Category: Christian Life

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Gospel Scriptures You Should Know

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As we have spent the last four posts discussing the why’s and how’s (#1, #2, #3) of sharing the gospel, it seems like a good idea to now get our heads full of the Word of God, to aid us in this great task. 

In leading someone to Christ, it is most helpful to have some scriptures memorized to share with them. Here are some of my personal favorites.

Gospel Scriptures

John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 — “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 — “For our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”   

1 Peter 3:18 — “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit…”

The Romans Road

One of the most famous sets of scripture for leading someone to Christ is know as “The Romans Road.” This is a set of scriptures taken completely from the book of Romans to show that everyone of us is sinful and in need of a Savior, and that God has made Jesus to be that Savior to all who believe. The Romans Road is:

Every Person is Sinful and Needs a Savior:

Romans 3:10 —“as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one;’…”

Romans 3:23 — “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Jesus Christ Died in Our Place to Be Our Savior:

Romans 5:8 — “..but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 6:23 — “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

To Be Saved, Simply Put Your Faith In Christ, and Ask Him To Save You:

Romans 10:9 — “…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 — “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

The benefit of the Romans road for many people is that it is easily marked in your Bible. In the front of your bible you would write yourself a note that the Romans Road starts with Romans 3:10. Then in the margin next to Romans 3:10, you would note that the next scripture is Romans 3:23. Beside that you would write that next is Romans 5:8 and so on. Because they are in chronological order, you could also just mark each verse with a star, and follow through the book in order.

Other Helpful Scriptures

In addition to knowing scriptures for leading people to Christ, it is also helpful to have various other scriptures memorized that will point believers to Christ in other areas where they may struggle.

Remember, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” That means that when scripture speaks into the life of a person, it cuts in like a surgeons scalpel, in order to bring healing and life to the person in need. Make it a priority to use scripture to encourage and build people up. 

Some scriptures you might want to put to memory would be:

Jeremiah 31:3b — God says “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

Romans 8:1 — “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 — “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Matthew 11:28 — “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Hebrews 13:5-6 — “he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”

Romans 8:31 — “…If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Luke 11:13 — “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

1 Peter 5:7 — “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 — “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Exodus 14:14 — “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

You probably have other verses that come to mind. What other scriptures would you add to this list? I would love to hear them in the comments.

Let’s Connect

If you are enjoying what you are reading, it would be my honor to have you sign up for my weekly content newsletter, below. I promise not to spam your inbox or share your information with anyone.

You can also follow me on social media. I can be found on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler. I’d love to see you there.

Don’t forget to leave your thoughts, questions, and favorite scriptures in the comment section!

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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How to Share Your Testimony

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As we continue our series, “God’s Gossip,” and discuss the need to share the gospel, we have looked at two, simple methods for telling the story of Jesus: the ground-level gospel and the sky-level gospel. In this post, however, I hope to persuade you that it is not enough to simply know the gospel story with your head, and be able to communicate that information clearly. You must also know it to be true and effective with your personal experience, for your words to carry any meaning to those you are sharing with.

Your personal gospel testimony is your direct connection to God’s story in human history and is a tool He will use for leading others to Himself. In sharing your testimony, you are connecting your own personal story and experience to the gospel story from 2000 years ago. When people hear the effects the gospel has on you, it opens them up to what it might do in them.

The Power of Testimony

“The Hebrew word for testimony, ‘edut,’ and the Hebrew word for witness, ‘ed,’ both come from a root word meaning ‘to duplicate or repeat.’ This means that in sharing our testimony, we are asking God to repeat the action in the lives of those we share with. This can be our salvation testimony as well as our testifying to other works of God in our life, such as being healed or set free from addictions. 

Sharing the testimony is a way of saying, ‘If God did it for me, He can do it for you.’ This honors God by giving Him credit and it raises faith in the person, so that they can believe God will do it again for them, as well.

Keeping the Testimony is Commanded by God

If sharing a testimony is declaring ‘God can do it again,’ and builds faith in Him, then is it any wonder that all throughout the Old Testament God commands His people to share the testimonies of His faithfulness with the next generation? In fact, the command to keep God’s testimonies is usually connected equally to keeping His law!

Just look at Deuteronomy 6:17,

You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you.

Look at King David’s charge to his son, Solomon, from his deathbed,

…keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn…

1 Kings 2:3

It even seems like one of the major messages of Psalms is that mankind lives best when we follow God’s laws and remember His testimonies. For example, read through Psalm 119, which begins like this:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,

Psalm 119:1-2

Sharing the Testimony is Expected by Christ

In the Old Testament, testimonies were to be passed down through the generations. In theNew Testament, however, we see that it is the privilege of the Christian to be Jesus’ story-tellers, spreading the testimony to the world!

We are called to be witnesses. In legal terminology, when a “witness” is called in court, he shares his “testimony.” For us to be witnesses for Christ, we too must be able to share our own testimony of the gospel. What is it that we have seen and experienced of the gospel we are sharing.

This is exactly what the first apostles were doing, that displeased to leaders of Israel. When they were tried and ordered to stop sharing their stories, the first apostles couldn’t obey!

So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4:18-20

Testimonies are Prophetic

As we have seen, the Old Testament word for testimony means “do it again.” However, to extend this idea further, John writes in the book of Revelation,

 “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Revelation 19:10

What this means is that when we declare the good things God has done for us in the past, it not only builds faith in the hearers, but there is actually a prophetic release that what God does for one, He will do for another. It should create hopeful expectation.

This is why when we do large gospel events in Africa, sharing testimonies plays a large part in everything we do. When I preach the gospel, I always include my own testimony of who I was before Christ, and the effects on my life and destiny that have come from believing in Him. These are verifiable details. You can call my high school friends to find out if I was really an alcoholic. You can call my family to find out what my life dreams and goals were before. You can see, in reality, that God has done a great work in transforming me to the man I am today.

When it comes time to pray for the sick or do deliverance ministry, I always share testimonies and stories of the great healings we have seen in the past. If people in the crowd have been healed, we invite them to come forward and share publicly what God has done for them. We have seen, over and over again, that through the sharing of testimonies, the expectation for healing goes up, and so does the fruit of the ministry. More people get healed when they hear what God has been doing already.

How to Share Your Salvation Testimony

Since we are talking about sharing the gospel, I want to give you some idea of how you can share your own “gossip” of what God is doing in your life. Simply put, sharing your personal testimony requires you to know where you were before Christ found you, how the gospel came into your life, and the change God has brought in you now.

For me, that means I share something like this, in as few or as many words as I have time for:

Before Christ

“I am not the man I was before Christ saved me. I was a teenage slacker, alcoholic, trying drugs and experimenting sexually. Even visiting churches with friends, I was a hypocrite, drinking with my youth leader on Saturday nights, just pretending to be a good person… 

How I Was Saved

“Thank God, He used an unknown evangelist at a small church camp when I was 16 years old to speak to me. I was sitting under a tree, praying and asking myself questions about my own salvation, when he came by, took time to talk to me, and led me to full faith in the Lord. Though I knew the stories of Jesus my whole life, I finally put my faith in Christ to be saved…

After Salvation

“Today, I am free from all those addictions and perverse lifestyles. I am faithfully married, and have the privilege of sharing this gospel all around the world as a missionary.”

