STRENGTH To STAND-XI—Ephesians 6:10-20
Attention:
Self-Conscious At The Gym:
I was self-conscious about going to the gym, because I thought the pounds I had put on would make me stand out among the spandex-clad regulars. I chose a treadmill in the corner so I'd be inconspicuous.
However, as I exercised, my worst fears came true. At least a dozen people turned to stare at me periodically. I thought it might be my imagination, but then one woman even squinted to get a better look.
Mortified, I stepped off the machine to leave. When I turned around, I realized that the gym's only wall clock had been hanging just inches above my head.
She lost her strength to stand under the ‘critical scrutiny’ of others!
God’s people must find their Strength to Stand firm in Christ & in our Heavenly Father.
Need:
Courage—to stand firm for & in Christ—against the lost world’s direction.
Confidence—knowing that we cannot compromise with the opponent.
Perseverance—knowing that the Lord’s armor holds & protects thru every battle.
Paul urged the Ephesian church to find their strength in the Lord by effectively arming themselves.
The church must acquire God’s strength to stand victorious.
Where & How can the church find strength to stand victorious?
12 distinctions of the Christian soldier’s strength for victory.
We have found that—
...God’s people acquire strength to stand victorious..or..acquire victory thru a distinct...
1. STRENGTH(:10)
2. ENSEMBLE(:11)Clothing/Array/Dress
3. CONTENTION(:12)
4. RESISTANCE(:13)
5. REALITY(:14a)Truth
6. MANNER(:14b)Righteousness
7. PEACE(:15)
8. FAITH(:16)
9. SALVATION(:17a)
10. WORD(:17b)
11. COMMUNICATION & DIRECTION(:18)Prayer
12—God’s people acquire strength to stand victorious in a distinct...
MISSION & MESSAGE(:19-20)
Explanation:(:19-20)Ambassador/Boldly sharing the Gospel
:19-20—“& 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.”
Paul’s reference here is to :18’s call to PRAYER for every Christian’s proper preparation in the battle against the spiritual aspects of wickedness(:12).
Just like you & me, the apostle Paul needed prayer in order for his flesh to be surrendered to God’s call for his “utterance.”
“& for me,
Paul ‘coveted’ prayers for himself as he sought to fulfill God’s call upon his life.
“And”—kai—
“For”(See :20)—uper—Prep.—1) In behalf of, for the sake of; 2) Over, beyond, more than; 3) More, beyond, over. Strong—a primary preposition; "over", i.e. (with the genitive case)of place--Above, beyond, across, or causal, for the sake of, instead, regarding; with the accusative case--Superior to, more than.
“Me”—emou—Pronoun 1st Genitive Sing.—1) Me, my, mine, etc. Strong—From egw; a prolonged form of mou; Of me.
“that utterance may be given to me,”
The necessary word(logov—“utterance”) would be given to Paul from God, thru the conduit of prayers for that end, from the faithful.
“Utterance”—logov—Noun Nominative Sing. Masc.—1) of speech—1a) A word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea, 1b) What someone has said, 1c) Discourse, 1d) Doctrine, teaching, 1e) Anything reported in speech; a narration, narrative, 1f) Matter under discussion, thing spoken of, affair, a matter in dispute, case, suit at law, 1g) The thing spoken of or talked about; event, deed; 2) Its use as respect to the MIND alone—2a) Reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating, 2b) Account, i.e. regard, consideration, 2c) Account, i.e. reckoning, score, 2d) Account, i.e. answer or explanation in reference to judgment, 2e) Relation, i.e. with whom as judge we stand in relation, 2f) Reason, cause, ground; 3) In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ. Strong—from legw[a primary verb; properly--To "lay" forth, i.e. figuratively--Relate(in words [usually of systematic or set discourse; ; whereas epw & fhmi generally refer to an individual expression or speech respectively; while rew is properly, to break silence merely, & lalew means an extended or random harangue]); by implication--To mean]; Something said(including the thought); by implication a topic(subject of discourse), also reasoning(the mental faculty) or motive; by extension--A computation; specifically(with the article in John)--The Divine Expression(i.e. Christ).
