An Equipped Man

Listen or read the following transcript from The Gospel Coalition as D. A. Carson speaks on the topic of godly men from Ephesians 6:10-20.

I should like to begin by thanking you for the privilege of being here back in Katoomba, once again, the Katoomba we know and love, where in any 24-hour period it is possible to roast, freeze, and drown. If you’re wondering why there is no outline for this fourth talk, it’s primarily because when the powers that be asked for outlines, I hadn’t prepared that talk yet. It’s as simple as that. However, there are some points to take down, and this evening I shall try to be especially clear at those points so that you can structure your notes accordingly.

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Let us be frank. There are elements in this passage before us that strike many of us as quaint at best, if not slightly ridiculous. The image of Christian soldiers dressed in tin-pot armor strikes no resonant chord of strength, preparedness, vitality, firmness. Give me three or four men with M-16s, and I can look after an entire Roman battalion.

Give me a couple of men from Anzac troops and a couple of tanks and you can kiss your Roman legions good-bye. I haven’t even started mentioning harpoon missiles and laser-guided Tao missiles and the payloads of B-52s or cruise missiles dropped from stealth bombers 200 miles out. The whole notion just doesn’t quite ring with us anymore. Our kids don’t while away an afternoon in imagination land thinking of helmets and breastplates and swords. If they’re helmets, nowadays they’re electronic helmets with virtual reality and laser guns.

In any case, isn’t this military talk, as quaint as it is, a wee bit jingoistic? Before expounding the text, I want to make three preliminary remarks to point us in the direction of what we should properly expect from this passage. This is still not the outline. This is just the pre-outline outline. It’s the outline of the introduction.

1. The Old Testament frequently portrays God as a warrior and his servants as his troops in need of his strength.

This passage, Ephesians 6, draws from that background. For example, God as a warrior, Isaiah 42:13: “The Lord will march out like a mighty man; like a warrior he will stir up his zeal. With a shout he will raise the battle cry over his enemies.”

Habakkuk 3:8–9: “Did you rage against the sea when you rode with your horses and your victorious chariots? You uncovered your bow and called for many arrows.” Psalm 35:1–3a: “Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me.”

It’s a fairly common vision in the Old Testament of God rolling up his sleeves and going to war against the forces of darkness and evil. Likewise, God’s servants are sometimes presented as his troops in need of his strength. For example, in Psalm 18:39: “You armed me with strength for the battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.”

2. Don’t let the old-fashioned armor throw you.

That is part of the metaphorical language of the time. As such, it is to be understood and carefully unpacked. We cannot replace the list with contemporary parallels: the bazooka of righteousness, the electronic shield of faith, the rapier missile of the Spirit, the tank treads of the gospel of peace.

Not only would that be unbearable corny, but there are two further reasons why we simply can’t make such leaps. As we shall see, these pieces of personal armor derive part of their metaphorical power from the part of the body that they cover. You switch to tank treads and you lose part of the symbol-laden power of it.

More importantly yet, most of these pieces of equipment have also been shaped by the way they’ve been drawn from Old Testament passages. For example, Isaiah 11:4–5 pictures King Messiah coming and what he will wear when he arrives. “He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness …” The word is ‘emuwnah: truth, reliability. “… the sash around his waist.”

Or again, Isaiah 59:17: “God put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head.” Or Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’ ” So transparently, Paul is picking up these allusions to the Old Testament, and his readers resonate with that background. We must resonate, too, if we are to understand this passage right.

3. It is vital to see that Ephesians 6:10–20 is part of a long argument.

Strong application of the theological argument in the first three chapters of Ephesians begins with Ephesians 4:1. At the risk of a sweeping outline, from 4:1 to the end of 6:20, there are four blocks of material. The first and the third deal with the Christian in connection with the Christian community. The second and the fourth deal with the Christian and the connection outside.

Thus, in 4:1–16, life in the church. From 4:17–5:14, living the Christian life, the life of the new humanity in this pagan society. Then back again 5:15–6:9, part of which we looked at this afternoon, worship and household living in the new community. Now again moving out, 6:10–20, Christian living in warfare in the face of the cosmic powers of evil that we must confront.

