In the seventh and final part of our series on the book of Ephesians, Pastor Steve Reilly shares inspiring teaching on what Paul has to say about what it means to live a life worthy of our calling in the spiritual battle.
Pastor Steve takes us into the mysterious dimension of God’s good creation that we usually call the “spiritual world.” He points us to passages of Scripture that explain how God made this spiritual world before the material, and the angelic beings he created to help humanity serve God better. Of these beings one, now called the devil or Satan, sought to become the object of worship and rebelled against God. Whilst the rebellion has been defeated, the battle continues. This being and his fallen angelic followers are our adversary. The Bible tells us about the strategy and tactics of this adversary, his aim of corrupting God’s good creation and of turning humanity away from its worship of God. But from before the beginning of creation, God had a plan to defeat this opposition and, through the death and resurrection of His Son, bring freedom and salvation to us.
Pastor Steve goes on to share how God has provided us with armour to equip us for the fight. He explains how we stand on the foundation of truth against the adversary’s lies, how we protect our hearts living as children of light, and the present and future hope of our salvation. Pastor Steve encourages us in the knowledge that the gospel is a major assault on the power of the enemy and how through faith and the word of God we resist temptation and reject lies that seek to undermine the truth of the generous spiritual wealth that we live in, and our strength and capacity to walk worthily of God’s generous provision.
Finally, Pastor Steve draws attention to our allies - how Paul encourages us to pray and himself asks for people to pray for him. More specifically, Paul calls us to pray “in the Spirit” - to be open to the Spirit bringing people and situations to mind like watchmen on the walls of a city looking out for danger. Pastor Steve reminds us that perseverance is key to successful prayer, keeping on praying even though we don’t know when the breakthrough will come. This is how we can be part of a church which can “pray for all the Lord’s people.” Drawing on an image from the Roman army, Pastor Steve asks us “Who are your locking shields with?” And of whom are you asking “Pray for me also?”
Pastor Steve reminds us of the great commission. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to Jesus, and in His name we take the good news of Jesus' victory, enriched by the wealth of our salvation and empowered to live - in all the various facets of our daily experience - a life worthy of our calling.
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