Ephesians WEEK 6
Monday
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” - which is the first commandment with a promise - “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3
As we have discussed, Paul spends the second half of this letter to the Ephesians exploring what a transformed life looks like. In the beginning of chapter 6, Paul touches on the relationship between parents and children. Needless to say, not everyone has an ideal connection with their parent, but we clearly see this relationship matters to God. Paul’s commandment is an echo of the commandment God gave Moses on Mount Sinai in Deuteronomy 5 (in the 10 Commandments).
Recently, I was sitting with a young couple preparing for marriage. In premarital counseling, I share the top three stressors in most marriages. They are:
#1 Money
#2 Sex
#3 Extended family
Does that surprise you? It did for this couple. Well after we move out of the house, our relationships with our families can complicate our lives. Should an adult child still obey their parents? Should a spouse treat their in-laws like their own parents? Must we submit our plans, expectations and desires to the whim of our parents?
Perhaps we should focus on a word. Honor. Regardless how our relationships with our parents transition, the calling is to honor our mother or father. As we self-differentiate from our parents, we can still honor them in word and deed. We can ensure that our posture remains that of love, respect, gentleness, care and gratitude.
Today, seek to honor your parent. That might mean a text message expressing gratitude. Do you need to seek forgiveness for a wrong committed or a grudge held? Or maybe go to God in prayer asking for help in this task. If your parent has passed, spend some time thinking of how you could honor their legacy this day.
Also, consider this question- who are your spiritual parents? Who were those individuals whom God used at the right time to walk with you in your journey of faith? Thank God for them and perhaps, reach out to them and honor them with your words of appreciation.
Tuesday
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:10-12
It’s not necessary comforting to think of the devil. Our mental pictures of the devil are either cartoonish, something from a horror movie, or we have no picture at all.
Author C.S. Lewis wrote a fictional book exploring spiritual warfare called The Screwtape Letters. In the introduction, Lewis explains why he wrote the book. “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves (demons) are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”
Two faults of thinking of the enemy: to obsess over spiritual warfare or to ignore its existence. Our culture seems to be of the latter fault.
Paul wanted this church to be able to see that the “struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against… the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil.” Underneath the conflicts that are all around us, do we remember that there is a deeper battle? The Christian must remember that there is an adversary of Christ’s Kingdom. Even Jesus said, “The enemy has come to kill, steal, and destroy, but I have come to bring you life and life to the fullest” (John 10:10).
If we are in a spiritual struggle, we must rely on spiritual resources. Where are these resources? They are not of this world, and they are not in ourselves. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” The emphasis is in the Lord and in his mighty power. If we are to thrive in this struggle, we must learn to be strong in the Lord (not in ourselves).
As you prepare to go through your day, ask to be able to see the tactics of the enemy that rob you of life and joy. Pray for the Lord’s strength and power so that you may enter this day fueled by Christ’s presence, fortified by spiritual armor, and so you can courageously stand.
Wednesday
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13
Paul implores the church to “put on the full armor of God.” This verb is active and ongoing. Each day, we must set aside time to be equipped again. We put on the FULL armor of God, so that we can stand!
Does it surprise you that the calling is to stand? Instead of the call to go or attack, or retreat, ours is the call to stand! It is repeated three times in this passage. To stand.
This calling reminds me of Exodus 14, after God called Moses to lead the Hebrew nation out of slavery and they get to the Red Sea, Pharaoh has a change of heart and sends his army after God’s people. When the Hebrew people saw their enemy charging them, they cried out, “‘Were there not enough graves for us in Egypt? Is that why we were brought out here to die?’
Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’”
Standing in this way is not passive or simple. It requires courage and faith. It requires that we maintain our posture in the midst of anxiety and fear. To be present in the face of great opposition.
I think the world needs to see the Church living out our faith in a different way. Not by retreating into our safe communities removed from the havoc the enemy makes in our world, and not to go into this world looking for a fight at any moment. What if we are called to enter into our world, fueled by Christ’s presence, fortified by soul force and so that we can, with all courage, stand.
Where is God calling you to take a stand? To stand in the face of opposition and injustice. To stand for the rights of any child of God who is made to feel less than. To stand in systems of evil and tyranny. To stand in the face of persecutions and difficulty. God strengthens and equips us to stand.
