The World is Against God (Ephesians 6)
Each year, numerous local churches fill backpacks for children in their communities who have limited access to school supplies. They may schedule a Saturday morning to pack hundreds of backpacks full of pencils, paper, notebooks, scissors, erasers, and more to ensure that children are well-equipped for school.
Imagine if they filled the backpacks with candy, toys, tools, and dirt. Imagine that instead of paper and pencils, kids received empty soda cans and grass seed. Sure, those children may be ready to swing by the recycling center and start a landscaping project, but they would not be ready for what was in front of them.
In Ephesians 6, at the conclusion of Paul’s letter to his friends in Ephesus, Paul reminded the Ephesians of the tools they needed to remain faithful in the combative culture they were living.
The tools Paul described are not a hammer and nails. In fact, the tools that Paul exhorts them to use are metaphors for the spiritual characteristics and disciplines that are essential to guarding against the spiritual attacks of the devil and actively combating the lies of the evil one.
Paul reminded the Christians at Ephesus to put on truth, righteousness, readiness to take the gospel, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. We can pursue and hold tightly to these distinctive characteristics of those whose hope is in the gospel of Jesus Christ; and in so doing, we’ll be equipped to stand firm in the faith.
Why are these things so essential? As Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.” Paul says you’re not fighting a physical battle, but a spiritual one. Be sure you are equipped with the right tools for the task at hand.
In the same way, the kids in our communities need pencils and paper to be equipped for school, we need these spiritual characteristics and disciplines to grow and be equipped for the spiritual battle that we are facing each day. Be sure you gather the right supplies; it will make all the difference.
Christ Connection: Paul told believers to be ready to fight a spiritual battle every day. People and powers who are against God will be against us too. But Jesus died and rose from the dead. He had victory over evil. We can fight the battle against evil, knowing Jesus already won the war.
