Category: Today’s Truth

Paul tells the church of Ephesus in Ephesians 6:19-20, “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Paul was an ambassador for Christ. Everything he said and did was for the kingdom. So what does it mean to be an ambassador and how can we be ambassadors for Christ in our lives?

An ambassador is someone who represents an organization, like a country. Much like an advocate, their duty is to bring a message to the people. In our world today, we have ambassadors for our countries that are stationed in foreign lands. Their job is to do the work of their country.

In the same way, we are ambassadors for Christ. Our job is to do his work while we are living in this alien land where we do not belong. We are to bring the message of the gospel and hope of Jesus Christ to the ones living in the land. We are to show them the way, just as others have done for us. Think about someone who is an ambassador for Christ, maybe someone who has invested in you like a Sunday School leader or a Bible Study leader. If you keep the gospel to yourself and do not share it with others, then what purpose are you serving? Pray and ask God to help you be an ambassador for Christ today.

Ephesians 6:18 says, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Prayer is powerful and can change lives. This verse tells us to pray at all times, and be alert in your prayer.

What does it mean to pray in the Spirit with prayer and supplication? Many people are hesitant to pray. They think that they don’t have the right words to say or that God will not hear their prayers. They hear others pray and feel inferior or as they do not know as much about the Bible to be able to pray. The beautiful thing about prayer is that it is simply communicating with God. You can’t communicate with him just like you would communicate with anyone else. You do not have to use fancy word knowledge to be able to pray. God delights when his people go before him with their rejoicing and requests. So, to pray in the spirit just simply means pouring your heart out before the Lord. Supplication just simply means your request. He wants you to come on behalf of yourself and others.

Never give up in your prayers. Go before him every day lifting up those around you who are on mission, your family members, and your community. Prayer changes lives. So don’t be afraid to go to God in prayer, but instead just start talking to him like you would anyone else. He will change your life.

The Word of God is our most powerful weapon against the enemy. Paul calls it the “sword of the Spirit,” in Ephesians 6:17. So what is it about the Bible that makes it a weapon? How do we use it in our daily lives to make sure we protect ourselves from the enemy’s attacks?

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” His Word is powerful because it is alive. It is not just words from long ago, but it is words that still affect people today and change lives. It cuts to their souls and separates what is good and evil. It makes us vulnerable and exposes who we really are when we begin to recognize our sins.

When we open the Word and really begin to read it, we will see the effect it has not only on our own lives, but also on the lives of others. We will begin to see lives changed because of the truths it brings.

The helmet of salvation (as Paul stated in Ephesians 6:17) is one of the armour of God. A helmet is a protective head covering. It protects the brain from attacks. It is important to keep the head protected in battle just as a helmet can protect the head when riding a bike or motorcycle.

The brain holds all of our thoughts and emotions. It is the center of our mental and physical actions; it controls them. So when we have a helmet on, we are protecting ourselves from losing control of both mental and physical actions. In the spiritual sense, it is of utmost importance to protect our mind as it controls both the way we think and our actions. If we give in to the devil’s schemes, we allow him to control what we say and do.

So what is this helmet? It is the helmet of salvation. Salvation is what protects our minds. His salvation gives us the security we need to have peace and hope. It also gives us confidence to be able to talk to others about God.

Paul encourages believers to hold up the shield of faith to protect themselves against the devil in Ephesians 6:16, “ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” A shield can be easily moved to stop the arrow depending on where the arrow moves. A shield can also be moved to protect the people surrounding you.

Think about an umbrella and what it does. When you hold it up, you shield yourself from the precipitation falling from the sky. You put your faith in that umbrella to keep you dry and safe. The shield of faith does the same. It protects us from the attacks of the enemy, shields us from the darkness. Faith is needed to walk through this Christian life.

An umbrella can also protect others. When we extend it out and offer to hold it over someone else’s head, we are saying, “I want to keep you from the rain, too.” The same can be said of the shield. We can extend it out to protect those around us as well. When we do, we are sharing our faith and showing the world that we care about their salvation.

The greatest message we bear as Christians is the Gospel message. It has the power to convict, bring hope, and give peace. This is why Paul said in Ephesians 6:15 says, “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.”

