Microsoft Word - The Beautiful Fight - I'll Fight Book 4.docxTHE BEAUTIFUL FIGHT Copyright © 2015 The Salvation Army 1424 Northeast Expressway, Atlanta, GA 30329
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from: THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011
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International Mission The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal
Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of
God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name
without discrimination.
The purpose of The Salvation Army is to love God and man, to preach the good news of
Jesus, and to express practical concern for the needs of humanity. This is referred to as
having a “blood and fire spirit” for the mission of The Salvation Army.
Salvationist of the USA Southern Territory are… Answering God’s call to make radical followers of Jesus Christ who love inclusively, serve helpfully and disciple effectively in the communities where they live.
Men’s Ministries Mission Statement
Leading men into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and into community with other men who love and serve Him.
The Beautiful Fight A men’s Bible study intentionally designed to continue the process of transformation in a
small group setting, The Beautiful Fight is designed to equip men in The Salvation Army...
with the message of the Bible with the ministry motivated by the love of God with the mission to preach the gospel
Ephesians 4:11–13
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Introduction Jesus came to bring a new Kingdom to earth. Jesus’ initial call is, “Come, follow me.” His
desire is for His disciples to become like Him, literally to re-present Him to a lost and dying
world. The disciple of Jesus is called to be conformed to the image and character of our
Master. The Army’s expression of this call of Christ is unique. The Beautiful Fight is created to equip Salvationist men to live out the daily, dynamic expression of our faith. The purpose of
the study is to equip men with the message of the Bible, to live in ministry motivated by the love of God, and to carry out the mission to preach the gospel. The Beautiful Fight provides a biblical foundation to nourish and cultivate life as a disciple of Christ in a relational context.
This material is best used in the local corps, the ARC, and in your Army outpost.
As our first doctrine teaches, Scripture is the primary foundation for our study. We’ll
examine the Word of God and its implications for our lives and for the world. All aspects of
our study will build upon this Scriptural foundation, all explored and lived out both
personally and communally.
Our one-year study will require you to fight, but it will be a beautiful fight. God is at work right now, turning your ashes into beauty and your mourning into dancing. He is at work
redeeming, restoring, and resurrecting lives. His work in you is beautiful, but it’s also a fight.
One of the greatest sins of men in our day is the sin of passivity. We see its roots in the
Garden of Eden, but its offspring lives wildly in our world today. To counter this temptation,
you’ll be asked to study, you’ll be asked to share, and you’ll be asked to serve. The Beautiful Fight will call you to continually give your heart to God and your hand to mankind, starting in your home, moving to your neighborhood, continuing in your corps, and extending into
your world.
This curriculum contains homework. You’ll want to create space in your week to study and
reflect in order to allow the Holy Spirit to freely work in you, and then you’ll want to share
the insights He gives you with your The Beautiful Fight study group. Be sure to make notes of the ways the Spirit is calling you to deeper places with Him as you as you move through
this study. And celebrate! In this fight, it’s imperative that we celebrate the ways in which
God is constantly making all things new.
Comrades & Conditions
Jesus called twelve disciples to come and do life with Him. These twelve disciples
experienced deep intimacy with Christ, both personally and communally, as they lived and
served together. Jesus invited three of the twelve into an even closer relationship with Him.
Peter, James, and John were invited into the inner parts of Jesus’ life, sharing both His
suffering and His pain.
The ideal context for our study is one that closely resembles that of the disciples: a
committed group of men who are willing to journey and fight together in a growing
relationship with Jesus.
Participant Expectations:
We will fight to understand Biblical
directives. We will fight for Biblical
koinonia.
We will fight for each other and advocate for each other’s
families. We will refuse to settle for passivity.
We will commit to completing our homework and participating in our weekly studies.
Our weekly/monthly gatherings are essential to our transformation process. Quarterly
social gatherings and overnight retreats help deepen relationships, as well. It will also be
imperative that we spend time together outside of these weekly/monthly group studies in
our one-on-one meetings. The matrix to the right is designed to help you stay accountable
to one man per month. Use the matrix to coordinate get-togethers with your monthly
prayer and accountability partner. Schedule a coffee/breakfast/lunch meeting with each
man in your study.
NAMES →
• JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV
JAN • MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
FEB MAR • MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN
MAR APR MAY • JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB
APR MAY JUN JUL • SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR
MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP • NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR
JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV • JAN FEB MAR APR MAY
JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN • MAR APR MAY JUN
AUG SEP NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR • MAY JUN JUL
NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY • JUL AUG
NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL • SEP
NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP •
Instructions
• Write names in alphabetical order across the top and alongside the table.
• If a group has fewer than 12 members write “NC” for non-Christian and try to meet with an unbelieving friend.
7
Syllabus for I’LL FIGHT The Beautiful Fight full study curriculum takes a year to complete, but we have broken it into eleven books with six to eight weeks of study. This will provide your men the flexibility to frame each study in a way that best works into your overall schedule. Our prayer is that the Spirit will lead you deep into His word. You’ll also be guided by a variety of resources specifically chosen to encourage and equip Salvationist men, including our eleven doctrines.
Doctrine IV
We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united,
so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.
INSIDE THIS STUDY:
Introduction/Battle Lines
Let’s Fight Fight for Character (Part 1) Fight for Character (Part 2) Fight for Courage Fight for Contentment Vespers
Doctrines of The Salvation Army
1. We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.
2. We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.
3. We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead—the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost,
undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.
4. We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He
is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.
5. We believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocency, but by their disobedience they
lost their purity and happiness, and that in consequence of their fall all men have become sinners,
totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God.
6. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has by His suffering and death made an atonement for the
whole world so that whosoever will may be saved.
7. We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the
Holy Spirit, are necessary to salvation.
