KINGDOM TRUTH 2021
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16)
“Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace’ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints – and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:10-20)
“Do you believe Senate Republicans should continue standing for conservative priorities against the far-left Democrats who dominate Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s House Caucus?” (Nueces County Republican Party Area Assessment, Question 9)
I was reading some Facebook posts this morning and two planted a seed for a Kingdom post. As I turned to researching for that blog (to be titled Kingdom Blessings,) though the Scriptures I read supported the topic, they also spoke of another topic, prompted by questions raised on an assessment I received in the mail yesterday. So, Kingdom Blessings will be for another time.
As children we start responding to verbal attacks with counter attacks:
Attack: “Your momma’s ugly.”
Counterattack: “Your momma’s uglier.”
As we grow older and mature, our response sometimes becomes more counterpoint: “My momma’s the most beautiful woman in the world!” Rather than attacking we become more positive, standing on our beliefs and faith. And then we become adults, when many of us devolve into those early childhood responses, most highly visible in the political arena. This is not a political statement, but the status is used as an example. There was a time when political parties spoke on what the party platform exemplified. Commercials represented what the party stood for clearly. Not so today. Few politicians speak about what they, and their party, stand for. Rather, they attack the other party’s platform and statements. The days of “Point – Counterpoint” are gone.
I received a Republican Part Area Assessment in the mail yesterday. 1/3 of the 29 questions were anti-Democratic Party attacks, questioning their stance on issues, rather than eliciting support for the Republican Party platform issues. This tactic is the exact opposite of how Scriptures tell us to comport ourselves – speaking the Truth in Love.
Ephesians 6:10-20 talks about the Armor of God. Armor on the battlefield included metal material to protect the body, a shield and some offensive weapon, like a sword, spear, mace, etc. The armor of God, however, were spiritual attributes: truth, righteousness, gospel of peace (peaceful speech,) faith, salvation, and the Word of God (Bible.) The battleplan consisted of prayer and supplications and speaking the truth (unveiling the mystery of the gospel) boldly.
As Christians we are not to go on the offensive by attacking others. We are to speak the truth (gird our waist with truth,) walk with Christ (breastplate of righteousness,) study God’s word for knowledge (shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace,) stand impervious to attacks hurled by our enemies (shield of faith,) hold fast to our promises of eternal life (helmet of salvation,) and be the light by spreading God’s Word (sword.) Rather than attacking the other person’s position, we must respond with positivity found in God’s Word. Instead of asking Question 9, as stated above, it could have been better phrased by stating, “Do you believe Senate Republicans should continue standing for the Party’s conservative priorities of . . . .” and state specific Republican Party priorities.
Jesus turned the world upside down 2000 years ago, with such “radical” concepts as “to live, one must die to self.” It is time we turned this world around by living as Christ did and speaking the Truth in love. Be His light-bearer!
And be Blessed!