Boot Camp
Pastor Rick Sowell from Toledo, Ohio is conducting revival meetings at our church. Preacher So Well as our Pastor described him gave us these four points on Wednesday night. Referring to Ephesians chapter 6 about putting on the whole armour of God he noted that putting on the armour comes at the end of the Epistle. Because first the Christian has to have basic training before he is sent out to war. Soldiers go to boot camps when they are first recruited. There they undergo hard and basic training until they learn to obey orders with eyes closed. They are exposed to harsh living conditions, every comfort is taken away while they train over and over and over again for the battle field. When David was a young lad and Goliath was threatening the nation, he was offered the full armour of King Saul for the battle, but he couldn't wear it because it was too heavy for him. However, later on when David had matured into a strong man after God's own heart, Samuel gave him the giant sword of Goliath, and this time it was not heavy for him. The four points or four factors which are included in the basic training are as follows:
Ephesians 4: 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.
The pastor called this the Pursuit Factor. As a Christian, you must change direction in life. Don't pursue the vain things of this world. Don't go that way. If the world wants to go right, you go left.
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.
Factor two. The Procrastination Factor.
Postpone things he said, if you want to take a literal explanation of the words "put off". You can deceive your flesh, and decide to put things off for the next day may, and the next day tell your flesh that you will do what it likes but put it off again to the afternoon for example, and so on until you learn to put off the things of the flesh completely away.
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Factor three. The Pretense Factor I believe this was. Put on even if you fake it. Tell yourself you are going to do something, and you will end up doing it. Do the right thing even if you don't like it.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of...
This is the fourth factor, the Persistence Factor. Persist in doing the right things. Notice the links with lying, is anger, stealing, corrupt communication (foul language) etc.
Once you have passed all these factors we read in Chapter 6 the following:
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For 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.
Christian: Have you been trained in forsaking the ways of the world, its vanity and deceitful lusts. Boot camp training makes you fit to put on the full armour of God and go out to battle for the Lord and his coming Kingdom.