8. We believe that we are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and that he that
believeth hath the witness in himself.
9. We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.
10. We believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit
and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
11. We believe in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general judgment
at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the endless punishment
of the wicked.
My Story: “Battle Lines” Your life was designed by God. Who you were, who you are, and who you will become are
all part of your transformation process. God is conforming you to the image and character
of His Son. As brothers and comrades in the Army, we join each other on this journey of
transformation. One of the best ways we can begin our journey together is to share our
stories. Everyone has a story to share. Your story, and sharing it, matters.
For the first couple of weeks, we want to create a space for you to share your story—your
real story. There will be temptation to simply share your resume or your successes and
accomplishments, but your brothers are more interested in your heart than they are your
title. With that in mind, here are a few questions to consider as you prepare to share your
story.
1. Where are you in life right now? 2. What went into making you the man you are? 3. Who (positive and negative) has had the greatest impact on your life? 4. What events (positive and negative) have had the greatest impact on your life? 5. What are a few of your heaviest burdens? How can your brothers help
you fight? How can your brothers carry your burdens to the cross?
As you prepare to share your story, ask God to lead and affirm you. While acknowledging
that rich relationships as well as great battles and pain have gone into weaving your story,
ask God to remind you that you are a part of His bigger story. Allow the Spirit to guide you
as you prepare, share, and live out your story.
You may want to write out your story to help you better prepare to share with your
brothers. Remember, as always, that the content shared in your study is confidential.
Battle Lines
The battle has been won.
The scene has been set, the story has been written, and we know
the ending: God wins. God has already won the battle because of
the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. But in this world, the
battle rages on. It’s a battle for space, a battle for ownership. It’s a
battle for holiness, for unity, for surrender; it’s a battle for your
heart.
In our world, the battle for the heart has many different facets and
faces. The battle rages in the cosmos and in the common. The
battle is against the principalities of this dark world and against
those that sit quietly in the darkness of our own hearts. It’s a battle
we all fight.
In these next weeks, you’ll be called to fight. You’ll be called to
fight for freedom and for justice, and you’ll be called to fight your
fears and your failures. Then, together with the rest of our Army
brothers,
we will declare, “I’ll fight!”
In this five-week module, we’ll study our fourth doctrine and
memorize a portion of Psalm 33.
We’ll also plan an overnight retreat called
“The Feast of the Daring.”
Jump in the ring.
Let’s fight!
LET’S Fight God’s Word—1 Timothy 6 Context: What’s the specific context of this passage? What comes before it, and what follows it? Note the writer and the primary audience.
Themes: What’s the primary focus of the text? What speaks to you as you read? Note any directives or commands in the text.
Implication: How is this passage calling you to live? How will you build your life on this foundational truth?
Message of the Bible—Sealed Orders Read 1 Timothy 6:11–16.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 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. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to every- thing, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
Notice the title Paul uses when addressing Timothy. Write that title and its meaning here.
Paul says, “Flee from all this.” Look back a few verses in Chapter 6. From what is Paul
commanding Timothy to flee? How does this command speak to you?
Paul doesn’t just tell Timothy what not to do; he tells him what to pursue. Write each of the
spiritual qualities Paul exhorts Timothy to pursue here.
Jesus taught that material possessions and physical qualities wear out and eventually die,
but spiritual qualities have the ability to have an eternal impact. Paul challenges Timothy to
fight for something greater than material or physical things that will rust and soon be
destroyed. Which of these qualities do you sense God calling you to press into? Why?
“Fight the good fight” is literally a word picture of a wrestling match or a boxing match.
What comes to mind when you think of this statement?
Do you see your life as a battle, a fight? Do you see this battle as an internal struggle, an
external struggle—or both? Describe.
Jesus was clear about His mission. He declared, “I have come to seek and save the lost.”
Our Army is also clear on our mission. We are an Army of Salvation—not just an army of salvation, but The Salvation Army. Battle language is all around us. Our mission, from the Army’s inception, has been to wage war on the world for the salvation of souls.
In a speech that’s most commonly attributed to William Booth, we receive our battle cry:
“While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight; while little children go hungry,
as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, as they do now, I’ll
fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the
streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight—I’ll
fight to the very end!”
For many men, it’s easier to wage war for social justice—women or hungry children or the
prisoner or the drunkard—than it is to fight for their own hearts and for the hearts of those
around them. How you participate in the battle for souls, and the fruit that is produced from
that fight, is largely predicated on how you fight the battle for your own soul. What’s the
greatest battle that you fight internally?
The apostle Paul testifies to his own internal struggle. Read Romans 7:17–25 from The
Message:
17-20 But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. 21-23 It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. 24 I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? 25 The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. How does this passage resonate with you right now?
What confidence do you have that Christ will ultimately win the battle for your heart?
To the degree to which you adhere to Scripture and “fight the good fight of faith,” you will
either move toward becoming a fully devoted soldier and follower “of our Lord Jesus
Christ...the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is
immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see,” or you
will continue to sow and reap things that will eventually burn. To what degree will you
respond? Articulate your response clearly here.
Ministry Motivated by the Love of God—Sharing & Caring Reread 1Timothy 6:12.
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.
You have been called to fight the good fight. God wires all men with a mission and a
purpose. Your unique mission is part of the Great Commission of God, but your mission is
personal to you. Your mission began “when you made your good confession.” Your personal
fight is part of a greater battle, but your fight is personal to you. What do you believe is the
unique mission to which God has called you? What is your unique fight?
Our fight is against injustices like poverty, sex trafficking, and abuse. Our fight is against
disunity, consumeristic Christianity, and principalities not of this world. But our real
fight, ultimately, is
against evil: the evil that causes injustice, the evil that causes separation, the evil that
causes us to settle for passivity. M. Scott Peck suggests that our battle with evil is not simply
about controlling sinful acts; rather, it is the refusal to tolerate our own lack of sinfulness.
