The Kingdom of of God and the Church God always has had his witnesses throughout history First, Adam and Eve. Then, individual family members e.g. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. From Genesis 12 due to apostasy, God decides to use a whole nation i.e. Israel. In Acts 2 enters the Church of Jesus Christ. The church did not replace Israel but expanded the reach of God’s witnesses around the nations of the world. The church of Jesus Christ was God’s master plan. Not any one nation or people but God’s chosen people scattered across the nations! Having believers of every nationality helps our evangelism in each nation due to the removal of language barriers. Different views of the Church Acts 15:12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. 13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.   Matthew 16: 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it . 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Many unbelievers think the church is a lonely-hearts club full of losers and misfits, who can’t deal with life or the people in society. Even amongst some believers their view of the church seems to be that the church is God’s last outpost or something which is hanging by a thread from disappearing all together. Others think the church is an organisation that Satan kicks around when he pleases. However, Jesus Christ sees his church as something that is powerful, glorious, mighty, and invincible! The church is the manifestation of the Kingdom of God to the unbelieving world. The Church of Jesus Christ Strong's Greek: 1577. ἐκκλησία (ekklésia ) = Church, or assembly,            Ek = out     Klesia =called Ekklesia  means the ‘called out’ ones. In ancient Greece, the cities often had an ekklésia of citizens who could vote in important matters for the city. They were given a white stone (to vote yes) and a black stone (to vote No). In this way a democratic system of voting was introduced to make collective decisions for the city. Not everyone was allowed to vote. People not allowed to vote in Ancient City Elections 1. Non-Citizen 2. Criminal Record 3. Slave or in bondage Citizenship in the Kingdom of God is wonderful. Our citizenship is much better than the ancient Roman/Greek one because we are a) born again into the Kingdom of God-immediate citizenship b) we have no criminal or sin record because it is all forgiven. c) we are not slaves or are in any bondage because Jesus Christ has set us free. You might want to check out Revelation 2:17 where the believers in heaven are given a white stone. God voted for you and me or at least he has acquitted us! Amen Personal Prayer In Part 2 we discover that the Church is a nation with 3 proofs

Luke 24:5 “Why are you looking for the living amongst the dead” Guest blogger Jacky Wilson This portion of Scripture details how the women go to the Lord’s tomb very early in the morning taking with them the spices they had prepared. (Passover had now finished, when the Israelites remember their freedom from under the yoke of slavery to the Egyptians.) These women all have names, and they all have stories. Mary Magdalene was among them. The Lord had cast seven demons out of Mary; then there was Joanna, whom Jesus had healed, a wealthy woman in her own right who helped support Jesus’ travels and preaching from her own financial means. Her husband was a manager in King Herod’s household. Then there was Mary, the mother of Jesus. From the cross Jesus entrusted his widowed mother to John’s care, and she was to live in his home. Also, Salome (the mother of James and John). Then there was Mary the mother of James and the mother of another apostle chosen by Jesus who also walked to the tomb with the other women. What was going through their minds? Were they remembering and talking about the events of the past few days? Just three days earlier Jesus had been betrayed and sentenced to death. The betrayal had broken their hearts. First, their long-awaited Messiah was dead. Second, one of their trusted leaders, one of the Twelve, had sold Jesus for just 30 pieces of silver. Were they concerned how they would roll the very heavy stone away, or did it not enter their minds, were they just concerned with anointing Jesus' body with spices as was custom for the Jewish People as they did not embalm the dead? As the women approached the tomb, they found the stone rolled away. What was going through their minds? Panic? Fear? Has anything happened to Jesus’ body? Mary Magdalene took off running; she ran to Peter and John. The other women stayed. Then suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. The women bowed their faces to the ground. They bowed in reverence. The men said to the women “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you these things, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then the women remembered Jesus words …. Amen Prayer

