Ephesians 6

http://www.esvbible.org/Ephesians+6/

Paul gives some advice to children and parents here. First, he tells children to obey their parents because they are Christians. The Bible says to honor your mother and father that everything may go well for you and you will live long on Earth. This is not only a commandment but also a promise. He tells parents not to make children bitter about life but to bring them up according to Christian discipline and instruction.

Next, Paul gives advice to slaves and masters. He tells slaves to obey their Earthly masters like they would their Heavenly master. Paul does not approve of slavery; in fact, as we saw in Corinthians, he tells slaves to escape if they can so that they serve only God and not a human. Additionally, because we can treat everything we do as worship, Paul tells slaves not to do their work bitterly. If they obey and work hard as a way of worship, God's reward will await them in Heaven. Furthermore, masters should treat slaves with respect and never threaten them. Masters of slaves aren't true masters because we all belong to the master in Heaven. (Side note: as the Bible tells us to follow the laws of the land unless they contradict the Bible, don't take slaves because it is against the law. Besides, Paul is against slavery, so owning slaves is not in the Bible.)

Receive your power from the Lord. He will give you the armor and supplies that you will need in this world. Only by using what He gives you will you be able to defeat the Enemy. This is not a match against a human opponent; in fact, this is much more dangerous, so you better prepare your equipment. Once you do so, you will be able to take a stand against the evil in the world. When we overcome the obstacles, we are able to stand our ground. Paul talks about Spiritual Armor: the belt of truth, breastplate of God's approval, shoes of peace through the Good News, shield of Christian faith that block the flaming arrows of Satan, and the helmet of salvation. Pray in every situation. Prayer is talking with God, so it is obviously hugely important. Use prayer for any request. Nothing is too small for God to care about if you are truly passionate about it and it is in His character. Make requests for the believers as a whole. Pray for the spiritual leaders to have the words to say so that they may speak boldly about the Lord.

Paul says he will send Tychicus to Ephesus. This is Pauls's dear friend and brother in Christ. He will report to them how Paul is doing because Paul is in prison and therefore cannot travel. Even in his bad situation, he wishes them luck and the favor of God.