Equipped: Truth

Last Tuesday I decided I was going to do a blog series (my first attempt, and more of a commitment than I'm used to making to the blogosphere) dealing with spiritual warfare and the armor of God from Ephesians 6.  Then, last Tuesday night at our Element Church staff meeting I found out our next sermon series was All Out War: Investigating Spiritual Warfare, based on...you guessed it: Ephesians 6.  (you can check out the sermons here)

Coincidence or providence?  I don't know...but I'm running with it either way.

"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."   Ephesians 6:11-12 

There are three critical things to notice from this passage:

1. You have a very real supernatural enemy.
2. He will attack you.
3. God provides us with the equipment we need to overcome the attacks.

The original readers of this letter would have been very familiar with the image of armor as Roman legionnaires would have been a common sight throughout the empire. Since you may not be so acquainted with the garb of a soldier of Rome, in each blog post I'll describe each piece and its function before tackling the spiritual counterpart.

Let's take a look at the first piece of equipment.

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..."  Ephesians 6:14

The cingulum militare (sometimes referred to as a balteus) was the military belt of a Roman legionnaire.  This piece of equipment was a critical component of the armor of the soldier.  In addition to carrying his sword (as well as his dagger and perhaps some provisions in pouches), it provided support for the breastplate, taking some of the load off the back and shoulders.  It was also adorned with the apron which afforded some additional protection though was probably more decorative than functional.  One of the most important uses of the belt was to "gird the loins".  This involved tucking the otherwise knee-length tunic into the belt in preparation for a battle or march.  The extra movement afforded by this would make a soldier more mobile and agile.  As you can see, the function of the soldier's belt was twofold: foundation and freedom.

We can draw a comparison of the spiritual value of this piece of the armor from its physical counterpart.

Truth as FOUNDATION
Our spiritual battle must first find its anchor in the truth of God.  Jesus himself is our foundation.

"I am the way and the truth and the life..."  John 14:6 (emphasis mine)

The truth of Christ, who He is, His work on the cross and resurrection, and His intercession for us before the Father provides us with the foundation (and the source) for all of our other armor: righteousness received from Him, the readiness of the gospel of peace brought by Him, faith placed in Him, salvation worked through Him, and the Word of God proclaiming Him and empowering us.

God's truth is a sure foundation because it is eternal and unchanging.  When we have accepted the truth of God into our lives and have the risen Lord dwelling in us, who is Himself the truth, we have truth as our foundation, and we have the consistency of character that flows from that.  In this day and age, truth is seen as personal and subjective - what's true for you isn't necessarily true for me.  When we put on the belt of truth, we acknowledge and accept that there is absolute truth and we live in that reality.  Prepare to stand out from the crowd if your life is characterized by truth.  William Shakespeare once wrote:

"To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand." - Hamlet, Act II, scene 2

If you live by truth, if you "bind [it] around your neck; write [it] on the tablet of your heart" (Proverbs 3:3), then you will not only have a rock-solid foundation to live upon, but you will walk in freedom.

Truth as FREEDOM
The truth of Christ is freedom.  It is freedom from the power of sin and freedom from the penalty for that sin.  Jesus said:

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  John 8:31-32

We are no longer slaves to sin if we accept the truth of Christ.  Sin loses its power in the presence of that truth.

Truth is also freedom when we are real with people.  Authenticity.  Letting people see who we really are and allowing them into our struggles.  Much of sin's power thrives in the dark.  Truth acts as the light that dispels that darkness.

"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."  John 3:20-21

The individual soldier was certainly strong, but a conquering force consisted of many soldiers doing battle together.  Confessing weak areas allows our fellow soldiers to come to our aid.  Trying to hide your sins and struggles from true Christian brothers and sisters is counterproductive.  It would be like a soldier going into battle alone.

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."  Proverbs 28:13

"...each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body."  Ephesians 4:25

"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices."  Colossians 3:9

There is freedom in honesty.  You don't have to try to hide who you really are while secret struggles tear you apart.  You don't have to waste time and energy trying to maintain "two lives".  You are free to simply be you.

A final thought on the belt.  The cingulum militare was not a standardized piece of equipment, rather it was a valuable personal possession.  Although made in the Army workshops, it is thought that the belts were not issued at random, but instead selected by individual soldiers as taste and budget allowed.  According to The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History by Pat Southern, most scholars agree that "it was the leather belt more than anything else that proclaimed the wearer as a soldier."  This means that the belt would have been worn in and out of uniform.  On or off duty, a soldier could be identified by his belt.  Let me draw one last comparison.  No matter where we are: in church, at home or at work, participating in an outreach or riding the bus; as followers of Christ, we should be marked by truth.

"Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding."  Proverbs 23:23

We should "spare no expense" to clothe ourselves with truth and never part with it for any worldly gain.  There is no bargain worth your character.

What Do You Stand For?

Okay. Call me late to the party. But this whole Qur'an (Quran, Koran, etc.) burning thing is a disgrace.

Now surely that comment would be applauded in the Muslim community, but let me be clear. I don't think it's a disgrace because the book has any intrinsic value. As a Christian, the Bible is my standard of living and the only Scripture I believe to be inspired by God. I believe it is a disgrace because it shifts the focus of the Christian mission to one of condemnation.

In the last few days I've been confronted at least twice in various places with the idea that churches should be known for what they are for, rather than what they are against.

It's stuck in my head. I can't shake it.

The more disturbing side of this is that this thought somehow seems revolutionary when it really should be the standard for all churches, denominations, believers, etc. Any person or organization that falls under the banner of Christ should have laser focus when it comes to this issue.

So what is the central issue?

Well I believe it is GRACE.

People don't need a list of things they are doing wrong. Most are well aware of it, even if they don't own up to it. Certainly Biblical truth needs to be preached and the standard of Jesus Christ needs to be the "measuring stick" so to speak. But too often we put the cart before the horse.

Jesus didn't expect people to have it all together before they came to Him. He simply wanted them to come. The change came AFTER they experienced the reality of who He is. He met the need FIRST. He asked them to follow FIRST. He forgave them FIRST.

So how did Christians/churches end up identifying with what they are against?

I read these stories and saw the interviews of this small church in Florida. More than once I heard about all the different things they've done in and for the community. Unfortunately, this is not, and probably never will be, what they are known for. They are now singularly identified with persecution of the Muslim faith. What this means, is that, most likely, they have alienated, at the very least, an entire people group. People who are lost and it is there divine calling to reach.

Sad? Yes.

Is this an isolated incident? No.

Muslims, homosexuals, unwed mothers, addicts...the list goes on and on. Too often we are swift to pass judgement when the example of Jesus Christ is crystal clear.

We are to extend grace. Why? Because we have received grace.

I'm so privileged to be part of a church that gets it. And I've seen the fruits of extending that grace. When people feel like they are accepted, despite their weaknesses or failures, in spite of the fact that they walk in the doors with their hands "dirty", they are so much more likely to really hear the Good News.

Let's all work to discard this notion that you have to have it all together before you come to God. Let's be willing to get "down in the dirt" with people.

You're never more like Jesus than when you extend grace. Let's stand for that.

Pop Goes Perfection

Perfection.

Anybody remember this game?

Simple concept. Maneuver all the tiny pieces of varying shapes into their corresponding slots within 60 seconds.

Oh? You didn't finish in time? "POW! Pop goes Perfection" as the not-so-original jingle set to "Pop! Goes the Weasel" explained. What it left out was that the nearly microscopic pieces would quite literally launch themselves at you and any unsuspecting passerby only to fly under the refrigerator, couch, bed, etc. or be gobbled up by the family dog, cat, or large hamster.

No trophies for last place here. This game wasn't out to build your self-confidence. It demanded complete perfection or you would suffer its vengeful wrath with a semi-permanent octagon welt prominently displayed on your forehead. The lesson here seemed to be: be perfect or everything will blow up in your face.

This, of course, brings me to the reason for this post. You see, a few days ago I realized that I really struggle with perfection. Let me elaborate. I don't think I'm perfect, that's not the struggle. It's more about feeling that I need to do things perfectly or risk everything falling apart or that I'm somehow ineffective if I don't do something perfectly.

It seems to so thoroughly pervade my life (especially when it comes to ministry with the church, where the gravity of eternal choices seems to weigh heavily) that I sometimes end up with an almost crippling fear of messing up. This then leads to the exact opposite of my intent as that fear causes nervousness that causes me to mess up, which brings the realization that perfection has not been achieved, which then makes me more nervous about messing up again, which leads to messing up... Do you see where this is going? I end up perpetuating a cycle, that in the end, makes me less effective.

My concern in all of this is that it means I'm relying on my work, rather than God's, to accomplish goals. I just want to do things with excellence, but I think sometimes I worry too much about the results. It's something I'm working on.

Anyone else deal with this?