Tag Archives: ephesians

THE CHRISTIAN’S WARFARE

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might”.

In today’s study, we look at an introduction to the Christian’s spiritual warfare. This calls on us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

This particular study spans the whole of Ephesians 6:10-18. It can not be treated or studied from one verse only. We would, therefore go through it in turns to be able to understand and appreciate the whole teaching on being strong in the Lord,

Our key scripture is the foundation or the need for all that followed. He tells us to be strong in the power of His might. The word “strong” means to be endowed with strength. It means do not be moved in your relationship with the Lord. Not to be shaken about anything whatsoever. It also said we must be strong in the power of His might: God is almighty. All power belongs to Him.

Although God is extremely powerful, many of His children fall short of walking in His power to defeat the devil. He shows us how to be strong. The way to be strong is to put on the whole armor of God. Our strength is not within ourselves. His strength to us is His armor. We have no strength of ourselves. Your ability to make use 

of the armor will determine how strong you will become and how effective you will be able to defeat the devil.

The enemy that is the devil is a schemer. He is a trickster. The Bible calls it the wiles of the devil. These wiles are described as cunning arts, deceit, craft, or trickery. Everything Satan does is not the real thing. He is not the truth and has no truth in Him, yet whatever he does appears so real and has been believed by most Christians.

The Bible calls on us to stand or be able to resist all these tricks and strategies of the devil.

Now, get this point very clearly in our context with the enemy. No matter what the devil does, we are those who are STANDING and not those who are on the floor. A look at the entire passage reveals four different places where the word STAND or WITHSTAND is used.
Ephesians 6:11, 13-14. Please, no matter how defeated you appear, don’t ever accept that you are on the floor. STAND, STAND, STAND! Because you are not down but STANDING. The Christian is standing because we represent our Lord on this earth. We do not only represent Him, He is living in us. He has forever defeated Satan. No matter what we experience physically, Jesus in us is the winner, and so we are also winners and must not bow to the enemy in defeat

 CONFESSION

I am strong in the Lord. My strength is in the Armour of the Lord. The devil is a schemer and a trickster. I always win over him as I stand my ground to overcome him.

THOUGHT: KEEP STANDING, BECAUSE JESUS IN YOU HAS DEFEATED THE DEVIL

FURTHER STUDIES:

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil “.

Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”

APOSTLE PAUL RECEIVED HIS MESSAGE BY REVELATION

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 3:3 “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,)”

Some have argued that the Epistles are not words directly spoken by our Lord Jesus but mostly by Apostle Paul, and so are not very reliable. This is rather unfortunate. Apostle Paul wrote in our key scripture that, whatever he wrote were revelations given to him by the Holy Spirit, to be given to the church body as a whole. He writes in Ephesians 3:3 & 4 the following

 “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery (as I wrote afore in a few words, where when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).“

The impact of the death, resurrection of our Lord, and other mysteries of the Christian life was to be made known to all Christians. The Lord used Apostle Paul greatly in that light.

 The Lord made the following statement before He died in

John 16:12, 13 “I have yet many things to say unto you but you cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth”.

The Lord Jesus could not tell them a lot of things, especially those things that concerned the salvation of the Gentiles and the subsequent inheritance of their blessings in Christ.

The Holy Spirit revealed these mysteries to all the apostles. Apostle Paul had the greater share of the revelations because he was called to minister to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:7). Apostle Paul commented in Ephesians 3:5 as follows 

“Which in other ages was not made known unto men as it is now revealed to his Holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, That the gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel”.

 It was the Holy Spirit who revealed these things to the apostles. These revelations mainly concerned the one who is not a Jew by birth). It also revealed that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs with the Jews and should become joint heirs to God’s heritage in Christ. Every promise in Christ was the right of everyone who believed, both Jews and Gentiles.

All these things, which are described as the unsearchable riches in Christ Jesus, are what Apostle Paul had a great insight by revelation through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Anytime you read the letters of Paul, be patient to discover a number of these mysteries that have not been taught or revealed in earlier aspects of the Bible.

 CONFESSION

Through the revelations given to Apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit, my eyes have been opened to who I am and my position in Christ. My life is richer and better as I gain insight into these truths.

THOUGHT: CHRIST KEPT SPEAKING BY THE SPIRIT EVEN AFTER HIS PHYSICAL DEPARTURE

FURTHER STUDIES.

Galatians 1:12-13 ”For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:”

Ephesians 3:8 ”Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ”;