What is your Gospel story? 

It is not a shame to share what your lost self did before Christ saved you, as He will use it to bring others to Himself. We must know the gospel in our heads and with our lives. Then God will use us to reach others as well.

I encourage you, if you have never taken the time to do so, spend a few moments this week writing out your own testimony. Who were you before Christ? How did He finally reach you and save you? And what has happened to you since? After you write it out, practice reading it out loud. Get comfortable sharing the points that excite you. Don’t hesitate to share the things that used to bring shame and condemnation. I promise, as you find the boldness to share with others, God will use it to change lives for eternity.

I would love to have anyone who wants to share, post their testimonies in the comments below.

Let’s Connect

If you are enjoying what you are reading, it would be my honor to have you sign up for my weekly content newsletter, below. I promise not to spam your inbox or share your information with anyone.

You can also follow me on social media. I can be found on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler. I’d love to see you there.

Don’t forget to leave your thoughts, questions, or personal testimony stories in the comment section!

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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The Sky-Level Gospel

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As we continue our seres on “God’s Gossip,” we have already discussed that for it to be a “gospel,” it must be shared. We then looked at the first of two storylines1, which will enable you to easily remember the gospel story and share it with others. In this post, we will look at the second storyline. I call it the “sky-level gospel.”

Though the first method is simpler, and can be used for a quick presentation of the gospel, the second method is, by far, my favorite. Whereas the first method keeps things close to the ground, this method will take the person up higher, and give them the 30,000-foot view of the entire gospel narrative. 

This method uses the full story of scripture to lay out God’s beautiful, original plan; the problem of sin in humanity, and the reason for which Christ came into the world. If the person is far from getting saved, it can also be shared conversationally when giving an explanation of your faith, without adding the immediate pressure of a response. It can act as the starting point to impart faith in God, that may lead to a later decision.

The four keywords to learn for this method are Creation – Fall – Redemption – Restoration. Let’s take a look at them.

Creation

God created all things in the beginning and made them good (Genesis 1:1-31). He put humanity in charge of His creation, giving him authority to rule as a steward of God’s universe (Genesis 1:26, 2:19). Again, this creation was perfect and holy, and man himself was righteous having been created in the image of God.

God’s original intention was that creation, from Eden, spreading to the ends of the earth, would be a physical representation of heaven. Righteousness would rule, and mankind would live in harmony and fellowship with God, as they lived out His will on the earth (Genesis 1:28).

Fall

After God created the world and placed man in the Garden, He gave one commandment, which would ensure that Adam and Eve – the first man and woman – were faithful to the covenant He made with them to rule the earth. They were not allowed to eat of one tree in the garden, lest they die (Genesis 2:15-17).

It didn’t take long for mankind’s curiosity to rise up, and one day Eve was admiring the fruit of the tree, with Adam by her side. Taking it as his first opportunity to tempt the humans and mess up God’s plans, the devil tempted the man and woman, and they ate the fruit (Genesis 3:1-6). 

When mankind sinned against God for the first time – the event we call ‘The Fall’ — not only was man affected with a curse, but the whole creation as well. This is why everything we see in the world is not as it was originally intended to be: war, famine, sickness, violence, natural disasters, etc (Genesis 3:14-19).

Another downside of the fall was that the authority over the earth which God had given to mankind was then delivered to the devil (Luke 4:5-6), who has become ‘the God of this world’ and ‘the prince of the power of the air…at work in the sons of disobedience‘ ( 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Ephesians 2:2). The world mankind was intended to rule, is now controlled by sin, death, and the devil.

Redemption

The good news (gospel) is that God has a rescue plan for humanity and all of His beloved creation. When we say “redemption,” it is a theological word meaning that on the cross, not only did Jesus die for our sins, but He also came to break the curse over creation and reclaim what was lost in the fall. According to Luke ‘…the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10).

This goes beyond just the salvation of souls, but also the restoration of righteousness and justice in the earth, and ultimately the redemption of authority over creation. This is why after the resurrection, Jesus tells the disciples that He has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

The promise of redemption for individuals comes when we begin to trust Jesus as the Savior from God. This is where an offer of personal salvation comes in to the story. If Jesus is the Redeemer of all things, that means He also redeems us, and brings us back to our original intended relationship with God the Father. He also gives us new life and restores our ability to walk in holiness by faith in Him.

Restoration

The Greek word for “be saved” is the word “sozo” which I think is a great name for a ministry. It literally means we are saved in every way. It translates as “to be saved from judgement for your sins,” “to be healed (saved) from sickness and disease,” and “to be delivered (saved) from the power of your enemy (the devil).” Not only does salvation bring eternal life for the believer, but it begins the process of restoration, when we will be returned to God’s original intention for the creation.

Though we are not made completely perfect in the moment of salvation, we now recognize Jesus as the Lord of our life and submit to Him. As we work to build our relationship with Him, we also begin to be conformed to His image once again, just as we were originally created to be in the beginning (2 Corinthians 3:18).

This presentation of the gospel then looks forward to the day when Jesus will return and we will see the final restoration of all things back to the way God intended them to be in the beginning. Sin and death and the devil will be dealt their final blow. Jesus will judge the world according to whether or not their faith was in Him, and then He, along with all those who believed in Him as Savior will see all things finally made right. There will be a new heaven and new earth, and all the promises from the Bible will finally be fulfilled.

It is now the role of all believers to be living their lives with restoration in mind. That is why we share the gospel, pray for the sick, and cast out demons wherever they rear their ugly heads (Matthew 10:1,7-8).

Lead Them Toward Discipleship

One final note about this gospel story line: even if you do not use this method for reaching the person in salvation, it is an important story for them to understand once they are saved. Therefore, if the person gets saved using the ground-level version of the gospel, then the high-level gospel should be discussed with them, in depth, as you begin the process of discipleship.

No matter which method you use to preach the gospel, what must be made clear is that our goal in sharing the gospel is to take a lost person and lead them to salvation in Christ. We must be bold to share the gospel, and we must give them the opportunity to accept Christ as their personal Savior. 

Let’s Connect

In the next post, we will discuss why sharing your own testimony is an important part of your gospel witness, and how to share your story clearly. To make sure you never miss a future post, it would be my honor to have you sign up for my weekly newsletter. It goes out every Sunday morning. I promise not to spam your inbox or share your information with anyone.

You can also follow me on social media. I can be found on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler. I’d love to see you there.

Also, if you want to find out more about the ministry I oversee, sharing the gospel and planting churches in East Africa, you can find it a www.SozoMinistries.net. There are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved!

1 These two story lines do NOT originate with me. I have heard these two ways of sharing the gospel repeated in many teachings and writings by various pastors, especially during my time working for an Acts29 Network church, so it would be impossible for me to footnote any specific reference. Suffice it to say, (though I have not read it) I believe Pastor Matt Chandler of The Village Church has explained these two ideas in depth in his book, The Explicit Gospel, published by Crossway.

