ultimately what Jesus’ ministry was all about? He was results-oriented. No wonder that He had the constant ability to talk about His relationship with His Father. He said that He came to glorify His Father. He said that He did nothing without the Father. He said that He and His Father were one. He said that He wished we were more like He and His Father. A chief characteristic that Jesus displayed demonstrating His lineage is being results oriented. Let’s go all the way back to Genesis where God began speaking, “Let there be . . . and there was . . . (Genesis 1:3).” Jesus’ ministry reflected the Father’s speaking ability, “Lazarus, come forth . . . (John 11:43).” Jesus said, “. . . be whole . . . (Mark 5:34).” Again and again, we can find examples of how closely Jesus mirrored the Father’s results-oriented speaking. begs the question, “What happens when we speak?” Maybe it first begs the question, “What does that have to do with how this article started?” I am glad you asked!
Let’s move back to Ephesians for a bit. It is within Ephesians 6:11-20 that we find the entirety of the Apostle Paul’s instruction concerning the armor. He first admonishes the believers to be strong in the Lord (not depending on their own ability) and in the power that comes from standing in the Lord’s strength. He proceeds by telling the Ephesians (and us) to put on the whole armor of God. “Of God” is in the masculine sense and is understood collectively meaning a reference to deity (theos) in the sense of resembling the deity or sitting in the place of a judge. We will pull that back into our thought in just a moment. Paul goes on to describe the pieces of the armor up through Ephesians 6:17. That is our key to unlocking the dilemma of being all dressed up and nowhere to go. Is there anything worse than putting on an outfit and having no agenda to match the attire? Can you imagine putting on an evening gown or a tuxedo and just sitting around your house? Can you imagine putting on your best outfit and