The Full Armor of God and the Comms Check

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray opened with a confession: he arrived that Sunday already bored with the full armor of God passage, a text most of the congregation has heard so many times it can slip past without landing. His aim was to slow down, do justice to it, and extend the reading through verse 20 to include the prayer section, because the armor apart from connection to God does not make much sense on its own....

Read together

1. Ephesians 6:10 finally be strong in the lord and in the strength of his might
2. Ephesians 6:11 put on the full armor of god to stand firm against the schemes of the devil
3. Ephesians 6:12 our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers and powers
4. Ephesians 6:13 take up the full armor of god to resist on the evil day
5. Ephesians 6:14 belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness
6. Ephesians 6:15 feet fitted with the preparation of the gospel of peace
7. Ephesians 6:16 shield of faith to extinguish flaming arrows of the evil one
8. Ephesians 6:17 helmet of salvation and sword of the spirit which is the word of god
9. Ephesians 6:18-20 pray at all times in the spirit and paul requests prayer for boldness as ambassador in chains
10. Ephesians 3:8-10 grace given to paul to preach to gentiles and make known the multifaceted wisdom of god through the church to rulers and authorities
11. Ephesians 2:1-10 dead in offenses and sins but god rich in mercy made us alive and saved by grace through faith not works
12. Isaiah 52 beautiful feet of the one who brings good news and announces peace and salvation
13. Hebrews 11:1 faith is the certainty of things hoped for and proof of things not yet seen
14. Ephesians 4:1-3 walk worthy of the calling with humility gentleness patience keeping unity of the spirit

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray admitted he showed up bored with a passage he had heard many times. When have you found yourself going through the motions with a familiar scripture, and what has helped you engage with it freshly?
2. Pastor Ray pointed out that the Greek behind 'put on the full armor of God' is plural, a 'y'all' rather than a 'you.' How does reading that armor as something the congregation puts on together, rather than each person individually, change how you think about spiritual struggle?
3. Pastor Ray said that if we treat any group of people as our enemy, 'we have missed the whole game,' because our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Where do you find it hardest to hold onto that, and what does it look like practically to see people as the mission rather than the opposition?
4. Pastor Ray described the shield of faith as your own trust placed in the actual faithfulness of almighty God, not just a subjective feeling. What flaming arrows have you experienced when you stepped out to do something for God, and how did faith function as a shield in that moment?
5. Pastor Ray connected the prayer section in verses 18 through 20 to the rest of the armor, saying that without a connection to God the armor does not make much sense. How do you keep that communication line open during an ordinary week, and where does it tend to go quiet?