REFLECTION

In 1297 William Wallace led an army of Scotsmen to an iconic victory over the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. It was a decisive battle, which resulted in the English being driven out of Scotland. We do not know whether Wallace ever made a spine-tingling, awe-inspiring speech to his men before they went in to battle…….but Mel Gibson certainly did when he played Wallace in the 1995 film ‘Braveheart.’ In this film Wallace addresses his men, and asks them what they will do in the face of such an enemy. A stroppy peasant replies, “We will run away!” In response William Wallace passionately and fiercely reminds them just what they are fighting for, and why they should stay and take their stand. The drama is amazing, and it is listed as one of the top 10 movie speeches of all time. The action then turns to the battle itself. Wallace’s men were ill equipped, out-numbered and out-armoured, as they faced the full power and might of the English cavalry charging down on them. Wallace wants his men to stand their ground. As the hooves pound closer and closer he shouts ‘HOLD!’ and again ‘HOLD!’ And twice more, ‘Hold! Hold!’ At just the right moment, he then orders his army to respond and the rest……as they say…….is history.

Whilst I fear that at this moment you are tempted to switch off the podcast and begin searching Netflix for Braveheart, I would encourage you to listen a while longer on this Friday morning, as we look together at Ephesians 6 v10-17. Our theme today is ‘Know Your Enemy, Stand Your Ground, Get Equipped.’

In the UK our understanding of warfare, soldiers and armour comes mainly from books, films or museums. Whilst we see overseas conflict on the news, mercifully we do not see large battalions of soldiers marching the streets. This was not the case for the Christians in Ephesus. The Roman Empire expanded and maintained its rule through an army that at different points in time was between 125-250,000 men strong. Paul uses the language of armour and warfare to remind the Ephesian Christians that whilst they may have human, earthly enemies, their battle was against the Devil and the forces of evil at work in the world. This is no different to us today. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 5 v15, “the days are evil.” As Christians we need to know that, to know that we have an enemy who seeks to deceive us, to draw us onto a downhill slide away from God, and to bring division into the body of Christ. We need to know our enemy, not so that we can live in fear or run away, but in order that we can be on our guard and get ready to stand our ground.

Standing is active. When you stand you take action, you hold the line. The importance of standing our ground can be seen in the fact that Paul uses this analogy 4 times in verses 11, 13 and 14. But in order to stand effectively, you need to know why you are doing it. What are we standing for?

Perhaps the quickest way to find this out would be to re-read the entire letter to the Ephesians. Verse 10 is the beginning of Paul’s concluding statements. He uses the word “finally” but it could also be expressed as ‘in the light of everything I have written.’ Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is the equivalent of Wallace’s speech to his men. In it Paul clearly explains the Gospel – how we have been saved by grace, that through Jesus we have the promise of new life both now and into eternity, how we have been created to do good – to work for unity and peace, that we can be filled with God’s Holy Spirit, and that we should seek to share the good news of Christ with those around us, through our actions and our relationships.

These are the truths and the promises that we are standing for. The enemy may seek to distract us, to disable us, or divert us, but knowing that our salvation and freedom comes from Christ enables us to hold the line in the face of attack, and to stand firm.

Finally we need to get equipped,