A11.16 – THE WARFARE OF THE CHURCH

1. The Church has an enemy, the devil, Eph 6:12

2. The weapon of the enemy is ‘craftiness, cunning and tricks’, Eph 6:11

3. The Church is to ‘stand’ against the devil. We are not to attack the devil but ‘withstand’ and resist him. This means when tempted to sin, we are to flee like Joseph, Gen 39:12. But when attacked by Satan for doing right, we are to stand firm like the three Hebrew men, Dan 3:17-18

4. The Church is to pray ceaselessly in order to overcome the enemy, Luke 18:1

5. The Church is to watch continuously in order to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil, Eph 6:18

6. The weapon of the Church is ‘the whole armour of God,’ Eph 6:13-18

a) The girdle of truth: you must be truthful at all times no matter the cost. Under no circumstance must you be involved in any guile, falsehood or deceit.

b) The breastplate of righteousness: you must be righteous and full of ‘right’ acts. Unrighteousness is a snare through which the devil attacks believers,

c) Sandals of the gospel: you must preach the gospel always and at all times. It will be difficult to commit sin in the presence of the fellow you are preaching to.

d) The shield of faith: this means you must always have faith in God. You must not entertain an iota of doubt in any circumstance because no one can please God except he has faith,

e) The helmet of salvation: this means, apart from the initial salvation obtained by giving your life to Jesus Christ, you must also always work out your salvation. That is you must live a life of sanctification continuously,

f) The sword of the Spirit: this is the only offensive weapon; all others are defensive. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Read, digest, memorize and quote it against all the ‘wiles of the devil’.