Remembering the Warriors
Eph. 6:11-20
Harold once told me he could remember when the land around the Shapter Center, the Continent, and the Giant Eagle on East 161, just west of I-71 (which wasn’t there then), was farm land. He had been around Worthington and Columbus for a few years.
I think Harold’s only job was to take customers to their homes or to their jobs after they had dropped their cars off at the repair shop. That’s how I happened to be riding with Harold a few years ago.
We were listening to the radio when the announcer commented that the anniversary of the end of the Korean War was coming up.
Harold said, “I was over there.”
I said something like, “That must have been tough.”
He said, “It was tough coming home too.” Then he told me a story.
He had just returned from Korea when he ran into an old friend. The friend said, “Harold, I haven’t seen you in a while, where have you been?”
Harold said, “I’ve been over in Korea.”
The friend responded, “Korea? What in the world have you been doing there?”
Harold responded, “There’s been a little war over there, haven’t you heard?”
The friend said, “No, I guess not.”
The Korean War is sometimes called “the forgotten war” but Harold could have told us it was “the never-heard-of-it war.”
Paul tells us Christians are engaged in spiritual warfare. This is an important passage on the topic.
It’s important for us to keep in mind that some of our fellow believers may be fighting battles and feel no one knows about it.
We may be unaware that someone is engaged in war with fear.
When we’re children we dreaded someone discovering that we’re afraid; that’s not just a childhood concern. We’re afraid someone will find out that we’re afraid—afraid, not of thing’s that go bump in the night, but of other things: Growing older, sickness, being alone, our families falling apart, losing a job. Such fears can confuse and paralyze a person. Battling such fears can be a powerful ordeal.
We may be unaware that someone is engaged in war with shame.
Sometimes we confuse guilt and shame. Guilt involves feeling of self-loathing because of what we have done; shame involves feelings of self-loathing because of what we are.
Feelings of shame can arise out of a childhood of abuse or from growing up in a family wounded by alcoholism or drug-abuse.
Such men and women are unable to seek a better life because the feel they don’t deserve anything better. Sure, the gospel tells them life ought to be better but the power of shame is too great to overcome.
We may be unaware that someone is engaged in war with doubt.
There are many challenges to the affirmations of Christianity. Some are particularly susceptible to these challenges.
Others harbor more personal doubts, doubts growing out of experiences of loss, pain, and suffering. Such people may begin to doubt the goodness of God or even his existence.
Many engaged in war with doubt feel unable to share their feelings because it seems so awful. As a consequence they battle alone.
We may be unaware that someone is engaged in war with temptation.
The other day I saw what purported to be a “post-it note” from God. It said, “Opportunity may knock only once. But temptation bangs on the front door forever.”
Temptation is often a secret battle which our brothers and sisters in Christ find hard to discuss. They battle valiantly but are often overcome.
We may be unaware that someone is engaged in war with an enemy we know nothing about.
This battle may grow out of experiences we don’t have. For example, some of our fellow Christians must struggle with the power of racism or the memories of poverty.
We may be unaware that someone is engaged in war with giants.
The giants with which some must struggle may have many names. There is the giant of broken dreams, the giant of frustration, the giant of illness—and, of course, the giant family has many other members. How frightening it must be to face these giants alone.
What can we do? We begin by making sure our fellow believers know they can share their conflicts. What else?
Paul is a model for us. He shows us what we can do.
1. We can remind them of the resources God has made available to them.
Paul calls on us to “put on the full armor of God.” The phrase is repeated to underscore its importance. The word “panoplia” is the source of the English word “panoply” which refers to “the complete arms and armor of a warrior…the magnificent, shining array that covers or protects.”
Paul wanted his readers to know the armor of God protects in whatever way we need protection.
- We can testify to the effectiveness of the breastplate. It protects the heart. We need such protection because the battlefield is a place of temptation.
- We can testify to the effectiveness of the boots which give sure footing. The Roman boot had heavy, studded soles. It gave mobility yet prevented the foot from sliding on the battlefield’s rough terrain. In linking the boots to the “gospel of peace,” Paul is telling us that we can have a peace which allows us to face the most terrifying battles.
- We can testify to the effectiveness of the shield which protects from the enemies assault. The Roman shield could protect an individual and used to create a solid wall when standing with others. The Christian warrior has a shield which may extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy whether those arrows come in the form of doubt, depression, fear, or despair. That shield is our faith in both its subjective and objective forms.
- We can testify to the effectiveness of the helmet. Paul may be thinking of the need for a sense of security in the midst of battle. We have that in the full salvation Christ provides.
- We can testify to the effectiveness of the sword. Paul is referring to the double-edged sword the Romans used in close combat. It was extremely effective. Jesus used the Spirit's sword with great effectiveness when he faced the temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4). We need that sword for guidance and answers in the conflicts we face
2. We can employ the power of prayer.
General prayer can keep us from being self-centered.
Specific prayer engages our minds to weigh the needs of others and discover how we might help them. In prison, Paul faced an inner conflict: speak out and be at risk or be silent and be safe. Out of the conflict, he asks the Ephesians to pray very specifically for him. He says, “… pray for me that when I speak, God will give me words so that I can tell the secret of the Good News without fear. I have been sent to preach this Good News, and I am doing that now, here in prison. Pray that when I preach the Good News I will speak without fear, as I should.”
If Paul needs the prayers of his fellow Christians, you can be sure that somewhere, someone near us needs our prayers.
3. We can stand with them.
The Roman soldiers were most effective when they stood together, shield touching shield. They formed a wall which was almost impenetrable.
To feel alone in the middle of a conflict must be a terrible thing. We need to try to make sure no one feels that kind of isolation.
The “We” Paul uses is a reminder that all of us are involved in this war. None of us have a deferment. The reminder to “pray for all Christians” tells us we can’t be indifferent to what is happening to others.
Conclusion: Harold’s friend only needed a newspaper or a radio to know a conflict was going on.
We have God’s Word telling us that our brothers and sisters in Christ are engaged in a spiritual conflict.
We can’t be indifferent.
And, if you’re in the midst of that conflict, know you are not alone. Someone remembers.
