As our series on the book of Ephesians, In Christ, draws to a close we come to what is arguably the most well-known passage in the book, the armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). Before I go any further, our beloved contributor to this blog, Dave Patterson, recently preached a fantastic sermon on this. I highly recommend you giving it a listen!
Anyway, as I was saying, with the end of this series comes an exciting new beginning. On Friday, May 17th, season three of the All Nations Church podcast releases *excited Wallace & Gromit style hand shakes*. We’ve called the third season We Could Be Heroes because we’re going to be interviewing members of All Nations Church, asking them to tell us about some of their heroes of faith, why, and what they’ve learned from their lives. Our desire is that we can see how God takes ordinary, faithful people who have given a simple yes to Him and does something extraordinary with them. And the same can be true of us. None of the people we talk about in the show had any dreams of grandeur but simply a desire and a fire for God to take their lives and use it however He wills. This got me thinking: we call these incredible servants of God heroes of faith – and for good reason – but what do heroes need? A costume.
The Hero’s Identity
In the movies and comics, every superhero needs a costume. In fact, they very rarely do any hero work without first changing into their costume – the picture of superman ripping his shirt open to reveal the iconic ‘S’ underneath comes to mind. Or in the more recent adaptation of Marvel’s Spiderman a young Peter Parker, with his new found abilities fashions his own spider suit so that people know who it is that is saving them, not Peter Parker, Spiderman. In fact, the suits are their identity, deflecting attention from themselves and putting it onto something much bigger than them as individuals. It And for some, their suit IS their superpower (Think of Ironman and his incredible tech suits). The superheroes and their costumes are inseparable.
Our Heroic Costume
Likewise, for us, God has provided us with a costume for the heroic work He has called us into, and it’s found right here, in Ephesians 6 – a belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet ready with the gospel of peace, a helmet of salvation, shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. This, the armour of God, is our costume and we should never plan to go into heroic situations without first making sure we have it on. Just as Ironman suits up to go into battle, we too, daily should be keeping our armour on, ready to stand against the enemy, not just in our own lives but in the lives of the people around us. Jim Elliot went into battle for the Auca Indians, Jackie Pullinger for the unseen and unloved of Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong, Hudson Taylor for the unreached of mainland China. None of these heroes desired their own recognition or title. None sought fame or glory. Instead, they all strapped on their armour, going into places and doing things in obedience to God because they saw things in this world that weren’t right, things much bigger than themselves. They saw lost people in need of a saviour, injustices that needed correcting and lies that needed truth spoken against. Did it cost them? Yes, dearly, but their gain was far greater than all they gave up.
Are You Ready For Business?
So, I have two questions for you today. First, do you see things in this world that need Jesus, situations, communities, family members or nations? Has God shown you an area of this world that He’s asking you to step into for Him, counting the cost to yourself? Second, have you put your costume on? Have you suited up in the armour God has given you for the heroic business He’s called you to?
Today, why not put on the belt of truth, knowing what God says about you, and what He says about this world. Attach the breast plate of righteousness, choosing not to strive for right standing with God, but receiving it as your identity. Step into the shoes of the Gospel of Peace, so you can stand in the reality of what Jesus did on the cross. Wear the helmet of salvation, allowing it to transform how you think and how you see. And finally pick up the shield of faith and sword of the Spirit so that you can fight the enemy, bringing the victory of God into lives and circumstances in this world. We could be heroes, all we need to do is simply obey the call of God in our lives.