Reflections for Lent by Guest Blogger Jacky Wilson Scripture reference Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV): "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” The Race of faith ! Our Scripture from Hebrews 12:1-3 says - we are in a race, but not a race in the sense of racing to work or to the shops to get that item we forgot to complete the meal, or racing home to cook that dinner. The race we are running is the race of faith that began the moment we asked Jesus into our lives, whom the author of Hebrews calls both “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith”. So the race we are running has: ✓ a starting line , where Jesus is present (coaching us for the race ahead / firing the starting gun) as the pioneer of our faith ✓and a finish line, where Jesus is waiting for us (cheering us on) as the perfecter of our faith . ✓And on top of all that there is a prize that will help us be serious in running our race in order to finish it well. So like any athlete, we will need to be disciplined , to stay focused and to make sacrifices in order to finish the race in the way Jesus intends us to. Obstacles on the way As we all know too well, life itself will provide us with plenty of obstacles along the way, distracting us with all that the world wants to offer us - things that seem more appealing and alluring. And then there’s sin - the sin in our lives holding us back, entangling us as if somebody had tied the shoelaces of our running shoes together when we weren’t looking, it's sin that comes to entice us with the promise of something more gratifying or rewarding, but in the end it’s real aim is to disqualify us completely and take us out of the race. In the meantime, perhaps some of us will not have even realised we are actually in a race, wondering why everything is so tiring and why we haven’t progressed in our faith as we would have hoped to; others will be running at a good pace, calm, focused and in for the distance. Encouragement on the way: the cloud of witnesses The writer of Hebrews in 12:1 tells us that “… since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses …" What does that mean? - Have you ever wondered who this great cloud of witnesses might be? People today assume, I think, generally speaking that in this cloud are those who have died who we all know: family, friends, and acquaintances, and they are watching us from above ... but this is not what the Bible tells us. The "great cloud of witnesses" mentioned here are actually those first introduced to us in Chapter 11 of Hebrews. The ones who have run the race before us, living lives of faith and dependence on God, until they crossed the promised finish line. Runners like Moses, Joseph, and David, Sarah, Rahab, Esther and Mary - those who triumphed in reaching their goal through their focused faith and trust in God. Their faith was shown in what they did, not only in what they said: Noah built the ark; Abraham dwelt in a tent; Rahab hid the Israelite spies; Sarah gave birth in her old age. Not one these heroes was perfect, all had their flaws and weaknesses (read their stories in the Bible) because all were just like you and me. Why were they mentioned in Scripture? Because they all put their trust in God and watched Him do amazing things - in God’s eyes they’re all champions! Yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. We are running that same race now, in whatever way God has called us to serve Him, so let us stay faithful as they stayed faithful! R un the race of faith like Jesus! The scripture says Jesus went to the cross for you and for me, despite the shame and humiliation he chose to run His race, He kept His eyes on the prize. “WHY?” the Word says “for the joy set before Him” He saw the prize! His prize - He completed His mission to save us sinners and to accomplish the will of His Father, and He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. In James 1:2-4, we as followers of Jesus in the race are encouraged to stay the course: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Look to Jesus … and win the prize! Let us make Jesus our only prize, our aim, our life. Colossians 1:18 says that He is to have first place in everything. We are to set our eyes on Jesus always - confident in the knowledge that there’s no better trainer who could have prepared us, no better coach who could be egging us on, and no better champion gone before us and waiting for us at the finish line, than Jesus himself. 1 Corinthians 10:13 exhorts us as w e go the distance : “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” ” So with the help of the Holy Spirit let us stand on this truth - God does not abandon us because we have weaknesses. He works through our weaknesses because He knows we are a work in progress. In other words, the longer the race goes, the better we get! “Wow, what a prize!” And let us pray that we will not grow weary , we know we run this race as individuals but along the way let us encourage those who are struggling, both those starting the race and those tiring midway, remembering always to fortify, comfort and build up in Christ. So this Lent, as we reflect on what Jesus endured for each and every one of us individually on the cross let us keep reminding ourselves of the priz e, and that Jesus is both the Author and Finisher of our faith. In Him we live and move and have our being and, as one more great reminder of who He is: He will not start something He will not finish. AMEN. Personal Prayer

