As we began to address last week, we know from the clear prophecy of Scripture that the end of this age will be the hardest time the world has ever known. At the same time, we also know that it will be the most glorious for those who serve the Lord. For those who abide in the Lord, who have built their lives on His kingdom, there should be no fear of things to come. In fact, the hard times are birth pangs which will ultimately result in the birth of the kingdom of God on the earth. The "mother," through which the birth will come, will be the church.

We cannot really address the possessing of our Promised Land and what it means for the church without examining eschatology, which is the study of the prophecies of the end of this age. This is an often confusing and controversial subject. For this reason, a large percentage of the body of Christ simply avoids it now. This is easy to understand, but it is not really the way to deal with either confusion or controversy.

The fruit of the Spirit is listed in Galatians 5:22-23:
 

Last week we discussed how crucial it is to esteem the value of life. It is the reason why this was the first test of Solomon’s wisdom, as it is a value that is fundamental to wisdom. However, history teaches us that this is a value that gets harder to hold on to the more difficult the times become. At the end of this age, during the greatest times of trouble that the world has ever known, the devil, the one who was the murderer from the beginning, will be unleashing his last and most desperate fury upon the earth in an attempt to kill all that he can.

As we continue our study of the full armor of God, the second half of Ephesians 6:17 states that we must also take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The sword is part of the armor that is used for protection, but it is also the only offensive weapon that we have been given. First let us consider how it is used defensively.

Our text for this week is Ephesians 4:29:

The Great Commission was to make disciples, not just converts. This is defined as teaching them to observe everything that He has commanded us. Therefore, the true disciples of Christ will no doubt have a Christian worldview, which means to perceive the world as Christ does, through His eyes. However, studies have shown that as many as 65 percent of Americans claim to be “born-again Christians,” but as few as 6 percent actually have a Christian worldview. How can this be? Obviously, we are only making converts, not disciples.

As we have considered in one of our previous studies, there are a number of scriptures that illuminate a progressive walk and maturity in the Lord. One of these is II Peter 1:2-7:

We have been discussing that there is a nation within all nations beginning to emerge, which is God’s “holy nation.” This is where our true citizenship lies. If we are growing in the Lord, our identity will grow more in relationship to our fellow citizens of the holy nation than any other national, cultural, or even racial identity. Also, our hope will be more in the emerging holy nation than in any other human government.

Leadership comes on different levels. Armies tend to have ranks; Moses broke it down into leaders of tens, hundreds, and thousands. In Exodus12:38, we are told that Israel left Egypt as a "mixed multitude," but then they were quickly formed into "martial array" (see Exodus 13:18), which means military order. This was the first thing the Lord did to prepare Israel for making it through the wilderness and to possess their Promised Land. We can soon expect this to also happen in the church.