# 4 of 6
A soldier's shield was one of the most important pieces of his equipment. The Greek Spartan values his shield even more than his spear or sword. A shield was often made of wood to make it light weight and coated with bronze or iron to deflect most attacks. Shields varies in size depending on the role. Later, as armies discovered the shields were made of wood, they would unleash piercing arrows lit on fire. This would penetrate the soft coating of bronze, and the fire would burn through the wood frame of the shield. And with the shield gone, by the time armies clashed, the soldier was open to take a blow. So to counter that, Romans in particular would wrap thier shields in leather instead of bronze and soak the leather in water. This would extinguish the fiery arrows upon contact.
A shield was often carried on the back and brought out when in the combative stance. Simply carrying a shield meant nothing. It needed to be out and ready for use, or it didn't do its job. In order for a soldier to be protected, he needed to put his whole body withing the confides of the shield. Often, armies would launch volleys of arrows, sometimes so many it appeared it would blot out the sun. If any part of the body stuck out from the shield, it was hit.
As Christians, our faith is our shield. What is Faith? Hebrews defines it as the hope for the things unseen, an assurance that what is not happening now is going to happen and the mindset that is it already done. Faith is not just belief. Faith requires an object. You can believe anything you want. Flying is a great example. I can believe that an airplane will fly. I can stand on the run way, believe it will fly, but I don't really know that it will until I see it happen. But I exercise faith when I step into the airplane and take off.
Jesus said if we had faith the size of a mustard seed... People always talk about having more faith. Jesus wasn't saying we needed more faith. He was saying we had no faith whatsoever. He was drilling the point that it is not the amount of faith, but the object of what we are putting our faith in. If our faith is in Jesus, no matter how much it is, we will be able to say to this mountain move, and it will move.
Faith also has no doubts. You must be 100% behind the object of your faith or it is not protecting you. Doubt is when you don't trust your shield to protect you, so you look for other shelter. When we doubt God's Word, we are actually seeking the protection of something other than God from the evil in this world. Trust God and know that he will protect you from the fiery darts the enemy throws at us. The shield doesn't work until the arrow or the sword actually hits it. And we always jump right before. Stay behind the Shield of Faith and it will stand against any blow it receives.
Next post is the Sword of the Spirit
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Feet of the Gospel of Peace
# 3 out of 6
Just as important as the weapon in the hand of a soldier is their feet. Many people think sword battle is all about arm strength, but more so than anywhere else, is the strength of the legs. In sport fencing, it is the feet that set up the distance to time attacks and defenses. The feet need to bring you forward and backwards, sometimes changing directions in the blink of an eye. They must be fast and fencers must practice their footwork more than any other area. Why? They have to be able to do thier footwork subconsciously, without thinking about it and concentrate on their opponent. If a fencers thinks about thier footwork, the sport is too fast for them to react and they are hit. Fencers also must wear proper shoes and knickers. This protects their legs and feet, while also given them the flexiblity in the legs to move at high speeds. The shoes are also of upmost importance as the feet need to be light and agile. If a fencer wears heavy boots, or if women wear high heels, they can't move with any kind of speed, and they will never be able to get thier distance right, let alone successfully execute a lunge.
As Believers in Christ, the Gospel of Peace is our footwork. We have to know the Gospel so well that we are ready to give an answer by instinct without having to think about it. If we have to think about what we are going to say, or try to dig back into the depths of our memory, we will lose our witnessing power. Isaiah tells us "beautiful are the feet that brings Good News". The Good News is the Gospel of Peace. Peace is not a lack of war, like darkness is a lack of light. War is the lack of peace. Peace is also an understanding that even if you don't know what will happen, this is the thing that needs to be done. Be a peace-maker by standing confident in what you believe and following the Word of God, but don't be a peace-lover by compromising your faith and settling for something short-lived and won't last.
Next post will be the Shield of Faith.