Why is the kingdom of God important? The Kingdom of God was so central to the preaching of Jesus Christ that the “Kingdom of God” you could say is like the catch-phrase in Jesus’ preaching. Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were  until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,   15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Jesus was always talking about the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Heaven and the Gospel of the kingdom. In particular, the synoptic gospels are filled with texts about the kingdom of God. In the New Testament the phrase ‘the Kingdom of God’ occurs 66 times in 65 verses. The phrase ‘the Kingdom of heaven’ occurs in 32 times in 31 verses (Matthew only). Most bible scholars think the phrases kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven are interchangeable although there is a difference in the Greek phrases. The reason scholars think they are the same are, Only Matthew uses Kingdom of heaven and that he was trying to avoid upsetting his Jewish readers by constantly mentioning the name 'God'.      2. Matthew`s usage parallels that of the other Gospel writers i.e. it is used to say the          things for an example see below, Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,  which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. Compare this to Luke 13:20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?   21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.  The Kingdom of Heaven is a kingdom from heaven, not heaven, not kingdom in heaven. God reigns supreme in heaven. Heaven is the locus of His authority, the point from which he rules the universe. The words “of heaven” then are referring to the origin of this Kingdom. It is the place from which the Kingdom is coming, not a destination to which we are going. Mark1:14 (above) The main thrust of the word for kingdom has the thrust of the reign of a king, or that which the king reigns over. Luke 17:20   And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:   21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.   Thus, it is a fundamental truth for each born again believer that the kingdom of God means the rule of Jesus Christ is within you.  This means his kingly rule should be in each and every part of our lives, spirit, soul and body. List of scriptures that give insight into the Kingdom of God Matthew 12:28 Mark 4:26 Matthew 19:24 Mark 4:30 Matthew 21:31 Mark 9:1, 47 Matthew 21:43 Mark 10:14-15, 23-25 Mark 1:15 Mark 12:34 Mark 4:11 Mark 14:25  Mark 15:43 Luke 4:43 Luke 6:20 Luke 7:28 Luke 8:1, 10 Luke 9:2, 11, 27, 60-62 Luke 10:9-11 Luke 11:20 Luke 13:18-20, 28-29 Luke 14:15 Luke 16:16 Luke 17:20-21 Luke 18:16-17, 24-25, 29 Luke 19: 11 Luke 21:31 Luke 22:16-18 Luke 23:51 John 3:3, 5 Acts 1:3 Acts 8:12 Acts 14:22 Acts 19:8 Acts 28:2-3-, 31 Romans 14:17 1 Corinthians 4:20 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 1 Corinthians 15:50 Galatians 5:21 Colossians 4:11 2 Thessalonians 1:5 Matthew 4:17 Matthew 5:3, 10, 19-20 Matthew 7:21 Matthew 8:11 Matthew 10:7 Matthew 11:11-12 Matthew 13:11, 24, 31-33, 44-47, 52 Matthew 16:19 Matthew 18:1-4, 23 Matthew 19:12, 14, 23 Matthew 20:1 Matthew 22:2 Matthew 23:13 Matthew 25:1 The Gospel of the Kingdom of God Introducing the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, we learn that King Jesus became a man who took the sins of the whole world onto his body on the cross. King Jesus suffered and died that he might enter His Father`s Kingdom. If you are a seeker Believe on King Jesus today, turn from your sins and receive his pardon and welcome the Kingdom of God within you. Kneel at His feet, confess you are a sinner and make Him King over your life. Here is a way of how to do it. The bible is clear Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. We now need to turn this belief into a prayer spoken from your heart (below is an example of this). Dear Jesus , thank you for taking my punishment on the cross, which I deserve for all the wrong things I have done in the past. Help me turn away from the ways of this world and all its the false promises. I ask now for your forgiveness and a fresh start in my life. I invite the Holy Spirit into my heart and mind to show me how to live from this time on. Amen You now need to start praying, reading your bible and find a church where they teach and believe the bible. Bless you , the angels in heaven are rejoicing over your decision to turn to God. If you are a believer This is the Gospel of the Kingdom. Let us continue to introduce the unbelievers to King Jesus through his wonderful Gospel. Amen Personal Prayer

