SERMON: "Ministry Amid Spiritual Warfare" (Eph. 6:19–22)
Ministry Amid Spiritual Warfare (Eph. 6:19–22)
Series: Ephesians: Building the Church Text: Ephesians 6:19–22
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: September
10, 2023
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion: PM Service
I.
Introduction
We seem to be reentering a season of doubt. Inflation is continuing to grow, pushing
prices up in every sector. There was
concern before due to a virus a couple of years ago which threatened how the
church met, and it’s beginning to look like there are similar measures on the
horizon. A couple of days ago, we saw
the governor of New Mexico suspend the second amendment to the US Constitution
in her state, stating that no right is absolute, and there are limitations to
her oath. Such things make us wonder how
much longer the country we know will continue to exist and whether the church
will continue to enjoy the freedoms here we’ve historically held.
When we watch the news and see such things, we’re tempted to
feel anxious, frustrated, unrighteously angry, and, in general, beat down. There’s no doubt that the Apostle Paul
experienced similar emotions through the many trials he endured throughout his
ministry. Yet, he reminds us here that
we’re engaged in spiritual battle against the spiritual forces of
darkness. He tells us of the enemy we
face as well as the armor that we must don if we’re to stand in the day of
battle.
Indeed, as we’ve gone through this section, we’ve noticed
the only way in which we can stand today. In v. 10, we read, “Finally, be strong in
the Lord and in the strength of His might.” As to the armor, in vv. 11 and 13, we read
that we must put on or take up “the full armor of God.” Since v. 12 informs us that our battle is in
the spiritual realm, we’re already seeing where our focus must be if we’re to
obtain victory.
Consider again why this armor is called “the armor of
God.” We read in v. 14 that we must gird
our loins with truth, but where do we obtain truth in a world of
deception? We also read there of our
need for a breastplate of righteousness, but since I have no righteousness of
my own, where do I obtain it? We read in
v. 15 that our feet must be shod the gospel of peace, but who offers that word
of peace? In v. 16, we’re to take up the
shield of faith, but did we not read previously that faith is a gift? In v. 17, who offers the salvation with which
we can protect our heads in battle? Also
there, who’s sword are we wielding in battle?
This is 100% God’s armor.
As such, we can see why we must pray in v. 18. The word “with” starting the verse tells us
that we take up this armor alongside or through an action. As we utter our prayers and petitions, we are
not only letting the Lord know our requests, but we’re actively engaging in
spiritual warfare. Indeed, we are
seeking to be strong in the Lord and in His might. As such, the most important component to our
spiritual armor is prayer.
Paul tells them to engage in prayer for “all the saints,”
and in v. 19, he adds “and pray on my behalf.”
The apostle’s life and ministry are also embattled, meaning he
also needs the strength of the Lord.
Yet, his is not merely a concern for self, for when he asks for prayer,
he seeks further proclamation of the gospel.
He’s practicing what he preaches.
While we consider Paul’s position, certain truths arise from
his ministry that guide us today.
Regardless of the state in which we find ourselves, if we are to
continue calling this a ministry (let alone a church), then there
are two principles that we must continue to hold. First, embattled ministry still cares for the
furtherance of the kingdom (vv. 19–20), and second, it still cares for the
people of the kingdom (vv. 21–22).
II.
Embattled ministry still cares for the
furtherance of the kingdom (vv. 19–20)
and pray on my
behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make
known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in
chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
After Paul tells the Ephesians to pray for all the saints,
they could have thought of a hundred ways to pray for him — none of them
wrong. For instance, they could have
prayed that he would be set free. They
could have prayed that he would stay healthy in those damp, cold conditions. They could have prayed that he would receive
the gifts sent to him, including food.
They could have prayed that the Lord would give him a tolerance for the
smells!
He could have asked them to pray for his welfare, but what
he prays for when he prays. He says to
pray “that utterance may be given to me… to make known with boldness the mystery of the
gospel, … that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly.” He places a heart for the lost on display
with such a request.
