Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

I turned on the television last week and saw an advertisement for an upcoming boxing match. Both boxers were saying how good they were and how the other person was a “poser,” evil, and false. Both boxers were focused on beating the other person and proving that they were the better boxer. To show the prowess of the contending rivals, the commercial showed the damage that they had inflicted to other boxers which they had fought: the bleeding lips, the bruised eyes, and the broken teeth. They were fighting and contesting against each other for a prize of glory, money, and honor.

As Christians, we are the soldiers of God. As Christians, we are the light of Christ being shown to the world, yet oftentimes we see ourselves in opposition to the non-Christians of the world. We see ourselves in a celebrity fighting match against prominent anti-Christians, fights such as “Billy Graham vs. Hugh Hefner” or “James Dobson vs. Al Gore.” We focus on the people (“Them” and “Those-like-them”) who oppose Christianity (or rather “Us” and “Those-like-us”). Instead we need to force ourselves to focus on Christ and that those who are not “Us” are still loved by our Savior and Redeemer – and theirs – Jesus Christ!

It is not the prostitute or the alcoholic who live down the street that is wrong and sinful, rather the sin is the spiritual darkness that holds them in bondage. Our calling (and one method of worshiping God) is to show Christ in every way we deal with these people. We are to love them and care for them. We are to pray against the demons and spiritual forces of darkness that oppress them. We are to try and change the conditions surrounding them, from one of sin and shame to one of Christ’s grace and mercy.

Why should we treat them differently from ourselves if they are offered salvation from the same lives of sin that we were rescued from? The only difference between them and us is Christ. We too lived in sin, in shame, in darkness, and in spiritual oppression. Let us, therefore, take Christ to them. He is our banner and our leader, they – sinful and also beloved by Christ – will not come to Him, unless we try and bring them before His throne.

Christ for the world we sing,
the world to Christ we bring,
with fervent prayer;
the wayward and the lost,
by restless passions tossed,
redeemed at countless cost,
from dark despair.

Luke 15:12, 20 “¹²The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them. ²⁰ So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

Yesterday afternoon was fun. The day started off with a picnic among several friends and myself. After the picnic, I took care of two little boys, Dylan and Dawson. Their father is verbally abusive towards them and in general uncaring of their condition. This weekend, they are staying with their grandmother and yesterday while she was busy, I took care of them (she is a friend of my land-lady). When she came in to pick up these children, she watched me playing with them for a little while. Taking the children, she turned and told me that I would make a good father some day. This started me thinking. Where do we learn to be parents? Where do we learn what to do and what not to do?

I try to deal with kids much like my father is towards me. That is where I learned it from, my dad. When I see my grandpa and my dad together, I see that grandpa is the same towards dad as dad is towards me. Fathers pass on information, even when they do not realize it. This helps make fatherhood very important. Sometimes as a father, my dad had to punish me, sometimes he would help me out of problems, sometimes he would allow me to make mistakes, because that would help me learn.

In this, the story of the prodigal child, the father shows love. We always watch the son, the prodigal, in his efforts and trials. This parable of Christ goes beyond showing us the accepting love of our Heavenly Father and the forgiveness of our sins; it shows us the patient love, the nurturing love, and the waiting love of our Father.

In verse 12, this father of two sons gives the inheritance of one son to the demanding child. This father knows that this is a mistake on the part of the son, and so the father grieves and probably pleads “Beloved child, do not do this! Take my advice and stay here, live here, and wait for the proper time.” But the impatient young man ignores and demands of the father “If you love me father, you will do this for me!” The father is unable to change the mind of the boy, and so with much sorrow and regret, the father accedes to the son’s request, knowing full well that it is a mistake on the part of the child.

This father, after the boy leaves, watches and waits. This was a mistake and an error for the son, but the father loved the son enough to allow him to learn. The father knows that the son will either die or return a sadder, more experienced man. So the father waits, and waits, and waits. The boy will either return home, or word of his death will come. The father waits, patiently searching for the errant boy; one day the father’s patience is rewarded and the son returns. The father immediately throws a party, not to celebrate the son, but rather the return of the son. The party is to remind the son that he is a child of the father, who loves him. There is nothing that the boy could have done to remove the kinship, naught that would destroy the father’s love for his boy(Luke 15:27). The same is true of God and us. He is our patient, nurturing, and waiting Father.

Father of me, and all mankind,
And all the hosts above,
Let every understanding mind
Unite to praise Thy love.

2 Corinthians 6:6 “in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love”

The sky was dark and clouded, and the birds had yet to start their singing. The early morning fog wafts across the tarmac as I, a student pilot approached the airplane. My flight block began at 7:00 a.m. and I needed to complete the required preparation. I grumbled at the pre-dawn chill during the early spring (January) morning. I grumbled at whoever had scheduled me for this early morning flight (forgetting that I had scheduled it myself). I grumbled at the fog and the forecast winds (perfectly calm, thus exceedingly hazy). I just plain grumbled.

