Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

 • Fight the Good Fight of Faith: Playing Your Part in God’s Unfolding Drama

healing in sickness, and for favor in the midst of trouble. A lot of the focus is on physical blessings (money, health, and possessions), and little attention is made of our spiritual blessings “in Christ.” How should we understand the relationship between God’s declaration that we have received all spiritual blessings in Christ (e.g., Eph. 1.3), and the wide spread emphasis in many churches on claiming God’s blessings and favor in the physical things of life (i.e., “health and wealth” issues). How do we properly understand the emphasis between these two domains of God’s blessing and care? 3. I can’t get what I need from one, local church alone. I get what I need from different churches around town – worship from church A, teaching from church B, and fellowship from church C. Is that okay? “Church-hopping” is a common occurrence among many followers of Christ today. Convinced that they simply cannot get all they need to grow and thrive in a single local church, many Christians have taken it upon themselves to “church hop,” attending different churches at different times to access different teaching, programs, or worship opportunities. In a world where everyone is accustomed to “getting what they need” from different sources, believers have applied the same logic to church attendance. This is usually built on the notion that no one church could possibly meet all the needs of the average Christian or Christian family. Those who embrace this argue that they get the best possible experience by worshiping with one congregation, listening to the sermon at another congregation, and fellowshipping in small group with another. If a healthy local church is an embassy of the Kingdom, why might it not be best to engage in “church hopping” our way to Christian maturity? Spend time this week reviewing the texts that speak of the blessings and benefits you now have as a baptized believer in Christ. You can neither reflect upon nor claim these many blessings if you have no knowledge of what they are, and what they mean for your Christian life! Study the verses in Appendix 14, Thirty-three Blessings in Christ , and become familiar with these truths. The more you understand what God has given to you, the better you will able to make them a part of your own internal self talk, and part of your prayer language as you give thanks and make requests to the Lord. If you have not yet joined a local church (I mean, embassy of the Kingdom of God!), then ask the Lord to guide you in the days and weeks ahead to come to the place (not places!) he would have you attend. You need to be under a good pastor’s authority, to fellowship with other committed Christians, and to find avenues where you can use your gifts to serve and edify others. The key is making a commitment to not only attend an

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