<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Ephesians 6;13-20<div><br></div><div><b>13. &nbsp;Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.</b></div><div><b>14. &nbsp;Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,</b></div><div><b>15. &nbsp;and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace;</b></div><div><b>16. &nbsp;above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.</b></div><div><b>17. &nbsp;And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.</b></div><div><b>18. &nbsp;Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. &nbsp;To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,</b></div><div><b>19. &nbsp;and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth&nbsp;boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,</b></div><div><b>20. &nbsp;for which I am an ambassador in chains; as I ought to speak.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Is&nbsp;<i>“the mystery of the gospel” </i>simply that Christ has paid for our sins by his death on the cross and has risen from the dead so that those who repent and&nbsp;&nbsp;be<span>Iieve in him may have eternal life when they die?</span></div><div><span>Or, is it that Christ has come to give us eternal life starting at baptism. &nbsp;Such eternal life is a participation in the divine nature, with Christ indwelling and empowering new lives of love and good works by the Holy Spirit given to us in baptism?</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>This new eternal life is focused both inwardly in intimate communion with God (defense), and outwardly in sacrificial love for those still in darkness (offense).</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Paul sought the prayers of the saints in Ephesus, that he would be bold to live out&nbsp;what he knew was &nbsp;new eternal life in Christ. &nbsp;Above all, Believers are to be missionaries. &nbsp;If we are not ‘reaching out’ with new life <u>in Christ</u>, then our inward life in him is somehow&nbsp;immature fruit. &nbsp;We may be failing to believe in the gospel of Christ indwelling us, and resisting the Holy Spirit’s call to belong to our Lord fully.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>We have been given healing and health by the holy “light”&nbsp;of the gospel. &nbsp;We have been commanded to take that “light”&nbsp;and deliver it into a world of death and darkness. &nbsp;How terrible to have the medicine which gives true eternal life, and be content to just&nbsp;have it for ourselves,&nbsp;but, not freely share it with&nbsp;those still&nbsp;lost in the sickness of spiritual death,&nbsp;selfish self indulgent&nbsp;sin. &nbsp;God forgive us.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, bless your Church to burn with your very&nbsp;own light of love for the lost, evangelistically proclaiming the gospel of Christ. &nbsp;Bless us to know we have received Christ so that we may share him. &nbsp;&nbsp;In Jesus name we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Ephesians 6;13-20
13.  Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14.  Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15.  and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace;16.  above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.17.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18.  Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,19.  and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,20.  for which I am an ambassador in chains; as I ought to speak.
Is “the mystery of the gospel” simply that Christ has paid for our sins by his death on the cross and has risen from the dead so that those who repent and  beIieve in him may have eternal life when they die?Or, is it that Christ has come to give us eternal life starting at baptism.  Such eternal life is a participation in the divine nature, with Christ indwelling and empowering new lives of love and good works by the Holy Spirit given to us in baptism?
This new eternal life is focused both inwardly in intimate communion with God (defense), and outwardly in sacrificial love for those still in darkness (offense).
Paul sought the prayers of the saints in Ephesus, that he would be bold to live out what he knew was  new eternal life in Christ.  Above all, Believers are to be missionaries.  If we are not ‘reaching out’ with new life in Christ, then our inward life in him is somehow immature fruit.  We may be failing to believe in the gospel of Christ indwelling us, and resisting the Holy Spirit’s call to belong to our Lord fully.
We have been given healing and health by the holy “light” of the gospel.  We have been commanded to take that “light” and deliver it into a world of death and darkness.  How terrible to have the medicine which gives true eternal life, and be content to just have it for ourselves, but, not freely share it with those still lost in the sickness of spiritual death, selfish self indulgent sin.  God forgive us.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, bless your Church to burn with your very own light of love for the lost, evangelistically proclaiming the gospel of Christ.  Bless us to know we have received Christ so that we may share him.   In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”



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