The Armor of God - 2

The belt of truth is the foundation, and the basis, of our armor. Without it, we cannot stand before Satan's schemes, and machinations.

But in some way, it seems like it is expressed through the other tools connected to it.

The second tool is the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate is obviously worn to protect the heart, and other vital organs.

The truth is -- all mankind is tainted in sin. Mankind is steeped in sin from the heart. Mankind's basic motivations, and inclinations, are opposed to God's word, and design.

But the truth is also -- God's design is for mankind to live in relationship with God, in love, peace, and righteousness. So, he developed a plan to deal with sin, which is the barrier to that relationship. So, he sent Jesus into the world, to die as a sacrifice for sin. Now, if people yield their allegiance to God, and appropriate by faith the results of Christ's death, their sin is forgiven, and the become a part of God's family.

They also become partners with God to proclaim that God has made a way to peace with him, and peace in life.

As this is the opposite of Satan's intentions, he targets God's family. Satan whispers lies to God's family. The more he can convince God's family to believe the lies, the more polluted their hearts become. And their actions, emanating from their hearts, are tainted with selfishness, legalism, sin, and impurity. God's family loses its effect in the world. It loses lose, joy, and peace. It becomes ineffective in its mission for God.

So, protection of the heart becomes vital. How does one put on a breastplate of righteousness?

I will suggest that since Satan seeks to poison our hearts, we make a practice to regularly renew our hearts.

There are actually several ways to renew our hearts. Regular prayer, reading, and meditation, of God's Word are a few examples. Regular meeting with like-minded people is another. Along with meeting with people, the practice of the Lord's Supper is, in particular, aimed at heart renewal. There area other practices -- eg. silence, solitude, and fasting -- the some other's recommend.

Heart renewal is important. It will protect us from Satan's tactics. (Not that he won't try. We will hear the same lies. Now, we will have a response, so the lies will bounce off our armor.) It will also feed our hearts, providing for healthy transformation into Christ's image. Our character will change. And we will become a greater asset in God's mission.

The Armor of God - 1

 In the last part of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he warns the church about the schemes of the devil. Our fight is not really against people. Our real fight is against Satan, and his armies. Indeed, if one looks at certain parts of the Bible, it will seem like, at certain times in history, Satan, and his armies, are winning. Sometimes, looking at the news, it seems like he is winning.

But Paul tells use we need to stand. We do not surrender to the discouraging events in the news. We do not surrender to falsehoods being spread. We do not surrender to discouragement. We stand for God, and his kingdom. We stand for the gospel.

And Paul gives us several tools, or weapons, to hold onto, and use, to stand bravely, and skillfully, before Satan, and his effort to bring dishonor to God, to promote lies, and to bring down God's family.

The first tool is the belt of truth. God has revealed truth in Jesus, truth in the Scriptures, and, also, in science. As in all things, it is valuable, and helpful, when held in the right relationship with the Father.

Of  course, Paul is probably not talking about the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. He is talking, in part, about things that we could realize without the Scriptures. God designed, and created, the universe. There are things that are definitely right morally. And there are things that are wrong. God acts in "common grace" to all people. That is, there are things in the world that benefit all people.

It is the first of our tools. Some people say Paul observed the armor of the Roman soldier, and saw that the belt was the foundation. Other pieces of armor connected, and derived strength, from it. So, our grasp, and conviction of truth, becomes our foundation, and our basis, for the other tools God gives us. Our grasp on truth enables us to stand again the schemes of Satan, and what\who he controls in the world.

God's Mission - 2

If the primary focus of God's mission is making disciples, the followers of Jesus, of necessity, need to be disciples.

"Disciple" is a term that is similar to "apprentice." An apprentice gives allegiance to a master, follows, observes, and practices what the master does. Usually, that refers to skills, and practices of a trade. To be a disciple of Jesus, one does need to follow, observe, and practice what Jesus did. One also needs to practice how he lived. And one needs to recognize his teaching, that each person is imperfect in his human core, in his heart. So, one also needs to change his core, his heart, because people live from their heart.

So, to be a disciple of Jesus, one turns away from how normal life is practiced, to how Jesus practices life. One agrees that one's actions, words, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes do not agree with God's design, and each person needs to change in all parts of life. Changes to thought, words, feelings, and actions.

There are some, who say that Christians of today have decided they don't need to be disciples. Being a disciple means one of the Twelve. Or being a pastor. Or a missionary. Or super spiritual.

Jesus commanded his disciples to make disciples. The Twelve began a chain. A disciple makes a disciple. Anyone who believes follows Jesus, and becomes a disciple of Jesus.

A disciple sees Jesus, believes in Jesus, gives him his allegiance, and follows him. Following Jesus means agreeing to submit to a process of heart transformation, which results in a process of life transformation. Which means changes in priorities, changes in goals, and changes in practices. 

God has purposefully designed his family with a huge amount a diversity. Scripture says that people from every tribe, people, and language will be part of his family. So, there will be different nationalities, different genders, and different Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicators. But only one family.

I say this to help people realize that completing God's mission requires the whole family. Each one in the family will be one of Jesus' disciples. We need to be ready to obey all of Jesus' commands. We need to continue to lean into heart transformation, and therefore, action transformation. But none of his family is a stereotype. There is not one path for a member of his family to complete the mission. There are as many paths as there are family members. We may think we are on one path. We need to be alert, and remain connected to the Vine. God may want you to change direction. Or he may want you right where you are. We need to learn to listen to him, to pay attention, and to do what he gives us, with all our hearts.

To use another analogy: Everyone in God's family is part of God's mission, God's army. Some of us are infantry. Some are artillery. Some in the Air Force. Some maintain the chain of supplies. All needed. All valuable.