Stand

Stand

In a culture that seems enamored with the idea of weapons and their right to have as many as they want (for reasons that are a whole different topic for another time), understanding what Paul is talking about when he talks about the "amour of God" and "standing" can be difficult.  It was not easy in Jesus time (recall Peter's need to carry and wield a sword), it is certainly no easier in our culture today.

Too often we allow the image of armor to overshadow the reality that the image is pointing to.  When we listen carefully to what the passage is saying, you find a very different kind of armor, and a very different idea of what the battle is about.  It matters whether we take our cues from the passage or the NRA.  

Take a few moments to reflect on the passage, the description of the armor, the method of engaging the battle, the objective that is being achieved.  We are called to stand.  To stand.  How hard is it to stand your ground as a follower of Jesus when everything else in your culture is screaming to engage the battle in a different way.  How important it is to understand what the real battle is, and what it is that we are really called to do.  The real courage is battle is not to take up the tactics of the enemy, but to stand the ground that Jesus paid so much to gain for us.  To stand as He stood.  To be as He was.  Righteousness, truth, gospel of peace, faith, salvation, Word of God, prayer, Spirit.  Those are what sustains us.  Those are the only things we need to engage any kind of battle.  To do otherwise, regardless of the apparent outcome, or the voices of the nay-sayers we hear from the sidelines or sometimes in our own midst, is to lose ground and be defeated.

The courage to stand.  The armor we are invited to wear.  That's what Pastor Jon explores with us in the sermon.  If you would like to listen to it again, or perhaps for the first time, you can access our sermon library by clicking here.