Take up the armor found in God and ask for courage and strength to stand with Christ.
Thursday
As we walk through this final chapter of Ephesians, we consider the armor we are provided in Christ. Today, we reflect upon the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and the sandals of the gospel of peace. Truth, righteousness, and peace. These are more than simple virtues or Christian concepts – this is the provision from Christ to fortify your soul.
The soldier’s belt holds the rest of the armor in place. It is central for the equipment to work as intended. The same is with Christ’s truth. Without the truth of Christ, things fall apart and we are made vulnerable.
Righteousness is a term we don’t hear or use often. Cloaked in religious language, this term can remain fuzzy and unclear. Yet righteousness simply means when things are made right. When justice is displayed, reconciliation takes place, and order is restored – we experience righteousness. For Paul, righteousness is like a soldier’s breastplate, covering up the vital organs.
Lastly, we have “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” This is a picture of being ready, at any moment, to move quickly. To sprint! And what prepares our feet? The Gospel of Peace. Our feet are protected and supported by supernatural peace which we have in the Good News of Jesus. Now that we have been protected and supported by the Good News, we don’t have to be distracted by what we will step on. We are less likely to slip and fall. We have been firmly established in the Gospel of Peace.
If this is the provision we have been given, how do we put on these items? In reading scripture, we find that truth, righteousness, and peace are not only found in these two verses. These are also names given to Jesus.
Jesus declared “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life.” (John 14:6)
“The days are coming when I will raise up… a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
For us to be ready for this day, for conflict, and for flourishing, we must put on Christ. Return to Christ daily and ask to be prepared by his nearness and presence.
Go to Christ now and ask for truth, righteousness, and peace. In your prayer, imagine Christ lovingly equipping you with these items for this day.
Friday
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:16-17)
Today, we continue to reflect on the full armor of God that the Church is called to put on. In verses 16 and 17, we see a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, and a sword of God’s Word.
A shield is a weapon of defense, so that when one is attacked, they can remain safe. It provides refuge and security. So it is with faith. When life is uncertain, when the enemy is advancing, when the arrows are coming your direction, we have a shield of faith by which (through Christ’s power) we find safety.
Much like a shield, Paul calls on the church to put on the helmet of salvation. When in conflict and struggle, we must remember the certainty of the salvation we have been given. In times of spiritual attack, when our thoughts can be everywhere, we must put on the power of the Gospel. While we were far from God, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)!
Finally, we find the only offensive weapon listed in this passage: the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. In the struggle, we are equipped by God’s Word to defend ourselves from the lies, slander, and temptations from the evil one. We see this clearly modeled in the life of our Savior. As pastor and author Rich Villodas shared, “When Jesus was tempted, scripture flowed from his lips. When Jesus was challenged, scripture flowed from his lips. When Jesus was crucified, scripture flowed from his lips. One of the ways to live like Jesus is to internalize scripture, so that when we are cut, it spills out.”
When you consider these three items (shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit-filled Word of God) which do you need most today?
As this has been identified, go to God and ask to be equipped out of his mercy and love.
Saturday
Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.
Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Ephesians 6:21-24
Paul finishes this letter with a personal note. He is sending a brother in the Lord, Tychicus, to share how Paul is doing. But that is not the purpose of this letter. This letter is to build up the church, to remind them of the power of the Gospel, to explore how to live a transformed life, and in these final words, Paul leaves the church with a benediction. For Paul, there is peace and grace to those who know Jesus so closely that they return his affection with an undying love.
That perhaps is the point of Paul’s letter. Paul’s epistle was seeking to compel this community to (1) experience the love of Jesus and (2) return that affection and devotion in undying love back to Jesus.
I wonder how many times this church read this letter. I wonder how people listened intently to each word, discussed the meaning of these instructions with care, and memorized sections to hold in their heart.
As we finish this study of Ephesians, set aside time to do the same. After six weeks of study, how would you describe the message of this letter? What is a verse or a couple of verses you could seek to memorize and keep in your heart? What have you taken from these six weeks?
Spend some time in reflection with this, share it with a friend, journal these observations, and finally go to God in prayer that you might live out what we now have seen in this powerful letter.