Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:18. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:18

“Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To this end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.”

Although prayer is not part of the armour of God, it is an essential part of the spiritual life. Paul here uses very expansive language, using words such as all, every, always. For the genuine Christian, there is never a time to neglect prayer. It should be as natural a part of our life as breathing.

Not just any prayer will do. This prayer is not a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer or reading from a prayer book. Paul is exhorting us to pray in the Spirit.

Praying in the Spirit means that we pray with an awareness of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We listen to what the Holy Spirit is directing us to pray. We pray with the knowledge that the Spirit Himself intercedes for us in groans beyond human understanding (Romans 8:26-27).

Praying in the Spirit means also praying in tongues, the language given to us by the Holy Spirit. We allow the Spirit to direct our words because our words alone are not enough.

We are to pray at all times. This takes discipline and endurance. Some of us have established specific times to pray, both alone and with others. This is good, but Paul is saying we need to learn to pray at all times.

By being conscious of our thoughts and the rhythm of our days, we can learn to direct every part of our lives to prayer. When people or situations go through our mind, rather than letting our brain idle past them, we can turn them to prayer.

We can learn to turn the routine and monotonous times of life to prayer. Tasks like mowing, cleaning, washing up, can easily become opportunities to pray in the Spirit.

We must pray every kind of prayer and supplication. This is a classroom of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who can lead us into every kind of prayer. A supplication is a request. We listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying about a person or a situation, and then we make our request to the Father.

We must keep alert, listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We are in partnership with the Lord. There are millions of testimonies from believers who received an impression, an idea, sometimes even an urgent summons to pray for someone. They pray earnestly for the person, and later find out that their prayers were needed at that exact time.

To keep alert means that we are not distracted by the things of the world. It is easy to fill every part of the day and night with external stimulation- music, social media, movies, TV, and the like. When we engross ourselves in these things, we are not being alert to the Holy Spirit. Like a sentry guarding a military target, we must keep our spiritual senses actively engaged for the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

We must persevere in supplication for all the saints.

We are not the only ones involved in spiritual battles. My Christian brothers and sisters are also fighting against the enemy. There are other people who are being targeted for persecution, suffering, or discouragement. Our hearts must never become so focused on our own struggles that we fail to support others in their struggles. Our prayers of supplication must be for others and not just for ourselves.

It is not easy to pray for “all the saints” as there are millions of people to pray for. We should regularly pray for the saints in we know, such as people in our church, members of our cell group or home group, pastors and other leaders, people who are sick, and those who are facing persecution in other countries. When the Spirit lays a burden for particular names into our heads, Then we should pray urgently and earnestly for those people.

The ministry of prayer is the duty and the privilege of all Christians. We must always look to the needs of other people and not just ourselves, and be alert to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Key points in this verse:

• Prayer is a key weapon in our spiritual warfare
• We must constantly pray in the Spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit to prompt us to pray specifically
• We must learn to pray on every occasion at all times
• Our prayers should be directed towards the needs of other christians, as well as our own needs.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:17. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:17

“Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.”

We are told to take, or receive, the helmet of salvation. The helmet is obviously important to protect the head. A blow to the unprotected head can easily kill or render unconscious a soldier. This form of protection is vital.

salvation, in the sense of our redemption from sin by Christ’s death on the cross, is the first meaning of this phrase. To even get into the battle and to be spiritually alive, we need to first be saved. A person foolish enough to enter the battle without salvation will suffer a fate similar to that of the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-16).

The helmet of salvation protects our thought life after we are saved. Our thoughts are being constantly filled with ideas from outside. Some of these come from the Holy Spirit. Others come from human sources such as the media, entertainment, philosophy, politics, and so on. Still others come from demons seeking to undermine our determination to fight for the Lord.

When I first came to know Jesus, at the age of 18, I was excited to find out more about my relationship with God. I filled my mind with the Bible and with Christian books. The helmet of salvation protected my thought life from ideas opposed to God’s ways by filling my mind with His Word.

Over time we can tune out the Holy Spirit and allow other thoughts to enter our thinking. These might be thoughts about compromise, doubts, pleasure, or outright temptation to sin. If we allow these thoughts to take root in our mind, then our relationship with God can be destroyed.

To take the helmet of salvation means that we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our thinking. This might take self-discipline on our part as we learn to say “No” to thoughts that originated in the flesh or from demons.

If we allow our thinking to be corrupted by satan, it is every bit as fatal to our spirit as a blow to the head can be to the body. This helmet of salvation is vital.

Along with the helmet of salvation, we need to take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

This connection between God’s Word and a sword is not unique to this passage. In Hebrews 4:12, we are told that “ the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.” Revelation 1:16 describes Jesus as holding seven stars “ and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword.”

The word of God is a powerful tool that the Holy Spirit uses to bring discernment and judgement to the heart. Like the helmet of salvation, this sword brings our thinking into alignment with God’s purposes.

The word for “sword” used in Ephesians 6:17 is makaira, a razor sharp sword used in close combat. The sword is an offensive weapon not a defensive implement like a shield or helmet.

