Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

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

The centrality of Christ to all of history and to the meaning of human existence invites us into Jesus Christ, through whom we read the entire Bible from beginning to end. As pastors of the Word, there is a strong need to soak ourselves in the Triune story of God with its detailed exposition of the central role of Christ in the greatest drama of human history – the drama of God who becomes one of us to rescue the world . This theme of God’s rescue of us all – not inspirational topics, motivational speakers, or massive therapy sermons – needs to be recovered as the central message of our church. This is not only the apostles’ way of reading and preaching the Scriptures, it is also the way of the ancient fathers and, for the most part, the churches that do an ancient-future worship. ~ Robert E. Webber. Ancient-Future Worship: Proclaiming and Enacting God’s Narrative . Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008, p. 121. The Appendices you should study and meditate upon relevant to this lesson are the following: The Theology of Christus Victor (App. 11) Christus Victor: An Integrated Vision for Christian Life and Witness (App. 12) Jesus of Nazareth: The Presence of the Future (App. 4) Jesus Christ, the Subject and Theme of the Bible (App. 22) Let God Arise! The Seven “A’s” of Seeking the Lord and Entreating His Favor (App. 23)

Appendices

Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange has happened (1 Peter 4.12).

Key Principle

Read and reflect upon the following cases and concepts, and provide answers and insights into their resolution, based on the texts you studied above. 1. “I’m trying to understand what ‘standing firm in the faith’ means, but I’m not sure I get it.” After a great study of the Bible with friends, a young Christian was meditating on the meaning of 1 Peter 5.8-9: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith , knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your

Case Studies