Ephesians 6

Greetings again my friends,

The memory passage for Ephesians 6 is'
Ephesians 6:1,5,10-11 (ESV)
¹ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

The outline theme is Submission and Armor in Him.

Paul continues on the theme of submission (picked up from the second half of chapter 5) and deals with the parent-child relationship and the slave-master relationship. Children are to obey their parents because it is right; according to the 5th commandment. Fathers (again only fathers are mentioned here, as in Col 3:21) should not provoke (exasperate) their children to anger, but should be disciplined to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

While the slave-master relationship does not exist in our modern culture, there are principles that apply to other interactions such as the employee-employer relationship. The keys that Paul outlines for proper service are obedience, reverence, sincerity, integrity, doing the will of God, and working as if for the Lord. This can be done regardless of any human response or reward because all things 'reward-worthy' will be acknowledged by the Lord. Masters must always remember that they, too, have a Master who gives them the right example of how to lead. In fact, our Master gives us the perfect example of a Servant and a Master.

In both of these relationships we see principles for godly submission in whatever our situation may be. Of course, we must remember to first be submitted to our Master and let Him and His peace rule in all of our relationships.

The second section of Ephesians 6 is introduced well in vv 10-11; be strong in the Lord and put on His armor. By drawing on His endless strength and bearing His armor we can stand against the schemes of the devil. These schemes do not originate with flesh and blood, but with the spiritual forces of evil that are working in this present age.

Now to the armor; again with the purpose of withstanding the evil in this age. The six pieces listed are;
1. belt of truth (listed first; the belt holds the armor together)
2. breastplate of righteousness (righteous living in the Spirit)
3. shoes of the Gospel (as the foundation on which we stand in hope and peace)
4. shield of faith (or a shield made of faith, protects the other armor)
5. helmet of salvation (protects our head, assures us of victory and salvation)
6. sword of the Spirit ('word' is the preached word (rhema) as directed by the Spirit for a specific need)

While not pieces of the armor, per se, prayer and alertness are critical characteristics of a soldier who is fully girded for battle. We must pray continually (1 Thess 5:17) in the power and sphere of the Spirit and be persistent in perseverance. Paul includes (as He does in Col 4) a plea for prayer for himself and his ministry of boldly proclaiming the Gospel.

In order that the Ephesians would know how and what Paul was doing, Paul sent his faithful brother and messenger Tychicus. Paul's written testimony and personal testimony are to be a source of encouragement to the hearts of the believers.

How does this affect my worship?
Even though the context is good servant-hood, the content of verse 6 seems to speak also to our worship. Worship that is truly pleasing to God is not to be done 'in front of other people'. Even while in the corporate setting (in which we are clearly visible by others) our actions should not be to draw attention to ourselves. As servants, and worshipers, of Christ, we are to do His will and offer Him worship from a heart that longs to obey Him and serve Him. We are to be God-pleasers, not man-pleasers.

How does this affect my discipleship?
One commentator noted that there is no armor listed for one's back. If nothing else, it caused me to think about the importance of not going into battle alone. As you walk with the Lord and bear His armor in the battle against the enemy, it is critical to go to battle with someone who has your back. We were never intended to fight this battle without Him, and we were never intended to fight this battle without each other.

Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible,

Ethan