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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The Ground-Level Gospel

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After reading the first post in this series, I hope you are convinced that sharing the Gospel is a must! As Christians, “gossip” about Jesus should always be on our lips. Therefore, in this post and the next, I will share two, easy-to-remember story lines, which will help you share the gospel narrative with others.1

Both story lines I share will contain four simple words for you to remember, which will guide you any time you have an opportunity to share. If you can remember the four words, you can share the gospel.

I call the first story line the “ground-level gospel” because it keeps the story simple, and very personable to the people we are sharing with. Though using scripture is always necessary, this method doesn’t go as deep into the history of the bible as the second method will. It is very simple, and may have even been the method used by the person who led you to Christ. The ground-level is made up of the following four words: God-Man-Christ-Response

God

In this story line for presenting the Gospel, you begin by explaining who God is; that He is perfect and holy, and that when He created everything in the universe He made it ‘very good.’

You can share as much or as little about the creation story, and the nature of God as you want, but the goal is to explain that because God is perfect and holy, He cannot associate Himself with the unholy. This will bring us to the second point.

Man

Man, though he was created holy in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), chose to disobey God’s command and eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6). With this one action, sin entered the world and man lost his connection with God. The judgement came with the curses pronounced in Genesis 3:14-19, as well as eternal separation from God in this life and in the next.

It is at this point, you will begin to bring in the individual’s own life and sinfulness into the equation. You might ask questions, such as:

  • What do you think sin is?
  • Is God just to judge sin?
  • Have you ever sinned?
  • If you have sinned, why should God forgive you?

We must explain to them that sin is real, and all of humanity is guilty. We must also help them to understand that doing good in the present does not excuse our sinful past. For example, if I commit murder, it doesn’t matter what good I might do afterward, any good judge must hold me accountable to the law.

The scriptures can help make this point:

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

Romans 3:23

“As it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.'”

Romans 3:10-12

When you can bring their own life and sinfulness into the light of scripture, the discussion will show that there is stark contrast between the holiness of God and their own sinful humanity. There is a great chasm which has been formed, and it would take a miracle for us to come back to God, but…

Christ

This is where Christ comes in. When you have a Holy God, and a sinful humanity, there has to be a major move on both sides in order to make reconciliation. The problem is that mankind could not make that move back toward God on their own. So when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and birthed by Mary, God actually took on flesh and became a man, and became the representative of both sides! 

“He is the [physical] image of the invisible God…”

Colossians 1:15

Jesus, as a man, lived a sinless life according to the law of God, then when He died on the cross, it was in our place. He took the punishment from God for our sin, and made a bridge to reconcile us to God.

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

As God, in Christ moved toward us, we now have the offer of new life and righteousness through faith in Him, to every human being who will repent and believe.

At this point, we once again become personal. We must share with the person that though they can never erase their own sinful history, they must understand that Jesus stood in their place. He took their punishment and He is offering them a new life in Himself, if they will believe.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

Response

With these three things in mind — the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the atoning work of Jesus Christ — the person must then be given an opportunity to respond. Will they accept Jesus as their Savior and be reconciled to God through faith in Christ, or will they reject Christ as Savior and continue in life separated from God?”

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

We must ask the golden question: “Would you like to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord?”

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

John 3:16-17

All of our witnessing is in vain, if we do not come to the point where we actually make them an offer to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. I know I am glad someone asked this question of me, many years ago, and I am sure you are, too.

“if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.'”

Romans 10:9-11

Let’s Connect

In the next post, we will look at the “high-level” gospel, which dives deeper into the full, biblical narrative from creation in Genesis to the re-creation in Revelation. It will be a little more in-depth, but it is also my favorite way to share the gospel. Stay tuned.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and testimonies in the comment section below.

I hope this series will be a blessing to you! You can make sure to never miss a future post by signing up for my weekly roundup newsletter, below. It would be my honor to have you, and I promise never to spam you or share your information with anyone!

You can also join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

1 These two story lines do NOT originate with me. I have heard these two ways of sharing the gospel repeated in many teachings and writings by various pastors, especially during my time working for an Acts29 Network church, so it would be impossible for me to footnote any specific reference. Suffice it to say, (though I have not read it) I believe Pastor Matt Chandler of The Village Church has explained these two ideas in depth in his book, The Explicit Gospel, published by Crossway.

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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God’s Gossip: A Story Worth Telling

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In the Christian world the word “gospel” is thrown around a lot. We believe the gospel. We preach the gospel. We share the gospel. We stand on the gospel. And so on… The question I have, however, is with a word used so often, how many people actually know what it means?

When I say “the gospel,” what am I talking about?

A Basic Definition

In the Greek New Testament, the word gospel is taken from the word, “euangelion.” We get our word evangelism from a similar Greek word, “evangelizo.” While the english understanding of the word gospel is typically translated as “good news,” the reality of the original context is that this is a “good news that is shared.” It is the “good news brought by the evangelist or angel (messenger).” 

What I want us to grasp is that in the New Testament, the word “gospel” is generally used to describe the proclamation of the good news, rather than just the idea of the good news itself. In other words, it is not a “gospel” unless and until it is proclaimed!

The original idea comes from a message of victory being declared over a nation at war. As the Theological Lexicon of the New Testament says,

In secular Greek, angelos was “messenger” (especially of the gods) and angelia “message.” Euangelos referred to “one who bears good news,” a messenger of joy… Usually, the announcement concerns victory and peace: the bringer of good news (euangelos) arrives from the battlefield, sometimes by ship, sometimes by horse or by letter, but also on foot, by a runner.

Ceslas Spicq and James D. Ernest, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994), 82.

Therefore, when we say “Gospel” what we are actually discussing is the announcement of Jesus’ victory through His sinless life, death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.

God’s Gossip

The English form of the word “gospel” comes from an Old English word, “godspel,” or literally “good spell” meaning “good story.” To share a godspel was to tell a good story that would capture the attention and possibly altar the course of a person’s life.

Interestingly, the English word “gospel” comes from a similar root as the English word “gossip,” which means sharing a “good story” about a “sib,” as in a sibling or relative.

Obviously we would say that gossiping about our relatives, friends, or acquaintances is wrong. However, the truth is that when the “gossip” is about our brother Jesus, then it is good news to share – gospel.

The point I want to make is that the Gospel is not something that can be kept to oneself. There is no “gospel” if it is not being proclaimed, the same as there is not “gossip” if people keep their mouths shut!

God wants us to “gossip” the story of Jesus.

Paul’s Gospel

Just look at how the Apostle Paul talks about the Gospel. He does so in very specific terms:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

He says the gospel is something that: 

  • Is “preached” or proclaimed; also “delivered”
  • Is “received” or heard
  • Gives the ability to “stand” and “saves” — again, this is the idea of the message being a declaration of victory over your enemy.
  • Is a message that must be “held fast” — not traded for other “truths” being taught. Don’t fall under someone else’s “spell” or story.

The Gospel Must Be Shared

In almost every case, the word “gospel” is used in the New Testament with the understanding that this is a message to be proclaimed. This is why Paul’s line of questioning in Romans 10:14 deals with preaching:

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

The truth is that we live in a world where the gospel is available to most of humanity, if they were to search it out. Through internet, websites, podcasts, bible apps, radio, television, etc, a major portion of the world could discover the gospel on their own. Every single day, that availability grows. Yet at the most foundational level of what the gospel is, that plan can never work!

