Fight the Good Fight | Week 2 | Together Series
We must learn “how” to Fight!
We are all, in a Fight for our Lives!
Spiritual Battle
Ephesians 6:12
Luke 11:5-13
2 Kings 6:11-17
Hebrews 11:3
Leviticus 19:26-31
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12 NIV
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:5-13 NIV
11 This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” 12 “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” 13 “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” 14 Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. 16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:11-17 NIV
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:3 NIV
Worldly Battle
John 17:14:16
Romans 12:1-2
James 4:4
2 Corinthians 10:5
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
John 17:14-16 NIV
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 NIV
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
James 4:4 NIV
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
Inner Battle
James 4:1-3
Colossians 3:8-11
Psalm 131:1-2
4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
James 4:1-3 NIV
8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Colossians 3:8-11 NIV
The Good Fight
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12 NIV
Getting into the Word
Reading the Bible 1 time per week
Reading the Bible 2 times per week
Reading the Bible 3 times per week
Reading the Bible 4 times pers week or more
“A key discovery from the CBE (Center for Bible Engagement- 2009) research is that the life of someone who engages scripture 4 or more times a week looks radically different from the life of someone who does not. In fact, the lives of Christians who do not engage the Bible most days of the week are statistically identical to the lives of non-believers.”
Getting drunk = Down by 57%
Sex outside marriage = Down by 68%
Pornography = Down by 61%
Gambling = Down by 74% - Gaming/Betting
Any of these habits = Down by 57%
Sharing faith with others = Up by 228%
Discipling others = Up by 231%
Memorizing scripture = Up by 407%
Working it out Together
Yet when we take the risk of being authentic with a small group of people, we can experience God's grace and love coming through others, which leads to freedom and transformation.
Personal growth does not happen in isolation. It is the result of interactive relationships. Small groups are God's gift to foster changes in character and spiritual growth.
Theologian Francis Schaeffer asserted, "Believing friends who love one another and love others is the final apologetic of the Christian Faith” It’s not explanation that wins the world it’s demonstration that wins the world.
Words of Knowledge
We believe the Lord wants to heal issues with the mouth.
We received the word trust, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
We believe some are dealing with a foggy mind and forgetfulness; clarity and restoration is coming.
One of our leaders had a vision of garbage or debris overgrown by vines and leaves. We believe the Lord is saying, “Don’t procrastinate on the issues you need to address. They will become more difficult with time to uproot.”
One of our leaders had a vision of a garage door that someone continues to open and close manually; as if someone is hitting the button to open/close the garage door. We believe the Lord is saying, “You are continuing to try to keep things out/in by your own strength. God is saying to give it over to Him and He will keep the appropriate things out/in.”