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Sabbath Afternoon

Read  for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 6:10-20; 1 Peter 4:1; 1 Peter 5:8; Isaiah 59:17; Isaiah 52:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Memory Text: “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:16-17, ESV).

In John Bunyan’s devotional classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress, written while he was in jail, Christian is escorted into a palace armory and shown “all manner of furniture [weaponry], which their Lord had provided for pilgrims, as sword, shield, helmet, breastplate, all-prayer, and shoes that would not wear out. And there was here enough of this to harness [fit] out as many men for the service of the Lord, as there be stars in the heaven for multitude.” Before Christian departs, he is again escorted into the armory where “they harnessed [fitted] him from head to foot with what was of proof [impenetrable], lest, perhaps, he should meet with assaults in the way.”

Bunyan’s writing in 1678 recalls a document written some 1,600 years earlier by the apostle Paul, the Epistle to the Ephesians, also composed in prison. In it the great missionary apostle imagines a great army, the church, visiting God’s armory and suiting up in the divine panoplia, the Greek term for full, head-to-toe armor. God’s armory holds enough of the finest weaponry for every soldier in His army to be “clad with northern steel from top to toe,” as they set forth to wage peace in His name.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 23.

Sunday–>

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Finding the Right Words

By Andrew McChesney

Alexei Arushanian, a 33-year-old Ukrainian national living in Poland, noticed a Bible and many other religious books in the apartment of the woman whose windows he was installing.

Alexei belonged to a group of church members who distributed Ellen White’s The Great Controversy. It was a difficult task with few receptive people, and he prayed for an opportunity to share a book in this home.

Image © Pacific Press

Then the woman, who was about 40 and lived alone, offered him a cup of tea. Alexei sat and sipped the tea as the woman went about her activities. She sang as she worked. Alexei prayed about what to do. Finally, he spoke.

“I see that you love to read books,” he said.

“Yes, I really love to read,” she said. “You might have noticed that I don’t have a TV. I read all the time.”

The woman resumed working and singing.

Alexei had an idea. “Are you a Christian?” he asked.

“Yes, I sing in a choir at church,” she said.

“I also go to church, at Foksal 8,” Alexei said, giving the address of the only Seventh-day Adventist church in Poland’s capital, Warsaw. “I’m a Protestant. I’m a Seventh-day Adventist.”

Seeing that the woman was listening intently, Alexei grew bolder.

“I’d like to give you a gift, a book about the history of Christianity,” he said. “It’s really interesting.”

The woman agreed to look at the book.

As Alexei took his tools out to the car, he worried that she wouldn’t open the door when he returned with the book. But she welcomed him back in. She was visibly impressed with the handsomely bound volume, and she immediately began to leaf through it. From the expression on her face, Alexei could see that she didn’t agree with everything that she saw.

“It’s up to you to accept or reject what’s in the book,” he said.

The woman accepted the book, saying, “Thank you very much.”

The pair spoke a little longer, and Alexei was filled with joy when he left. He was so happy that he had found a way to give her the book.

“I could have stayed silent,” he says. “But she had the right to decide whether to accept the book or not. My duty only was to offer it to her.”

This quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will go to the Trans-European Division, which includes Poland. Thank you for planning a generous offering.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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Further Thought:

 “Our work is an aggressive one, and as faithful soldiers of Jesus, we must bear the blood-stained banner into the very strongholds of the enemy. ‘We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.’ If we will consent to lay down our arms, to lower the blood-stained banner, to become the captives and servants of Satan, we may be released from the conflict and the suffering.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

But this peace will be gained only at the loss of Christ and heaven. We cannot accept peace on such conditions. Let it be war, war, to the end of earth’s history, rather than peace through apostasy and sin.” — Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald, May 8, 1888.

How does Ephesians 6:10-20 relate to the book of Revelation? The passage exhibits the same basic view of last-day events, or eschatology, as the battle motif in the book of Revelation (see Revelation 12:1-17, Revelation 16:12-16, Revelation 19:17-21, Revelation 20:7-10). In both, the people of God are under attack by the enemy who is “in heavenly places” and “is active and powerful in the present aeon” (or age). In both, the people of God are encouraged by “the picture of the future aeon.” Further, “both scenarios explicitly point to the final battle when the enemy will be conquered completely after which the new aeon will be established forever,” a new age in which “the final glorious state of the people of God” and “the eternal doom of the enemy” will be evident. (See Yordan Kalev Zhekov, Eschatology of Ephesians (Osijek, Croatia: Evangelical Theological Seminary, 2005), Pages 217, 233-235.)

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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Is this True, Somewhat True, or False? Our wrestling primarily is fighting against temptation. Join us for Lesson 12, The Call to Stand.

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What do you judge to be Paul’s purpose in listing a variety of titles for the evil spiritual powers depicted in Ephesians 1:21, Ephesians 3:10, and Ephesians 6:10-20?

Paul describes “our struggle” (Ephesians 6:12, NRSV), using a Greek word for the competition between wrestlers (palé). Since wrestling was regarded as excellent preparation for battle, this is an appropriate description of the weapon-against-weapon and hand-to-hand combat that takes place when armies clash. Paul is emphasizing the reality of believers’ close struggle against the evil powers.

Here are the titles he gives them:

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In his broad descriptions (“every name named,” Ephesians 1:21, LEB; “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places,” Ephesians 6:12, ESV) Paul does affirm that all evil and supernatural powers are subjugated to Christ (Ephesians 1:21). However, in any battle, it is never a good strategy to underestimate the forces on the opposing side. Paul warns that we do not just confront human enemies, but “spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NKJV), led by a wily general, the devil (Ephesians 6:11). However, while we must be on the alert against our powerful foes, we need not be daunted by them. God is present with us in the battle (Ephesians 6:10) and has supplied us with the finest of weaponry, His own armor, the “armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11; compare Isaiah 59:15-17). He has placed at our disposal His truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation, and the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:13-17). With God going before us and our being equipped from head to toe in the armor He has supplied, we cannot fail (Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 15:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:8).

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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