Lines of Communication
“...take the sword of the SPIRIT, which is the Word of God,
praying at all times in the SPIRIT…”
Communication wasn’t always as easy as it is today. Words in the past didn’t travel quite as quickly as they do now, and especially if you grew up with a “Party line” phone system. I can only imagine the AT&T brainstorming session when “Party line” became the official name for the situation when multiple neighbors shared a telephone line:
“Hmm. What can we call it so we don’t have to use Shared line, Gossip line, or Wait in line?”
“Well, when would a bunch of people want to talk all at once and there’s potential to overhear something you’re not supposed to?”
“Oh! I know! At a party!”
Party sounded fun. “Party line” it was.
And so any time we wanted to make a phone call in the late 1900’s, we’d silence the room, quietly lift the handset and put it to our ear to hear whether a neighbor was already talking. If they were in the middle of conversation, we’d have to make a decision: carefully put the handset back down so we wouldn’t interrupt, then wait 10 minutes and try again, OR cover the part that could betray the sound of our breathing and listen in until they were finished. Party for kids; hassle for adults.
A party line among neighborly residents might provoke frustration, but think about jammed lines of communication in a hostile military scenario. From the General to his soldiers, between comrades on the field, and back to the General again, split second decisions about strategy and relaying conditions at a battle site are of primary importance for victory. If lines of communication are blocked or cut, soldiers will be stranded.
Communication is the final theme in Paul’s description of what God supplies for our spiritual battle. God hasn’t just armored us and wished us well; He gave us His Word through the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit, the Word cuts like a sword in two ways: first, exposing our own hearts, and second, destroying our invisible enemy. But we block the lines of communication when we wield the Word apart from the Spirit’s intention, or when we don’t pick up the sword at all.
The Holy Spirit is the shared line among us as we exchange words, but we jam the lines of communication when we weaponize our own words like swords, soldier against soldier.
The Holy Spirit is the direct line to our Commander in Chief as we send word back to Him, but we cut the lifeline of communication when we neglect prayer.
If you’re a soldier feeling stranded, check your lines of communication. Your victory in battle today depends on it.
For more from Ephesians on the Word & the Spirit:
The Word guarantees a future through the sealing of the Spirit. 1:13, 14
God’s Word can be understood through insight given by His Spirit. 1:17,18
The Word became flesh, giving access to the Father through the presence of His Spirit. 2:11-18
God’s Word to His people is revealed by the authority of the Spirit. 3:4-6
His Word transforms us through the power of the Spirit. 3:14-20
The Word calls for love, made possible because of the unity of the Spirit. 4:1-6
God’s Word is a sword empowered by the Spirit against our spiritual enemies. 6:17
For more from Ephesians on our words in the Spirit:
Our words to each other can grieve the Spirit. 4:29-30
Our words to each other are best when under the influence of the Spirit. 5:18-21
Our words in conversation with God can be prompted by the Spirit. 6:18
Our words, as we share the gospel, can be emboldened by the Spirit. 6:19,20
