause if you will. The whole story of Jesus. By knowing it we should be eager to share it, eager to move and proclaim it. We shouldn't be content sitting still in our office chairs, and recliners! We should be ready to move to go when the opportunity comes to share Jesus.
We should know that story inside and out. Not just in our heads, but our hearts. To know what Jesus did for all mankind and for us individually. Know your story. Let it be ready to share with others so that they can encounter (maybe immediately, or in time) Jesus, and be restored to the Father.
The Shield of Faith
"...take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."
The shield. An ancient weapon known throughout most of history. Some were small, some large but all had the same purpose. To prevent weapons of the enemy from getting to you. Shields would take the brunt of the initial attacks. Be it stones, arrows, swords, or spears...the shield, if made well would deflect these things. Epesians 6 says that it will extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
How cool is that?! Not only does it stop them, it puts out the fire!
Fire consumes.
When used as a weapon fire is devastating. But when you pick up the shield of Faith, the flames are quenched. What did we already establish our faith in? Jesus. Our trust in him as our Savior, our King, our God. It is our faith in Him the creates this shield, this barrier protection. Something God has consistently told us He is.
Psalm 91:1-2
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.'"
Another thing about the shield, it has to go in front of you or it is useless. So, our Faith in Jesus should go before us, otherwise we are vulnerable to attack. Keep your Faith before you, keep Jesus as your goal, and He will protect you.
Helmet of Salvation
"...Take the helmet of salvation..."
The helmet protects our head. And what is inside out head?
Our mind.
So Salvation is what protects our mind...if we keep it on. When we think, remember what Jesus did. Hebrews 2: 3-4 says:
"...This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord(Jesus), was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."
When our minds start to wander. When we think of the nasty response. When we think of yelling and swearing...remember Salvation. Remember Jesus. Even when he was dying on the cross for us, bearing all our sin...he forgave us. All wrongs have been righted in his death. All blood owed has been paid. All the things we feel we are justified to have...have already been given.
"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation..."
Isaiah 12:2
Not only should we guard our thoughts from evil, but allow it to Trust and not Fear. God has already won. The only things we can loose (if we cling to him) are our earthly possessions, and our earthly body.
The Sword of the Spirit
"...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Earlier I asked how do we get to know Jesus. The sword is the answer. The sword is the Word of God, Jesus is also the Word.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. 'Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."
John 1:1-5
The Bible from Genesis to Revelation is all about God, and His love for us, and the plan of redemption that was laid out for Jesus. The Word is full of instructions, hope, song, stories, and love. And there is only one way to know it...and that's by digging into it. Read it. Let the words of scripture fill your heart, and Righteousness will come. Saturate your mind with the words of Jesus, and Salvation will guard it. Allow your faith to rest firmly on the promises of God that come from the Bible, and he will protect you.
Prayer
"...And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests..."
Prayer. It's how we communicate with God. And communication in a battle is vital. If you can't hear what God is telling you...you can't move, you can't act, you can't fight.
Prayer doesn't have to be eloquent and lofty. It doesn't have to be full of the right words or said in just the right way. Let it come from your heart, your spirit. Jesus tells us how to pray in Matthew 6:5-14. You can also look at the other prayers Jesus makes throughout the four gospels. God knows what you need before ever you go to Him.
The War
We have a clear and present Enemy. We have been given our arms and are equipped. There is open lines of communication to Jesus. But we do not fight to draw blood. We do not fight to kill.
We fight on our knees in prayer.
We fight in song with worship.
We fight in actions by serving others.
We fight by laying down our lives for Jesus.
So I call out today, April 9th to all Christians in every city, in every country
Take up your arms!
Lift up the Sword of Truth!
Put on the Armor of God!
The Enemy is at hand.
Fall to your knees and pray!
Raise up your voice in Worship!
Call on our Savior to pour out His Spirit!
God stir our hearts to action.
Raise up our spirits in Strength and Courage!
Shelter and protect us,
Lead and guide us Father!