Just as important as the weapon in the hand of a soldier is their feet. Many people think sword battle is all about arm strength, but more so than anywhere else, is the strength of the legs. In sport fencing, it is the feet that set up the distance to time attacks and defenses. The feet need to bring you forward and backwards, sometimes changing directions in the blink of an eye. They must be fast and fencers must practice their footwork more than any other area. Why? They have to be able to do thier footwork subconsciously, without thinking about it and concentrate on their opponent. If a fencers thinks about thier footwork, the sport is too fast for them to react and they are hit. Fencers also must wear proper shoes and knickers. This protects their legs and feet, while also given them the flexiblity in the legs to move at high speeds. The shoes are also of upmost importance as the feet need to be light and agile. If a fencer wears heavy boots, or if women wear high heels, they can't move with any kind of speed, and they will never be able to get thier distance right, let alone successfully execute a lunge.
As Believers in Christ, the Gospel of Peace is our footwork. We have to know the Gospel so well that we are ready to give an answer by instinct without having to think about it. If we have to think about what we are going to say, or try to dig back into the depths of our memory, we will lose our witnessing power. Isaiah tells us "beautiful are the feet that brings Good News". The Good News is the Gospel of Peace. Peace is not a lack of war, like darkness is a lack of light. War is the lack of peace. Peace is also an understanding that even if you don't know what will happen, this is the thing that needs to be done. Be a peace-maker by standing confident in what you believe and following the Word of God, but don't be a peace-lover by compromising your faith and settling for something short-lived and won't last.
Next post will be the Shield of Faith.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Breastplate of Righteousness
# 2 out of 6 in the Armor of God Series
The second piece of the Armor of God is the Breastplate of Righteousness. The role of the breastplate is as straight forward as can be. It is a metalic plate, made of bronze in the Greek era, iron or bronze in the Roman era that protected the vital organs in the front of the torso. It is important to note that these breastplates did not cover the back because the Greek and Roman soliders were never expected to turn their back to an enemy. Thier formations in the army prevented them from being surrounded easily so they always faced thier opponents. Having the back open allowed air to come through so they could breath in thier hot armor.
As Christians, we wear Righteousness as our breastplate. The Bible does not equate righteousness with perfection, but as either a lifestyle or an identity. As a lifestyle, Abraham is an example we can use. He lived by faith and was considered righteous. Job was also considered righteous. They trusted in the Lord, and even when they sinned, they still sought after God. However, an area of sin in our lives is like a chink in the breastplate. Modern day fencers teach very accurate point control with our weapons, especially in epee, the derivative of the dueling sword. We are taught to hit at very specific points on the body and not just anywhere we can. The enemy, Satan, is very good at specifying where he wants to hit. So any weakness we have in our defenses due to a sin that we have not dealt with is like wearing a target saying "hit me".
Righteousness is also revealed in the context of identity. When Jesus died and rose again, he did that so we might become the righteousness of God. Under the blood covenant of the cross, Jesus took the punishment that was due to every one of us. And when we stand blameless before the Throne of Heaven, we are viewed as Righteous. God must see a pure, white heart in us into order to be able to dwell in our midst. But sin made our heart red as scarlet. But Jesus' blood covers our sin. And if you look at a red object through a red lens, you see white. This is how God sees us. He looks at us through the lens of Christ's blood and seeing white, he calls us righteous.
Next will be the Feet of the Gospel of Peace.
The second piece of the Armor of God is the Breastplate of Righteousness. The role of the breastplate is as straight forward as can be. It is a metalic plate, made of bronze in the Greek era, iron or bronze in the Roman era that protected the vital organs in the front of the torso. It is important to note that these breastplates did not cover the back because the Greek and Roman soliders were never expected to turn their back to an enemy. Thier formations in the army prevented them from being surrounded easily so they always faced thier opponents. Having the back open allowed air to come through so they could breath in thier hot armor.
As Christians, we wear Righteousness as our breastplate. The Bible does not equate righteousness with perfection, but as either a lifestyle or an identity. As a lifestyle, Abraham is an example we can use. He lived by faith and was considered righteous. Job was also considered righteous. They trusted in the Lord, and even when they sinned, they still sought after God. However, an area of sin in our lives is like a chink in the breastplate. Modern day fencers teach very accurate point control with our weapons, especially in epee, the derivative of the dueling sword. We are taught to hit at very specific points on the body and not just anywhere we can. The enemy, Satan, is very good at specifying where he wants to hit. So any weakness we have in our defenses due to a sin that we have not dealt with is like wearing a target saying "hit me".
