Fight for Faith, Fight for Life (Student’s Guide)

Little smiling cherubs have become a hot selling item in gift stores. Their happy angelic faces look radiantly heavenward with adoration. However cute they may be, they paint a rosy picture that masks a very sad and ugly reality.

The Christian Church in general and the Christian individually is in the middle of a war between good and evil. Each battle places our soul and our life on the line. The casualties of this war have been the unborn, the disabled and the elderly. The wounded are the weary Christians who feel it is an uphill struggle.

Yet, the Word of God compels us with the message of final victory in Christ. With that flag of victory waving out in front of us we are spurred on in the daily battles against the forces of evil. With God as our field general we put on the full armor of Christ and take on the attacks made against the Christian faith and against human life.

How we meet the enemy and win these daily battles is what this Bible Study will explore.

Read 1 Timothy 6:12

Fight the good fight of the faith.

1. Paul tells Timothy to fight for the faith. Why does he say the fight is good?

2. Are there other things worth fighting for besides faith?

Read 1 Peter 5:8

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1. What did Peter mean when he said to be self-controlled and alert?

2. How is the devil described in this passage?

3. What is the devil’s goal?

4. Will being self-controlled and alert keep you from being devoured by the devil?

Read Ephesians 6:10-12

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.

1. From where do we get our strength?

2. Before we can stand against the devil’s schemes, what do we need?

3. Many times in our fight for the sanctity of human life, we lose focus on the enemy. The devil will use political parties, organizations that promote abortion or euthanasia, medical groups and others to carry out his purpose. How do we know that our fight is not against those organizations?

But since the devil uses those groups to carry out his purpose, we need to act. Lets take a look at God’s Word to find out his will is for us.

Read Ephesians 6:13

Therefore put on the full armor or God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.

1. According to this passage, can we stand against the devil on our own?

Paul continues in Ephesians 6 to list the pieces of armor that a Christian uses. Read on to learn about those pieces of armor and what they are used for.

Read Ephesians 6:14-17

1. What is the purpose of each piece:

Belt:

Breastplate:

Shoes:

Shield:

Helmet:

Sword:

2. Which of these pieces of armor are offensive and used for attacking, and which ones are defensive and used for protecting?

To stay focused on the goal, read the last passage of Paul’s encouragement in this section.

Read Ephesians 6:18

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 saints.

1. There are two admonitions given to us in this verse. What are the two things Paul is telling us to do?

Apply these Scriptural guidelines to the following scenarios:

1. You and two women have been good friends since high school. You have done a lot together and have shared your good times and bad times over the years. You just recently found out that one of your friends is pregnant, but doesn’t want the child. She has never seemed that selfish before, but you also sense a certain fear in her. You tell her not to have an abortion and set up another time to talk with her about her fears. The next day you find out that your other friend has convinced her to get an abortion and is pushing her very hard. How do you fight to save the life of that baby?

2. Planned Parenthood is opening a clinic in your neighborhood. They say they will only open a counseling center and provide information, but you have heard from reliable sources that they plan to start doing abortions within a year. How do you fight this situation?

3. Your local school district has just adopted a new curriculum that promotes sexual activity and acceptance of alternative lifestyles. Since there was no advance notice to the community about this decision, you had no way of fighting it beforehand. Now the school administration states that the curriculum has been accepted and no changes will be made. How do you fight this issue?

4. The highway leading into town has a prominent billboard. A pro-abortion group has a sign up that promotes abortion and the freedom of choice. You contact the owner of the billboard to gather information about putting a pro-life sign up. The response is No, we wont put that kind of material up because it is too controversial. How do you fight this attitude?

 

 

Fight for Faith, Fight for Life (Leader’s Guide)

Little smiling cherubs have become a hot selling item in gift stores. Their happy angelic faces look radiantly heavenward with adoration. However cute they may be, they paint a rosy picture that masks a very sad and ugly reality.

The Christian Church in general and the Christian individually is in the middle of a war between good and evil. Each battle places our soul and our life on the line. The casualties of this war have been the unborn, the disabled and the elderly. The wounded are the weary Christians who feel it is an uphill struggle.

Yet, the Word of God compels us with the message of final victory in Christ. With that flag of victory waving out in front of us we are spurred on in the daily battles against the forces of evil. With God as our field general we put on the full armor of Christ and take on the attacks made against the Christian faith and against human life.

