Next week from July 24 – 28 from 9 AM to 12 noon we will be hosting our 2023 VBS program – “Keepers of the Kingdom!” This Vacation Bible School will focus on the spiritual warfare that is happening all around us today and the importance of our young people “standing strong in the Lord” in today’s battle for truth. The Scriptures that we will be using are found in Ephesians 6:10 – 18. We will be considering at some length with our students the importance of “putting on the full armor of God”. Paul starts this passage by stating, “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil,” (Eph. 6:10-12 NASB). When Paul begins to wrap up his letter he starts with the word “finally”. Paul is not appealing to us to use mere willpower or human strength. Human courage or valor is not adequate for the spiritual reality of the conflict that we are involved in.
God wants people to be delivered from the power of Satan and his forces. The good news for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ is that Satan and his forces have been disarmed and defeated by the cross and the empty tomb. It is however imperative that we must walk in the Lord and be strong in the strength of the Lord. He is the source of our strength, not our own physical or intellectual abilities. We must be connected to the infinite and eternal being, who has revealed Himself to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is so important that we realize God’s indwelling presence and walk in that during our vacation Bible school. We live and move and have our being and it’s imperative that the Lord Jesus be on board as we serve him this coming week. The idea of being “strong in the Lord”, has never been more needed than our current hour and day. We need the strength and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ even as we serve Him.
Paul’s challenge to us is the “put on the full armor of God” (v.11a). Why do we need the full armor of God today? Because our enemy is strong and because the days that we live in are very evil. The outcome of us putting on the full armor of God is very serious and yet many Christians are leaving their hearts and lives unprotected because they’re not utilizing all the resources that God has made available to them. May God find us faithful in our service to Him in this coming week and may our faithfulness be contagious to the boys and girls we will be working with for God’s glory and honor.
In the King’s service,
Pastor Rich Sivo
Comments