Righteousness is also revealed in the context of identity. When Jesus died and rose again, he did that so we might become the righteousness of God. Under the blood covenant of the cross, Jesus took the punishment that was due to every one of us. And when we stand blameless before the Throne of Heaven, we are viewed as Righteous. God must see a pure, white heart in us into order to be able to dwell in our midst. But sin made our heart red as scarlet. But Jesus' blood covers our sin. And if you look at a red object through a red lens, you see white. This is how God sees us. He looks at us through the lens of Christ's blood and seeing white, he calls us righteous.
Next will be the Feet of the Gospel of Peace.
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Belt of Truth
For the next few posts, I will be going over each piece of the Armor of God, what the fuction of each piece is for a soldier in combat, and how it applies to our life. Today, the Belt of Truth.
The belt has several functions. One is to keep the Roman soldier's tunic from flapping around in battle. Without the belt it could swing out and catch on another weapon or be grabbed by an enemy. The tunic could also fly up, blinding the soldier. The belt also bore the soldier's arms. The sword's sheath slid onto the belt and it also allowed for the stashing of numerous secondary weapons and tools. In Biblical times, when a blood covenant was made, the two parties would exchange belts as a symbol of resources and tools being made available to each other. It also meant that each party would make a stand and fight for the other when in trouble.
In our Christian walk, Truth is our belt. It is more than just speaking the truth. It is Integrity. It is living in honesty and truthfulness. It is truth that sets the boundaries which gives us the freedom to move about. The truth also holds our spiritual weapons and allows us to wield our spiritual tools. Integrity and honesty in terms of covenants are the bindings that hold it all together. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we come into a blood covenant with him. And we exchange our resources, which are very limited if any, with his, which are infinite. His belt is Truth and in order to carry his resources, we have to carry his belt. Because only his belt is designed to carry his tools. As a dress belt is not designed to carry a myriad of carpenter's tools or an electrician's tools, so our belts are not capable of carrying God's tools. So we must wear the Belt of Truth in order to carry and wield the gifts, abilities, and tools that God gives us.
So that is an overview of the Belt of Truth. Tomorrow (hopefully) I will cover the Breastplate of Righteousness. From there I will go into the Feet of the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Sword of the Spirit, and the Helmet of Salvation.
The belt has several functions. One is to keep the Roman soldier's tunic from flapping around in battle. Without the belt it could swing out and catch on another weapon or be grabbed by an enemy. The tunic could also fly up, blinding the soldier. The belt also bore the soldier's arms. The sword's sheath slid onto the belt and it also allowed for the stashing of numerous secondary weapons and tools. In Biblical times, when a blood covenant was made, the two parties would exchange belts as a symbol of resources and tools being made available to each other. It also meant that each party would make a stand and fight for the other when in trouble.
In our Christian walk, Truth is our belt. It is more than just speaking the truth. It is Integrity. It is living in honesty and truthfulness. It is truth that sets the boundaries which gives us the freedom to move about. The truth also holds our spiritual weapons and allows us to wield our spiritual tools. Integrity and honesty in terms of covenants are the bindings that hold it all together. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we come into a blood covenant with him. And we exchange our resources, which are very limited if any, with his, which are infinite. His belt is Truth and in order to carry his resources, we have to carry his belt. Because only his belt is designed to carry his tools. As a dress belt is not designed to carry a myriad of carpenter's tools or an electrician's tools, so our belts are not capable of carrying God's tools. So we must wear the Belt of Truth in order to carry and wield the gifts, abilities, and tools that God gives us.
So that is an overview of the Belt of Truth. Tomorrow (hopefully) I will cover the Breastplate of Righteousness. From there I will go into the Feet of the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Sword of the Spirit, and the Helmet of Salvation.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Pictures of Fencing Presentation
I've gotten some pictures of the presentation I did this past Thursday. This one is of me demonstrating the Encortada (see post below) and explainging how forgiveness enables you to evade the intended hit and lets the offender deal with God and his word (the Sword of the Spirit).
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Fencing Ministry at a Girl's Refuge Center
This past Thursday, I was given a wonderful opportunity to bring fencing to war-torn Juarez, Mexico. I was involved in leading a mission team from Arkansas and Thursday, we went to one of their favorite places, a girl's refuge center, where girls as young as 9 are pulled off the streets, bad home situations, and worse. They live in a lock-down facility that protects them from the dangers of the streets and even themselves, but they are taught the love of Jesus and this team has been visiting them several times a year for six years. God laid on my heart to speak to the girls, using fencing to illustrate my points.