Peck suggests, “This is because the central defect of the evil is not the sin but the refusal to
acknowledge it.”1
Your fight is to become the man God created you to be.
What kind of man has God created you to be? Who is that person? What does he look like?
How does he love? How does he fight? How does he bless others?
In the last six months, what two ways have you experienced victory in your personal fight?
Describe the victories here.
1.
2.
In what ways do you lose sight of the real battle before you, settling instead to engage in
childish skirmishes or the repeated battles of the past?
John Ortberg describes the fight against evil:
Evil exists. Evil is real. One of the hallmarks of evil is that it seeks to
convince its victims that it exists “out there.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote
that it was while he was in prison that “Gradually it was disclosed to me that
the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between
classes, nor between political parties, but right through every human heart,
and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the
years. Even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of
good is retained; and even in the best of all hearts, there remains a small
corner of evil.”
One of the worst features of some popular Christian fictional treatments of
spiritual warfare is that they encourage our tendency to think of “us” as good
and “them” as bad. They misplace Solzhenitsyn’s line as though it divides us
from other people rather than dividing us from our best selves.2
In the last seven days, how have you encountered evil?
What is one area of your life in which you need strength to fight for your “best self ”?
What is one relationship in which you need strength to fight for God’s best?
Mission to Preach the Gospel—OTHERS Read Matthew 6:9–13.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’”
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He included the phrase, “Lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Notice the plurality of these verses. Jesus
doesn’t say, “Lead me not into temptation,” or “Deliver me from the evil one;” He says, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” What’s the purpose of the plurality Jesus uses in this prayer?
As you pray this verse individually, what are you asking Him to deliver you from? What are
you asking Him to deliver you to?
Are there people in your world who are joining with you in living out this prayer, or are you
primarily fighting your battle against the evil one alone? How do you regularly communicate
your needs for partnership in the battle?
Author F. Dale Bruner notes that when Jesus instructs His disciples in Matthew 6:13 to
pray that God will “deliver us from the evil one,” it is a purposeful and serious request:
The word for “deliver,” “snatch,” is an almost violent synonym...It suggests that
the Evil One is constantly luring us toward his mines and pits and that only the
Father’s constant and more powerful snatching, seizing, and rescuing can free
us from destruction.3
How do you distinguish between your responsibility, the responsibility of the community,
and God’s in the battle?
Read 1 John 4:1–4.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. What courage do you derive from recognizing that “the one who is in you is greater than the
one who is in the world”?
Do you have any doubts that John’s words are applicable to the battles you face? Explain.
John Ortberg writes that when we fall or fail, there is a not-so-subtle temptation to shift
blame to the spiritual world, taking on a “the devil made me do it” attitude. He writes:
If my problem is an external spiritual force, I may be let off the hook instead
of having to face my own responsibility. The attempt to diminish human
responsibility by blaming supernatural evil is as old as the garden: “What is
this that you have done?”
“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” It did not work then, or thereafter in
Scripture. Spiritual warfare is spoken of in a way that heightens human
vulnerability, but it does not diminish human responsibility.4
What justification cycle begins in you when you do not accept responsibility for your own
actions? What are the outcomes?
When you sense God’s delivering power at work in you, what cycle of wholeness and
holiness is begun? What are the outcomes?
Read 2 Timothy 4:6–8.
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
How has Paul lived out the command he gives to Timothy?
Who is someone that you could say has “fought the good fight”?
What would it take for you to finish your day today and, as you lie down, say, “Today, I have
fought the good fight”?
In his blog, Gary Thomas writes passionately about the fight to which God has called us. He
specifically comments about Paul’s testimony in this passage of Scripture.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
An Orthodox monk has pointed out that this is a “strikingly Greek”
expression that may be best understood as “I have fought the Beautiful
Fight.”5
Take some time to reflect on your fight as “the Beautiful Fight.” Ask God for His strength to
engage in this fight. Read and meditate on 2 Timothy 4:6–8 from The Message:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reflection & Prayer As you conclude this week’s study, answer the following questions. Note the ways your brothers can join you in prayer.
† Lord, what are You saying to me?
† How do You want me to respond to You?
† I am burdened in the following areas:
† I’m thanking God for His work in the following ways:
† Use this space to note the praises and petitions of your brothers.
Fight FOR Character (PART 1)
God’s Word—Psalm 33 Context: What’s the specific context of this passage? What comes before it, and what follows it? Note the writer and the primary audience.
Themes: What’s the primary focus of the text? What speaks to you as you read? Note any directives or commands in the text.
Implication: How is this passage calling you to live? How will you build your life on this foundational truth?
Message of the Bible—Sealed Orders Read Psalm 33:16–22.
No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
Memorize these verses. Begin by rewriting the verses here.
By memory, write the verses.
In this lesson we will examine the fight for your character. In your own words, describe the
current ongoing battle for your character.
What parts of the battle for your character and integrity are causing you to be weary,
hurried, controlling, or passive?
In what situations have you fought like a warrior, assuming that your sheer strength and
determination would bring victory? What was the outcome of that fight?
How is God “delivering you from death?” How is He “keeping you alive in famine?” How is
your character being purified by His work in you?
The Psalmist writes about the nature of waiting. Waiting and fighting may seem
incongruent. In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers gives us a description of how waiting purifies us in the fight. He writes:
He works where He sends us to wait. “. . . tarry . . . until . . .” (Luke 24:49). “Wait on the Lord” and He will work (Psalm 37:34). But don’t wait sulking spiritually and feeling sorry
for yourself, just because you can’t see one inch in front of you! Are we detached enough
from our own spiritual fits of emotion to “wait patiently for Him”? (Psalm 37:7) Waiting is
not sitting with folded hands doing nothing, but it is learning to do what we are told.6
How does the above definition challenge you in your fight? Using Chambers’ definition, what
does it look like for you to “wait on the Lord”?
