Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV) Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might means we must actively enforce the victory that Jesus has won on the cross of Calvary through His death, burial, and resurrection. Having defeated the enemy, Jesus is now seated in the heavenly places far above all principalities and powers. As believers, we are seated with Him.
Nonetheless, the Apostle Paul urgently urged us to put on the whole armour of God, explaining that we are not battling against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, and rulers of wickedness that influence the world. What helps us to overcome the world is faith in God and all that Jesus has achieved for us.
The belt of truth helps us to be grounded in the Word regarding who God is, what He has done through Christ’s redemptive work, and what God has said in His Word. Girding our loin with His truth enables us to stand. The breastplate of righteousness helps us to know our right standing with God obtained by God’s grace, that we are justified by the blood of Christ. With the truth in place and the knowledge of our righteous position in Christ, we can pray powerful and effective prayers, standing watch with alertness as we intercede for the saints and our family.
Ephesians 6:15 (AMP) And having shod your feet in preparation (to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness and the readiness produces by the good news) of the gospel of peace.
The third piece of armour is the shoes of peace. Christians will experience two kinds of peace as a result of accepting the gospel. First, we have peace with God when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. This is a spiritual condition that belongs to all believers. Second, the peace of God rules in our hearts and minds during our walk with the Lord, even though we live in a spiritual war zone.
Therefore, we are to preach the gospel and wrestle by enforcing the victory at the same time. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament defines the gospel as euaggelion—a technical term in Greco-Roman culture for “news of victory.” Therefore, euaggelion is closely linked with the thought of victory in battle. This is a convicting definition—a pagan messenger radiantly announces the good news of an earthly victory. How much more radiant should we be as the bearers of the great news of Christ’s eternal triumph over sin, Satan, and death?
Colossians 2:15 (NKJV) Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Therefore, we must be prepared at all times and in every season to preach the gospel to everyone God brings to our sphere of influence.
Sermon: The Weapons of Our Warfare (Part 3)
平安之鞋
以弗所书 6：11 要穿戴神所赐的全副军装，就能抵挡魔鬼的诡计。
在主里和祂的大能中刚强，意味着我们必须积极地坚守耶稣在髑髅地十字架上所赢得的胜利，就是藉着牠的死、埋葬和复活。在击败了仇敌之后，耶稣如今坐在天上，远高于所有的执政和权势。作为信徒，我们与祂同坐席。
尽管如此，使徒保罗还是迫切地劝我们穿上神的全副军装，并解释说我们不是在与属血气的争战，乃是与那些执政、掌权和管辖这世界的恶魔争战。能帮助我们战胜世界的是对上帝的信心和耶稣为我们所成就的一切。
真理的腰带帮助我们扎根在神的话语中，让我们知道神是谁，祂通过基督的救赎工作做了什么，以及神在祂的话语中说了什么。用祂的真理当带子束腰，我们就能站立得住。公义的护心镜帮助我们知道，藉着神的恩典我们有与神一同站立的权利，我们是因基督的血称义的。只要掌握了真理并认识到我们在基督里称义的位份，我们就能做出强而有效的祷告，在为圣徒和我们的家人代祷时能保持警醒。
以弗所书 6：15 又用平安的福音当作预备走路的鞋穿在脚上（以坚定的稳定、敏捷和准备面对敌人，这是好消息带来的）。
第三件军装是平安之鞋。基督徒会因接受了福音而体验到两种平安。首先，当我们接受耶稣基督为我们的主和救主时，我们就与神和好了。这是属于所有信徒的属灵状况。第二，当我们与主同行时，神的平安就在我们的心灵中掌权，即使我们生活在属灵的战场中。
因此，我们既要传福音，又要通过坚守胜利来争战。《新约神学词典》将福音定义为“euaggelion”—这是希腊罗马文化中的一个专业术语, 意思是“胜利的消息”。因此，Euaggelion与争战得胜利的想法密切相关。这是一个令人信服的定义— 一个外邦的使者光芒四射地宣布在地上得胜的好消息。作为传扬基督永远战胜罪、撒旦和死亡这伟大消息的我们，岂不是更有光荣吗？
歌罗西书 2：15 既将一切执政的和掌权的掳来，明显给众人看，就仗着十字架夸胜。
因此，我们必须在任何时候、任何季节都做好准备，对上帝带到我们影响范围内的每一个人传福音。
讲章系列：我们争战的武器（第三部分）
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