God’s intention from the beginning was that the gospel of Jesus Christ would be transferred from person to person by proclaiming and hearing. People, by nature, are not looking for a savior. The sinful, human heart makes its own plans and strategies for overcoming every negative thing in life. Even those who recognize sin, seek to justify themselves by “doing good.”

God’s good news, however, is that the battle is already won. Though it is not a message people are seeking, it is one that will change their eternal reality once it comes to them. It must be shared!

Just as gossip ceases to exist when people stop sharing it, so does the gospel. It becomes useless; having no effect in bringing people into salvation. The truth is, you cannot have a gospel unless it’s proclaimed.

You Are Already Commissioned to Preach

The day you became a Christian by believing this gospel, you received a commission to share it with others. You cannot “hold to the gospel” without sharing the gospel. Just look at passages like Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, and Acts 1:8

What I want to do, over the next few weeks, is help you find your voice in sharing the gospel with others. My goal in this series is that you will feel better equipped to share the good news of Jesus Christ with your family, friends, and anyone else God brings across your path. You don’t have to be an evangelist to be a witness for Christ. You simply have to be willing to open your mouth.

In the next two posts, we will look at two basic ways you can express the gospel, in simple terms, that will help people understand the message you share. (First one is here.)

After that, we will talk about the importance of your own testimony in sharing the gospel story. The gospel is our “family gossip,” and your story is an invaluable part in sharing the story of Jesus.

Finally, I will offer you some tips that will make your gospel witness even more effective, as you willingly step out and share.

You can do this! Take it from me. I am not called as an evangelist, and my introvert nature can hold me back at times. Yet, as I have learned to obey the Holy Spirit’s leading, and have grown in my understanding of how to share the news, I have been privileged to lead thousands to the Lord. You have the same Spirit living in you, if you’re willing to learn and to step out in faith.

In This Series

In this blog series, we look at:

Let’s Connect

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and testimonies in the comment section below.

I hope this series will be a blessing to you! You can make sure to never miss a future post by signing up for my weekly roundup newsletter, below. It would be my honor to have you, and I promise never to spam you or share your information with anyone!

You can also join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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Praying in the Spirit

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Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

Ephesians 6:13-18a

Up to now in this series on spiritual warfare, we have gone through each piece of God’s armor of protection, which Paul exhorts us to put on daily. We have looked at the pieces given to help us “stand firm,” namely the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the gospel of peace. We have also discussed the pieces of armor given for active battle: the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

As we now wrap up our discussion on the Ephesians 6 passage, we will finally take a look at the role of prayer, which I believe supplies our armor with its power.

Praying in the Spirit

As we read the Bible, there are many discussions of prayer and its role in the life of the believer. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, with the model prayer or “the Lord’s prayer,” showing them how to connect with God as their powerful Father; capable of bringing heaven’s reality to earth. He also modeled the importance of prayer for them in His many nights away in the secret place.

Later, the Apostle Paul begins sharing how he prays specifically for the believers and churches under his apostolic care. He also asks, many times, for prayer for his own life and ministry. It is Paul who charges the Thessalonian church to “pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This command is one that Bible students have argued over for centuries, as to the literal abilities of a person to do so.

However, the idea of “praying in the Spirit” is actually one that is not discussed very often in the Bible. In fact, there are only four passages in the New Testament where the idea is presented. The first is in the armor of God passage, in Ephesians 6:18,

praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

The second time the idea is stated distinctly is in Jude 20-21,

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

The question we must ask, however, is, “how does a person pray in the Holy Spirit?” I believe the answer is two-fold, based upon the other two passages of scripture where prayer in the Spirit is found. These passages offer two forms of prayer, which believers throughout history have practiced regularly, and which qualify as “praying in the Spirit.” Both of them are important for us to learn.

Praying in Tongues

The first form of praying in the Spirit is quite controversial in many areas of the body of Christ. That is the practice of praying in tongues, which Paul gives a lot of instructions about in 1 Corinthians 14.

For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 14:2

Right at the outset of his discussion, Paul says that someone speaking in tongues is praying – speaking to God – and that this prayer is hidden from human interpretation as “mysteries in the Spirit.” Although flesh may not understand the words being spoken by the Spirit, Paul also makes it clear that speaking in tongues is a gift from God given to build up the one praying.

The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself…

1 Corinthians 14:4

Although speaking in tongues gets a bad reputation among non-charismatics, anyone who thoroughly understands Paul’s explanation of the gift, would understand his statement, “I am glad I speak in tongues more than all of you” (1 Corinthians 14:18). He has a high value for the gift on tongues, because he had seen the impact of it on his own spiritual life!

He encourages anyone who has the gift of tongues to pray, both in tongues, led by the Spirit, and in their native language, using their own mental capacity.

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

1 Corinthians 14:14-15

I can say, as someone who received the gift of tongues from the Lord in my Baptist Bible college dorm room over 15 years ago, that there is a supernatural power for spiritual breakthrough that comes, as we speak out those mysteries in the Spirit.

Though space doesn’t allow me to give a full explanation of the gift here, I encourage you to read my ‘Speaking in Tongues FAQ’ to learn exactly what the gift is and does, and how to receive this gift for yourself.

Praying by the Holy Spirit’s Leading

The other way we can pray in the Spirit is to submit our minds to His leading in how to pray over an issue or circumstance, and often, even the words we should speak to God in the situation. Paul says this is necessary because sometimes, though our hearts are inclined to prayer, we are limited by our humanity, and do not know how to pray effectively:

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:26-27

Although there are some people who say that the “groaning too deep for words” implies speaking in tongues, I disagree. When you listen to someone praying in tongues, it is very distinctly a spoken language with individual words and structures. That goes against what Paul says.

Instead, I believe this passage is saying that when we are in that place where our prayers turn to groaning, because the weightiness of our need is greater than our ability to verbalize it, the Holy Spirit will meet us in that place and teach us exactly how to pray according to the will of God.

This happened to me very recently as I was fasting and seeking God for some breakthrough in specific areas of my life and ministry. I know what I needed to pray about, and I know the promises of God on my life which ensured what I was asking was according to His will. Yet, I did not know how to put words together that would cause the devil to flee and have effect in the courts of heaven. Having learned, long ago, that the Holy Spirit is my helper and guide, I turned to Him for wisdom.

As I laid out every need I had before the Holy Spirit, asking Him to teach me to pray over the issues, He gave me step by step instructions on how to repent, how to rebuke the devil, and how to bring God’s promises back before Him to claim what He already says is mine.

I can testify, just a couple of weeks since that time, that God has granted my requests in both the personal and ministry areas I was interceding for.

The Secret to Praying in the Spirit

There are a lot of sermons and articles available to you which will tell you a number of biblical principles or series of steps to get God to work for you or do what you ask. Most of them are garbage, and should be deleted from existence permanently. Yet there is a “secret” we must all learn in order to pray in the Spirit, and that is simply: we must know the Holy Spirit.