Ministry Motivated by the Love of God—Sharing & Caring Read Ephesians 6:10–17.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Do you view verses 11–12 as hyperbole or as literal truth? How is this view lived out in your
daily life?
How often do you downplay the role of “the devil’s schemes”? How do you know you are
being schemed against?
In your desire to fight for the Kingdom, how do you currently see the devil scheming
against you? How do you see him scheming against your ability to hope?
John Ortberg observes:
In what may be the most important Bible passage using the warfare image—
Ephesians 6—Paul ties the need for spiritual armor to qualities related to
the development of character—the belt of truth, the breastplate of
righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith.7
Note each piece of armor and its spiritual character quality. Share how you desire for God
to develop that quality in you.
Belt of Truth
Breastplate of Righteousness
Feet Fitted with the Readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace
Shield of Faith
Helmet of Salvation
Sword of the Spirit
Jim Sullivan of the Southwest Division has testified of the importance of “putting on the
armor of God.” Sullivan shares his personal practice of beginning each day by putting on the
armor. As he prays, he envisions literally fastening the “belt of truth” or tying his shoes with
“feet fitted with... readiness” to share the gospel of peace. Sullivan notes how this practice
prepares his heart, mind, and soul for the battle that he must wage daily, both on earth and
in the heavens.
How do you practice putting on the full armor of God?
God desires for us to fight for our character, and after all that fighting, to be able “to stand.”
C. S. Lewis, in his classic work The Screwtape Letters, writes:
Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than
when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s
will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to
have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.8
Right now, in this moment, what is the greatest burden you are carrying in the fight for
your character? How is God’s Spirit ministering to you?
The fight for your character is a fight that not only impacts you, but your family, your corps,
your neighborhood, those with whom you work, and the world. In The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard calls us to a higher plane of living:
The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians, and business
leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age for
spiritual heroes—a time for men and women to be heroic in faith and in
spiritual character and power. The greatest danger to the Christian church
today is that of pitching its message too low.9
How are you allowing your sin and sin in your community to pull down the bar of your
character? What one way can you become more heroic in the fight for your character?
God’s desire is not simply for you to live a pure life for the sake of purity. Nor is His desire
for you to be kind to everyone and to be honest and authentic for the sake of a good
Christian witness. He doesn’t call us to behave the way He behaved; that’s moralism. The
call and command of God is that your character might be conformed to the character of His
Son (Romans 8:29). His desire is that you might die to yourself so that you might really
live.
How is your flesh warring against the work of the Spirit? In what areas do you see victories
in the process of your character being conformed to the image of Christ?
Mission to Preach the Gospel—OTHERS
Read Ephesians 6:18–20.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
What role does prayer truly play in your fight for your character? Use five words to
describe your prayer life.
What does Paul mean by “pray in the Spirit”?
For whom do you regularly pray? What is the motive of your prayers for these people?
What specific prayer request does Paul have for the church at Ephesus?
At a recent Commissioning event, an officer confided, “I’m not on anyone’s prayer list. I
pray for people regularly, and I know people pray for me, but I have no one who prays for
the deep stuff in my life.”
Who regularly prays for you? How do you communicate your prayer needs to this person?
Our greatest weapon in the battle of life is prayer. We talk about God often. We study about
God regularly. We share with others about God in fellowship. But God desires for us to
speak to Him, to listen to Him, to learn from Him, and to be encouraged by Him.
Samuel Logan Brengle believed that all spiritual “failure has its beginnings in the [prayer]
closet, in neglecting to wait on God until filled with wisdom, clothed with power, and all on
fire with love.”10
As an act of engagement, take the next few minutes to simply stop and pray for yourself.
Pray for the battles you face. Pray for a willingness to surrender to God. Pray for a desire to
truly conform to the character of Christ. Pray for hope, and pray for the ability to live in His
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reflection & Prayer
As you conclude this week’s study, answer the following questions. Note the ways your brothers can join you in prayer.
† Lord, what are You saying to me?
† How do You want me to respond to You?
† I am burdened in the following areas:
† I’m thanking God for His work in the following ways:
† Use this space to note the praises and petitions of your brothers.
Fight FOR Character (PART 2)
God’s Word—Luke 19 Context: What’s the specific context of this passage? What comes before it, and what follows it? Note the writer and the primary audience.
Themes: What’s the primary focus of the text? What speaks to you as you read? Note any directives or commands in the text.
Implication: How is this passage calling you to live? How will you build your life on this foundational truth?
Message of the Bible—Sealed Orders Read Luke 19:1–10.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
In your own words, describe the mission of Jesus.
Share a few other Scriptural examples of the mission of Jesus.
Zacchaeus experienced the “mutter” of those who didn’t think he was worthy of Jesus’ time
and attention. How does Zacchaeus’ response encourage you to dig in and fight? How did
Zacchaeus devote his life to the mission of Jesus?
The mission of Jesus is simply stated: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” As
concisely as possible, write the mission Jesus has called you to carry out.
In his book When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box, John Ortberg popularizes an idea first introduced by psychologist Carl Jung. Jung taught that all men have a “shadow
side: those patterns of thought and action that betray our deepest values, that lead to regret
and guilt.”
Ortberg writes that just as we all have a mission in God’s Kingdom; we also have what he
terms a “shadow mission.” He expounds:
My shadow mission is what I will do with my life if I drift on autopilot. It
consists of the activities toward which I will gravitate if I allow my natural
temptations and selfishness to take over.
