At the age of 18, when I became a Christian, the first Bible passage I memorised was the Armour of God, as described in Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus (Ephesians 6:10-20), and whenever I encountered a tough situation or felt down or oppressed, I would “pray on” that armour — the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the feet fitted with the readiness that comes with the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith with which to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

If I am honest, at the time, I did not think too deeply about each item of armour, but as I recited the list, I simply prayed that, with God’s protection, I would be able to face whatever difficulty had come my way. Who would have known that some 36 years later I would be writing about those verses that I had first committed to heart.

Before we explore what it means to don the Armour of God, we need to understand the context of why we are putting on the armour in the first place, for Paul reminds his readers that they must appreciate the bigger story in the world — the cosmic battle between good and evil.

As Christians, we know that love exists, but in the same breath, we also must acknowledge that evil exists. We live in a world that is in tension, with evil attempting to drag us towards destruction, and goodness or love drawing us towards joy, peace, and restoration.

We must remember that in the same way that there is a conscious mind behind love there is also a conscious mind behind evil, and if we do not align ourselves with love then we will be carried on the path towards destruction.

Doing nothing is not an option. I remember swimming in the sea at a local beach, and simply treading water. It was only after a few minutes that, when looking towards the shore, I realised I had been carried many metres along by the tide without realising it. It is the same with evil.

A famous theologian put it like this: “We ought not to think that the Devil’s activity is mainly to be seen in dramatic, extraordinary ‘power’ encounters. His warfare against us takes place primarily at a far more frightening level — at the level of ordinary, everyday life.” And Christian minister and theologian John Stott wrote: “The wiles of the Devil take many forms, but he is wiliest when succeeding in persuading people that he does not exist.”

Humanity, including culture, if not actively standing firm, will slowly be carried in the wrong direction, and we only have to look at the news, or our exploitation of natural resources to witness the effects of the destructive tide. The solution to being swept along by the destructive tide is to be proactive and this is where the Armour of God comes in.

Although we may think of the Armour of God as something we wear as individuals, it is vitally important that we remember that Paul was writing to the church as a whole, and the metaphor of using a Roman soldier’s attire is a reminder that the strength of the Roman soldier was because they were part of a collective army. We are to face the evil in the world as a whole church — a united body acting collectively in love.

First, what we think matters. Wearing the helmet of salvation on our heads we protect our minds and our thoughts. Salvation is not a one off event but a process or a series of conscious, rational decisions. These “good thoughts” are expressed in the good words we say and deeds we do. For example, when he encountered Jesus, the tax collector Zacchaeus made the conscious decision to change his lifestyle, giving half his possessions to the poor, and Jesus declared, “Today, salvation has come to this house!” Zacchaeus had begun to live as one of God’s people, swimming against the prevailing tide.

Second, what we feel matters. The breastplate of righteousness covers our hearts and we are righteous, not because of anything we have done, but in and through what God has done for us. We are a redeemed and holy people and, having that emotional security, see ourselves and each other in the light of God’s forgiveness and acceptance.

Third, what we believe matters. The belt on a Roman centurion’s uniform held the armour together, and in the same way, what we collectively believe about the story of God in the world underpins and shapes who we are as a church. For example, do we believe that humans are inherently bad and born sinners, or inherently good as God’s beloved creation? Is Christianity about “pie in the sky when we die”, or is it about what happens in the here and now? Our understanding of the grand metanarrative or overarching story in the world matters and makes a difference.

Fourth, our journey matters. Our feet are fitted with shoes so we are ready to be bringers of peace in the world. Our calling is not to be passive bystanders or static ornaments in the world but to be collectively sent, to be salt and light, to build up, and restore that which is broken in creation.

Fifth, our faith matters, and with the shield of faith we lean, not on ourselves, but we collectively trust in the Lord. Faith is different to having knowledge. Faith is having the courage to step forward and lean into this life of Christ to which we are called. An advancing Roman line would hold up their shields and if someone tripped and fell, the shields would close in to protect them. This is how we are to be as a church, building one another up in faith and protecting each other when those flaming arrows are fired at us.

And finally, our weapon is love. We wield the sword of the Spirit that lives in us and collectively works through us. This is the Word of God and Paul, rather than using the word “logos” meaning the written word, uses the Greek word “rhema”, meaning the applied Word of God, for the Word of God is Jesus and we are to be Jesus to the world.

So, how do we protect our minds, hearts, beliefs, journey, faith, and also be Jesus to the world? The answer is prayer. Through persistently praying at all times and on all occasions we align ourselves with God’s will and purpose. We see the world as God sees it, we see people as God sees them, and we see creation as God intends it to be.

We, the church, are called to join in with the ongoing mission of God in the world, to stand for all that is good and just, to bind the wounds of those that are hurt, to heal the broken-hearted, to be family to those that are lonely or bereaved, to protect all that is precious, and enable to creation to flourish.

These final words from Paul in his letter to the church encourage us to never give up being the people God has called us to be, for we are not meant to face life on our own, valiantly “soldiering on” in our own strength, but be members of this wonderful army of love that brings about peace and healing in a hurting world.

Amen.

• Reverend Gavin Tyte is pastor of St Mark's Anglican Church. You can read or listen to all his Insights athttps://fab.church/