15.	What are you going to do the moment you face temptation? 

16.	Paul gives us a test case on how to face temptation. What is the temptation that Paul faced?

17.	What truth does he affirm in the face of this temptation?

18.	What request does he make?

Notice that Paul not only prays, but he also asks for prayer from other Christians. That’s what we need to do. When we face temptation we need call on other Christians so they can:
	speak truth to us, arming us for the fight
	pray for us

Conclusion 
Look at verse 10: ‘Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.’ We are not alone. We are not defenceless. We can stand in the mighty power of Jesus if only we will go to him for protection.

Read Ephesians 1:19-23

Prayer

 	Ask God to equip each person in the group with particular items of the armour of God.
	Think back to the changes you would like to make. Pray that you might stand firm as you face the future.

Homegroup Questions
The Church as Community – September 2006

Ephesians 6:10-24
Magdalen Road, September 2006

1.	What were the highlights of the church weekend? (This can include anything that took place including funny incidents.)
2.	What lessons did you learn from the weekend?
3.	What changes are you personally going to make?
4.	What changes would you like us as a church to consider?

If members of your group were not at the weekend, this is chance to bring them up to speed.

5.	What are going to be the obstacles to change?
6.	What are the challenges facing our church as we try to reach people with the gospel?

Read Ephesians 6:10-12

7.	What do these verses tell us about the Christian life?
8.	How does this description of the Christian life match your own experience?
9.	How do people think of the devil in our society?
10.	How is the devil described in verses 11-12?

We are in a battle. It is a struggle. Struggle is normal. Our opponent is the devil and his evil, unseen powers. The world around us views the devil either as a bit of a joke or as a spooky, wizard-like figure. The Bible takes the devil seriously. He is for real.

Optional Extra
What are ‘the strategies of the devil’? Look at Genesis 3:1-6; Zechariah 3:1; Matthew 13:19; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Timothy 2:25-26; and 1 John 3:7-10.
The devil can possess people. But that’s not his normal way of operating. His normal way of operating is spreading lies. So splashing holy water against evil spirits or worrying about little red things with horns is all a distraction from the devil’s work: putting lies into our heads.	

God calls the lies of the devil his ‘fiery arrows’. God provides two defences to help us stand firm against the fiery arrows of the devil’s lies.

A. The truth

Read Ephesians 6:13-17

11.	Look at each piece of the armour of God. Think of a typical lie of the devil that each item protects us against.
you need this person to like you	God is bigger & better	the belt of truth	
you can’t help doing it	you have a new life	the body armour of righteousness	
you need to be accepted	we are reconciled to God	the shoes of peace	
God isn’t around when you need him	faith in an unseen God	the shield of faith	
this (sin) will make you feel great	we have a better hope	the helmet of salvation	

God ends the list with ‘the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God’ = the Bible. The Bible is where we find God’s truth. In the book of Psalms it says: ‘I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.’ (Psalm 119:11). We are to store God’s word in our hearts; put it there; locked it up; we fill our heart with God’s word. And we keep God’s word in our hearts so that we might not sin. It’s not a magic process. It’s not like a spell – memorise a Bible verse and you have a charm to ward of sin. It’s not a reward – read your Bible for 20 minutes and God will give you a good day. It’s because the protection against lies is truth. The protection against the devil’s lies is the truth of God’s word. The armour against the devil’s fiery arrows is the sword of the Spirit. Remember any thought that leads towards sin is a lie. And for every lie there is a truth. So get hold of that truth. It’s your shield. It’s your sword. It will protect you. It will enable you to stand firm.

12.	Share some practical ways in which we can hide God’s word in our hearts.
Ideas might include things like:
	reading the Bible every day
	memorising Bible verses – perhaps through song
	studying the Bible with other Christians
	have Christians who can speak the truth to you – especially when the devil’s lies are buzzing round your head
	thinking about God when you are tempted

13.	God is addressing a Christian community – not individual Christians on their own. We stand together. How can we use the armour of God to help one another? (Remember what we looked at in Ephesians 4.)

Optional Extra
Read Matthew 4:1-10. How did Jesus use the Bible when he faced the devil?	

B. Prayer

Read Ephesians 6:18-20

14.	Verse 18 is literally: ‘at all times … on all occasions … with all perseverance … for all believers’. What does this mean in practice?
We are never out of the battle and so we should never be long without prayer. Prayer should be woven into the fabric of our lives.