By way of illustration, one of the staff members told us, “My shadow mission
is to watch TV and masturbate while the world goes to hell.” A round of
nervous laughter swept across the circle of men.
“I’m going to say it one more time,” the man said, “only this time I want you
to listen and not laugh.” And then he said it again: “My shadow mission is to
watch TV…”
This time the silence was sobering. Each of us was thinking the same thing:
how easily any of our lives can slide into such a self-centered, trivial pursuit.
He wasn’t tempted to be Adolf Hitler or Saddam Hussein. The man would
have fought against that kind of outright evil. It was the banality of his
shadow mission that made it so possible.
Ortberg continues:
Frodo’s mission in The Lord of the Rings trilogy is to be the ring bearer, to bless Middle Earth by destroying the ring in the fires of doom. The hardest part of
his mission is not defeating external enemies. The hardest part is renouncing
the shadow mission of choosing to claim the ring for himself and seeking his
own power and glory.
Being clear on my own shadow mission and naming it is enormously helpful,
be- cause when I see it for what it is, I realize how much I do not want to
devote my life to it. At the end of the game, our shadow missions all spell the
same result: despair.11
What’s your shadow mission? What is your default, the place you go, the person you
become when you are not living with intentionality, living on mission?
Which is easier to write: your God-given mission, a concise definition of who God wants
you to be and what He is calling you to do, or your shadow mission?
Who knows your shadow mission? Who fights with you and for you to live out your God-
given mission, rather than living out the mission of your flesh?
Ortberg submits, “Character is, among other things, the capacity to be inhabited by God. Every
wrong choice, every dark thought I entertain, makes me a little less sensitive to the Divine
presence.”12
What is the impact of your shadow mission on your character?
How is God conforming your character to the image of His Son over and against the presence
of your shadow mission?
Ministry Motivated by the Love of God - Sharing & Caring
Read the story of Samson in Judges 13–16. Samson is gifted by God. How has he been gifted?
Describe how Samson lives out the mission of God.
Samson, like every other man, had a shadow mission. What was his?
Samson was able to rely on his giftedness. Although God gave him great strength, Samson
had no character. In a performance-driven society that values results at all costs, we tend
to celebrate those with giftedness, regardless of their character. This can also be true in the
church. How have you seen giftedness celebrated over character?
How does living in a performance-driven culture fuel a shadow mission instead of fueling
us to fight for the character of Christ?
Read Judges 16:1–20.
One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. 2 The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we’ll kill him.” 3 But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. 4 Sometime later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” 6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” 7 Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” 8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9 With men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered. 10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now; tell me how you can be tied.” 11 He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.
13 Delilah then said to Samson, “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.”
He replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14 and tightened it with the pin.
Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.
15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
17 So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazarite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.
20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.
In the text, how do you see Samson’s shadow mission directing his life? Note where it begins.
LeRoy Pederson once said that Judges 16:20 was one of the saddest verses in the Bible.
Samson is an excellent example of how one can drift from God. Samson chooses to live in a
shadow mission instead of cultivating the kind of life he was created by God to have. What is
the outcome of a life that lives in a shadow mission?
Samson is not the only biblical character with a shadow mission. Think about the following
people and summarize their shadow missions.
Gideon
Jonah
Judas
Mission to Preach the Gospel—OTHERS Read Doctrine #4:
We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that he is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.13
Give Scriptural examples of both the Divine nature and the human nature of
Christ. Divine Nature
Why do both natures matter in the Deity of Christ?
The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine says:
Our mission is to share in the mission of God; to tell the story of Jesus and
the reconciliation he offers with compelling passion so that other people
recognize within it the source of their own salvation.
Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, was conceived by Mary through the Holy
Spirit. In him humanity and deity are united. He lived a perfect life, died an
atoning death, rose from the dead and lives at the right hand of the Father;
he intercedes for his people and will return in power and glory.14
When you share the story of Jesus, what do you find to be the most compelling part of His
life?
Read Hebrews 4:14–16.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
How do you envision Jesus empathizing with your weakness? What does His empathy look
like and sound like? What does it not look like or sound like?
Jesus knows the fight. He too “has been tempted in every way, just as we are.” Looking into
your own fight, how then was Jesus tempted?
Because Jesus was fully man, even He had a shadow mission. Would you agree? Use biblical
examples to support your response.
Summarize His shadow mission.
Jesus’ mission was to seek and save the lost. His shadow mission was to save the lost without
suffering. John Ortberg relays:
The great New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce writes, “Time and again the
temptation came to him from many directions to choose some less costly
way of fulfilling that calling than the way of suffering and death, but He
resisted it to the end and set His face steadfastly to accomplish the purpose
for which He had come into the world.”15
Temptation came to Jesus throughout His life. How did Jesus finally win the battle?
Jesus overcame His shadow mission. What is the result of His victory in you, in your family,
in your world?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reflection & Prayer As you conclude this week’s study, answer the following questions. Note the ways your brothers can join you in prayer.
† Lord, what are You saying to me?
† How do You want me to respond to You?
† I am burdened in the following areas:
† I’m thanking God for His work in the following ways:
† Use this space to note the praises and petitions of your brothers.
Fight FOR Courage
God’s Word—Joshua 1 Context: What’s the specific context of this passage? What comes before it, and what follows it? Note the writer and the primary audience.
Themes: What’s the primary focus of the text? What speaks to you as you read? Note any directives or commands in the text.
Implication: How is this passage calling you to live? How will you build your life on this foundational truth?
Message of the Bible—Sealed Orders Read Joshua 1:1–9.
After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
God is calling Joshua to fight. What do you see as Joshua’s primary role in the
fight?
In addition to the call of the LORD, Joshua receives a few promises. Write the promises of
God here.
