Finally, sisters, be Strong in the Lord

    Paul has said what he needs to say to the church at Ephesus. He's told them the amazing spiritual truths of chapters 1-3. He's told them in chapters 4-6 the expectations placed upon them by the God who has blessed them so largely.
     Now he says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." He prayed for that strength and power in both of his prayers recorded in this book. He summarized the first section of the book by saying a Doxology (!) "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us...."
    I think in this summary illustration of the armor Paul wants to communicate integrity of thought and action. The truth affects the way we live our lives. We looked at this idea earlier using the words, "Indicative" which refers to who we are, and "Imperative" which refers to who we are called to be.
     This picture of the Roman soldiers' armor unites the indicative and the imperative. In this illustration the truth of who we are in Christ makes us who God wants us to be. Righteousness protects us. The gospel, our faith, our salvation changes us. The word of God is a real and living transforming power. These spiritual truths don't exist in some spiritual vacuum somewhere.... they exist in the hear and now. They empower us to live the lives we're commanded to live.
     Kristen is going to teach through this passage tomorrow so I won't steal any of her hard work by going into the details of the passage. I just want to remind you again this very familiar passage does not stand alone. It's part of the letter to the church, a letter that challenges us to live our lives in a manner that is worthy of all God has done for us.
    One other key idea for you to think about as we finish our time together is the concept of spiritual warfare. Who is the battle against? Who are the warriors? Where does the battle take place? We need to read the program and know who the players are.
    Paul is not talking about culture wars. Paul is not talking about political wars. The enemies are not Democrats or Republicans, lgbt men and women, illegal aliens, even Russians or North Koreans. The enemy is not flesh and blood at all, Paul says in verse 12. People are not the enemies.
    We collectively are the people of God. "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." [2:3] There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father.......  and one mission which we cannot fulfill as long as we view any people, [especially other believers!] as our enemy. The enemy is a spiritual one, one against which we are fully equipped to stand firm.
     Be strong, sisters. The battle honestly is the Lord's, and He has already won.