Spiritual Warfare by Borgman and Ventura11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, makingsupplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:11-20
Again, Reformation Heritage Books offers an extremely practical and convicting work. Using Ephesians 6:10-20 as the Scriptural foundation and motivation for this influential book, authors Brian Borgman and Rob Ventura bring the reader verse by verse through these verses which emphasize the need to be dressed in the full armour of God.
An author is quoted in one of the early chapters of Spiritual Warfare...the quote basically emphasizes that it would be ridiculous for a soldier to refuse one or another portion of his protective armor; how can Christians think they can stand the 'wiles of the devil' without the 'full armor of God'?
I found Spiritual Warfare an easy read, yet a thought-provoking one as well.
The thirteen chapters are encouragingly easy short for the time-deprived reader. Each chapter finishes with probing questions which help the reader remember what was just learned as well as inspiring further study. I would recommend taking this book slowly and really pondering on each portion, answering the reflective questions in a notebook, devotional-style.
Description of the book from the website: Too often, Christians today either sensationalize the subject of spiritual warfare by obsessing over demon possession, exorcisms, binding the devil, and rebuking demons, or they minimize the idea and are unprepared for the real struggle they face against principalities and powers. Pastors Brian Borgman and Rob Ventura provide a balanced approach that exposes the fictions and superstitions surrounding this vital doctrine and at the same time reveal the unseen realities of this struggle. Basing their battle plan on Ephesians 6:10–20, the authors give an overview of the battle, a guide to the armor God gives us, and instruction regarding the vital wartime disciplines of prayer and proclamation of the Word. By learning to think biblically about this subject, Christians are enabled to deflect the blows of their adversary, fight sin, and live God-glorifying lives as followers of Jesus.
— Voddie Baucham Jr. pastor of preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas; author of Family Shepherds.
An author is quoted in one of the early chapters of Spiritual Warfare...the quote basically emphasizes that it would be ridiculous for a soldier to refuse one or another portion of his protective armor; how can Christians think they can stand the 'wiles of the devil' without the 'full armor of God'?
I found Spiritual Warfare an easy read, yet a thought-provoking one as well.
The thirteen chapters are encouragingly easy short for the time-deprived reader. Each chapter finishes with probing questions which help the reader remember what was just learned as well as inspiring further study. I would recommend taking this book slowly and really pondering on each portion, answering the reflective questions in a notebook, devotional-style.
Description of the book from the website: Too often, Christians today either sensationalize the subject of spiritual warfare by obsessing over demon possession, exorcisms, binding the devil, and rebuking demons, or they minimize the idea and are unprepared for the real struggle they face against principalities and powers. Pastors Brian Borgman and Rob Ventura provide a balanced approach that exposes the fictions and superstitions surrounding this vital doctrine and at the same time reveal the unseen realities of this struggle. Basing their battle plan on Ephesians 6:10–20, the authors give an overview of the battle, a guide to the armor God gives us, and instruction regarding the vital wartime disciplines of prayer and proclamation of the Word. By learning to think biblically about this subject, Christians are enabled to deflect the blows of their adversary, fight sin, and live God-glorifying lives as followers of Jesus.
About the Authors:
Brian Borgman is founding pastor of Grace Community Church in Minden, NV. He has written articles for The Southern Baptist Theological Journal, Reformation and Revival Journal and the Gospel Coalition. He has also written, My Heart For Thy Cause (Mentor, 2002) and Feelings and Faith (Crossway, 2009). He holds degrees from Biola University, Western Seminary and Westminster Seminary.
Brian Borgman is founding pastor of Grace Community Church in Minden, NV. He has written articles for The Southern Baptist Theological Journal, Reformation and Revival Journal and the Gospel Coalition. He has also written, My Heart For Thy Cause (Mentor, 2002) and Feelings and Faith (Crossway, 2009). He holds degrees from Biola University, Western Seminary and Westminster Seminary.
Rob Ventura is one of the pastors of Grace Community Baptist Church of North Providence, Rhode Island. He is a contributing author and blogger for Reformation 21 the online magazine of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and co-authored A Portrait of Paul on Reformation Heritage Books (2010). He has written articles for The Founders Journal and The Journal of Modern Ministry. He was also the editor of Greg Nichols’ book on Covenant Theology (Solid Ground Christian Books). He is a graduate of Reformed Baptist Seminary SC.
Since I realize that my opinion can hardly have much weight, I add the words of Paul Washer about this book:"Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced Perspective is a wake up call to every minister of Christ that our work is not merely academic or intellectual, but also spiritual and supernatural. We have forces arrayed against us that cannot be defeated with any human armament. I fear that this theme has been too often ignored by the biblical scholar and too often exaggerated by those whose conclusions are not grounded in the Scriptures. For this reason, this balanced treatment will be a tremendous benefit to pastor and layperson alike." - Paul Washer
Voddie Baucham recommends this book as well:“Spiritual Warfare is thoughtful, biblical, theological, accessible, and impactful. The book is exegetical and expository without feeling like a commentary or running homily. In it, authors Borgman and Ventura make much of Christ and what He has done without negating the reality of our adversary and the real danger he presents, as well as our call to faith, righteousness, prayer, and perseverance that flows directly from our Savior’s finished work. What a timely, refreshing, encouraging, convicting, and empowering book! I can’t wait to get it in front of our people.”— Voddie Baucham Jr. pastor of preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas; author of Family Shepherds.
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