In an upcoming module, we’ll study the promise of God to “be with you.” How does God’s
promise to “be with you” give you courage and confidence to step into battle?
Verse 9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do
not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” What are the
areas of fear and discouragement against which God is commanding Joshua to stand?
What are the primary areas of fear and discouragement in your life?
Describe a season in which you experienced discouragement. What was the outcome of
that season?
The command is to be strong and to be courageous. How are you specifically living out
those two commands?
This lesson is entitled “Fight for Courage.” Courage is not just a leadership element Joshua
needs to acquire before he can lead God’s people. Nor is courage an inspiring speech like
that of William Wallace in Braveheart or Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Courage, at its essence, is about the power to show up and let yourself be seen and heard. Using the following prompts, note how you need to show up and let yourself be seen
and heard.
As a follower of Christ
Of the areas noted above, in which one area do you most need your brothers to stand and
fight with you?
Ministry Motivated by the Love of God—Sharing & Caring Read Judges 6:1–16.
The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.
7 When the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”
11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
How does the angel of the LORD greet Gideon? Note Gideon’s reply.
How would you measure Gideon’s courage in this exchange?
God is calling Gideon to fight. He’s calling Him to fight for His people and His promise...and
Gideon begins to make excuses. God is calling you to fight. He’s calling you to fight for the
you He’s created you to be—not a false version of yourself. He knows about your failures.
He knows about your hiding place. He knows about your frailty, yet He comes to you and
says, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
What kind of excuses do you make when God calls you to simply show up and be present?
How do your excuses affect the people around you?
Read Judges 6:17–27.
Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it
before you.” And the LORD said, “I will wait until you return.”
19 Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephod of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. 20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21 Then the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” 23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”
24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 25 That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime. In verse 24 we are told that Gideon builds an altar. How does this altar give courage to the
Israelites?
In the next verse (25), God commands Gideon to “Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and
cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” Note Gideon’s response, including the specific details
of verse 27.
What do Gideon’s actions indicate about his ability to fight for courage?
Men long to be affirmed by their fathers. John Eldredge shares the importance of a paternal
blessing. Without a blessing by our father, Eldredge submits, we develop what he calls a
“father wound.”
God specifically asks Gideon to tear down his father’s altars. Because of fear, he does it—but
only under the cover of night. Which of your father’s altars or idols are you allowing to
remain standing in your life? What is at the core of your passivity?
One father in the Georgia Division recently testified about this text. Read his story.
My daughters and I typically pray together every night. It’s a sacred act in the
middle of a chaotic world. Honestly, it’s my favorite time of the day. There is
nothing more powerful than lying on the bed, speaking to God together as a
family.
My older daughter was preparing to move to college. I knew we only had a
few nights left like this, and I wanted to pour into her every last bit of
wisdom I possibly could. In my devotions that morning, I’d read the story of
Gideon leading the people of God to victory over the Midianites. There was
one detail in the story I’d not caught before. In the text, God asks Gideon to
tear down his father’s altars, as they were altars built to idols. I decided to
ask my daughter about my idols.
“When you go to school in a few days, what altar or idol of mine is God
going to ask you to tear down?”
She hardly hesitated. She turned toward me and our eyes locked. She took
one breath and then said courageously, “Bitterness, Dad. It’s bitterness.”
I was stunned. It was almost as if the wind was knocked out of me. I couldn’t
breathe. She could. She continued.
“Dad, you just get so angry sometimes, and you say mean things. I know you
don’t mean to do it, but you do. And it’s hurtful. If there is one altar of yours
that I will tear down, it will be bitterness.”
If your kids or spouse or co-workers were asked to tear down one of your altars or idols,
what would they say? What kind of courage would it take for you to tear it down?
Did Gideon ever go on to live a life of courage, or did passivity constantly reign in his life?
Summarize the rest of Gideon’s story here. If needed, read Judges 6–8.
Mission to Preach the Gospel—OTHERS Read Romans 5:1–11.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. The Beautiful Fight begins with justification through faith. Christ instituted a way for us to
be at peace with God and to live in His grace, the grace in which we now stand. What’s the
essential difference between justification by faith and justification by works?
In what three specific ways do you recognize God’s grace at work in your life today? Note
the communal implications of His work in you.
1.
2.
3.
Think about a past experience you’ve had with suffering or trials and tribulations. How did
Christ’s indwelling presence strengthen you during that time and enable you to fight for
courage?
Paul describes a simple progression from the material to the spiritual. What is this
progression? How are you seeing this progression take place in your life today?
What is the hope that Paul is describing? Is the hope individual or communal? Explain.
Disappointment is the great enemy of courage. Every man deals with
disappointment...even in his faith journey. You may have even been disappointed with
God Himself. Describe any tension you sense between your disappointment and Paul’s
teaching that “hope does not disappoint.” How has this affected your ability to be
courageous?
At times it seems that God doesn’t come through for us the way we think He should. What is
the greatest disappointment you’ve experienced in your journey with God? How has this
affected your ability to be courageous?
Describe the conflict between putting your hope in things, success, expectations, and
relationships and putting your hope in Christ and Christ alone.
How does hope in Christ enable you to deal with every kind of disappointment and to
ultimately choose courage?
In his blog, John Eldredge writes about the power of courage.
I was watching a remarkable documentary on the Dorobo hunters in
southern Kenya. Their bows simply aren’t strong enough to bring down big
game, so they steal the kill off lions. In a stunning display of courage and
cunning, they walk right up to a pride devouring a wildebeest; their
unwavering confidence causes the lions to run off. In the next scene the men
are roasting wildebeest flank over an open fire, talking, and laughing. One of
them says, “But not everybody fights lions; some people are cowards.” That
is the campfire you want to be at—the feast of the daring.