“Given”—didwmi—Aorist Active Optative 3rd Sing.(TR 1550)Aorist Passive Subjunctive(RWP)—1) To give; 2) To give something to someone—2a) Of one's own accord to give one something, to his advantage—2a1) To bestow a gift, 2b) To grant, give to one asking, let have, 2c) To supply, furnish, necessary things, 2d) To give over, deliver—2d1) To reach out, extend, present, 2d2) Of a writing, 2d3) To give over to one's care, intrust, commit—2d3a) Something to be administered, 2d3b) To give or commit to some one something to be religiously observed, 2e) To give what is due or obligatory, to pay: wages or reward, 2f) To furnish, endue; 3) To give—3a) To cause, profuse, give forth from one's self—3a1) To give, hand out lots, 3b) To appoint to an office, 3c) To cause to come forth, i.e. as the sea, death & Hell are said to give up the dead who have been engulfed or received by them, 3c) To give one to someone as his own—3c1) As an object of his saving care, 3c2) To give one to someone, to follow him as a leader & master, 3c3) To give one to someone to care for his interests, 3c4) To give one to someone to whom he already belonged, to return; 4) To grant or permit one—4a) To commission. Didwmi denotes “to give” in general, opposite to lambanw “to take”; dwreomai specific, “to bestow, present”; didwmi might be used even of evils, but dwreomai could be used of such things only ironically. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb(which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses); To give(used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection).
“that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,”
Paul wanted God’s word(s) to be his ‘words’ to convey God’s truth regarding the reality of salvation.
The “boldness”(bluntness/frankness) by which Paul was to “make known the mystery of the good news” of Christ, was necessary because he too wrestles against an unseen wickedness that seeks to squelch & suppress God’s witness.
The ‘mystery’ part of the ‘Good News’ is that which had been previously veiled...that Jesus(“YHWH is salvation”) is the fully Divine, Only-begotten Son of God, Anointed One of God,—(Jn. 1:1-5, 10-14; Jn. 3:3, 5-7, 14-21)— & He who died in your place, paying the penalty for your sins, thereby guaranteeing your eternal place in heaven.
By virtue of those facts alone, we ourselves, along with Paul, & every other Christian of every time, should seek to “boldly” share the Good News of God’s truth in every way we can!
“Open”—anoixiv—Noun Fem.—1) An opening. Strong—Opening(throat). Used 1X.
From—anoigw—To open up(literally or figuratively, in various applications).
“Mouth”—stoma—Noun Neuter—1) The mouth, as part of the body: of man, of animals, of fish, etc.—1a) since thoughts of a man's soul find verbal utterance by his mouth, the "heart" or "soul" & the mouth are distinguished; 2) The edge of a sword. Strong—the mouth(as if a gash in the face); by implication, language(& its relations); figuratively-An opening(in the earth); specifically--The front or edge(of a weapon).
“Boldly”(See :20--Verb)—parrhsia—Noun Fem.—1)Freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech—1a) Openly, frankly, i.e Without concealment, 1b) Without ambiguity or circumlocution, 1c) Without the use of figures & comparisons; 2) Free & fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance; 3) The deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity. Strong—All out-spokenness, i.e. Frankness, bluntness, publicity; by implication--Assurance. “Make Known”—gnwrizw—Verb—1) To make known—1a) To become known, be recognized; 2) To know, to gain knowledge of, have thorough knowledge of—2a) in earlier Greek it means “To gain a knowledge of” or “have thorough knowledge of.” Strong—To make known; subjectively--To know. Used 24X.
From a derivative of ginwskw(to “know”(absolutely)).
“Mystery”—musthrion—Noun Neuter—1) Hidden thing, secret, mystery—1a) Generally--Mysteries, religious secrets, confided only to the initiated & not to ordinary mortals, 1b) A hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding, 1c) A hidden purpose or counsel—1c1) Secret will—1c1a) Of men, 1c1b) Of God: the secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the righteous, which are hidden from ungodly & wicked men but plain to the godly; 2) in rabbinic writings--It denotes the mystic or hidden sense—2a) Of an OT saying, 2b) Of an image or form seen in a vision, 2c) Of a dream. Strong—from a derivative of muw(to shut the mouth); A secret or “mystery”(through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites).
“Gospel”(See :15)—euaggelion—Noun Neuter—1) A reward for good tidings; 2) Good tidings—2a) The glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up, & subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom. After the death of Christ, the term comprises also the preaching of(concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for the men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life & exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God, 2b) The glad tidings of salvation through Christ, 2c) The proclamation of the grace of God manifest & pledged in Christ, 2d) The gospel, 2e) As the messianic rank of Jesus was proved by his words, his deeds, & his death, the narrative of the sayings, deeds, & death of Jesus Christ came to be called the gospel or glad tidings. Strong—from the same as euaggelizw; A good message, i.e. The gospel.
“the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains;”
Paul himself was physically imprisoned/arrested & “chained” as an enemy of the state, solely for the sake of the Good News!.
Despite his circumstances, he ever remained an “ambassador”, & representative, & promoter of Christ.