Understand, it’s not that we’re not to pray for our
needs or ask others for help. We studied
that last time in v. 18, noting that the Lord commands us to do just that (Mt
7:7–11; Phil 4:6). Indeed, Paul says in
the next verse that he’s sending Tychicus to give them more information about
his circumstances, and in a later imprisonment, Paul asks for his cloak (2 Tm
4:13). So it’s not that Paul considers
himself above the concerns of this life.
Even so, Paul is also concerned for the advancement of the
kingdom, so he asks them to pray that he would receive utterance. Sometimes we think of utterances in these
contexts as a supernatural opening of the mouth, but Paul as an apostle already
produces prophetic material such as this very letter. He’s not asking them to pray for more inspired
utterances, but one that should also frequent our lips: gospel proclamation.
Consider this: Paul’s currently chained to a Roman
soldier. Remember, though, this isn’t
Christianized American prison, where a true Christian detainee may speak with a
corrections officer about Jesus without undue fear of persecution. This is a dank prison in the paganized Roman
Empire, which looked down on Christians as being backwater, uneducated,
atheistic cannibals. Paul, already in a
bad situation, faced the potential of a Roman soldier making his life all
the worse — a criminal talking to a dutiful soldier about his
sin and need for salvation through Jesus (who just happened to be crucified
like a criminal).
Paul isn’t one we remember as being cowardly, but that’s not
because of bravado or machismo on his part.
He rested in the strength of the Lord.
Now, he needs extra strength, considering he has zero recourse or escape
if the situation sours. Thus, he asks
for an open mouth here, and he also prays for an open door in Colossians 4:3. If something is to come of this, it must be
the Lord who works it, and that is exactly the kind of attitude we should
cultivate.
Still, he prays that there would be boldness to his
words. The gospel provides us great
hope, so we should use boldness of speech (2 Cor 3:12). When Christians speak to unbelievers, there
shouldn’t be any doubt or uncertainty in the truthfulness of the message. If there is, that communicates misgivings on
the part of the believer, and unbelievers will use that as an excuse to
continue in unbelief. Still, the devil
will assail us with concerns in the most opportune times, or tempt us to react
poorly to the response of the unbeliever, so Paul prays to speak the truth of
the gospel in clear, unequivocal terms.
Again, Paul doesn’t expect that the strength would come from
within him; it comes from the Lord. Since
he sees himself as an ambassador for the gospel according to v. 20, he’s also
asking to properly represent the King and His kingdom. This, too, is a thought we should apply to
ourselves, for as he says in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “we are ambassadors for
Christ.” So, prayer includes proper,
bold, representation.
Ambassadors were typically treated with honor. They’re official representatives of foreign
dignitaries and guests in neighboring countries. To detain and incarcerate such a person would
be tantamount to imprisoning the king of that land, but in an ironic twist, Paul’s
an ambassador in chains, incarcerated in Rome for the sake of the gospel (cf. 2
Cor. 5:20; Philemon 9 [where he calls himself aged]; Acts 21:33; 28:20; Eph.
3:1; Phil. 1:7; Col. 4:3).
Paul could have looked upon his circumstances and
despaired. Whenever things don’t go
right in life, especially when we’re doing the right thing, we are tempted to
give up doing good. However, sometimes
we go through struggles because we’re doing good, and that challenges
our underlying reasoning for doing what we do.
For those honestly seeking the Lord (as Paul does here), they find that
He helps His children endure such hardships.
As such, Paul prays for opportunity to announce the
gospel. Again, he asks them to pray “that
in proclaiming it I may speak boldly,
as I ought to speak.” Another way to
consider this is that Paul prays for his own effectiveness in spiritual
warfare. Again, while many of our other
prayers are fine and right, we should consider whether this is ever the kind of
prayer we pray for ourselves and for others in the church. As we continue to grow in our ability to pray
through the grace given in the Holy Spirit, may the range of our prayers also
grow, including the advancement of the kingdom.
Well, as we consider not only prayers for ourselves but also
for others, we shift now to the next point.
We’ve seen that an embattled ministry is to still care for the
advancement of the kingdom. We also see
in this passage that an…
III.
Embattled ministry still cares for the people of
the kingdom (vv. 21–22).
