The overarching theme for Vision 2023 of The Church of Pentecost is POSSESSING THE NATIONS, where the church makes the attempt to become the church whose members are equipped to go out to possess or take their nations by influencing every worldview, thought and behaviour with kingdom principles and lifestyles, thereby turning many to Christ. The church exists first and foremost to win souls for the kingdom of God. Winning souls here means bringing individuals out of Satan’s bondage of sin and darkness into God’s glorious and marvellous light.
Apostle Paul sees this position and responsibility of the church as a big one and a kind of battle between two kingdoms – Satan’s kingdom of darkness which includes the acts like idolatry, LGBTQ++ and the likes and God’s kingdom of light which is eternal life given through His only begotten son, Christ Jesus. However, this battle is not a physical one. Apostle Paul says “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12 KJV). From this text, we see Apostle Paul emphasising that the battle is not a physical one. Based on this text, he tells the church (the army of God) to stand. If the church of God is considered an army with the task of winning souls from the kingdom of darkness to God’s kingdom of light, then we all must rise boldly to this demand and the expectations from God.
It is against this backdrop that Apostle Paul charges the church in Ephesians to put on the whole armour of God. Putting on the whole armour of God puts us (the church of God) in battle readiness to stand the schemes of the enemy.