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Notes

2013-05-06 14:18:48

2013-05-06 14:45:10

1. How do we "take up the sword"? I think this is an important part of fighting the fight of faith. The phrase could have a double meaning that should be teased out. Both the proceeding elements are needed in order to wage effective war against the powers of darkness. First, we take up the Word as we store it in our hearts. We are reminded of Jesus and when he was battling Satan. His words were soaked with the Word of God. The OT was employed in his fight against the devil and the devil was defeated. Jesus stood strong. Thus, for us to be able to employ the Word in this manner means that we take it up by taking it in. If the sword is not in its sheath, it isn't there for us to use. Therefore, set your mind to study and memorize the Word of God. As it saturates your mind, it is there for you to use in the war against sin. Second, we take up the sword by actually unsheathing it. We pull it from its cover and slay the darts of the evil one. Again, Jesus knew the Word (thus had it in the sheath) and then pulled the sword out to actually wage war against the schemes of the devil. In a similar way, we treasure the Word in our heart and then we put the Word to use as we fight against temptation as it raises its head. So, we take up the Word by taking it in and then since we have taken it up, we now take it up by taking it out and wielding it in the fight. 2. The warfare is both individual and communal. We do not fight the fight of faith alone. We fight as an army of mobilized believers. We know that sin will be an issue for all of us (1 John 1) and we need to encourage one another to press on. Paul seems to close out this section by telling the believers to stand firm and to help him do the same by praying for him. Thus, as we fight this battle we make sure to link arms with other brothers/sisters and help them stand. The importance of the Church, small groups, etc. is clearly seen here. Our missionaries around the globe need our aide.

11367849928296 1367464371227 Notes 2013-05-06 14:18:48 2013-05-06 14:45:10 1. How do we "take up the sword"? I think this is an important part of fighting the fight of faith. The phrase could have a double meaning that should be teased out. Both the proceeding elements are needed in order to wage effective war against the powers of darkness. First, we take up the Word as we store it in our hearts. We are reminded of Jesus and when he was battling Satan. His words were soaked with the Word of God. The OT was employed in his fight against the devil and the devil was defeated. Jesus stood strong. Thus, for us to be able to employ the Word in this manner means that we take it up by taking it in. If the sword is not in its sheath, it isn't there for us to use. Therefore, set your mind to study and memorize the Word of God. As it saturates your mind, it is there for you to use in the war against sin. Second, we take up the sword by actually unsheathing it. We pull it from its cover and slay the darts of the evil one. Again, Jesus knew the Word (thus had it in the sheath) and then pulled the sword out to actually wage war against the schemes of the devil. In a similar way, we treasure the Word in our heart and then we put the Word to use as we fight against temptation as it raises its head. So, we take up the Word by taking it in and then since we have taken it up, we now take it up by taking it out and wielding it in the fight. 2. The warfare is both individual and communal. We do not fight the fight of faith alone. We fight as an army of mobilized believers. We know that sin will be an issue for all of us (1 John 1) and we need to encourage one another to press on. Paul seems to close out this section by telling the believers to stand firm and to help him do the same by praying for him. Thus, as we fight this battle we make sure to link arms with other brothers/sisters and help them stand. The importance of the Church, small groups, etc. is clearly seen here. Our missionaries around the globe need our aide. notes