Continuing in the Passage
This section of scripture is not neatly divided into bundles that can be separated and taken in portions. Paul is continuing to talk about how to be strong, put on, take up, stand, and have in hand. The tools and methods are fleshing out what he wants for his brothers and sisters with regard to resisting evil. We concentrated on the armor with respect to these imperatives but after he talks about the armor, he still has some how’s. Those participles that modify the commands. We’ll get to that in a minute.
Other Areas of Learning
If you’ve hung out with me for a while, you know that I have a love of learning. Usually the means by which I learn is listening to lectures especially while I throw pots. Somehow the connection of my head and hands helps me to hear and understand better than other activities.
Even if I work on this puzzle, I don’t hear as well. And certainly I don’t hear well if I’m doing kitchen work, following recipes (loosely, because recipes are only suggestions).
The class I’ve been mulling over lately is one the Gracie brothers have put together about how to retain students in their Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools. Largely it’s information for potential new instructors (which I’m not) but there are principles that they have noticed which are applicable to almost any discipline. Principles that I think have their roots in scripture, whether the Gracie’s intended it or not.
Handy how wisdom is wise whether you know and love Jesus or you don’t.
Sixty/Forty
There is this principle Rener and Ryron call the 60/40 rule. If there is a technique being done and it’s 60% correct and 40% incorrect, call out and praise the correctness of the student’s effort. Limit the amount of verbal correction which breaks down a student’s confidence. They aren’t advocating not correcting, they’re advocating a strategy by which they inform the student of the errors.
These strategies are not the point here. If you’re curious about it, you can watch the first couple of the discussions for free if you sign into Gracie University. In general, what I want us to think about is how we are coaching ourselves in our daily lives. In particular, how we coach ourselves in our Bible study.
Remember how I pointed out last time we met that I can learn with you but I can’t learn for you? Bible study is primarily a solo effort. In certain times and places, you might be able to come together with other believers to discuss what you’ve learned, but the learning is taking place between you and God. You and your Bible.
What do you talk to yourself about when you’re learning? There’s always something running through your head: what is it? Can you notice the words? If there are any pronouns, what are they? Let’s ruminate on that as we proceed into our discussion of my own study today.
The Big Idea
Paul exhorts the audience to be strong, put on, take up, stand, and have in hand the armor of God. There have been a number of modifiers for how these commands should be done, and Paul concludes with two more modifiers: be praying and watching in prayer.
When we have repetition, what does that mean? Yes, the writer is emphasizing the importance of something. In our case here, Paul is emphasizing the importance of prayer, prayer, prayer. This sentence contains 24 words and 4 of those words mean “petition to deity.”
In conjunction with what I learned last time about preparation for the evil day, prayer and how to pray are at the forefront of Paul’s mind for his brothers and sisters. I want to learn more about what Paul is emphasizing.
Do All of This by Prayer
Paul modifiers aren’t new thoughts. All of this preparation is one thought to Paul. For study purposes, I have to take chunks of thought to keep it manageable. But in Paul’s mind, he hasn’t paused or changed thoughts since that finally back in Ephesians 6:10.
Greek Word Order
I’ve told you before that in my Logos Software I have a reverse interlinear panel I can have under my ESV. Wanting to hear Paul’s order of words (if he spoke English), I wrote out the sentence fragment that is Ephesians 6:18 using the Greek word order and leaving out the supplemental English words.
I don’t think there is anything profound to be gathered from this, but I’m telling you this is another way to try and get into the mind of Paul.
No Verbs
Even though it looks like there may be some verbs in there, there are not. There isn’t one “do ____” in the verse. Everything here is how Paul, writing through the Holy Spirit, wants the previous commands done. I’ve made a list.
If I read between the lines, I’d say that Paul wants God’s people to pray. All the praying and when praying, being watchful while being unremittingly persistent.
It almost sounds like prayer is work.
Prayer isn’t the Imperative
But remember that the prayer that Paul is calling out to isn’t an imperative here. He could have commanded his audience right here to pray. With verbs. He didn’t. His driving point is that he wants God’s people to be prepared for battle. And saving the best for last, he emphasizes that preparation (which is the over-arching, big idea imperative in this section) is accomplished with disciplined prayer.
The other modifiers are important, of course, but they are not repeated in the same way. Paul has an almost frantic desire for all preparation to be done through prayer. Based on Paul’s emotion that we can sleuth from the text, prayer is not some token cherry on the sundae. It’s foundational.
Side Note
I’m compelled in this moment of study and sharing with you to stop and confess to our God that I have not labored over prayer as I should. Not in a condemnation confession but a refreshed realization that with the preparation that I attempt, if I don’t pray fervently as Paul describes, I will be lacking a powerful tool available to me. How glorious to have study be head knowledge as well as a discipline that impacts my heart and changes my relationship with my God. For me, it isn’t a sterile mental exercise. End side note.
Supplication for What Purpose?
Do you know who Paul is? He’s the greatest missionary who ever lived. Preaching in person, writing when he was apart from his people, writing to people he never met, witnessing to prison guards, traveling to some of the edges of the known world all to spread the truth that Jesus lived a perfect life, was killed, and rose from the dead to save individuals from eternal damnation. G.O.A.T.
Why does Paul fervently urge prayer? For all the saints (Ephesians 6:19-20), but also so that words may be given to him. Words given to him! Is he serious? If Paul needs prayer that he would have words given to him, where in the world does that leave the rest of us? I looked more closely at what his prayer request consisted of.
Paul’s Prayer Request
Now the text doesn’t repeat the word word over and over, but the construction of the sentence looks like the prepositional phrases of to me, in opening, and to proclaim are all associated with the request that words may be given. So I tried to keep the concepts as units.
In English, what is repeated is the word boldly. It’s repeated twice. Which draws my attention to it. In English this word looks like a modifier for something else, doesn’t it? While these look like the same word in English, they are only the same root in Greek. Let’s have a look.
What’s Behind Boldly?
Yes, I enjoy knowing and learning about grammar, but I don’t think I know as much as I thought I did. This is the Dunning-Kruger Effect in action.
In Ephesians 6:19, the Greek behind the English is a noun that can behave as an adverb. The same English word in Ephesians 6:20 is a verb in the Greek. The one word in Greek requires the English phrase I may declare it boldly in order to convey the meaning. This is a great example of how translation is not a one-for-one code.
For the first instance, Paul requests the noun of confidence to open his mouth with words given to him. In the second instance, he requests the verb of speaking courageously. Hang on. I need to ponder this distinction.
I suppose it’s possible that Paul was saying two different things, but knowing our friend Paul, I suspect he was saying the same thing in different ways to get his point across. If there are distinctions between the two phrases, I don’t think we should get dogmatic about it. This is me not being dogmatic but thinking out loud with you, my fellow student of the Word.
Possible Distinction
It could be pure craziness on my part to imagine. However it can be useful to put ourselves in Paul’s sandals.
I wonder if Paul recognizes that he hasn’t got anything to say unless it’s given to him. So he needs the words and in conjunction with the words, the heart of a lion to open his mouth. Only slightly later from the time that he’s given words and he needs that lion mentality, he has to act. He’s the one who has to not only open his mouth but speak those words. The gospel can not be conveyed exclusively through our actions, it requires the words “you must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved” to be spoken.
For example, I can behave in such a way that my dear friend at the gym loves me and says I have “good energy” but until I open my mouth and say that Jesus is my Lord and my Savior, she doesn’t know that I’m not a self-serving religious person. Christianity is the only faith that doesn’t require me (or her) to behave a certain way in order to redeem myself. Every other faith is ultimately self-serving while Christianity allows me to rest in the salvation Jesus has paid for on my behalf and then invite others to join me. Not because it will gain me more salvation but because I’m grateful to God for his gift and want to share it with others.
In the end, I’m not sure Paul is asking for different things. Maybe more that he’s asking for two facets of the same gem of his witness to have greater clarity.
Reflection
In a way, I’ve already done some reflecting with you. Boundaries were fuzzy today, which kind of makes sense. Paul isn’t talking doctrine so much but life situations. He’s covered doctrine earlier and now the teaching is an outflow of those truths.
I do want to reflect further on the lessons I’ve learned from the power and necessity of prayer to be prepared for the evil day. My sorrow over my weakness and lack of preparation all because I was distracted by my own stuff and didn’t pray beforehand.
Testimony
You know from hanging out with me for over a year that I have some trauma and resultant fear over being in situations like small groups. Places where I have to interact with other believers. Particularly “zealous” women. Well, since the world seems to have ended as we knew it and we are in a new state of affairs, Jeremy and I have been trying to be a little more involved with a local church. I actually look people in the eye at church now and talk to them. Look at me go! You know that’s a hurdle I’ve tripped over before.
Another way we’ve been trying to be more involved is by attending a small group. Yikes. If you don’t suffer from social anxiety, I can’t tell you how happy I am for you. However, I do suffer from it. Last Wednesday we were scheduled to go. Well, Jeremy had to work emergency overtime that evening. The natural gas plant where he works had shut down and he had to get it running again. Even though my safe person (Jeremy) couldn’t go, I had to: I signed up to take the most important component of the meal.
Dessert, of course.
Missed Opportunity
In that small group, there is a lady who’s shared darkness and turmoil that is in her life. For the last several weeks she’s come and sat at the edge of the group quietly sniffling and wiping tears. Compelled to weep with those that weep, after the formal part of the small group I went and talked to her. But I only talked to her. Twice I had the impulse to pray and twice I suppressed the urge because I didn’t feel like I had the Right Things to Pray. I didn’t know what to pray for this woman. It’s all too horrible.
In that evil day, I didn’t have my feet ready with the good news of peace. I didn’t have the strength to stand at least in part because I was so absorbed with my own awkwardness. All because I didn’t prepare ahead of time. Preparation through prayer. I hang my head in sadness for the missed opportunity.
Redeemed Opportunity
As we say in our family: trauma teaches. I will be less likely to head out anywhere without the preparation of prayer. In fact, it just occurred to me, I’ve already put this into practice. My daughter, as you know, is attempting to get on her financial feet and move out on her own. Clothing has been a real challenge for her since thrift stores are no longer a helpful alternative.
By the way, did you know thrift stores don’t let you try clothing on anymore? and then they don’t let you return what doesn’t work either! I don’t see how they can accept donations if they don’t let you try items on or return. Does that make any sense to anyone else? Anyway…
I suggested to Nerissa that she try pants from Costco online because she’d spent at least $30 trying to find cheaper pants at the thrift store but none of them worked. So money gone and nothing to show for it. If she buys them new from Costco, at least she can return them and not lose her hard-fought money.
After a couple of days, her online attempts arrived and she excitedly pulled them from the packaging and was heading for the bathroom to try them on. “WAIT!” said I. And I hugged her and prayed for her that her pants would not only fit but make her feel glorious as a Daughter of the King should feel.
Paul emphasizes the how of preparation is largely prayer. I know that I don’t want to miss opportunities again for the lack of prayer.
Wrap Up
Our Bible Study Bite for today may feel a little squishy, touchy, feel-y, but I think it’s an important concept whether the topic is hermeneutics or being disciplined in exercise or any area of our lives. The 60/40 rule the Gracie’s talked about.
The Point in BJJ
In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the Gracie’s are proposing that as long as you keep coming to the dojo and getting exposed to techniques, you will learn. The first time you see it, you will only get some of the technique and very little of the principles. Next time, you will build on what you learned last time. By the time you’ve seen the technique 4 or 5 times, you will learn 95% of it. Not only that, in my experience, I will start to see principles that apply to other techniques. That will cause me to be able to learn other techniques more rapidly.
The Gracie’s are trying to get instructors to understand a gospel principle. They may not realize it, but they are highlighting an aspect of the character and nature of our God. A question Rener asks is, “Can you look at a technique being performed at 60% correctness and say ‘PERFECT!’?”
Because it is perfect when you consider all the hurdles the student leapt over to get to the mat to perform this foreign and uncomfortable position. The student didn’t walk by the gym this time. He didn’t sit on the sidelines just observing. She got the gi on and came out of the locker room and onto the mat even though she feels awkward and completely out of place.
It’s perfect at 60% because these students are OUT THERE TRYING!
In the Spiritual Realm
Our Father in Heaven is like that. Well, he’s like that and he’s so much more. He’s certainly not less.
The instructors don’t know the BJJ student’s backstory, but God does. He knows the hurdle of social anxiety for her to go to small group. His frame is weak and struggles to focus on reading in the Bible for more than 30 seconds but God knows that. God knows all the details of what has happened in his child’s life to get each of them to the place where she has actually stepped through the door into the small group and he has opened the Bible to actually read.
PERFECT! The effort of these folks, the effort YOU make, the effort I make? Be willing to look at feeble attempts and say 60% is BEAUTIFUL! Because our that’s how our Father looks at the effort.
Hey Baby
I’m sure you’ve heard the stories of parents raving about how their babies have learned to walk. Faltering steps. Falling. Getting back up. Wobbling and tottering over. Getting back up. Most of the babies in the world don’t stay there, do they? They keep trying. Watching and learning from experts in walking, they get up and give it another go each time. And no parent in their right mind will scoff, “Stupid baby. It’s easy, just get up and walk.”
Who Is the Best Coach?
If we, as students of the Word, keep coming back and trying we will learn better how to study. I always say that I’m my own best coach. Whose voice do I hear most often? My own. So I can know where I’ve been and what hurdles I’m leaping over to achieve my feeble attempts. I too can join with my Father in heaven who is pleased that I’m making the effort and say “Perfect” to myself.
Rather than spend time dwelling exclusively on the mistakes and foibles of our efforts to know our God, we should be rejoicing and praising the effort at all. By all means, learn how to learn about God, please! That’s why we’re sitting here together chatting. But as we are on our way to learning about God, be generous with yourself. Be generous with others.
Don’t dismiss the process of learning how to learn. We are not going to get the process down perfectly, maybe ever. And yet, we will be closer to learning about our God than if we’d not tried at all.
Thanks for studying with me today! If you’ve found anything helpful here, please like and subscribe. And if you know of other students of the Word, would you please share so we can all study and encourage each other with what we’re learning?