How we meet the enemy and win these daily battles is what this Bible Study will explore.

Read 1 Timothy 6:12

1. Paul tells Timothy to fight for the faith. Why does he say the fight is good?
The fight is good because it is for our saving faith and because it gives glory to God.

2. Are there other things worth fighting for besides faith?
There are other issues worth fighting for, but none as important as our faith.

Read 1 Peter 5:8

1. What did Peter mean when he said to be self-controlled and alert?
Be aware of the enemy and his schemes. Use God’s Word as your defense.

2. How is the devil described in this passage?
As a roaring lion. Looking to destroy you.

3. What is the devil’s goal?
To lead you away from faith and into a life of unbelief and ultimate damnation.

4. Will being self-controlled and alert keep you from being devoured by the devil?
No, only the power of God and his Word with do that. Being self-controlled means we are prepared to use his Word to defend against the attacks.

Read Ephesians 6:10-12

1. From where do we get our strength?
God’s Word gives us the strength.

2. Before we can stand against the devil’s schemes, what do we need?
Grow and remain in his Word. Only the power of God’s Word will defeat the devil.

3. Many times in our fight for the sanctity of human life, we lose focus on the enemy. The devil will use political parties, organizations that promote abortion or euthanasia, medical groups and others to carry out his purpose. How do we know that our fight is not against those organizations?
Grow and remain in his Word. Only the power of God’s Word will defeat the devil.

But since the devil uses those groups to carry out his purpose, we need to act. Lets take a look at God’s Word to find out his will is for us.

Read Ephesians 6:13

1. According to this passage, can we stand against the devil on our own?
No, we cannot stand on our own. We need the armor of God in order to stand.

Paul continues in Ephesians 6 to list the pieces of armor that a Christian uses. Read on to learn about those pieces of armor and what they are used for.

Read Ephesians 6:14-17

1. What is the purpose of each piece:

Belt: The belt of truth means we are identified as people who don’t deceive or lie

Breastplate: The breastplate of righteousness means the heart of our faith is protected by the perfect righteousness of Christ

Shoes: Our feet are fitted with readiness to march for the sake of the gospel

Shield: Our shield of faith protects from the attacking arrows from the devil

Helmet: Go back to Genesis 3:15. The judgment of Satan is proclaimed by stating that his head will be crushed. Throughout military history, the head was the target and one of the most vulnerable parts. In this reference, we are told that a Christian’s head is protected by the salvation won by the Savior.

Sword: The sword of the Spirit, God’s Word, is used to attack the enemy and will defeat him.

2. Which of these pieces of armor are offensive and used for attacking, and which ones are defensive and used for protecting?
The only offensive, or attacking, weapon is the sword of the Spirit.

To stay focused on the goal, read the last passage of Paul’s encouragement in this section.

Read Ephesians 6:18

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 saints.

1. There are two admonitions given to us in this verse. What are the two things Paul is telling us to do?
The first admonition is to pray and the second is to remain alert.

Apply these Scriptural guidelines to the following scenarios:

1. You and two women have been good friends since high school. You have done a lot together and have shared your good times and bad times over the years. You just recently found out that one of your friends is pregnant, but doesn’t want the child. She has never seemed that selfish before, but you also sense a certain fear in her. You tell her not to have an abortion and set up another time to talk with her about her fears. The next day you find out that your other friend has convinced her to get an abortion and is pushing her very hard. How do you fight to save the life of that baby?

2. Planned Parenthood is opening a clinic in your neighborhood. They say they will only open a counseling center and provide information, but you have heard from reliable sources that they plan to start doing abortions within a year. How do you fight this situation?

3. Your local school district has just adopted a new curriculum that promotes sexual activity and acceptance of alternative lifestyles. Since there was no advance notice to the community about this decision, you had no way of fighting it beforehand. Now the school administration states that the curriculum has been accepted and no changes will be made. How do you fight this issue?

4. The highway leading into town has a prominent billboard. A pro-abortion group has a sign up that promotes abortion and the freedom of choice. You contact the owner of the billboard to gather information about putting a pro-life sign up. The response is No, we won’t put that kind of material up because it is too controversial. How do you fight this attitude?