This is going to take courage, because fear is the number one reason men
give up, sell out. It will take perseverance because nothing worth having
comes without some kind of fight. It will take cunning because most men-
who-are-really-still-boys move into the world with a childish naïveté, ignore
the lions, fail to reach their dreams, and then blame the world or God when
in fact they were simply insisting that life allow them to remain freshmen
forever. You have a number of lions to slay—fear is one. Despair is another.
Entitlement—the entitlement of adolescence—is a third.
Either you kill them or they eat you and your dreams for dinner.
Courage, perseverance, cunning—that’s how you kill lions. Live that and you
will have a story worth telling.16
Think about what God is doing in your life and in the lives of the other men in your study
group. How does this blog post call you to be more courageous in showing up and
sharing your life with these men?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reflection & Prayer As you conclude this week’s study, answer the following questions. Note the ways your brothers can join you in prayer.
† Lord, what are You saying to me?
† How do You want me to respond to You?
† I am burdened in the following areas:
† I’m thanking God for His work in the following ways:
† Use this space to note the praises and petitions of your brothers.
Fight FOR Contentment
God’s Word—Phillipians 4 Context: What’s the specific context of this passage? What comes before it, and what follows it? Note the writer and the primary audience.
Themes: What’s the primary focus of the text? What speaks to you as you read? Note any directives or commands in the text.
Implication: How is this passage calling you to live? How will you build your life on this foundational truth?
Message of the Bible—Sealed Orders Read Philippians 4:10–12.
I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
The Philippian church had sent Paul a gift, an expression of their love for him. When you give
gifts to your church, your family, or your friends, do you give freely as an expression of your
love, or are your gifts laced with other motives?
Paul is writing this letter from prison, yet he says, “I have learned to be content whatever
the circumstances.” How is it possible for Paul to be content while imprisoned?
What does contentment mean to you? Describe contentment.
Describe a season in your life when you were well fed. Contrast that with a season when
you were hungry. How did God use both experiences in your transformational journey?
Are you content in every circumstance or situation? Describe your contentment quotient in
the following areas:
Relational—deep friendships, intimacy, authenticity, sex life with wife
Spiritual—living in God’s love and grace; being conformed to His image
Paul says, “I have learned the secret of being content.” Review the areas of your life noted
above. Articulate the learning process that is required for you to learn to be content in one
of these areas.
Paul writes, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have
learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,
whether living in plenty or in want.”
Gerald Hawthorne reflects on Paul’s ability to be content: “The secret of Paul’s
independence was his dependence upon Another. His self-sufficiency in reality came from
being in vital union with One who is all-sufficient.”
In what one situation or relationship do you need to experience a deeper dependence on
Jesus in order to be content?
Read and reflect on this excerpt from Scott Strissel’s article, “Everlasting Contentment.”
The secret to lasting contentment isn’t found in the external designs which
are propelled by our own power and fortitude; the lasting contentment is
found internally. Let me clarify, though, because this internal contentment
isn’t an original part of our human DNA (that is post-fall-of-man). At the
moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. He
prompts us, strengthens us, and gives us this hunger to learn more about
Him. This indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to become
holy people of God. Without this internal indwelling, we cannot hold onto
this grace that has been given to us through Jesus Christ.
How do we find this everlasting contentment? It is found through tapping
into the very source of our salvation—Christ Himself. Once He is found in us,
we feast on Him, we savor His fellowship, we thrive on His unending love
and mercy, and He becomes our focal point instead of places, people, and
things. This doesn’t mean that we neglect our earthly responsibilities or
ignore our bodies, but it does mean that our priorities and our perception of
life becomes broader as the Holy Spirit stretches and renews us daily in our
fellowship with Him. I believe Paul found this to be true. I believe that as His
relationship with the Holy Spirit grew, he understood that it didn’t matter
any longer if he had all or none of the comforts of life. It didn’t matter any
longer if he achieved a certain portion of status, either. Those human
achievements became an afterthought as God’s holy mission consumed him.
Paul understood that no matter where he was placed or where he was
imprisoned, God would use him to share this vital message with the world!18
Ministry Motivated by the Love of God—Sharing & Caring Read Philippians 4:13–20.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
In your own words, describe how you live out Philippians 4:13.
Many boys, teens, and men have misinterpreted this verse to mean that it’s possible to hit a
fastball, score a goal, or make the game-winning shot if you have enough faith. How is this
type of thinking a form of bypassing the heart of the fight?
Think about a relationship that is not all you desire it to be. How does this verse call you to
act in this relationship? How could your deeper engagement in this relationship bring about
transformation in both you and the other person?
What happens when you lose in the fight or get hurt in the fight? What happens when things
fail—a relationship breaks down, a child becomes a prodigal, a private behavior becomes
habitual, a wife chooses not to receive love or give love? How do you respond?
One man from the Kentucky & Tennessee Division recently shared his story of the fight for
contentment.
How long does God ask us to do something that wrecks us? I understand
building our character and all of those things. It just hurts in a way that
makes every cell in my body ache. It’s not something I really feel like talking
about...there’s nothing new to talk about. I had hoped for a soul mate, but
after sixteen years and trying lots of different things, it’s become evident
that I may have to live through this without much changing. I don’t just want
to live through something. I had hoped for a semi- fun journey with
someone. It just feels unfair. I know that God doesn’t always care about
things being fair or fun—just trying to ask good questions.
So I’m just asking that you would pray. Same prayer as always, that God
would give me the strength to be content where I am.
At times, many men ask the same kind of questions. Where is contentment found in these types
of trials?
Contentment is a battle, but it is not found in victory or defeat. Contentment is not found in
financial success or in poverty. Contentment is not found in a title or in a name defamed.
