COMMUNITY GROUP/FAMILY AND DAILY STUDIES BASED UPON OUR PREACHING SERIES AT COMMUNITY CHURCH PUTNEY)
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COMMUNITY GROUP/FAMILY STUDY NOTES
How
often do we feel in danger from attack? When our queen is on a public
engagement she isn’t living in fear of attack, but she is a potential target! Therefore,
she drives in a bulletproof car and is surrounded by security operatives. Being
royalty makes one a target! As God’s children we are under threat from dark spiritual
forces that wish to discourage God’s people and defame Jesus if the enemy can
catch us unprotected. Prayer is a mighty weapon. Let’s learn from Paul to
defend ourselves and take ground from the devil.
Discuss/think/pray
about
Read Romans 15:30-33.
- Paul asks this church to ‘join me in my struggle’. In what way are they to realise that solidarity?
- How would you respond to someone who emphasised practical support over prayer support?
- For what does Paul enlist their prayers?
- How often do you pray for the protection of yourself, your family, your church…?
Read 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
- What are the two ways that people can respond to the gospel message?
- Oftentimes people will change the gospel message in order to protect themselves from being offensive; how does Paul ensure that he is faithful and protected?
- What does Paul believe and encourage this church to believe about God, and how does this kind of confidence help us to keep loyal to Jesus even when we’re under pressure to compromise?
- Did you notice the paradox of prayer in this passage? Do you see that Paul asks for protection whilst already believing that God will protect. To become great in prayer one must trust God and His promises and then turn them into prayer. In this way we pray in accord with His revealed character and will.
Finally, Paul tells us to, ‘Devote yourselves to prayer, being
watchful and thankful.’ Earlier (Week 4) we emphasised thankfulness, so
also let’s ensure that we are ‘watchful’ – alert to problems and dangers over
which we can pray. We are soldiers, armed with the mighty weapon of prayer,
let’s use it!
GOING DEEPER PERSONAL DAILY STUDIES
Monday: We are only safe if we know we are in
a fight
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly,
with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your
stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the
powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms.
Who has
‘schemes’ against us, against whom we ‘struggle’ and how do we ‘stand’? (See James 4:7 also)
To ‘put on’ speaks of making effort; we
must apply faith in God as the devil works to undermine our joy and confidence.
Using Ephesians 6:10-11 as a guide, spend some time in prayer.
Tuesday: Know your enemy – He is a liar
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly,
with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:13-14 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so
that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and
after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of
truth buckled around your waist
There are ‘days
of evil’ when demonic activity is particularly strong. In order to stand
one must put on the ‘belt of truth’. What
is the ‘belt of truth’? This ‘belt’ is choosing to believe the truth of scripture and being truthful in our dealings with others. Our enemy, the devil, is a
liar who wants us to believe lies and live deceitfully. (Read John 17:17 & Ephesians 4:25)
What is your practice for reading the bible? Does it
match the idea of putting on the belt of truth? (Read Colossians 3:16) Are you
truthful at all times?
Wednesday: Prayerfully put on the ‘breastplate of righteousness’
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly,
with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.
What is the ‘Breastplate
of righteousness’? Like the belt, it also has two elements: the gift of
righteousness given to us through faith in Christ; but it is also living a
righteous life as a result of the powerful work of God in us.
See both aspects as you read Romans 1:16-17 &
Romans 6:13
Using Romans 8:1 as a guide, confess and rejoice in your
righteous standing before God.
Secondly, pray that you would be the sort of person
that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 5:6.
Thursday: Pray to take gospel action
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly,
with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:15 Stand firm… with your feet fitted with the
readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In referring to ‘feet’
and ‘readiness’ Paul is emphasizing a
readiness to take action with the gospel. Let’s be alert and ready for
opportunities to share the ‘gospel of
peace’ – the good news of how Jesus has died for our sin to give us peace
with God (Romans 5:1). But it is also a protection for us; sharing the gospel
keeps our own hearts strong in the gospel.
Use Ephesians 6:19-20 as a guide for your prayers.
Friday: Pray to take up the shield, helmet and sword
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly,
with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:16-17 In addition to all this, take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil
one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God.
To ‘take up
the shield of faith’ is to actively choose to believe truth over and
against lies. It protects from temptation (the ‘flaming arrows’) and extinguishes temptations’ ‘fire’ (our lusts)
as we persevere in believing.
Paul commands us to ‘take helmet of salvation’: to fill our minds with what Jesus has
done to save us, how He is with us as our protector and how He will finally
‘save us’ as he returns, completing His work at the end of history.
The ‘Sword
of the Spirit’ is the use of scripture (‘word of God’) to attack lies and
weaknesses in or lives; in Matthew 4:1-11 we see an example of Jesus using the
sword.
Pray for yourself and others and the church that we
would be full of faith, having heads full of the knowledge of our salvation, being
active in learning and using the bible as a sword.
Saturday: And pray…
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly,
with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all
occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be
alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Prayer is not another piece of armour. This is clear
in that Paul stops using the analogy of armour. To ‘stand’ a Christian must
pray! And we will only pray, and pray effectively, if we are wearing the
armour. To pray effectively, to recap, one must put on:
1. Belt of truth – believing the truth of scripture and truthfulness in our dealings with
others.
2. Breastplate of righteousness – In Christ, we are righteous as a gift, and
live righteously – without which we will have no confidence to pray.
3. Gospel shoes – being ready to share the ‘gospel of peace’ – knowing we have a mission
and that we need God’s power will cause us to pray.
4. Shield of faith – Is to actively exercise faith in God when we are under assault –
without this we will not pray because we lose confidence in God.
5. Helmet of salvation – a mind full of the hope of
salvation and Jesus protection
6. Sword of the Spirit – The ’Spirit-led' (prophetic) use of scripture to attack lies –
this also means using scripture on which to model our prayers.
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