“Gospel”(See :15)—euaggelion—Noun Neuter—Lit.=‘Good news/message’—1) A reward for good tidings; 2) Good tidings—2a) The glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up, & subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom. After the death of Christ, the term comprises also the preaching of(concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for the men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life & exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God, 2b) The glad tidings of salvation through Christ, 2c) The proclamation of the grace of God manifest & pledged in Christ, 2d) The gospel, 2e) As the messianic rank of Jesus was proved by his words, his deeds, & his death, the narrative of the sayings, deeds, & death of Jesus Christ came to be called the gospel or glad tidings. Strong—from the same as euaggelizw; A good message, i.e. The gospel.
From—eu—Adverb—1)To be well off, fare well, prosper; 2)Acting well. Strong—neuter of a primary euv(good); adverbially--Well.—&—aggelov—A messenger; especially--An "angel"; by implication--A pastor.
“For”—uper—Prep.—1) In behalf of, for the sake of; 2) Over, beyond, more than; 3) More, beyond, over. Strong—a primary preposition; "over", i.e. (with the genitive case)of place--Above, beyond, across, or causal, for the sake of, instead, regarding; with the accusative case--Superior to, more than.
“Which”—ov, h , o—Pronoun—1) Who, which, what, that. Strong—the relatively (sometimes demonstrative)pronoun--Who, which, what, that.
“Ambassador”—presbeuw—Present Active Indicative 1st Sing.—1) To be older, prior by birth or in age; 2) To be an ambassador, act as an ambassador. Strong—To be a senior, i.e. by implication--Act as a representative(figuratively, preacher). Used 2X—Here & 2Cor. 5:20.
From the base of—presbuterov—1) Elder, of age,; 2) A term of rank or office. The NT uses the term bishop, elders, & presbyters interchangeably, Strong—comparative of presbuv(elderly); Older; as noun--A senior; specifically--An Israelite Sanhedrist(also figuratively, member of the celestial council) or Christian “presbyter.”
“In”—en—
“It”—autov—Pronoun—1) Himself, herself, themselves, itself; 2) He, she, it; 3) The same. Strong—from the particle au[perhaps akin to the base of ahr[air] through the idea of a baffling wind]--Backward; the reflexive pronoun--Self, used(alone or in the comparative eautou) of the third person , & (with the proper personal pronoun)of the other persons.
“Chains”—alusiv—Noun Fem.—1) A chain, bond by which the body or any part of it(hands, feet) is bound. Strong—of uncertain derivation; A fetter or manacle. Used 11X.
“that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
NASB—“... that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
NIV—“Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
?What is the reference for “it”?
?The office & calling of ambassador-ship?--Yes!
?The revealing of the “mystery”(:19)--Yes!
?The “making the gospel known”(:19)--Yes!
?The “utterance”(:19) of the Gospel--Yes!
?“the Gospel” itself(:19)?—cf.--“for which”--Yes!
...“It” is everything that the Gospel calls us to!
To bear the Good News of Jesus demands a particular & personal “boldness” of speech. Such “bold” speaking betrays a confidence in Christ & a freedom which He supplies, knowing that His message has overarching importance.
Godly “boldness” in proclaiming God’s Good News requires setting all of our attentions upon God & His desire, to the exclusion of our own...even when we are threatened with death!
“Speak”2X[Actually used only 1X]—lalew—Verb—1) To utter a voice or emit a sound; 2) To speak—2a) To use the tongue or the faculty of speech, 2b) To utter articulate sounds; 3) To talk; 4) To utter, tell; 5) To use words in order to declare one's mind & disclose one's thoughts—5a) To speak. Strong—a prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; To talk, i.e. Utter words.
Lalew means an extended or random harangue, while legw means to relate, in words[usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas epw & fhmi generally refer to an individual expression or speech respectively; while rew is properly, to break silence merely].
“Boldly/Fearlessly”(See :19--Noun)—parrhsiazomai—Verb—1)To use freedom in speaking, be free spoken—1a)To speak freely; 2)To grow confident, have boldness, show assurance, assume a bold bearing. Strong—To be frank in utterance, or confident in spirit & demeanor. Used 9X.
From—parrhsia—All out-spokenness, i.e. Frankness, bluntness, publicity; by implication--Assurance.
“Ought/Should/Behooves me”[typically ‘Must’]—dei—Verb—1) It is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right & proper—1a) Necessity lying in the nature of the case, 1b) Necessity brought on by circumstances or by the conduct of others toward us., 1c) Necessity in reference to what is required to attain some end, 1d) A necessity of law & command, of duty, equity, 1e) Necessity established by the counsel & decree of God, especially by that purpose of his which relates to the salvation of men by the intervention of Christ & which is disclosed in the Old Testament prophecies—1e1) Concerning what Christ was destined finally to undergo, his sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension. Dei seems to be more suggestive of moral obligation, denoting especially that constrain which arises from divine appointment. Dei indicates a necessity in the nature of things rather than a personal obligation; it describes that which must be done. Strong—used impersonally; It is(was, etc.) necessary(as binding).
