Title Ephesians 06:18-20 God's Vision
Content: God's Vision
(Ephesians 6:18 24)
The Apostle Paul said that the Christian life is a spiritual warfare.
Spiritual warfare is primarily about defending against attack. Satan constantly attacks those who believe in Jesus, creates problems and throws them away, so you need to be alert and defend yourself well.
1. The Apostle Paul introduced the essential defense equipment called full body armor.
However, the equipment must be maintained daily in order to perform properly. The maintenance rule that Apostle Paul speaks of is found in verse 18, which is prayer and supplication. First consider the phrase “with all prayer and supplication”. All prayers are meal prayers, morning prayers, chanting prayers, intercession prayers, penitential prayers, etc. All prayers we offer to God are that our full armor is well maintained.
The Apostle Paul teaches, "Pray always in the Holy Spirit." Even if it is not a clearing stream, there is peace and joy in prayer done in the Holy Spirit. Because of that prayer, the full-body armor shows the best performance and is doing well in defense. However, if you do not pray in the Holy Spirit, it will ruin your equipment and lower its performance. A person without maintenance skills told me that he was not doing well because he touched it here and there, and he even gave me the “Lord’s Prayer” as a model prayer.
2. Next, the apostle Paul emphasizes
I am asking you to intercede for me as well as for other believers. Should I be the only one who can live happily, freedom, and peace with the full body armor in good condition? All the saints should live that way. Paul lived his life for that to happen. It is living toward the vision of God. If someone comes up to me and asks, "Is there anything that beats your heart these days?" I would not hesitate to say, "Yes, the community I serve becomes a worshiping community." Just thinking about this makes my heart burn. When you think of other things, such as building a large new church, or a church with thousands or tens of thousands of members, you may think, "Yes, I hope so," but that's it. It doesn't burn my heart, it doesn't make my heart flutter. There is no such thing as crying and praying while imagining it.
But when I think of the worship in which the Holy Spirit is present, joy wells up in my heart. When I imagine everyone in the worship service feeling thrilled and happy, I think, “Yeah, nothing is going to tempt me to leave that job and do something else. That worship is a worship where a new decision and a change of direction occur in life.
That is why it is a worship service that gives you the strength to live diligently as a person of Jesus in the world for a week. I pray that all members of the congregation will go forward with a vision for this worship service. I pray that you and I will be the ones who put this vision into practice with their bodies, not just words.
We need to meet God we need to meet, hear God’s voice we need to hear, we need comfort, peace, joy and freedom, we should give praise and thanksgiving, we need repentance, resolution, and determination to make our worship. I pray that it will come through.
It is not my prayer time in my personal closet, nor at any prayer center revival meeting, nor is it a small group Bible study time where some people gather together.