As student pilot, safety had been drilled into me throughout the course of my pre-flight classes, and safety had again been drilled into me in the early stages of the flight classes. I was expected to have flight safety as second nature as indeed I had. As every pilot is taught and knows, I performed a pre-flight inspection of the aircraft. While most pilots, after the first couple months of training, tend to start easing up on the preflight inspection, I thoroughly combed the aircraft looking for any reason not to fly. I was meticulous in my inspection. Not only did I follow the pre-flight checklists, I inspected a few more parts. Part of this scrupulous inspection was due to my aircraft maintenance classes, but for the most part the detailed inspection was due to a combination of not wanting to fly that day and because Mr. _____ was watching me preflight. I had a ‘stage check’ (proficiency exam) and so I was flying with the assistant chief flight instructor.

One of the items that I checked (it was on the inspection checklist) was the fuel. The aircraft fuel always needed to be checked for impurities, water, or sediment. It is a standard check made on every preflight, and usually most students are inclined to shirk a proper check of the fuel, after all, these planes are flown often enough that there is no time for sediment buildup, no time for water to get into the fuel system, no time for the impurities to show up. After all, these airplanes are refueled at least twice per day.

This day, I found water in the fuel. I found a lot of water in the fuel. Somehow, between the rain from the day before, the dew of the night, and the fog of the pre-dawn, water had gotten into the fuel. This is a problem for aircraft. Water can cause a stoppage of fuel flow. Water will reduce the power available from the fuel, impurities can cause the fuel to form vapors and to form vapor lock while the engine is running (and the engine stops). If the engine stops during flight, there is an emergency. As pilots, we try to avoid emergencies. The fuel was impure. It had to be cleaned. I began to drain fuel through a filter, remove the water, and then return the fuel to the airplane until no more impurities, no more water came through the inspection spigots.

We commend ourselves as servants of God in everything we do (2 Cor 6:4). This chapter is given to us as part of our pre-service checklist. In everything that we do for the glory of God are we attempting for purity? Are we trying to be knowledgeable? Are we patient and kind? Are we acting through the Holy Spirit? The Bible and the time we spend with God is our spiritual fuel. Do we keep it clean? Do we try and remove the added things that would negate and reduce the power of our ‘fuel’? This week, let us seek and search ourselves for that which would prevent us from fully serving our Christ!

Spirit of power, anoint me for service,
Spirit of holiness, cleanse Thou my heart;
Give to my soul of Thyself a new vision,
And a new measure of power impart.

2 Corinthians 6:4 “but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,”

I recently had a friend get married, and a wonderful wedding it was (as all weddings are). All the radiant Bride’s maids were beautiful in their dresses; the groom’s men were all handsome and uncomfortable in their tuxes. Then the grandfather of the bride spoke. He spoke on love, on commitment, and on making Christ the center of this new household.

Christ is the foundation of our lives. Without His sacrifice on the cross, we would be condemned to eternal torment. We would be without hope, without joy, and without remorse. Without Christ we would be nothing, unable to change, unable to become better people.

With Christ we are given peace in our lives, tumultuous though they may be. Through Christ, we are given joy at whatever may happen. Christ has given us atonement for our sins and we are blessed. He paid the price to redeem us from bondage to sin. We now are His slaves, dedicated to righteousness and determined to live in purity.

As slaves, therefore, we are to do the best we can to represent Christ to all others. They do not see Christ except through us and our actions, yet the world does not love Christ as we do. They meet His affection for us with afflictions, our hope in him with hardships, and our spiritual deliverance with physical distresses.

As dedicated servants of the Most High, afflictions will come, and we can do naught but withstand and endure. We will be afflicted with heartaches; loved ones will spurn us and mock us. We will have financial hardships; those who live and love the world will always seem to have money and wealth to spend, while we get by on what God provides. Yet if we endure, Christ comes through for us. While the immediate years may hold pain and suffering, we must hold steadfast and firm. Others will see us and our witness. Our troubles and trials may cause others to turn to Him, the savior of all. We endure because Christ is faithful. We must determine through all things to make Christ the center of our lives, the foundation of everything we do.

To center on Christ, to make Him one’s focus is a life-long focus. This is an endeavor to end all endeavors. We have claimed Christ as our savior, we have determined that He is Lord of our life. We are not promised an easy life, and we are not given comfort. Instead we are given values, morals, and responsibilities. We are given grace and mercy. As long as we adore God, the world will abhor us. Yet Christ is faithful and just.

I sing a song of the saints of God,
patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died
for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green;
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,
God helping, to be one too.