We need to remind ourselves that the fight is against powers, principalities, and demons. Too often the Bible has been used as a bludgeon to bash people into acquiescence. We can quote the Word of God to condemn, humiliate, or repel people we do not like.

The proper use of the Word in warfare is against the spirits, that is, in prayer. We pray the promises of God; we command demons to flee on the basis of Scripture; by faith we speak things into being.

When the Bible is used to bring the power of salvation then it is used effectively as the sword of the Spirit. The word of God, properly, passionately, and pastorally preached is a powerful weapon in evangelism.

The phrase “ the word of God” can also be used in regard to spoken words brought through the agency of the Holy Spirit – words of knowledge, wisdom, faith, and prophetic words are amongst these. We should not think that Paul is exclusively thinking of Scripture in this verse. In 1 Corinthians 14, he speaks of how prophecy and tongues should be used in christian gatherings in order to bring the unbeliever to a place of repentance.

Key points in this verse

• The helmet of salvation is essential protection in spiritual warfare
• The Holy Spirit protects our thinking in order to help us overcome the evil one
• The sword of the Spirit is the word of God
• We need to use the Bible as a sword against evil spirits, not as a weapon to condemn people
• The word of God includes not just the Scriptures but genuine words from the Holy Spirit spoken by individuals

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:16. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:16

“With all these things, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

Some translators take the phrase ”with all these things” to be “over all these things.” The Roman shield was a body length protection from arrows and other projectiles. The shield could be carried over head to protect from arrows fired from above. When enemies covered their arrows with cloth soaked in pitch and set on fire, the shields themselves were protected by leather soaked in water.

The shield was an all-purpose protection from weapons before they even made contact with the armour.

Again Paul reminds us of the war of the spirit in which Christians are engaged. The enemy is constantly assaulting us in all kinds of ways to probe for any fatal weakness.

The flaming arrows may take the form of temptations. We all have weaknesses that we easily fall prey to. In many ways, these are automatic in the sense that there are triggering events every day that exist just because of the fallen world in which we live. A person with a weakness for lust, or greed, or pride, will not need too many promptings from the evil one before their thoughts have been hijacked.

Emotions that undermine faith can also be arrows that can pull us down. Fear and anxiety are two such emotions. If I allow anxiety to dominate my feelings, then I am being disobedient to Christ who repeatedly commanded us not to be anxious about anything but to trust our heavenly Father (Matthew 6:25-34).

Accusations from other people can likewise be arrows that attack our faith, especially when they seem to be unfounded. We may be mocked for our faith, or our motives may be misunderstood. In these ways, satan turns our desire for approval by others into arrows that wound our relationship with God.

Like arrows, fiery or otherwise, the key features of these attacks is that they come upon us without warning. An arrow was launched from a distance away, possibly before the victim knew the assailant was even there, and it came silently.

We need to be constantly aware of the presence of the enemy, and ready to come under fire. We must prayerfully analyse our own weaknesses so that when we are tempted then we can stand firm in the lesser temptations as well as the greater ones.

It is faith that protects us from the fiery arrows of the evil one.

Faith understands that when our emotions are under attack, God is greater than our fears. Faith determines that God has promised to care for his children and that he is faithful. When anxiety or fear threaten to overwhelm us, faith looks to the Father, not to the circumstance.

Faith is the shield that protects from temptations. Since the Garden of Eden, satan has attempted to undermine the commands of God (“Did God really say?”), and the goodness of God (“God knows that you will be like Him”). All temptation comes down to denying either the word of God or the character of God. When we know God by faith, and trust him for who He is, the power of temptation is quenched.

To hold a shield in place under sustained attack requires strength and stamina. As we walk with the Lord and engage in battles over a lifetime, we discover that our strength to apply the shield, and hence quench those arrows, actually grows. Whereas some people become discouraged or accepting of their weaknesses, people of faith learn to hold firm their shields in ever increasing intensities of attack from the devil.

In doing this, we can have great victory in the ways of the Spirit.

Key points in this verse:

• The shield of faith protects every part of our spiritual being
• The enemy has many and varied ways of undermining our trust in the Lord
• The fiery arrows come silently and without warning
• Faith is the shield that quenches every attack from the enemy
• We must learn to apply faith in the midst of temptation and other attacks
• We should grow in our ability to withstand evil

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:15. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:15

“As shoes for your feet, put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.” (NRSV)

“And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (NIV)

“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared.” (NLT)

These three translations show that there is a wide variety of interpretations of how this seemingly simple verse should translated. Sometimes the relationship of the various words in a Greek sentence is not easily discerned.

Firstly, we need shoes to protect our feet. The soldier in hand- to- hand combat requires shoes that support his feet and help to maintain his footing on a slippery surface without sinking into soft ground and restricting his movement. A combat shoe, boot, or even a sandal, is not a fashion accessory, but a vital part of the soldier’s equipment.

What is Paul advocating should be our shoes in this metaphor that he is using? According to the New Revised Standard Version, the answer is “ whatever makes you ready.”

So, we are to take hold of whatever tools we need that will prepare us to proclaim the gospel of peace. This means that our focus has to be on our mission, that is proclaiming the gospel of peace. This is a very proactive understanding.