Praying in the Spirit is not a method, strategy, or technique. It is a relationship with a person. We don’t manipulate God to do anything for us. We live in relationship with Him, and as we are guided by His Spirit we will capture His heart for our lives and the world, and we will learn to pray perfectly according to His will. The desires of our heart will be shaped by the desires of His!

It is through this relationship with the Holy Spirit that we will learn to pray in such a way that our armor is intact. He will show us where there are gaps, or when we have forgotten to gear up at all. He will lead us as we build our defenses against the schemes of the enemy, and He will give us our battle plan as we charge ahead with the Word of God.

This relationship with the Holy Spirit must be built, though. It grows over time. It isn’t something that a Christian, walking in the flesh can ever achieve. Prayer in the Spirit is a giant step above the best prayers the human mind can offer.

So as we wrap up this series on spiritual warfare, we must once again learn the lesson that our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). In order to find victory, we must move ourselves into the spirit realm, through intimacy and union with Him.

When we do, we win!

Let’s Connect

I pray that this series on spiritual warfare has been a blessing to you! As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and testimonies in the comment section below.

If you have enjoyed what you read, you can make sure to never miss a future post by signing up for my weekly roundup newsletter, below. It would be my honor to have you, and I promise never to spam you or share your information with anyone!

You can also join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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The Sword of the Spirit

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Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

Ephesians 6:13-18a

In this series on Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God, we began by looking at the foundational pieces of our armor, which give us the ability to “stand firm.” These included the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. Next, we turned our attention to the active battle armor which Paul commanded us “in all circumstances” to “take up.” Of these, we have already looked at the Shield of Faith and the Helmet of Salvation, and with this post we will look at our last piece of armor with the Sword of the Spirit.

The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God

With this piece of armor, Paul leaves us no doubt as to what he is talking about. He says very specifically that the sword of the Spirit “is the word of God.” I believe this includes both scripture and prophetic utterance. (*For discussion of the Greek, see my note on “rhema” vs “logos” below.) 

The idea of God’s word being a sword is repeated over and over again throughout the New Testament. Most famously, we have the description given by the author of Hebrews:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

The idea presented is that the word of God is both His sword of salvation and of judgement. It discerns a person’s thoughts and intentions, to see if they are by faith, or sinfully motivated. This goes directly back to our discussion on the Mark of the Beast in the last post, where the mark on your head implies your thoughts while the mark on your hands implies your intentions and works.

What this means is that God’s standard for a person’s life is not a vague sense of right and wrong or culturally defined morality. Rather, everyone will be judged by the word of God, alone. This is why James writes that we must,

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

James 1:22-24

If we judge ourselves by the word of God, and live accordingly by faith in Christ, we will escape His final judgement by the sword.

The Sword of His Mouth

The Bible is very clear that every word spoken from the mouth of the Lord, will be the final arbiter of justice to the world. Just listen to these descriptions of Jesus in Revelation:

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Revelation 1:12-16

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword…So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.

Revelation 2:12,15-16

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

Revelation 19:11-15

The Power of God’s Word

Reading these verses from Revelation, it is helpful to remember that not only is God’s Word the tool of His judgement, but it was also the tool of creation. In Genesis, God simply spoke the word, “let there be…” and everything was created (Genesis 1:3, et al).

John, revealing Jesus’ role in the creation story says of Him,

In the beginning was the Word (**see note below), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:1-3

Paul adds that Jesus, “is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17), and Hebrews says, “he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).

We would do well to remember, then, that it is by the Word of God that creation was formed, is held together, and will be judged for eternity. It makes me think of the old cliche, spoken by parents to disobedient children for generations: “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.” God’s word gives us life at creation. God’s WORD (Jesus) gives us the opportunity to receive new and eternal life in Him. And God’s word will be the final decree over the eternal destiny (or destruction) of every human.

The Sword in Our Hands

With all of this backdrop built in, we now come to understand the weight and the privilege it is to carry the Sword of the Spirit in our own hands.

The Bible makes clear that everyone who is called by God are supposed to live their whole lives in accordance to His word. They hear His word (John 8:47); they conform their lives to His word (Matthew 4:4), and they feel the unquenchable urge to speak His word to others (John 3:34, Acts 6:2). We are the ones to carry the sword in this world!

In fact, one of my favorite verses in the Old Testament is concerning the inability of God’s servant to withhold the word of God from others. Jeremiah, who was known as the “weeping prophet,” and whose ministry was marked by little to no fruit, declared his intention to stop preaching, and yet he simply could not. Jeremiah proclaimed,

O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

Jeremiah 20:7-9

The Sword Advances the Gospel

We said in our last post that to wear the helmet of salvation is to set our minds on joining Jesus in battle for the redemption of the whole world. Now, with the sword of the Spirit, we are actually putting our hands to the task of bringing salvation to the lost. As we go to battle with the kingdom of darkness, the sword of the Spirit is our only weapon of attack. As we share the word of God, in the present day before the final judgement comes, we do so with one main goal: to make Jesus known so people will turn to Him and be saved. This is how God’s Kingdom is established. This was the only aim of the early church!

They sought God to give them boldness to preach:

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Acts 4:31

And the result of this preaching? People turned to Jesus!

The word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Acts 6:7

Even Paul’s prayer request at the end of our passage on the armor of God is with this goal in mind:

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel

Ephesians 6:18-19

The Sword Defends God’s People

The other thing the word of God does for us, is that it offers us the ability to bring a counter attack to every scheme of the enemy. As the devil tries to penetrate our belt of truth, with his lies, we defend ourselves with the word of God. When our breastplate of righteousness is weakened by temptations and lusts of the flesh, we defeat them with the word of God. When our peaceful foundation is shaken, we defend it with the promises of God’s word. When the devil tries to get at us in any way, it is the Word of God that gives us the ability to resist him and see him flee ( James 4:7)!

This was the exact tactic Jesus used when the devil came to Him in the wilderness in Luke 4. For every attempt the devil made at Him, Jesus responded with the words, “It is written” (Luke 4:4,8,12).

Take Up Your Sword

Once again, as we “take up” the Sword of the Spirit, we must understand that this is the ONLY active weapon we have in battle. The belt, breastplate, and shoes, are for our stability. The shield and helmet are for our defense in battle, but the word of God is our only weapon to use to attack and to fight back. 

As Christians who are filled with the Spirit and wearing God’s armor, we do not fight the devil by any other means or strategy. We are not called to be politicians, seeking to legislate morality among sinful men. That cannot change hearts. In the same manner, we are not social justice warriors sent to protest and bring awareness to the plight of the oppressed and poor. Jesus is their only hope for vindication and justice. His word is their only salvation.

The Kingdom of God is not a democracy, where the majority gets to rule. It is a dictatorship, led by a loving King who has already made His eternal decrees to govern everything, and it is by every word from His mouth that we will stand or fall.

To take up the sword of the spirit, you must hear His word, and let it guide you every day. You must know His word – both through the scriptures and in every promise He has spoken over your life personally – and wield it boldly as you go. It will defend you when you are under attack, leading you through the darkest moments of life and every demonic stronghold with victory. More than that, it will be used to charge forward in battle, bringing God’s promise of salvation to all those you rise up to fight for, as you take your place in the fight beside your King. 