It’s within this framework that there’s a call to battle, a call for preparedness, a call to stand firm. If the metaphors are old-fashioned, the message itself is perennially urgent. We may follow it in three points.

1. Know your enemy, for the war you are in is vast and subtle.

Verses 10–13. Verse 10 begins, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” “Be strong” Paul writes “in the Lord.” The source of the strength we need is the Lord himself. How are we to be strong in the Lord? That’s the first part of verse 11. “Put on the full armor of God.” Then that will be unpacked in verses 14–17. The way we are to be strong in the Lord is by putting on all the full armor of God, which he’s about to unpack.

Before filling in this information, Paul tells us exactly why it is so important to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, why we are to don this battle dress. The answer is given in 11b and 12. We’re told, “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.”

Our fight is against the Devil himself. That’s what the text says. We are not capable of handling the Devil on our own. We must have the Lord’s equipment. We must have his strength. The Devil may work through human agents. Paul has already made that clear. Chapter 2, verses 1 and 2: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air …” That’s one of the Pauline allusions to Satan. “… the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”

Moreover, he has a vast army of helpers. Verse 12. This reference to rulers and world powers does not simply mean politically corrupt regimes. It’s more complicated than that. “Spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The ancient world often thought of demonic powers being behind certain stars and movements in the celestial spheres and behind whatever dark forces there were in the political realm or the moral realm. Beyond all that were the agents of the Devil himself.

Although in the pagan world some of these notions were filled out with endless astrological pieces of nonsense, as Paul understands them, as the Scriptures teach them, the point is that we are not simply combating a political system or a particularly vile teacher. We are not combating a particular set of circumstances that is nothing more than an historical accident or an occasional piece of mischief.

Still less, we are not fighting a naturalistic world where finally everything is explainable in terms of atoms and molecules bouncing off each other in various statistical probabilities. No, we’re engaged in a bigger framework, a larger struggle. Paul’s purpose in listing these demonic forces the way he does is not to give a kind of classification of evil spirits (well, there’s class A and class B, and then there’s the super ones up in the heavenlies); Paul’s purpose is simply to show the variety and comprehensiveness of all the powers of darkness arrayed against us.

They fight in the heavenly realms. Their primary opponent is God himself. We are caught up in a vast, cosmic struggle between God and all the forces that have rebelled against him, not only human, but angelic. That’s the struggle we’re in. Not simply to convince some neighbor to give up some bad habit. Not simply to make our way in the world and turn around the political system by having the right number of votes.

It’s much bigger than that. Unless we see the dimensions of this struggle, we will not adequately grasp how important it is to don the right kind of armor. We must see that our ultimate struggle is not against flesh and blood (verse 12), against human beings, against people. If we think that it’s against people, we can be reduced in our ministry, in our witness, in our approaches to very resentful, miserable sorts of approaches. Everything becomes a power game.

Where is it that we learn to pray for enemies? Enemies of the gospel who are doing all kinds of destructive damage. We may pray against them that they will do less damage and at the same time we witness the truth to them in the earnest hope that God will have mercy upon them and save them? Where do we find the strength to do that unless we understand that such were some of us. We all belonged to the world at one point. Apart from the grace of God, we’re there, too. Our ultimate struggle is not against them. It’s against Satan and all his friends.

We’re not to think that this whole battle depends on us. Not at all! There is a profound sense in which Christ has already been victorious. Go back to chapter 1, verses 19 and following. “That power that God gives us is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”

Here is a picture of Christ so exalted above every conceivable authority in this world, in the heavenly realms, right now, in the age to come. Christ has already triumphed by his death and resurrection. He has been exalted to the right hand of God. All of God’s sovereignty, 1 Corinthians 15 tells us, is mediated through him. There is no one, there is nothing, there is no satanic power that is not finally under his authority.

In that sense, although we’re swept up in this battle, it’s not as if this whole battle turns on us or our armor. There is a sense in which the critical engagement has already been fought and won. Christ has won it, and now we are swept up into a kind of mop-up operation. Thus we read again in chapter 3, verse 10:

“God’s intent in the whole disclosure of the gospel was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose.” There’s a sense in which, by the gospel proclamation, by the weapons we’re about to disclose, we’re “in your face” to all the demonic powers, disclosing to them that God’s truth will out. God’s truth will win. Christ’s triumph has already secured our victory.