How to put on the armour and enter into the battle Putting on the armour How we enter into the spiritual battle Ephesians 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints… When we have put on all our armour, we are then ready to enter into all types of prayer as led by the Holy Spirit. All (types of) prayer is how we enter the battle. God also has provided some weapons of attack particularly in the pulling down of strongholds. We are obliged to move on from protection to attacking the enemy strongholds. Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. We will explore the idea of moving from defensive action to offensive like in Matthew 16:18 in a separate study. But the Lord does want us to go on the offensive from time to time. Something to remember is that we are not fighting to win a victory but rather we stand to enforce the mighty victory that Jesus Christ has won at the cross. Prayer for Putting on our Armour. We are now ready to put on all 6 pieces of our armour by prayer. We will use prayer as an approach you could also do it by reading and agreeing to the relevant scriptures. Before starting to pray, check to see if there is any sin or unforgiveness in your life. If so, it should be dealt with by confession using 1 John 1:9. Prayer Father God in the name of Jesus Christ 1. I believe and declare that my mind is girded with the truth, Your word is truth Lord and contains all the weapons of our warfare which are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. 2. I have a breastplate of righteousness which is faith and love and so I have right-standing with you Father through Jesus Christ and this protects my heart. 3. My feet, Lord, are shod in preparation of the gospel of peace. My shoes are ready to take the good news of the Gospel with me wherever I go seeking opportunities to bring your peace to all men. 4.Lord I am carrying my shield of faith which is able to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy. This shield will protect against every weapon of the enemy. 5. I now put on the helmet of salvation which gives me hope of seeing all of Gods promise for my life come to fruition. My helmet protects my mind from all the lies of the enemy that is trying to cast doubt on all the God has done for me. 6.I now take the sword of the Spirit which is your word Father just like Jesus did in the wilderness. Your spoken word will defeat all the lies and deceptions of the enemy. Amen Having put on the whole armour of God we are then fully prepared to enter into the spiritual battle as led by the Holy Spirit. Let us do so now…Amen.                                                             Materials Consulted Derek Prince: Spiritual Conflict: Defensive Armor Parts 1+2 and                             : Weapons of attack Part 1  All available on YouTube. Roger Price :STS 021- 022 Can a Christian have a demon? Christian Wake-up Call: John   Whole Armour of God https://christianwakeupcall.com/

The Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit Helmet and Sword 5.      The Helmet of Salvation Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The helmet protects the head representing the mind or the thought life. We must know how to protect our minds.  Satan will attack our minds with such things as mistrust. That is one of his favourite weapons.  We begin to mistrust our wife, our husband, our fellow Christians, our pastor. . . Then comes suspicion and then fear and doubt and depression. Depression is surprisingly common in Christians. Derek Prince tells how God set him personally free from years of depression which also affected his family life, using two scriptures.   Isaiah 61:3 The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered… In Isaiah 61:3 he read this phrase: “The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” And when he read that word “the spirit of heaviness,” it was.  like the Holy Spirit said to him, “That is your problem. It is not you, it is not psychological, it is not mental, it is a spirit, it is a person. He saw the real identity of his enemy was a spirit of depression and he reminds us that ‘Evil is not something, it is Someone.’ Derek then realised that he needed one more thing and that was Joel 2:32 ‘’It shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered.” And Derek was completely delivered from the spirit of heaviness (depression). He also pointed out the need for Christians to develop their own healthy thought patterns over a period of time. Ephesians 6:17: “ Take the helmet of salvation .”  This is God’s protection for our heads. This ties in with 1Thessalonians 5:8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. The helmet is hope and we have got to cultivate hope. Hope, in the Bible, is a confident expectation of that which is good. Faith in our minds does not work. Faith has to be in the heart. But the protection for the mind is hope. Now somebody said everybody is born either a pessimist or an optimist.  For a Christian to be a pessimist is a denial of our faith. Why?  Because Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:24: For we are saved by hope. Ephesians 2:12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Romans 8:24: For we are saved by hope . . . (KJV) No hope, no salvation.  Ephesians 2:12, speaking about those without Christ, the unsaved. Paul says: That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. (KJV). From this we can see three things.  