(December 2003 Edition)
Editorial
Take on the Whole Armour of God
An armour is protection worn in battle.
The Christian warfare is a spiritual one and the soldier must be, by God’s grace, determined to fight to the end. The enemy to be defeated is sin. Paul encourages believers to stand with their waist girded with truth -- Ephesians 6:14.
The belt of truth holds up and keeps in place all other pieces of the armour. In everyday life we wear a belt to hold things in place or else our clothing would soon begin to fall apart. In the same way, truth keeps us secure in Christ and makes effective all the other pieces of the armour.
Truth
In I Corinthians 5:8, we are told, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not
with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Truth is the sincerity of the
heart. Sincerity leads us to be open to God. It keeps our motives pure,
devoid of malice and wickedness toward our fellow man. If we are to be
effective in spiritual warfare, our hearts must be pure. Truth in our hearts
makes us sincere and teachable before God. In the mind, truth strengthens
our will to serve the Lord. When a sincere heart and a determined will
combine they give us a firm girdle that keeps us rooted and grounded in
Christ.
As we put on the belt of truth we ask ourselves these questions. Am I right with the Lord? Is there any untruth lingering in my heart? Is there any bitterness and malice being entertained in my heart?
The breastplate of righteousness
In Ephesians 6:14 there is the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate
protects the heart and other vital areas that may cause death if wounded. In
the believer's case the breastplate is not manmade (iron), but
righteousness. A soldier with his breastplate on goes boldly into battle. He
is confident. Righteousness affords us the opportunity to stand before God.
Righteousness is two-fold:
-
We are reckoned righteous – our faith is counted for righteousness.
-
We are to behave righteously – keeping God’s principles with His help.
In Romans 4:6-7, Paul tells us of the blessedness of man to whom God imputes righteousness. Abraham believed God and God considered this righteousness. God makes us right with Him because we believe and accept the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins.
Faith that is counted righteousness gives us boldness in the presence of God. His presence gives us boldness to change our lives. God wants us to live holy lives. As you submit yourself to the leadership of God and the power of the holy spirit, sin will no longer have dominion over you. Have the breastplate of righteousness and keep in on.
Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace
Most people today will spend thousands of dollars (Jamaican dollars) on a
name brand shoe. This qualifies them as the ‘hot’ boy or girl. That is
material. It is not a spiritual asset and will soon fade away.
Paul, in Ephesians 6:15, speaks of the shoe that aids the believer’s movement. It has nothing to do with the appearance. God is interested in our hearts, not how we look. Looks can be very deceiving. Paul speaks of how we are planted in the truth. The feet must be shod with the gospel of peace (Luke 2:14).
The shoes we wear have soles that help us going over hard ground and equip us with something to offer to the needy souls along the way. The feet are to the body what the will is to the soul. We go wherever our will tells us. Are our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace?
Stay focused
The gospel sets the will of the believer. It gives him a purpose and a
focus. It presents him with a message and a task. It gives meaning to life
and nothing else seems to matter. There is no calling without the gospel; no
sacrifice without understanding.
A barefooted man shrinks when his foot touches hot sand and he also shrieks when he stumbles on a sharp stone. But when the will and heart are prepared and ready to serve the Lord, the believer’s feet are shod. They are prepared and equipped to face any trouble they must go through to complete the task ahead.
Like Paul, the believer must spend time preparing himself in the word so that he can bear fruit in time of trouble. We are told to preach the word in season and out of season (II Tim. 4:2).
The shield of faith
“Above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” – Ephesians 6:6.
The shield of faith not only defends our whole body but also our armour. It keeps the darts away from the head, chest, waist, arms and legs. The shield of faith has a very specific function – quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Not some, but all of them.
Not one of the other pieces of weapons mentioned is as highly exalted as the shield. It moves with the attack. A skilled soldier can use the shield to hold back the darts of the enemy no matter the direction from which they come. When the shield is down the vulnerable areas are exposed.
What is faith?
Faith is what is in our hearts when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our
saviour. Faith is what allows us to call God our Father (Rom. 8:15). It is
the confidence and assurance we have in the crucified and risen Christ. When
we lift up our eyes to God and rely on Him to see us through; that is faith.
We can pray from now till tomorrow but see no answers if we have not the
faith to receive it.
Let us be fervent in prayer, James 5:15-17.
Pray expecting God to answer. He will.
Gerzel Gordon
The ancient Greeks had three distinct words to describe love:
1) Eros:
This refers to the basically sensual attraction individuals may have for the opposite sex, such as a man would have for his wife. It is highly emotional and fluid in nature as the emphasis is on outward appearance, such as shape of the body, beauty of the face, style of speech, and even popularity and charisma of the personality.
An extreme stage of this kind of love is called infatuation, where one or both parties are so engrossed with the other that day-dreaming forms part of everyday behaviour. Eros is the kind of love that is usually mistaken for true love, generally by the younger generation, and is readily portrayed in popular music and romantic literature such as novels. This daily diet of ‘cloud 9’ fed through the media is largely responsible for a lot of early expectations ending up in disillusionment and heartache. Too often, when young people refer to their love as being ‘strong’ they really mean that their eros is at a heightened level, which ironically places the relationship in an even more precarious position.
Though mild eros is an acceptable feature of romance, standing by itself it is not a reliable basis for forming lasting relationships. It is basically selfish and concentrates on what one is ‘getting’ out of the relationship rather than giving. It is a case of “me, me, me first.” With this attitude, even sex itself becomes a battleground. If this is all one party feels for the other, then the relationship is not yet at the serious stage and commitment should be withheld until a subsequent and more stable bond has developed.
2) Philios:
This means fraternal or brotherly love. This is what one feels for a brother or sister or ‘buddies.’ It is evident in loving families and other close friendships. Philios is characterized by an exchange of favours, sharing of thoughts and ideas, and regular companionship.
It is an indispensable stage of romantic relationships if the parties desire to take such to a serious level as marriage. In other words, husbands and wives must first and foremost be each other’s best friends.
3) Agape
This is the highest and noblest form of love. The best possible description of it is found in the Bible in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13. It is the type of love a good mother or father would have for their offspring and is characterized more by action than by feeling. In other words, even if you are in a bad mood or you do not particularly ‘like’ someone, agape love will cause you to do good still. Even if that person has done you wrong, you will be eager to forgive and start anew because each party’s main concern is the welfare of the other. It is a self-sacrificing form of love, as when one gives up something of value, be it time or money, so that the other may have a valid need fulfilled.
One reason many marriages fail is due to the absence of this kind of love. Indeed, without agape love, it is only a matter of time before a relationship wavers and even collapses under the unavoidable stress points of everyday living. At this sad stage, some relationships are merely tolerated to avoid the embarrassment or loss that could follow a complete separation. Partners are all too easily offended and are bent on getting ‘even’ before their anger subsides. Some take advantage of the weakness or kindness of others. That is not love at all. Agape love is the kind of love God demonstrated for a perishing world by offering His only begotten Son (John 3:16). It is the kind of love Christ showed by voluntarily laying down his life as a sacrifice for sin and forgave his tormentors in advance when he was able to utter – “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Therefore, it may be concluded that love (eros) which thrives only on physical attraction and beauty is superficial and walking a tight rope over a precipice, i.e. exciting, but precarious.
The sweetest and most enduring love (agape) thrives on concern for each other’s welfare, especially when crises are jointly faced and overcome by mutual encouragement and faith in the same principles. There is a faithful old saying:
“A true friend is one who knows all about you and loves you just the same.”
David Andrews, Nevis and St. Kitts