In World War II, by the time the Russians were pushing on the Eastern borders of Germany, the Allies had already cleaned out North Africa, landed in the boot of Italy, and were gently pushing up. Then, landing on the beaches of Normandy, within three days landing 1.1 million troops and tons and tons and tons of material.

It was plain as a pipe staff that the war in Europe was over. The Germans didn’t have the men anymore … too many had died. They didn’t have the energy. They didn’t have the physical resources. There was simply no way they were going to win. Does that mean that Hitler said, “Sorry, I goofed. I give up.” Far from it! The Battle of the Bulge comes next. It was some of the most severe fighting of the war.

In the same way, whatever you think of Middle Eastern politics, in the Gulf war, once about a quarter of a million of Allied troops had landed there with all of their sophisticated equipment, anybody with half a brain in his head could see that Saddam Hussein didn’t have much of a chance. Does that mean he quit?

It’s a bit like what you read in Revelation 12. There again we’re told that Michael the archangel has fought against Satan and defeated him decisively. He’s done. He’s been kicked out of heaven, and so he’s reduced to the dimensions of the earth and the sea. So, we’re told, “He is filled with fury, for he knows his time is short.” He goes after the children of the woman, and the woman in this context is the Messianic community.

He comes after us! Not because he’s not beaten, but because he has been beaten in principle. Therefore, he’s venting his spleen. He’s outraged and using whatever energy he has left to pour out all of his venom on us, the children of the woman. We’re not called into this cosmic struggle as if the issue is in doubt … as if, as it were, unless we roll up our sleeves and do our bit, poor old God might not make it.

The idea, rather, is that this side of the cross the decisive victory has been won, and it is our privilege in following our Master to participate in the mop-up struggle. It is a vicious one. Sometimes, it is outright confrontation, persecution. Sometimes it’s subtle. I was in Slovakia a couple of years ago, and it was interesting talking with the church leaders there.

Before 1989 or 1990, they knew who their enemy was. Their enemy was communism. Somehow, although many of them had been beaten up and had spent long years in jail, most of the pastors had been forbidden any tertiary education and their children had been forbidden any tertiary education; nevertheless, they knew who their enemy was. They persevered. They struggled on.

It was an overt confrontation, but now suddenly, all the rules of the game had changed. Now there were 50 movements. Which one was enemy and which one was support? Nowadays the game rules have changed for evangelism. Before, the only overt evangelism they could do was in a church building that was officially recognized by the state. Anything else had to be very private and pretty cautious, or else you were inviting a jail sentence.

Now, suddenly, they had opportunities, but they didn’t even think about going door to door. They had 50 years under a totalitarian regime and they just didn’t have the categories for street preaching or passing out tracts or going door to door or starting evangelistic Bible studies. The older pastors were all saying, “Deep down, some of us rather wish communism was back, because then at least we knew who the bad guys were.”

Satan sometimes works by very subtle schemes. He doesn’t, by and large, come to a group of men like this and say, “Here’s a great, big ugly chunk of evil. Embrace it!” He’s not stupid, after all. He’s far more likely to say something like, “Well, I know you pledged yourself to your wife, but she really hasn’t been very supportive, has she? She’s wrapped up in her own little world and in her career. She ignores you most of the time. She’s not a good listener. She really is irritable.”

You say to yourself, “Quite frankly, with the pressures upon me, it’s pretty difficult to survive and cope in this world.” The Devil says, “Yes, that’s right. Your associate at work who is so charming and supportive and kind, she can give you the kind of self-esteem and sense of well being that you really need. She really does care for you. Love is a good thing, isn’t it? The Bible says love is a good thing. It actually says love is from God. Who’d want to be against that?”

He doesn’t come along and say, “Here is one great big monstrous lie that will destroy the gospel.” He comes along and says, “Well, we all believe the gospel, but in addition to the gospel, we’ve learned from practical experience that a certain kind of therapy is an enormous help for getting Christians to be properly mature and stable.”

Thus, from a square plumb line, you get a deviation of three or four degrees, which down the road makes a pretty big spread, until pretty soon you no longer hold to the gospel anymore. You may confess it back there in the subliminal edges of your brain somewhere, but what is important to you is no longer the gospel. What you believe really changes people is not the gospel; it’s your clever counseling techniques. So it goes.

Sometimes he confronts us with direct opposition. Sometimes we’re told he has schemes. Verse 11. Paul wants his readers to stand against the Devil’s schemes. “For our struggle is against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Indeed, one of the reasons why Paul’s imagery focuses on standing and withstanding. Not, as it were, taking over new turf. It’s precisely because we have won in principle, and now we’re to preserve and protect and live in the light of this glorious freedom of the sons of God.

We must stand and withstand on the evil day, not only this whole period of struggle between Christ’s principled victory and the ultimate victory when he comes back at the consummation, but the peculiar times when evil breaks out in horrible displays of unrighteousness or terribly deceptive schemes that very few people even understand until a few years have gone by. You look back and you say, “How did we get sucked into this? How do we clean it up?”

Maybe it becomes a kind of power politicking, and in the name of preserving something in the gospel, suddenly we resort to terribly disgusting habits of running other people down and using our tongues maliciously, all in the name of protecting the truth. No, we must understand that the struggle we’re in is vast, it’s cosmic, it’s subtle. Know your enemy, for the war you are in is vast and subtle.

2. Know your equipment, for the weapons you use are astonishing and effective.

Verses 14–17. Once again, Paul repeats. Verse 14: “Stand firm, therefore …” In the light of all this terrible conflict, stand firm. Then he lists the armor. Now this is not the full armor that was used by the well-equipped Roman foot soldier, but it’s most of it and we can go through it and see what Paul is making of it.

First, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” At the metaphorical level, this belt held up the longer clothing that would normally be worn. It was tucked up and held by this belt, which prepared the foot soldier then for rapid movement, readiness for anything. At the reality level, King Messiah himself, as we’ve seen in Isaiah, chapter 11, verse 5. He is dressed with the belt of faithfulness, truthfulness, utter reliability. That sort of point has already been made without the metaphor earlier in this book.

Chapter 4, verses 22 and following: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” The righteousness part is picked up in the very next section and then again in chapter 5, verse 9.

We’re told in verse 5: “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person will enter the kingdom.” Verse 8: “For you were once darkness, but now you live in the light.” Verse 9: “For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.” In these contexts, it’s not talking about gospel truth. Paul will get there eventually.

What he’s talking about is transformed character: reliability, integrity, speaking the truth (no more, no less), keeping your word, being honest, not exaggerating, keeping your promises, stamped with integrity … in your business, in your home. Watch how you do your advertising. Watch how you tell your stories.

The Devil wants us to be tripped up, but the first part of our preparation is that we be girthed around with truth, reliability. If we’re known already to be deceptive people, it’s very difficult for us to get on with the gospel in due course.

Likewise, we’re to be prepared with the breastplate of righteousness in place. Again, imagery drawn from Isaiah 11. Picking up again from Ephesians 4:24 and 5:9. The emphasis here, too, is not on the righteousness that God reckons is ours because Christ died for us. It’s not Christ’s righteousness reckoned to us here, it’s integrity again, righteousness. That protects our vital organs. The breastplate of righteousness.

It doesn’t always mean it will be easy. It certainly wasn’t easy for Joseph. Do you remember Joseph? Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him. He flees, finally and leaves his cloak in her hand. Joseph wasn’t a stupid man. He knew that could get him in trouble, but he preferred purity to an easy out with this woman. He was more concerned for his own integrity than for his reputation. By fleeing, he lost his reputation but preserved his integrity. He preserved his righteousness.

A coward or a filthy man would’ve gone the other way. He might’ve preserved his reputation, but he would’ve lost his purity. Joseph was armored with righteousness. If in that struggle it meant that he spent years in jail, he would rather be thought corrupt than be corrupt. He was protected with the breastplate of righteousness. Do you see?

In the third place, we’re told in verse 15: “Stand firm with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel has been mentioned many times in this book, and so has peace. The gospel has brought peace between human beings alienated against God and God himself. It’s brought peace in chapter 2, verses 14 and following, between Jews and Gentiles.