I used three fencing actions to illustrate life lessons with a spiritual warfare theme. The first is a very powerful move and demonstrates how our enemy, Satan, tries to get our attention focused on one area in our lives, when his real target is somewhere else. The second is a real quick attack that is designed to look like an arrow, and it resembles the fiery darts that the enemy throws at us. The third was my main one, which is a counter-attack that also evades the attack. I used this to illustrate forgiveness and that when we forgive, the intended blow misses entirely and the enemy falls on the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, without any chance to recover. In this I used a sparing partner with no experience, and emphasized that he could not have done the actions he did unless I showed him how. The same is true with forgiveness. We know how to forgive because God forgave us first.
This presentation had a huge impact on the team and the girls. I had at least 5 people come up to me saying they learned something deep and profound from it that they never knew in years of thier faith. Not a single person had anything to say about it they didn't like and God showed up in style through me. I sought to get it video recorded, but the guy operating my camera didn't realize it wasn't recording, but his son got at least part of it before he ran out of memory. He is going to see who else had cameras rolling and get me as much of a complete recording as he can. When that comes in, I will post it here. God is so good and he's got much more than this planned for me.
I used three fencing actions to illustrate life lessons with a spiritual warfare theme. The first is a very powerful move and demonstrates how our enemy, Satan, tries to get our attention focused on one area in our lives, when his real target is somewhere else. The second is a real quick attack that is designed to look like an arrow, and it resembles the fiery darts that the enemy throws at us. The third was my main one, which is a counter-attack that also evades the attack. I used this to illustrate forgiveness and that when we forgive, the intended blow misses entirely and the enemy falls on the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, without any chance to recover. In this I used a sparing partner with no experience, and emphasized that he could not have done the actions he did unless I showed him how. The same is true with forgiveness. We know how to forgive because God forgave us first.
This presentation had a huge impact on the team and the girls. I had at least 5 people come up to me saying they learned something deep and profound from it that they never knew in years of thier faith. Not a single person had anything to say about it they didn't like and God showed up in style through me. I sought to get it video recorded, but the guy operating my camera didn't realize it wasn't recording, but his son got at least part of it before he ran out of memory. He is going to see who else had cameras rolling and get me as much of a complete recording as he can. When that comes in, I will post it here. God is so good and he's got much more than this planned for me.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Using Sport Fencing for Ministry
If God is able to use a donkey to speak to Balaam, or if he is able to use a scared, timid, stuttering, angry, complaining Moses to lead a million people out of the most poweful nation in the world at that time, he can use any one of us, no matter our circumstances, abilities, or skills.
I am one that most people would have considered to be un-useable. When I was six, I could not run and could barely walk. I have Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism. I stutter. The list goes on. But through all this, God has given me a gift: the ability to do sport fencing.
In fencing for 12 years, in the last six, God has shown my how to use the sport as a tool to reach out to other people. I have been doing demonstrations and presentations in Juarez, Mexico through International Family Missions which has become a huge hit. I put on a very powerful spiritual warfare skit that has had a massive impact on hundreds of lives. And now, I am in the stages to take it even further.
I may have an opportunity to practice this calling this week as I will be serving along side a mission team from Arkansas in Mexico and should that happen, I will be posting what I did, how it turned out, photos and video. And may God bless this work that only HE could have initated.
I am one that most people would have considered to be un-useable. When I was six, I could not run and could barely walk. I have Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism. I stutter. The list goes on. But through all this, God has given me a gift: the ability to do sport fencing.
In fencing for 12 years, in the last six, God has shown my how to use the sport as a tool to reach out to other people. I have been doing demonstrations and presentations in Juarez, Mexico through International Family Missions which has become a huge hit. I put on a very powerful spiritual warfare skit that has had a massive impact on hundreds of lives. And now, I am in the stages to take it even further.
I may have an opportunity to practice this calling this week as I will be serving along side a mission team from Arkansas in Mexico and should that happen, I will be posting what I did, how it turned out, photos and video. And may God bless this work that only HE could have initated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)