Without Christ, without God, without hope. They go together. We can see clearly, no hope, no Christ then our salvation hinges on hope. I am saved by hope. If I am without hope, I am without Christ.  And if I have Christ, I have hope.  Hebrews 6: 19 says: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…  If a ship is to be secured, it has to have an anchor which passes through the unstable medium of water and fastens into something stable and secure such as a rock. If we want security and stability, we have to have an anchor that passes through time into eternity and fastens in the Rock of Ages. And this anchor of hope takes us beyond the second veil into the Holy of Holies, into the immediate presence of Almighty God where Jesus, our High Priest and forerunner has entered for us. Now when your anchor is fastened there, we can smile at the storms of life. But the anchor is hope. 6.      The Sword of the Spirit Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. For the first time we are passing out of the purely defensive into something that could be in a sense called aggressive. Because a sword you can use aggressively and defensively against your enemy. But a sword by itself is limited because it will go no further than your arm can stretch.  Now in Greek there are two words for ‘word.’ One is  logos , which means counsel, reason, a set truth. We often use it to describe the written word. The other is  rhema , which means specifically a word that is spoken. The word that is used here is rhema. The sword of the Spirit is not the eternal logos, it is the living word of God when you speak it.  And if you do not speak it, you have no sword. I think the best example of this is Jesus confronted by the devil in the wilderness.  Each temptation He met by saying, “It is written.”  Satan knows it is true. When Jesus said, “It is written, it is written, it is written.”  Satan backed off.  And we have to do the same as Jesus. We have to know the Word of God and not just have the Bible resting on our desk at night but speak the Word like a sharp two-edged sword out of our mouth. And then at least we can keep the devil at bay. Amen Personal Prayer In Part 5 (our final part) we discover how to put on all the armour and how to enter into thje battle.

The Girdle of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness 1.      The girdle (belt) of truth Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, In verse 14, the first piece of armour is having your loins girt about with truth i.e. the first piece of equipment is the girdle of truth. Why did people need a girdle?  Men in Paul’s time did not wear trousers such as we wear today.  Today, you could have understood that they needed a belt. In those days men’s clothing was loose fitting and quite long.   And if a man was going to do anything that demanded free, active movement, the first thing he had to do was to get his long, loose clothing out of the way. And he did this by doing what the New Testament calls ‘girding up his loins.’ He would lift the clothing and fasten it around his loins with a girdle so that his legs from the knees downwards were free to move. Then he could do whatever else he had to do after that. So very logically the first step is to put on the girdle (or belt). Now the girdle represents truth. You could say it is the truth of God’s Word, but you will find that God’s Word, but it is even more basic. It simply means the plain truth. Truth means being honest. It is being real. It is putting away all our posturing and all our insincerities with which affects some religious people. This is the common problem amongst certain religious people which is called insincerity. Jesus said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,” which is hypocrisy. The word hypocrite is the Greek word for an actor. The actors of Jesus’ day had a small selection of masks (4) they could put on during the play but never appeared in with their actual face but only a mask reflecting the part being played. Derek Prince said that there were many masks being worn in the church of today with most denominations have their own mask!   What Paul is saying here “Take the mask off and stop acting. Be real. Tell it like it is.   How can we stand in the battle without a girdle, when we try to move, we will trip over our garments and get no further. So, the first essential requirement is put on the girdle of truth, which means we need to be real and be truthful in every area of our lives including in church! 2.      Breastplate of Righteousness Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, v.14 Having on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate protects the heart. Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.   Everything we experience in life originates out of our heart. What you have in your heart will determine the course of your life. If your heart is filled with bitterness, unbelief, and fear, it is going to cause your life to go wrong. But if your heart is filled with faith, peace, and love, your life will take the right course. You need to guard your heart with all your strength. In the New Testament, righteousness is a condition of the heart, not of the head. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. (KJV). Notice the breastplate in  1 Thessalonians 5:8 is faith and love yet in Ephesians 6:14 it is righteousness .  That is consistent for the following reason. In the New Testament righteousness is faith  which worketh by love see  (Galatians 5: 6) In Christ Jesus neither circumcision avail anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love . So the basic righteousness of the New Testament is faith working by love and it is a condition of the heart. Romans 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness (KJV). There is a difference between believing with the head and believing with the heart. Believing with the head is mere mental acceptance of truth and often leaves a person unchanged in the way that they live. But when we believe with the heart, we believe unto righteousness.  It changes the way we live. And so Paul says we need to protect our heart with the breastplate of righteousness which is faith in the heart working by love. This means that we need to check our motives regularly! Amen Personal Prayer Next time in Part 3 we consider the Gospel of Peace (shoes) and the Shield of Faith.

Our Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians 6:10-18 Whole armour of God When we become believers, we soon discover that we have come into a battle! It is the spiritual battle between God with his holy angels versus Satan with his armies of evil spirit beings. We need to understand how to survive in our spiritual battles. The whole armour of God is a metaphor in the Bible (Ephesians 6:10-18) that describes the protection available to Christians in our spiritual battle. It is more than a metaphor since it actually describes spiritual realities. Here are 4 things you should know about the full armour of God. 1. The whole armour is the expression of your full trust in God and what He has done for you through Jesus Christ 2. The Armour of God is receiving and applying everything that God has done for you. This is explained in Ephesians chapter 1-5. 3. Your victory in spiritual warfare was secured at the cross of Jesus Christ and his blood that was shed there (Rev. 12:11). 4. Examples of spiritual attacks on believers might include things like the temptation to sin, doubting your faith, or feeling like you are not good enough to share God's word etc. The Bible says that such attacks originate by Satan and his evil forces and are directed at the believer’s mind. The Background to our Spiritual Warfare Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places… The church is engaged in a spiritual war, and its enemy is Satan and a host of unseen angelic and celestial enemies whose power vastly exceeds our own. With a few exceptions, our enemies remain invisible to our eyes, but they nevertheless are real, and so is their opposition. These celestial enemies come in various forms, as is suggested by the variety of terms used by Paul to identify them: “rulers” these are the 5-star generals, “powers,” “world forces of this darkness,” “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”.   In this war Satan employs a variety of strategies to oppose and to defeat the Christian.  Paul does not speak of one single “scheme” (wiles KJV), but of his many “schemes” (plural), likewise, there are different parts of God’s armour that we must put on to counteract each scheme of attack.  Satan’s opposition against the church is not a frontal attack, but a sneaky attack through intrigue, deception, and trickery, so we must remain prayerful and alert (Eph 6:18, 1 Peter 5:8). Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Because of verse 12, which is Satan’s kingdom in the heavenlies, we need take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all, to stand. Paul says there is going to come an evil day, an evil day comes in the life of every one of us. Whether we stand or not depends on whether we have the defensive equipment (armour) we need. And then Paul lists the armour, and it is taken from the battle armour of a Roman soldier of his day. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. The believer’s armour has 6 main parts. Girdle of Truth Breastplate of Righteousness Gospel of Peace (Shoes) Shield of Faith Helmet of Salvation Sword of the Spirit The armour of God is an illustration in the Bible that reminds Christians about the reality of spiritual battle and describes the protection available to them. Each piece of armour has a distinct purpose and is a means of defence against temptation and evil. Jesus Christ has provided each piece of armour to protect Christians. But we still need to put the armour on!  Paul having been chained to Roman soldiers for several hours every day whilst in prison would have had lots of time to draw the analogy from the soldiers’ armour. There are six parts of armour which we will look at in order and some detail armour as we proceed. Please note that all these 6 pieces are defensive although the sword of the Spirit can be used to some extent (arm’s length) to attack the enemy. Amen Prayer In Part 2 We begin to consider each piece of our armour in order and in detail.