Contentment is only found in Christ and in Christ alone. How is the Spirit at work in you,
drawing you to a place where you can rest in Christ and in Christ alone?
Our fight for contentment is essentially a fight to be content with Jesus—with who He is,
with what He teaches, and with what He has accomplished. Jesus doesn’t promise us that
we’ll be healthy or wealthy or that our kids will make Varsity or be well liked or even
succeed. He promises us love and grace. When we come to Jesus we get Jesus Himself, who
freely gives us His love and grace.
In what one step, belief, habit, or defective way of thinking do you need God’s love and grace
to cover you and bring you contentment?
Paul says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ
Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Christ is the only One who can make us content. Many men feel
they would be content if they were only in a different home or another job. Many men feel
they would be content if they just had a little more: more money, more control, more status,
more applause, more affirmation, and more_______________. How do you resist the temptation
to seek “more” and, instead, find contentment in whom you are and where you are?
There is a sacredness in the ordinary. When we are looking forward or gazing behind us, we
miss the ability to be content with God in the here and now. There is a sacredness in
embracing this present moment. In an attempt to accomplish something extraordinary or to
become someone extraordinary, we miss the peace and presence of our God in this very
moment. He is here, right now. He is here in this study. He is here in His Word. He is here in
His people. He is here in His Person. Ask God for an ability to fight for and embrace the
sacredness in the ordinary.
Read and reflect on these words of the 18th century writer, Jean-Pierre de
Caussade:
Those who have abandoned themselves to God always lead mysterious lives
and receive from him exceptional and miraculous gifts by means of the most
ordinary, natural and chance experiences in which there appears to be
nothing unusual. The simplest sermon, the most banal conversations, the
least erudite books become a source of knowledge and wisdom to these souls
by virtue of God’s purpose. This is why they carefully pick up the crumbs
which clever minds tread under foot, for to them everything is precious and a
source of enrichment.19
Mission to Preach the Gospel—OTHERS Reflect and meditate on 1 Timothy 6:6–10.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s.
The spiritual quality of godliness, accompanied by contentment, is “great
gain.” What dynamics make up the spiritual quality of godliness?
How do we model a lifestyle that helps a lost and dying world understand
that “soup, soap, and salvation” is enough? Describe any practical ways you
are living out this truth.
Give an example of how you’ve seen verse 10 become a reality.
Dallas Willard said, “You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing
deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.”20
How can you arrange today and tomorrow so you are experiencing deep
contentment, joy, and confidence in your life with God?
Many men choose not to do it. Many men choose to remain passive, not
fighting, not being willing to “arrange your days,” but to allow the days to
simply come and go. One of the great sins of men in our day is the sin of
passivity. Passivity entered humanity in the Garden, and it never left.
Passivity looks like indecision. It feels like uncaring. It sounds like an inability
to speak. Passivity is the opposite response to the call to fight. Passivity is
being aware that there is an inherent conflict but choosing to stand still and
watch instead of fully engaging in the battle.
Describe a time when you have been passive. What was the outcome of that
season? If you are presently choosing passivity over engagement, note the
current outcome of this season.
In the Army, we often use the phrase “holy discontentment.” This phrase is
typically used to de- scribe people who look at the fallenness and brokenness
of the world and are frustrated by it. They see the pain, they see the wounds,
and they see the sin cycles and are so frustrated that they can’t help but think
about it and work to solve the issue. It can be said that William Booth started
The Salvation Army out of a sense of holy discontentment. What one area of
our world causes you holy discontentment?
How has your frustration propelled you to action?
Marriage and Family Therapist Teri Cress says we don’t have to solve the world’s problems;
“Men just have to be willing to initiate.”
Initiate in the areas that cause you holy discontentment. You may not have a plan to solve
the problem; just initiate. Cress says the same is true for men in their personal lives. “Men
must initiate in conversation. Initiate in the way money is spent. Initiate in church
participation. Initiate in dating your wife. Initiate in sex. Initiate in giving and receiving
love.”
What would change in your relationships if you moved from passivity to initiation?
In our world, we recognize the ways things are. We also realize the way things are
supposed to be— “On earth as it is in heaven.” It’s in that intersection that we find Jesus.
It’s in the darkness of fallen humanity and in the beautiful brilliance of the coming
Kingdom that we find Him. But we won’t find it in passivity. We won’t find it looking for
something or someone else. We will only find it in Him. Today, choose contentment right
where you are. Choose contentment with the one you are with—and choose it because of
Whose you are.
Declare your willingness to fight for contentment by being willing to share your struggles
with some- one today. Note with whom you will share your intent to fight; Note when and
how you’ll share it.
Read and reflect on one of the Army’s favorite battle cries, “I’ll Go In The Strength of The
Lord.” (SASB 734)
I’ll go in the strength of the Lord, In paths he has marked for my feet; I’ll follow the light of his word, Nor shrink from the dangers I meet, His presence my steps shall attend, His fullness my wants shall supply; on him, till my journey shall end, my unwavering faith shall rely. Chorus I’ll go, I’ll go in the strength, I’ll go in the strength of the Lord I’ll go, I’ll go in the strength, I’ll go in the strength of the Lord.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reflection & Prayer As you conclude this week’s study, answer the following questions. Note the ways your brothers can join you in prayer.
† Lord, what are You saying to me?
† How do You want me to respond to You?
† I am burdened in the following areas:
† I’m thanking God for His work in the following ways:
† Use this space to note the praises and petitions of your brothers.
Vespers Suggested resources for further study:
Watch:
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/human-
Study:
Fight: A DVD Study: Winning the Battles that Matter Most, Craig Groeschel
Read:
The Life and Ministry of William Booth: Founder of The Salvation Army, Roger J. Green The Beautiful Fight, Gary Thomas The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box, John Ortberg
Listen: