April/May 2019 - Vol. 103

Sword of
                  the Spirit Assembly meeting in Lisbon, Portugal 2018 
Being a Bulwark that Serves God's Purposes
..The household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth”
– 1 Timothy 3:15

In This Issue

The Lord Jesus came to establish a New Covenant sealed by the blood he shed for us on the cross to reconcile us to God the Father in one Body, the Body of Christ, and one Spirit who makes us a Living Temple and dwelling place of God. We are called to be "living stones.. built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). That is why the Apostle Paul in his First Letter to Timothy describes the Christian people as ..the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

This issue focuses on the image of the Christian people as a "bulwark" of "living stones" joined together in unity as disciples of Jesus Christ. The Sword of the Spirit is a network of Christian covenant communities who have been called to be part of a bulwark to defend the truth of the Gospel and to stem the tide of evil sweeping across the earth.

Steve Clark, a key founder of the Sword of the Spirit, in his article On Mission: Being a Bulwark, describes what we are called to do as a bulwark and community of disciples on mission:

“We are called to live, work and strive, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that others might have true life in Christ, now and forever.”  Note that there is a purpose to our calling  for others to have true life in Christ, now and for all eternity. We have a treasure:  we have discovered what true life is really about  life with God, life God’s way. We are called to be coworkers with God, to use the Apostle Paul’s phrase, to bring others to that life. This is foundational to all that we do in mission.  We are not always expressly evangelistic, of course. We do not start every day by preaching the gospel or spend it calling people up on the telephone to talk about Christ. We may do that sometimes, but all that we do, the very way we live our lives, is so that others might have true life in Christ, now and forever.
May this issue inspire, encourage, and call each of us to pray earnestly and strive to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3).

Sincerely in Christ,
Don Schwager
editor


top photo of the Assembly of senior leaders of the Sword of the Spirit communities meeting in Lisbon, Portugal last May 2018
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