What quality should our care be? All our care/ministry for others should be excellent! Question: Why should our ministry both to and for God be excellent? Answer-The first and foremost reason is that our God is the most excellent God. Psalm 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent [is] your name in all the earth! who has set your glory above the heavens. The Lord our God has an excellent name and He is worthy of our very best. Question: why does it matter what we offer to God in terms of our ministry. Answer: All through the Old Testament God made it clear that whatever was offered to him in sacrifice should be without spot or blemish. The book of Leviticus has dozens of sacrifices specified but all without blemish. Lev 19:2 This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. In the New Testament, Ephesians 2:5 Jesus will present his Father God with a glorious church not having spot , or wrinkle or any such thing ; but that it should be holy and without blemish . Jesus offers only excellent ministry to his father . We should copy Jesus. In other words anything that we give to God whether spiritual, material or service it should be excellent in every way. We should never offer anything that is a reject or substandard or second quality nor damaged in any way, Everything we offer to God should be excellent in nature, not defective in any way, not sloppy, ill prepared or executed. For example, if you have three weeks, three days or just three hours to prepare a bible study, God will give you the grace to make up the difference in what you can achieve. However if you have plenty of time we honour God by making excellent preparations. This applies at work too! Obstacles to caring ; sometimes the people we care for look terrible or they have an unpleasant smell, they may be aggressive, unhelpful, unwilling to share and often ungrateful. There but for the grace of God go I. Prayer: Lord, help us to offer excellent care to our fellow human beings which is pleasing to you. Help us to see the poor through your eyes. Amen. In Part 5 we consider the cost of caring

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood... Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood In various places in the Bible we catch glimpses of the unseen spiritual realm. A good example of this is found in 2 Kings 6 when the King of Syria send soldiers to capture Elisha and his servant. 2 Kings 6:14-17 There is also a fascinating story over in Daniel 10 in which Daniel has been praying and fasting for three weeks or so.  Daniel 10:12-14 In this chapter we find angels battling through with the answer to a man`s prayer. In the New Testament a passage which gives us great insight into the spiritual realm is found in Ephesians 6:10-18. 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; The bad news is that the heavenlies [1]  are teeming with a huge host of organized malignant spirits who hate God and his people. The good news is that Jesus Christ has completely defeated them with his victory on the cross, and by his resurrection and ascension. Colossians 2:9-15 Verse 15 ; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.  By His victory [2] , Jesus has made it obvious that these evil spirits were powerless to prevent his resurrection, and because of this, this verse shows us that we should not fear death as he is able to resurrect each believer in turn. He has also given us a full suit of amour [3]  to stand against the devil, which in essence is just living a deliberate holy lifestyle. So, as we are in a battle with these wicked spirits (they are the ones who stir up persecution and write the scripts that set the standard for what goes in society), we must continue to struggle against them and their influence on individuals and groups. But let us not forget that Jesus disarmed them by taking away their ability to put the fear of death into God`s people and hence we can stand against them and bring in God`s will into any particular situation. Amen Personal Prayer Explanatory footnotes [1]  The church is engaged in a spiritual war, and its enemy is Satan and a host of unseen angelic and celestial enemies whose power vastly exceeds our own. With a few exceptions, our enemies remain invisible to our eyes, but they nevertheless are real, and so is their opposition. These celestial enemies come in various forms, as is suggested by the variety of terms used by Paul to identify them: “rulers ” these are the 5 star generals , “powers,” “world forces of this darkness,” “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”.  