But that you also
may know about my circumstances, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother
and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you. I have
sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that
he may comfort your hearts.
He instructs Christians in v. 18 to pray for all
Christians. He wants them to have a
concern for their fellow believers. He
certainly cares for them, knowing the Ephesians will have many questions. So, he sends along someone dear to him to go
in his stead and give the Ephesians a detailed report.
As an aside, some have noted how odd it is that this letter
doesn’t contain much in the way of personalization to his former church. This is likely due to his desire to see this
letter circulated among many churches.
He sends someone he cares about along to personally report to those dear
to him.
A.
Paul cares for those with him
Paul now turns to mention Tychicus. We encounter this name several times in the
New Testament. For instance, in Acts
20:4, we read Tychicus is among those who accompanied Paul to Macedonia. Here, he serves as the courier for this very
letter, as well as Paul’s epistle to the church of Colossae (cf. Col 4:7–9).
Who was this man? He
is a Gentile who came to Christ in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He and Paul grew close, with Tychicus
partnering with Paul and accompanying him in missions work. He even journeyed with Paul to Jerusalem with
the famine relief funds. When Paul was
imprisoned in Rome, Tychicus was there, so he was in a unique position to fill
in many of the blanks for the Ephesians and Colossians.
We should note also how the apostle views this man. Paul calls him here “the beloved brother,” and
we can see why. While we don’t live for
the accolades of others, we should still strive to be known as “beloved” to
others, serving where we can. Moreover,
Paul recognizes this his fellow-worker and loves him for it.
He also describes Tychicus as a “faithful minister in the
Lord.” It’s not clear from this verse if
he was an official deacon or minister as an office-holder, but he certainly is
operating in that way. We see that he
can serve by bringing the letter and comforting the readers concerning
Paul. This is what we want to hear from
Christ on that last day, but it is also welcome to hear this from other saints.
Of course, as we’ve already noted, Paul sends Tychicus
because he cares for the well-being of other churches. That leads us to the next point.
B.
Paul cares for those who aren’t currently with
him.
Paul sends Tychicus so “that you also may know about my
circumstances, how I am doing.” Paul’s
said all he needs to say to the church in general, but many at Ephesus may have
specific questions concerning their former pastor. He says that Tychicus “will make everything
known to you.” He continues to note that he sent Tychicus “to you for this very
purpose, so that you may know about us.”
Paul is not alone.
Obviously, Tychicus has been there, as has Onesimus and others. There is ministry continuing there, but Paul
is not forgetful of his previous ministries.
Indeed, we can see how much he still cares for his former church by revisiting
his prayer in 1:15–23:
For this reason I too, having heard
of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists
among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you,
while making mention of you in my
prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray
that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what
is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance
in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who
believe. These are in accordance with
the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when
He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority
and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but
also in the one to come. And He put all
things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to
the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
He wants the Ephesians to continue to grow in the grace of
the Lord. So, another reason he sends
Tychicus is to “comfort” or encourage their hearts. This is an interesting term; parakaleō,
which can mean to implore or exhort (cf. 4:1) also means to comfort and
encourage. Jesus uses the noun form of
this word in John 14:16, where He says, “I will ask the Father, and He will
give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” The Holy Spirit brings conviction and comfort
to our lives, and often, He works through men like Tychicus.
IV.
Conclusion
We’re in a spiritual battle, but it seems like many churches
in certain democratic nations realized it for the first time a few years
ago. In the providence of God, churches
across the world today were fighting on the same front as governments asked and
then demanded that we not to meet in person — for our own safety, of course. If they don’t repeat it with this year’s
fresh COVID-19 variant, then they might have another virus, or climate change
concerns, or something else. We won’t comply,
for Christ is Lord of the church, not Caesar.
Yet, we must remember the deeper spiritual battle, the one
that is not flesh and blood. So, the
best tool we have is to pray. Pray for
how to share the gospel with those thinking about death right now, for the
furtherance of the kingdom. Pray that
God can use you can to be an encouragement to those who need to hear it. Seek the Lord’s help as we seek to navigate
the difficulties of life, for we always need His help.