Let’s Connect

I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and testimonies in the comment section, below, and you can also connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

In the next post we will look at the Paul’s call to pray in the Spirit, as we wrap up this series. You can make sure to never miss another post by subscribing to my weekly newsletter below. I promise never to spam your inbox or give out your information.

Notes

*It is often said that the Greek usage of two words used for “word”, “logos” and “rhema,” tell us different things about the subject. Many argue that “logos” means the written word and “rhema” means spoken word, through the Holy Spirit and prophets. Although there is some legitimacy to this claim, there is also a LOT of overlap in scripture and other ancient Greek writings. It seems most scholars view these two terms as generally synonymous, and our case in this post is better suited not to attempt to draw heavy dividing lines.  I will not make a distinction between “logos” and “rhema” in discussing the word of God in this post, because it leads to unnecessary speculation and division. When the Bible talks about the “word of God,” unless otherwise specified to be talking about the Torah, the Old Testament Scriptures, or another set of writings, it should generally be understood to mean every decree of the Lord, both in scripture and in extra-biblical prophetic utterance. [Before you get mad at me for affirming “extra-biblical revelation, remember, Jesus did and spoke many things not recorded in scripture (see John 20:30), and the expectation of the coming Holy Spirit is that He would bring more revelation of Jesus to the believers, which Jesus couldn’t speak in person (see John 16:12-14).]

**One exception to the synonymous nature of “logos” and “rhema” is that the Apostle John refers to Jesus with the formal title of “Logos,” which is intended to address Greek philosopher’s speculations on the supernatural and eternity.

Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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The Helmet of Salvation

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Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Ephesians 6:13-18a

In this series on Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God, we began by looking at the foundational pieces of our armor, which give us the ability to “stand firm.” These included the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. Then, with the Shield of Faith, we turned our attention to those pieces of armor which Paul commanded us “in all circumstances” to “take up,” implying their use is for active battle with the enemy. This active usage is necessary to understand as we turn our attention to the “Helmet of Salvation.”

Protection for Your Head

First and foremost we must see that a helmet covers our head in battle, yet it is not something a person would wear full-time. Soldiers at rest would still be wearing their breastplates, belts, and shoes. However, when not in battle, they would remove their helmets, and set down their shields and swords. Now, even though Paul implies that our battle is 24/7, and we must always be armed with these pieces of armor, this is an important distinction that Paul makes, in the purposes of the armor.

What we see, then, is that the helmet of salvation cannot be intended to imply simply being born-again. Born-again salvation is not something we can ever take off, or hope to survive without it. It is not something you “take up” and put down again. That salvation must cover your whole life, and is foundational to being able to put on any of God’s armor at all. So then what is Paul talking about?

When God Puts On His Armor

What Paul is doing in commanding us to “take up” the helmet of salvation, is actually pulling up a historical reference in Isaiah, in which God, as rescuer of His people, puts on His own armor and goes into battle. 

The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, so will he repay…And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD. 

Isaiah 59:15-18,20

When God saw that there was no justice and there was no righteous one to deliver His people, He Himself went into battle. He put on the Breastplate of Righteousness, which we have already discussed. That is righteousness which guards the hearts from any sinful infiltration. Then He puts on His helmet of salvation – an active piece of battle armor – signifying that He has set His mind to bring salvation to others.

Bringing Salvation Into Battle

The point is that when we take up the helmet of salvation, our minds are completely covered (filled) by the mission of God to bring salvation into the world.

Of course, this does bring with it an element of personal salvation in the battle itself. We obviously set our mind on God who is our own deliverer, and know that He will see us through to the end. As one writer said, 

The emphasis on salvation is not so much about final salvation as it is about the present experience of salvation, helping the readers to understand the divine power and deliverance they have already received in Christ. 

Grant R. Osborne, Ephesians: Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017), 232.

More than our own salvation, though, this is about having the mindset of Jesus Himself, who came to “seek and save that which was lost” and to “destroy the works of the devil” (Luke 19:10 and 1 John 3:8)! As we put on the helmet of salvation, we are aligning ourselves with God in His battle, to bring salvation to the world. As Thomas Neufeld says,

the salvation of the believers is already assured (Ephesians 2:8). That is, after all, the gist of the whole first half of the letter. In the context of putting on the armor, however, the image of grasping the helmet of salvation is meant to place on the church the task of bringing liberation to those in bondage by imitating the God of Isaiah 59.

Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld, Ephesians, Believers Church Bible Commentary (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2001), 303.

I want to go off topic for a minute, so that we can get a better picture of the value of the helmet of salvation (and the sword of the spirit).

The Mark of the Beast

There is a lot of discussion nowadays about the “mark of the beast” in Revelation 13, which will be taken by those who are unfaithful to God. While I know that there are many sci-fi thrillers that promote this as a microchip to be planted in the hands or foreheads of unbelievers and force upon Christians, I do not believe that is what John is discussing at all.

“Hands and forehead” is an example of metaphorical language, which was used repeatedly in scripture. Deuteronomy 6:8 commanded the children of Israel to bind God’s commands to their hands and their foreheads. In Exodus 13:8-10, Moses instructs the people that the celebration of Passover should take place every year, like a sign on their hands and their foreheads.

The symbolism of the hands and foreheads is fairly easy to understand. When you have something “on your head” it refers to the thoughts and intentions of your mind. Then, putting that same mark on your hands, implies the putting those thoughts into action. This is exactly why, when we see someone doing something dumb, we ask, “What has gotten in your head?” Or, when we see a child walking through the room, hiding something behind their backs, and we know they are planning to do something that is not ok, we asked them, “what is in your hand?”

The first rule of Bible Study is that “scripture interprets scripture.” Therefore, we must view the mark in Revelation 13 with the same understanding.

Humanism is on the Rise

In discussing the mark of the beast, the Bible says in Revelation 13:18,

This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

First, we must understand that the number, 666, is prophetic language. The number of man is the number 6, as we were created on the 6th day. BibleStudy.org says,

In the Bible, the number 6 symbolizes man and human weakness, the evils of Satan and the manifestation of sin. Man was created on the sixth day.

https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/6.html

Secondly, we must know that when something in scripture is repeated three times, it is a rhetorical device which implies the perfection of that thing. For example, in Isaiah 6:3 the seraphim declare that God is “holy, holy, holy.” He is not just holy. He is not just “more holy.” He is the “most holy” or “perfect in holiness.”

To apply the same device to the number of man — the triple 6 — the mark of the beast is not just the number of sinful man, but sinful man in his complete fallen state. It is the complete worship of ourselves as God, which was the original temptation (Genesis 3:5). It is the same attitude that led to the tower of Babel – to show mankind’s greatness (Genesis 11:4). It is the same “mark” that has driven modern-day “anti-Christs” like Hitler — to create the master race of mankind.

The number 666 implies a complete dedication to secular humanism – that we do not need a god, we can be God ourselves. To take that “mark” on our forehead, implies that all of our thoughts are guided by it, and to put it on our hands is to dedicate our works to building our own greatness in the world. It is to live our lives according to the lie, “you can be like God.”

