Eph 6:10-13 (NIV) 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. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
An army that is ill equipped, an army that is not agreed, an army that has no plan and vision is defeated before the battle begins.
As the church we are to be clear on these things and agree with a whole heart about all that they imply.
Vision and planning involve priorities. There is always a “seek ye first”.
A battle involves an enemy.
Equipment means weapons
An army requires order and discipline.
Let us be very sure about our idea of “church ” We the church of the Living God are not involved in building a worldly organization.
We are not building–but becoming obedient,
we are not organising–but being organized,
we are not workers –but instruments in the hands of God,
we are not planners –but followers of a plan,
we are not the leaders –but the led,
we are not the master –but the servant.
To be these things there are basic essentials.
We must:
1. Know the Master.
2. Be able to hear His voice.
3. Be His instruments in action.
4 Follow.
5. Know the daily plan and do it.
6, Be obedient.
7, Know your enemy and be prepared.
This all seems to be axiomatic. Of course we acclaim, this is the way.
The question is are we doing this, or is it perhaps so, that we leave some bits out either for want of knowledge, or want of inclination.
Let’s consider the items on our list….
1. Know the Master…
Do we? How well? He is the living Word. How is OUR knowledge of the Bible? How often do we get down to really studying its truth. How “hungry” are we to learn more about this living Word
Perhaps you are yet to meet the Master in the spiritual sense. The experience Christians call being saved is very real. To know the Master spiritually is very different than knowing about Him. You all know about the queen but you don’t know her. Have you met Him personally …….
Have you……
Rom 10:9 (NIV) That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
This is the first step but going on getting to know Him is an all of life experience.
Know your enemy:
Not against flesh and blood. To think this is to repeat the mistake of the Romans and the Jews in the days when Jesus was walking upon the earth. They thought this way and persecuted Him in their fear of Him taking over their kingdoms. But His kingdom as now is not of this world system and the battle we are involved in is a different realm altogether.
John 18:36 (NIV) Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
We are fighting against rulers of darkness
powers.
principalities.
spiritual wickedness in high places
All of these are not in the earth…..they are in the heavenly realm
:> We are involved with the supernatural
This imposes a spiritual imperative upon each one of us. We MUST be spiritually involved or the enemy will either destroy us or ignore us
Being prepared….
1. Without an alive spirit you are already dead and ineffectual. So “You must be born again”
2. By yourself you can do nothing. You need the power of the Holy Spirit.
This means .. a.. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and being assured of this by speaking in tongues.
b. Desiring and seeking the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that the church may be strengthened and edified.
There are nine of these gifts
Three for Revelation
i. Wisdom
ii . Knowledge
iii Discerning of Spirits
Three for Power.
i. Healings.
ii miracles
iii Faith
Three for Inspiration.
i Prophesy
ii Tongues
iii Interpretation of Tongues.
These provide the supernatural basis for a supernatural ministry. If we as a church neglect this we are already defeated. This is the attack side of our warfare
Properly used under the guidance of the Word and the Spirit these gifts blend with the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
Protection or the passive side is provided by
1. the girdle of truth
2. the breastplate of righteousness. .. this protects the heart
3. shoes of the prep of gospel.. our walk
4. shield of faith… deflects evil forces
5. helmet of salvation… the thought protector.
Being Instruments
It is ever thus that there is the Word and the Spirit. But notice first the Spirit THEN the Word.
Gen,1 the Spirit of God moved
And God said.
There is need to move in a like manner. First the guidance of the Spirit and then the word. AND we need to be careful what we say.
As says James:
James 3:8 (KJV) But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil.
BUT the Holy Spirit can tame the tongue
Important to realize that from the mouth the gifts of the Spirit are launched against the enemy.
From the mouth comes the Word of God and the Name of Jesus
We are INSTRUMENTS of God in His battle and if we are not controlled by the Holy Spirit utterly how can this be effective
To Follow:
The implication is to allow ourselves to be led.
Again this is by the Spirit and the Word for they always agree.
Obedience.
Little needs to be said
Preached to Brewarrina Christian Revival Crusade Assembly Brewarrina NSW.