Set For the Defense

The apostle Paul, while in prison, spoke of being in defense of the gospel. (Ph. 1:17) In the preceding book of Ephesians (though it was written later) he spoke of the whole armour of God that we should put on. How strange is it that when surveying the provisions given to us by God that the majority of the gear we don are "defensive" not offensive. Though the shield could be used as a battering ram, Paul stated that your faith should be used to quench the flaming arrows of the devil. Let's survey the armour provided to us:

Helmet of salvation
breastplate of righteousness
loins girt about with truth
feet shod with the preparation (readiness) of the gospel of peace.
shield of faith
the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God

Of all things, God has provided only one item as an offensive weapon, the Word of God. Many of you ministers, particularly the younger of this number may feel inadequately geared for this battle against principalities and powers. Yet it was the Word of God that our very Lord used in His own defense while in the wilderness facing temptation.
Perhaps what God desires for us to learn from this is very simply that a solid defense is just as formidable as the offense. Roman centurions would team up and form a nearly impenetrable wall. They could run over a garrison of soldiers with the momentum gained in this position.
God desires for you to be successful in the calling that He has placed on your life. Yet above all else, He desires for you to be a successful Christian as well. A preacher is only as strong as his Christian walk. A minister is only as mighty as his intimacy with Jesus. If we desire Apostolic authority in this last hour of mankind; we must come to the understanding that God has provided for you in salvation, righteousness, faith, the gospel, and truth all the defense you will need to succeed as a minister.
When the Roman guard donned his gear he was made aware by the weight of his armour the tremendous responsibility entrusted to him. Yet the armour was not only a reminder of his authority but his submission. If Rome no longer provided the helmet, or the breastplate - then the soldier was left vulnerable.
May the salvation given to you through the name, blood, and Spirit of Jesus - the righteousness imputed to you - the gospel that was delivered to you - the truth entrusted to you - and the faith imparted to you remind you of your "reasonable service" to the kingdom of God.
Being "set" in the Greek is the equivalent of the Hebrew word set. In the opening chapter of Genesis Moses said that God "set" the stars in their place. In the Hebrew, the word set means "to stay put; to remain until told to move or budge" The set defense of the gospel is given to Apostolic saints of God because of an unwavering devotion to God's Word. To remove any part of the Word of God is to cut our sword down to a shorter size. Yet, the Word of God is never cut down or trimmed. It is the same always. It takes a willing and devoted soldier to bear the weight of the Word of God. Perhaps this is why one of the qualifying factors for a bishop is that they must not be a novice. God will not place a rookie soldier in the place of a general or commander. God wants you to become battle experienced (battle hardened) against the enemy of your soul so that you can discern his workings.
Be grounded in the Word of God and you will be set for the defense of the gospel in the greatest of circumstances. God bless you and your ministry to be both productive and reproductive to His kingdom.