The Mark of Christ

In opposition to the mark of the beast, we are called to have the mind of Christ, as Philippians tells us:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5-8

When you have the mind of Christ, it is impossible to take the mark of the beast!

If it isn’t obvious, already, this is exactly the point of taking on the helmet of salvation. We cover our heads – our thoughts – with the purposes of God in this world. We stop thinking about building our own Kingdom. Instead, we are fully concerned with building His!

A One-Track Mind

This takes us back, then, to our first post in this series, where we discussed the role of mindsets in the Christian life and spiritual warfare. When our minds are fully consumed by the purposes and promises of God, the enemy has no chance at getting into our heads. He cannot break through that helmet with fear or anxiety, or selfish desires.

As we “take up” the helmet of salvation, we are dedicating our minds to the things of God, and refusing to let anything distract us from standing alongside Him in His battle for the salvation of the world. His desire is that “all would come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9) and to bring about the restoration of all things. Our desire should be to stand with Him in battle with a mind to give Him the reward of His suffering.

We will discuss how those thoughts turn to action in the next post, where we will discuss the “sword of the Spirit.”

Let’s Connect

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and testimonies in the comment section. 

If you are encouraged by what you are reading, you can sign up for my weekly roundup newsletter, below. It would be a privilege to have you, and I promise never to spam you or share your information with anyone!

You can also join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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The Shield of Faith

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Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

Ephesians 6:13-18a

In this series on Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God, we have already looked in depth at the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and what it means to have the readiness of the Gospel of Peace as shoes for your feet. These three have been foundational layers to our armor, for our ability to “stand firm.” Now, in this post, we turn our attention to the pieces of armor which Paul commands us to be armed with “in all circumstances,” so that we can win in the daily battle with the enemy. We will begin these pieces of armor with the “Shield of Faith.”

What is Faith

As believers, we talk a lot about “the Christian faith” or “having faith in Jesus,” so it seems like the word should be simple to define. However, we could be talking about many things when we say “faith.” 

There is the simplest definition of faith, being “belief.” There is the active view of faith being “belief in action;” or “because I believe ______, I do ______.” This would go hand in hand with James’ teaching that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).

We could also be talking about “the faith,” which can mean either the complete set of teachings of the Christian religion (Jude 3) or your personal adherence to a particular creed or set of beliefs (1 Timothy 6:12).

Possibly one of the most simple explanations of “faith,” which we hear preached often is found in Hebrews 11:1.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Honestly, though, that explanation of faith is still a pretty confusing concept to grasp. Trying to add clarity to this definition, one Bible handbook says that faith is:

Confident trust in the promises of God, centered in His provision of spiritual life through a sacrifice (which would be the sacrifice of Jesus); it is the sole condition of salvation and is not a work, but, in fact, a gift of God… synonymous with belief.

Paul S. Karleen, The Handbook to Bible Study: With a Guide to the Scofield Study System (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987), 324.

I really like that definition, and within it I see three ways in which our faith is built, which then merge together to form the “shield” we carry into battle.

1. Faith Comes from God

Firstly, faith is a gift from God. It is not something we create within ourselves, and biblically, it is not something we can even choose to step into. Jesus is the one who creates faith in us. Even our choice to get saved is something He initiates in us, through the power of the Holy Spirit! This is why Hebrews 12:2 calls Him “the founder and perfecter of our faith.”

If He is the one who put faith in us, and He is the one who will see that faith through to completion, then one way we tangibly grow our faith is to stick close to Him in life’s journey. In fact that is exactly what the Passion Translation of Hebrews 12:2 says,

“We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection.”

2. Faith Comes from God’s Word

The second way our faith grows is through God’s word. The Bible teaches that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The Greek word used here for “word” is “rhema.” This literally means “that which is spoken.” We must therefore include the written word of God in the Bible, by which God has spoken to every generation of believers, as well as the inner voice of the Holy Spirit which continually speaks to us intimately and personally.

The Written Word of God

From the scriptures, we can see who God has revealed Himself to be, and know the plans He has shared concerning human history and the establishment of His Kingdom. As we learn what the Bible teaches, we can then have a clear view of the world around us, judging what is in accordance to His plan and what is not. We will discuss this more when we look at the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,” but for now, me must understand that the Bible is the foundation of everything God will speak to us personally.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

The Spoken Word of God

Beyond just the Bible, however, we must also be seeking to develop a deep relationship with the Spirit of God, who is always with us and speaking to us. 

As miraculous of a gift as the Bible is, the complete thoughts and intentions of God cannot fully be contained in a book. In fact, Jesus told His disciples that even after His three years with them there was still so much more to speak, but the time was too short and they wouldn’t be able to take it all in. He therefore promised the Holy Spirit who would continue to speak and reveal the things of God.

““I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

John 16:12-15

The Holy Spirit will take the scriptures and make them real to us. He will apply them to our lives, personally, and He will further reveal the plans and intentions of God over us. 

As we hear God’s Word – in the Bible and through the Holy Spirit – our faith will continue to be developed and strengthened.

3. Faith Comes from Our History with the Lord

The third way our faith grows comes through experience of the Christian life. We know that faith starts as a gift, and is built as we continue to hear God speaking over us, however, our faith will begin to grow exponentially as we experience God’s faithfulness, first hand. It is inevitable that we will develop more and more trust in Him, as we experience His continued faithfulness to us.

We must learn to keep a personal record of His continued faithfulness to His promises. I would suggest that it is a good idea to write them down. This is the same testimony of faith that was commanded to the Jews as they walked through life with the Lord. 

In fact, 21 times in the book of Exodus, God gave some teaching on how the testimony of His faithfulness was to be kept. In the books of Psalms, the musicians reference either the command to, or the blessings of, remembering the testimony of God — 23 of those references are in Psalm 119 alone.

Your testimonies are righteous forever; (they) give me understanding that I may live.

Psalm 119:144

One of the ways believer’s overcome the enemy in the book of Revelation is by keeping the testimony of Jesus!

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”

Revelations 12:11

So faith comes as the Lord initiates it inside of us and as we choose to walk closely with Him. It develops as we hear the Word of the Lord, both written in the Bible and spoken by the Holy Spirit. And it grows all-the-more as we learn to keep account of His faithfulness to us. This faith, then, which is fully-established and growing, becomes the shield we carry which puts out the flaming darts of the devil! So what are those darts?

The Darts of The Enemy

The enemy’s goal is to discredit God and bring doubt into our minds concerning His Word and His intention. He wants us to doubt God’s goodness and His faithfulness to us. From his first attack on humans in the garden of Eden, this tactic was evident.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say…”

Genesis 3:1

His goal was to bring doubt to Eve’s mind regarding the Lord! 

He did the same thing when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, urging Jesus to distrust what God had already spoken over Him. The last voice we hear before Jesus goes into the wilderness is that of the Father:

The Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Luke 3:22

The next thing we hear is the devil challenging that word:

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God…”

Luke 4:3

 Our daily encounters with the enemy are no different. He wants us to doubt who we are in Christ; he wants to convince us that we lack what God says we have, and if possible, he wants to destroy any relationship we have to God through our salvation in Jesus. These attacks are why we must hold our shield of faith, boldly, and resist these blows.