More comprehensively in Scripture, it brings peace between a man and his wife when they’re alienated. It brings peace between races. It brings peace between different generations. Above all, it brings peace between rebel human beings made in the image of God and God himself. Christ is our peace. That’s the good news. We proclaim the gospel of peace.

As we’ve seen, this language is drawn from Isaiah 52, which foresees the time when a messenger will come skipping over the mountains, his feet drumming with speed as he brings the good news. “Your God reigns! Your God reigns! Your God reigns!” In the same way, gospel proclaimers dance, as it were, over the mountains bringing the good news, “Your God reigns! This is the gospel of peace. It brings reconciliation.”

Indeed, Paul has got an oxymoron here. The appropriation of the gospel of peace prepares the believer for war. For it’s the gospel of peace between God and human beings that enables us to fight all of the hosts of darkness with this gospel of peace. Again, Revelation 12 provides a remarkable analogy.

There we’re told that Satan is fighting against the church, enraged against the offspring of the woman. We’re told that they manage to overcome Satan with three particular emphases. One is the blood of the Lamb. I shan’t go into that one. Another is that they’re willing to die. A third is the constancy of their testimony. In the context it doesn’t mean that they give their testimonies a lot. It means that they bear witness to the truth of the gospel. They bear testimony to the truth of the gospel again and again and again and again. That’s how they defeat him.

How will you advance? How will you defeat Satan in this cosmic struggle? One of the weapons that is provided you is the gospel of peace on your feet to indicate going forward with it. Protecting against being tripped up and going forward with it dancing across the mountainsides with this glorious message. If you never bear witness to the gospel, to the truth that God has sent his dear Son to bear our sin in his own body on the tree that we might be reconciled to him, how does the gospel advance? How is Satan thwarted?

“Ah,” you say, “I’m a fairly new Christian. I’m not a very instructed Christian. I’m not one of these guys who spends all his time reading. I don’t know much about apologetics and all of that. I can’t do very much.” No, but if you’re a Christian at all, you can do something. You can say, “Once I was blind, but now I see.”

You can say, “I can’t explain it very well, but I do know that God has forgiven me for Jesus’ sake. I do know that apart from the forgiveness I have received from him, I am lost, and so are you. I might not have answers to all of your questions, but I know some people who do. I’d really like to introduce you to them.” I know your mates may not always like it, but where do you start if not with the preparation with the gospel of peace?

As you start, you learn a little bit more about how to proceed. You learn from previous mistakes. You hear what Peter says. “Be ready always to give an answer to every man for the hope that lies within you.” Gradually, you learn a little more and you gain a little more in confidence in Christ Jesus. You oppose the hosts of darkness by the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Then, “In addition, take up the shield of faith.” In the metaphorical world, this shield was a 4-foot by 2–1/2-foot wooden thing often covered with skin or the like. It was considered to be full-body armor, in effect. Soldiers crouched behind it, and when the arrows came they could be protected. The other side would sometimes dip their arrows in pitch and ignite them and then send them into the Roman square.

Sometimes, if the Romans were not adequately protected, these arrows would stick in these wooden shields and actually ignite. Then the danger was, of course, they put them down to get rid of them and then the other arrows would come in and get the soldiers. The soldiers put on very thick skins and soaked them in water before they went into battle, so that when they held them up, these arrows would come in and hit the water and sizzle out.

That’s the metaphorical world. In the real world, what we hold up against all of the Devil’s arrows (his accusations, his temptations, his corruptions, his schemes) is the shield of faith. Not some mere psychological affirmation, “I believe.” It’s more than that. When you work through the instances of faith in this book, it’s faith in Christ Jesus, whom we trust absolutely.

In Ephesians 2:8–9 we’re told, “We are saved by faith, not by works, lest anyone should boast.” We trust One. We exercise faith in One who is so victorious, so wonderful, so complete in his forgiveness and so absolute in his reign that we can trust him. All the fiery darts of the evil one sizzle out against that kind of fundamental faith.

Then we’re told, “Take the helmet of salvation.” In the metaphorical world, it was a bronze helmet with cheek pads and the like. In the ancient world, the head was considered the source of things. So salvation, thus, connected with the head, is foundational to everything else. The point is that what protects the believer from Satan and his attacks is that Christ has already saved us.

We belong to the domain of Christ. We have already received salvation. We have taken this helmet of salvation on our heads and all that we are comes from this source. We don’t have to succumb to all of the Devil’s tricks or to his false ideologies or to his moral temptations. We are not in great danger of being seduced by every dart that comes our way.

We have trusted Christ. We will not live under perennial burdens of subjective guilt because our objective guilt has been removed by Christ himself on the cross. We have confidence in him. We live already in the power of the Spirit, who is given to us as the down payment of the age to come. We have been saved! That’s what salvation is: reconciled to God both now and for eternity.

Contrast this with the seven silly sons of Sceva in the book of Acts. They see Paul exorcising a demon. They think it’s a matter of getting your incantation right. They say, “I abjure you in the name of the Jesus whom Paul pronounces.” They are beaten up for their pains, because they are not operating out of the sphere of salvation. They don’t know this Jesus themselves. It’s just an incantation. The demons cry out, “Well, Paul I know, and Jesus I know, but who on earth are you?” Pow! Biff!

This matter of beating the Devil and his hosts, it may in some circumstances even involve outright exorcism, but the vast majority of our struggles with the Devil are not quite of that order. They emerge out of a certain framework. We have been saved. We are seated with Christ already in the heavenly places. We belong to God, and out of that comes all of our safety.

Finally, “Take the sword of the Spirit,” we’re told, “which is the word of God.” The last thing, because the shield has been taken on in this arm, and then you are to picture the Christian picking up the helmet and pulling it on his head. He still has one hand free, and he takes the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The word used for sword here was the short Roman sword, very sharp, used for close combat.

What does this mean? The sword of the spirit. This does not mean given by the Spirit. All of these gifts here are given by God in the analogy. Rather, made effective by the Spirit, given the cutting edge by the Spirit. It’s not just the word as mere words, as mere signs, as mere sounds, as mere letters on a page, or sounds that someone pronounces but the Word of God made effective by the Spirit of God, sharp and penetrating.

Take that. Pity groups of so-called Christians who use the Bible little. This is our offensive weapon. In fact, it’s the only one we’ve got. All the rest are defensive. On the night that he dies, Jesus prays, “Sanctify them through your truth; your word is truth.” If we live in a generation where things go downhill (culturally, morally), or if we live in a generation where God brings in sweeping and massive revival, in either case our job as believing men is to wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

That’s what Ezekiel had to do. He’s told in Ezekiel, chapter 3, “Whether they listen to you or not, that’s not your business. You speak the words that I give you to speak.” That is what we are to do. If God visits Australia with revival, genuine revival, not mere rattling noise, genuine transforming revival, it will be in the framework of the proclamation of the whole counsel of God, the Word of Truth.

If instead, God visits this nation with judgment and decay, still the Christian church is called to bear witness to the God of truth. Wield the sword. “Take the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.” Know your equipment, for the weapons you use are astonishing and effective. The last point, I may simply tell you, for my time is gone.

3. Know your limitations, for the help you need is both yours and the church’s.

Verses 18–20. Verse 16 still is talking about the Spirit, but it is almost as if Paul is saying, “Even here you might treat these pieces of armor in some merely mechanical or ritualistic way.”

No, no. At the end of the day, it is God who gives the victory, so “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.” Then he says, “Don’t do it just for yourself. Pray for all the saints.” Then he says, “Pray for me that I might be bold in the articulation of the gospel. Pray.”

Men, I want to leave you with that. What I would love to see out of this Men’s Katoomba Convention is not only growing men’s groups, but growing men’s groups equipped with the armor of God, learning to pray. Much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray. You plan to pray and gradually you build up your ability to pray as you listen to the prayers of Scripture and re-pray them in your own lives and context.

Find out what the great debates, as defined by Scripture, are and pray in line with God and his Word. Understand that the victories that are there to be won are won by God’s power, and he says, “You have not because you ask not.” Pray. Pray. Not for yourself alone but for all the saints, and for those like Paul who are particularly discharged with the proclamation of the gospel. “Pray and take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand on the evil day.” Amen.