In this war Satan employs a variety of strategies to oppose and to defeat the Christian. Paul does not speak of one single “scheme”, but of his many “schemes” (plural), likewise, there are different parts of God’s armour that we must put on to counteract each of them. Satan’s opposition against the church is not a frontal attack, but a subversive attack through intrigue, deception, and trickery, so we must remain prayerful and alert ( Eph 6:18, 1 Peter 5:8) . [2]   Victory with the devil under our feet Psalm 110:1The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool  for your feet.” Victory over demons Colossians 1: 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Victory over sin and the ability to pull down strongholds 2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. [3]  When we put on the armour, we are putting on Christ. Of course, the whole armour of God is describing a day-to-day lifestyle lived in the knowledge of all that God has provided to protect us. Please note we should always be praying. Sometimes we can extend the shield of our faith over others, what do you think?It is imp ortant to remember that when we put on the “full armour of God” we are putting on Christ (Rom. 13:14 ) Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ( Eph 4:23 ) 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. Our protection against Satan’s attacks is assured only when we take up the full  armour of God. Satan’s schemes are many, and he attacks us at any point where we are weak. Our armour must be complete. We cannot pick and choose what parts of the armour we prefer, but rather we must put all of it on. We must be completely equipped, or we will be vulnerable to his attacks. Amen Personal Prayer

How do we express our care and to whom? This scripture tells us what is important to Jesus and those situations where we ought show his love and his care. Matthew 25: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘ Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. ’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Ask yourself if you are a sheep or a goat. It is interesting that neither the sheep nor goats were aware of doing good or evil in the context of showing care . Also please note just how much Jesus identifies with the poor and vulnerable. Who do the sheep target? They feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the foreigner or outsider, visit the sick and those in jail . How can we do this today in our times and context? Philip’s story - out on the street a beggar (homeless person) asks Philip for money- Philip thinks that he sees something familiar about the tramp. Suddenly recognises him as a former rugby player and police sergeant! What happened to this man? Well it was a tragic story, his wife died, he hit the bottle, lost his job, lost his house – now living on the street and begging! Always remember this, that there but for the grace of God go I ! What resources may be required in caring for the poor? Time, material resources, sympathy, empathy and counsel-Practical help-Sharing faith-Mindful of them in prayer. Prayer: Lord, show me how I can let your love flow through me expressing care to my fellow human beings. Amen In Part 4 we consider the question of what quality should our care be?

Why should we care about our fellow humans? Modern atheistic scientists tell us that humans are in an unimportant species, found on an insignificant planet in an obscure part of the cosmos. What do you think the implications for a single human life are? However this is not what Christians believe... Matthew 22:17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” 21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “ So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. ” Genesis 1:26-27 ( Our keynote scripture) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” There is no clear consensus on what the image of God (or its theological term ‘ Imago dei’ ). Christians of various types think it might include 1. Humans are like God in that we are spiritual and rational beings and exercise free-will choices. 2. Humans are like God in being able to f orm complex relationships. 3 . Humans are like God in being able to perform functions e.g. managing the planet and its resources which in some way represent God on earth. All 3 views have their strengths and weaknesses but together might reflect the different ways that humans reflect the image of God. However what is clear and agreed by the majority of Christians is that the ‘ Imago ’ confers significant importance onto human kind since the ‘image’ was not conferred on any angelic beings or any type of animal. The importance of the image of God is that it causes every single human being no matter how degraded or fallen, to still bear in some way the image of God the Creator . This inspires many including myself to want to help the poor. Whilst we are not necessarily important of ourselves the image of God shows us we are important to God by bearing a ‘family’ resemblance . The depth of God’s love and care was shown in the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This confers importance on us. Prayer; Lord teach us to see of fellow human beings in the way you see them , as valuable and precious souls made in your image. Amen In Part 3 we consider How do we express our care and to whom?