Holding Our Shield

As we know God intimately, hear His Word, and establish a personal record of His faithfulness to us, our shield of faith is forged. We are then readily equipped to discern God’s plans by faith, and to extinguish the power of the enemy’s darts.

The shield of faith — that “confident trust in the promises of God, centered in His provision of spiritual life” — gives us the ability to break down every doubt the enemy tries to create in us! We must not forget, however, that Paul’s command is to carry this shield “in all circumstances.” We never know when the attack will come, so we must not allow ourselves to be caught unarmed. The Apostle Peter reminds us of this same thing:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith…”

1 Peter 5:8-9

We must always be growing in our faith, so that no flaming dart of the enemy can land a blow!

Let’s Connect

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and testimonies in the comment section. 

In the next post we will look at the Helmet of Salvation. You can make sure to never miss a post by signing up for my weekly roundup newsletter, below. It would be my honor to have you, and I promise never to spam you or share your information with anyone!

You can also join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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The Shoes of The Gospel of Peace

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Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

Ephesians 6:13-18a

So far in this series on Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God, we have learned how to put on the Belt of Truth, by filtering everything through the lens of Christ, and the Breastplate of Righteousness, as we guard our hearts from sinful passions and temptations. Now we turn our attention to the shoes of our spiritual armor, which is “the readiness of the gospel of peace.”

As the commandment given by the Apostle Paul in this passage is to “stand firm,” we must be very careful to understand this piece of the armor. After all, it is our shoes which give us the ability to stand. If your shoes are slippery, or do not fit well, you will surely fall.

Mixed Understanding

To be honest, this piece of armor may be the most misunderstood. A quick survey of other materials on the “shoes of the gospel of peace” leads in various directions. The most common is to say that to put on the “shoes of the gospel” is a call to evangelism. Some writers will allude to Romans 10:15, where Paul quotes from Isaiah 52:7, “As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’”

While I do believe that part of our spiritual warfare in this life includes sharing the gospel with others, I do not believe that is what the armor of God passage of scripture is referencing. To understand the shoes we will put on, we must first truly understand the definition of this “peace.”

Understanding Peace

The Greek word used in this verse is “eirēnē,” (or “Irene”) which is the New Testament equivalent of the Hebrew, “shalom.” In fact, the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament used by Jesus) usually translates the Hebrew word “shalom” as “eirēnē.”

The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible say that this word means:

Total well-being, prosperity, and security associated with God’s presence among his people.

Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Peace,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1634.

To fully grasp the understanding of this peace, we should not be thinking of person-to person peacemaking, such as a treaty to end a war. That would typically be spoken of using the Latin word “pax,” which is legislated peace by treaty or law. (The Pax Romana was “the peace of Rome” granted by citizenship under Roman law.) 

While the Latin pax “in the first instance denotes a reciprocal legal relationship between two parties,” eirēnē is “primarily no more than the passionately asserted, emotionally felt and palpable opposite of polemos (war, battle).”

Werner Foerster, “Εἰρήνη, Εἰρηνεύω, Εἰρηνικός, Εἰρηνοποιός, Εἰρηνοποιέω,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 401.

We should, therefore, understand eirēnē in Ephesians to mean the existence of peace itself, rather than the act of bringing peace. In Jesus, we have peace. We live in peace, even if there is war outside.

The Gospel of Peace

Another Bible dictionary says the definition of peace includes the idea of:

prosperity, success; welfare, state of health; friendliness; deliverance, salvation…

The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Septuagint (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012).

When we truly understand the Gospel of Peace, we come to know that all of these are gifts from God to His children. These are not just promises which await us in eternity, but they are realities we can and should live in now, by faith!

The Baker Encyclopedia goes on:

In prophetic material, true peace is part of the end-time hope of God’s salvation. In the NT, this longed-for peace is understood as having come in Christ and able to be experienced by faith.

(emphasis mine)

We must understand then, that the gospel of peace is this: through Jesus Christ, God has not only forgiven our sins, but He has already established His Kingdom (His reign) in us, which grants us His peace, now! 

As believers, we should be living in this peace of God (shalom/eirēnē), right now, even though the war over the rest of creation is still raging! On the final judgement day, when God defeats all of His enemies, then the pax (legislated peace) of God will be established over all creation for eternity.

How Does Peace Become Shoes?

Take note that Ephesians does not tells us that it is the “Gospel of Peace” itself which is the shoes for our armor. It is “the readiness of the Gospel of Peace.” Not to make things more difficult than they need to be, we must take a look at this word readiness, since the English use of the word may be slightly different than the Greek author’s intention. 

In English, the simple reading sounds like it is saying, “for shoes, make yourself ready with the Gospel of Peace.” Although this might be considered technically true, it does not give the proper understanding.

The root word does not mean “get yourself ready,” but rather implies that something “is already made ready.” The Septuagint writers used this same Greek word as they translated Old Testament words like “foundation” and “support.”

It does not imply that you need to get yourself at peace so that you may stand. Rather it means that your peace, protection, provision, and well-being is ALREADY established in Jesus Christ, as the foundation upon which you must choose, daily, to stand! It literally says that for shoes, put on the solid foundation which has been laid for you by the Prince of Peace.

Standing on a Stable Foundation

As I said in the beginning, it is our shoes which give us the ability to “stand firm” or cause us to fall. Paul is telling us that our standing is all about our foundation; our support — The Gospel of Peace.

The shoes given by the Lord, as part of our armor, give us stability as we stand on the foundation of God’s peace in our lives. When we are grounded in the Lord as the one who fulfills His promises to us — to be our provider, our protector, our healer, etc — then our well-being will be secure, and we will have the resilience to “stand firm.”

If, however, we do not stand on the foundation of the gospel of peace, we will never be secure when opposition comes. If Jesus isn’t our security, then we will build false idols to protect ourselves. (How many times did Israel fall because they trusted other nations to protect them, rather than God?) If Jesus isn’t our provider, then we will stumble in our calling, as we struggle to find resources outside of His plan. If Jesus isn’t our healer, the enemy can use any form of sickness to shake our stability. (COVID19 anyone?)

We must remove any counterfeit shoes, given to us by the world or the enemy, which do not give true peace. Although they may offer temporary comfort and stability, they will not be able to stand up in the day of testing!

The Gospel of Peace is our only solid foundation, as we have assurance that Jesus cares about our total wellbeing, and will do whatever it takes to give us His security, even when the world around us is at war.

Jesus’ Plan for Us is Peace

This is one of the toughest lessons of the Christian life, but it is one we must learn quickly, if we are to overcome “the evil day.” Jesus is the Prince of Peace and He promises us His peace, if we will receive it, and stand on it!

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

John 14:27

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:25-34

Let’s Connect

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and testimonies in the comment section. 

In the next post we will look at the Shield of Faith.

You can make sure to never miss a post by signing up for my weekly roundup newsletter, below. It would be my honor to have you, and I promise never to spam you or share your information with anyone!

You can also join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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