Firstly, we seek our mission field through prayer. “ Lord, where and how do you want me to preach the gospel of peace?” Then we look for the resources that will help us to do that — training, book, equipment, spiritual gifts, and so on.

The gospel is the gospel of peace because it expresses the end of hostility between God and people. Through the death of Jesus on the cross, the sin that separates us from God is done away with. The veil of separation is torn down, and we are reconciled to our Father.

In this understanding, then, it is the preaching of the gospel which is the focus of this part of the armour.

In the interpretation offered by the New International Version, it is “The readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” that the shoes represent.

Looking at this closely, the gospel of peace, when we receive it into our heart imparts a readiness. Soldiers should always be ready to fight, so Paul is saying that having enlisted in God’s army by receiving the gospel of peace, we should be ready to fight against “the rulers, principalities, and powers of this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12)

Many Christians want a quiet life. They are afraid to engage in spiritual warfare whether through prayer or declaration or preaching the Good News. We must always be ready to take our stand in the war. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are in the greatest imaginable battle. We must stand and fight.

The New Living Translation tells us that the shoes are the peace that come from the gospel, and the result of putting on this peace is there that we are prepared.

When we are reconciled to God through Christ, we come to a place of peace. God’s shalom permeates our soul, so that where we once were at war with God, with ourselves, and with others, we are now at peace. This peace is a restoration of the true nature that God created us to carry.

Now, instead of being at war with the wrong enemies, we are prepared for battle with the right enemies. In this battle, the peace of God holds us upright so that all of the tactics, weapons, and attacks of satan are unable to pull us down and take us out of the battle.

These three translations provide us with three different approaches to this verse. However we understand this, let us be ready, with our boots on, for all that the enemy might throw at us, and in the last day, to remain standing firm in Christ.

Key points in this verse:

• Shoes help to support our feet s that we stand firm in the battle
• We should take hold of whatever resources God gives us in order to preach the Good News
• We must always be ready to fight the powers, principalities, and cosmic rulers of this dark age
• The gospel gives us peace with God, with ourselves, and with others, so that we can fight against the true enemy of our souls

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:14. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:14

“Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.”

Paul now starts to describe the armour of God and its various components .

First there is the belt of truth. This belt (or girdle as it is translated in some older versions) served to hold up the flowing robes so that the soldier was able to move freely. it also provided a place to carry various weapons and other equipment, as well as holding the other pieces of armour together.

The belt was foundational to the protection of a soldier. Truth is likewise foundational to the health and well-being of the Christian.

Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) so we must make Jesus the foundation of all we do. Jesus must be in our mind, in our heart, and in our mouth at all times.

Our culture has completely destroyed the concept of truth. We live in a post- truth society. Truth has become an internal, personal quality rather than an objective quality that can be tested and either refuted or confirmed.

People can define their own truth, and it is perfectly reasonable to declare,”What is true for you is not true for me.” People are allowed to define the gender identity as if their self-centred thoughts somehow overrule biology and DNA.

Despite the wishful thinking of post-modern men and women, objective truth reigns in the created universe. Stepping over a cliff will cause you to accelerate downwards at the rate of 9.8 metres per second squared, whether or not you believe in gravity. Two vehicles colliding will obey the laws of physics, regardless of our beliefs about our freedom to choose which side of the road to drive.

The God who has revealed himself in scripture and through the testimony of the church, also stands outside of our post- truth beliefs. We might want to believe that there are many ways to God, but Jesus says,” nobody comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:7). We might want to believe that everyone goes to heaven when they die, but God says that those who resist Him will be thrown into a lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).

Truth is more than doctrines. It is also a moral or ethical quality. To be a person of Truth means that we internalise the grace of God and our beliefs about Him. In other words, the gospel must transform our heart and our lifestyle, or else we have not received the truth. Our actions must line up with our beliefs otherwise we show that we do not really believe what we claim to believe.

The Old Testament prophets frequently express the heart of God towards his people. “These people worship me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Isaiah 29:13)

Righteousness is described as a breastplate. The breastplate was designed to protect the vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Paul is saying that righteousness protects our spiritual life in the same way.

Jesus is our righteousness. He not only imputed righteousness to us through His death on the cross, but He makes us righteous in fact.

God demands that his people must be holy, as He Himself is holy. To be holy, or to be righteous, means that we live a life that is free from sin.

This righteousness is about the way we live from day to day. No longer are we pulled by our sinful desires or the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). A righteous person discerns what is the right thing to do and proceeds to do it, regardless of the short-term costs .

Every part of our life must be covered by righteousness. At work, we must not act unethically, even if it costs us our job. At the shop, we must not take advantage of errors in calculating change or applying prices. At home, we must seek to treat family with the love and care that Jesus does.

Both truth and righteousness are at the heart of the Christian character. We are to be people who live in truth and injustice.

Key points in this verse:

• We must seek God’s truth and put it at the centre of our lives
• Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
• God has revealed to us truth that is eternal and objective
• Righteousness in our dealings with other people will protect and nurture our spirit
• Jesus is our righteousness. He sets us free from fleshly desires