Argumentation:
Prov. 13:17—“A wicked messenger falls into trouble, But a faithful ambassador brings health.”
2Cor. 5:19-21—“that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, & has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
The ‘Great Commission’:
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Php. 1:9-14—“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more & more in knowledge & all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere & without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory & praise of God. But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, & to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; & most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
*Php. 1:18-26—“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; & in this I rejoice, yes, & will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer & the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation & hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, & to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart & be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain & continue with you all for your progress & joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.”
*2Tim. 2:8-10—“Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
Jer. 1:4-10, 17—“Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But the LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD. Then the LORD put forth His hand & touched my mouth, & the LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations & over the kingdoms, To root out & to pull down, To destroy & to throw down, To build & to plant.””.....“Therefore prepare yourself & arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them.”
Lk. 12:11-12—“Now when they bring you to the synagogues & magistrates & authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Lk. 21:5-17—“Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones & donations, He said, “These things which you see--the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.” So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?” And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ &, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars & commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.” Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, & kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, & famines & pestilences; & there will be fearful sights & great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you & persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues & prisons. You will be brought before kings & rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth & wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents & brothers, relatives & friends; & they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.”
Acts 6:8-10—“And Stephen, full of faith & power, did great wonders & signs among the people. Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, & those from Cilicia & Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom & the Spirit by which he spoke.”
*Acts 26:1-23, 28-29—“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand & answered for himself: “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, “especially because you are expert in all customs & questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently. My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand & am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night & day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. “This I also did in Jerusalem, & many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; & when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue & compelled them to blaspheme; & being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority & commission from the chief priests, “at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me & those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me & saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ “So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ‘But rise & stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister & a witness both of the things which you have seen & of the things which I will yet reveal to you. ‘I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, ‘to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins & an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus & in Jerusalem, & throughout all the region of Judea, & then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, & do works befitting repentance. For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple & tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small & great, saying no other things than those which the prophets & Moses said would come-- “that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, & would proclaim light to the Jewish people & to the Gentiles.”.....“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost & altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”
*Mat. 10:24-28—“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, & a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub[Lord of the fly], how much more will they call those of his household! Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, & hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; & what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul & body in hell.”
Jude 1:17-23—“But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”
Illustration:
Our church(FBC of Carrabelle) hosted a ‘Truth & Treats’ celebration on Tuesday Oct. 31st from 6-8pm on the lawn outside the Fellowship Hall/We invited kids(& parents) to know that Jesus is Lord & that Christian godliness does not require God’s people to be fun-less--sticks-in-the-mud--holier-than-thou--fun-suckers!/& also that they might know that Jesus defeats all the ghoulies & ghosties & demons that so terrify the world/Our MISSION & MESSAGE must be clear!—Christ has set us free from sin & death!
The self-proclaimed ‘traveling weather reporter’ who came thru Carrabelle, by bicycle, asking for support from the church/His MISSION & MESSAGE were questionable at best!
FBCC’s message is that there is true substance to Jesus’ birth!...both spiritual as well as historical.
Our FBCC $2500 goal for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering—combined with the LMCO’s of other SBC churches to total a minimum of $160,000,000!/Goal of which is to advance the MISSION & MESAGE of God thru Christ!
Application:
?Does Your MISSION & MESSAGE give you & others, strength to stand victorious?
?You acquired Strength to Stand victorious over wickedness?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The woman in the gym, who lost her strength to stand under the ‘critical scrutiny’ of others!
God’s people must find their Strength to Stand firm in Christ & in our Heavenly Father.
Action:
God’s people acquire strength to stand victorious..or..acquire victory thru a distinct...
12. MISSION & MESSAGE(:19-20)Boldly sharing the Gospel
1. STRENGTH(:10)
2. ENSEMBLE(:11)Clothing/Array/Dress
3. CONTENTION(:12)
4. RESISTANCE(:13)
5. REALITY(:14a)Truth
6. MANNER(:14b)Righteousness
7. PEACE(:15)
8. FAITH(:16)
9. SALVATION(:17a)
10. WORD(:17b)
11. COMMUNICATION & DIRECTION(:18)Prayer
Pt. 12 only! Presented 12/03/2017am -END SERIES-to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