The word peace has several different meanings according to Merriam Webster’s dictionary: “ a state of tranquility or quiet: such as freedom from civil disturbance, a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom, freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions, harmony in personal relations. All of these definitions could apply to the type of peace we find in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Christ provides a peace that is tranquility. It is a quiet state of mind. In the middle of the loud world, His peace gives us a reason to sing. The gospel also brings security. It is a safety net that provides the assurance of eternity in heaven. The gospel gives us peace that calms our thoughts and emotions. We can doubt our salvation, our beliefs, and even God Himself, but the saving grace of Jesus gives us the assurance we need. The last definition of peace says “harmony in personal relations.” The gospel message binds us together as churches and more importantly as the body of Christ; that gives peace to believers.

So why is it important to put on the shoes of peace? We need to experience His peace in all of its fullness and then we will be able to bring the peace of the gospel message to a dying world.

The first piece of armour that Paul tells you to put on in Ephesians 6:14 is the belt of truth: “Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.” He first gives a command and tells you to stand your ground. This is important when going into battle. You must first stand your ground when in battle. Do not give up; do not shy away or the enemy will overtake you.

Then he says to put on the belt of truth. A belt holds everything together, just as the truth holds all of the armour together. The Christian life is based on truth. God is the God of truth who only speaks truth, while the devil stands on lies and speaks lies.

Paul then says to put on the body armour, the breast piece of righteousness that protects the most important organ, your heart. Your heart is what gives you life. If it stops, then you will no longer live. In the Christian life, your heart is what houses the Holy Spirit, the life of Christ. You must protect it from the enemy’s darts. Righteousness, living a holy life, is what protects you from the enemy. He cannot touch you when you are living according to the Lord and His truth.

Christianity is more than just going to church, reading your Bible, doing mission work, or praying. It is all of this together! If you are only doing one of these things, then you are not fully experiencing the greatness of being a Christian, one of God’s chosen servants. Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” You must put on each piece of the armour.

For example, if you only go to church, but spend no time in prayer or reading your Bible, then when the enemy attacks, you will not know how to fight against him. If you only pray, how will you know what you should say if you are never reading your Bible? If you only read your Bible, then how will you see His words played out in the real world? You must have all of it to really live out your faith.

A soldier would not go out to battle with just one weapon or one piece of his armour. He/she would never be vulnerable to the enemy like that. So why in the world do we as Christians settle for just living out half of our faith? Why allow ourselves to become vulnerable to the enemy? Over the next few days, let’s learn about the armour and how we can protect ourselves from the devil.

It can be difficult living in this world as a Christian. Society has made sin acceptable and anyone who questions it or lives different is not tolerant. This makes it discouraging to try to stand for truth and God’s Word. However, we are not fighting people or even society. We are fighting a greater demon, our enemy the devil. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

Have you ever been wronged by someone? You probably felt betrayed. It can be easy in a world that pits people against each other to take it out on those who wrong you. However, we have to remember that God told us to love our neighbors, not get revenge or hate them. This means we need to recognize who is really in control when they do something to wrong you. The reality is that it is the devil who controls them and their actions. They have believed his lies. He is their master and they do what he says.

We live in a fallen, dark world. When sin entered the world, darkness also entered. Every person in this world has a choice to make. They can either choose to follow the prince of darkness, the devil, or find truth and hope in the Lord through Jesus Christ. Only then can you join in the spiritual warfare and fight for the Lord!

If you have been a Christian very long, then you probably have some understanding of the armour of God. Maybe you learned about it as a child in Sunday School, church camp, or Vacation Bible School. Maybe you have heard sermons preached about it, or have even studied it in Bible studies. Have you ever taken the time to really study each part and understand what each part of the armour means? Over the next few days, we are going to really dive in and understand what Paul meant in Ephesians six by the armour of God. Hopefully, then you will understand why it is important to put on the armour of God in the battle we face as Christians.

We are living in the midst of spiritual warfare. The enemy fights for control over our lives by whispering lies and making sin look so pleasing and good. Many are led astray by his trickery, even Christians can become entangled in sin if we do not do something to protect ourselves. Paul saw this happening during his time, just as we still see it happening today. This is why it is so important to recognize our enemy, the devil, for who he is and take up the armour of God.

Paul instructs believers on how to live in Ephesians 6, but starting in verse 10, he has a final word for believers: how to stand firm against the devil and the principalities of this world. He says in verses 10-11, “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” This is how we stand firm against the schemes of the devil: put on the full armour of God so you will be strong in the Lord and his power.