Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

Lesson : The Enlistment We Make • 

9. God has called messengers to declare to the world Christ’s victory over the devil and sin. Read Acts 26.12-18. Fill in the blanks. When Paul received a vision from Jesus, what did Jesus appoint him to do? a. Be a servant and _____________ of the things you will see (v. 16). b. Open the eyes of people so they may turn from _________________ to light, from the power of _______________________ to God, that they may receive ___________________ of sins, and a place among those who are sanctified by __________________ (v. 18). Everyone who turns to God from their sins (repentance) and believes in Jesus Christ as risen Lord (faith) are saved – forgiven, made whole, and accepted in the Lord’s family, by his grace and loving kindness. This invitation to become God’s own child involves changing our allegiance from this world and its sin to Christ and his Kingdom. To believe is to turn to God from this world, to swear allegiance to another Master, a new Kingdom, and a new life. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, to restore humankind to right relationship with God, and soon, to restore all things in the universe under the reign of God in his Kingdom. God saves us by his grace, and not because of our obedience to his Law, or our own merit, or good works. We are restored to right relationship to God only by his mercy, on account of Christ’s substitutionary (“in our place”) death. Now that we are saved, we are enlisted in the fight against sin, evil, and the kingdom of darkness. Truly, the invitation to be saved is a call to join the Lord’s beloved army, and to do battle against the world, our old sin nature, and the devil. After we believe, God seals us with his Holy Spirit who makes his home in us, and gives us the strength, direction, and ability to honor God, serve Christ, and to do his work. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of the full gift of God that will come to us when Jesus returns; the Spirit serves as a guarantee of our future inheritance in Christ. God’s gracious benefits are made real by the Holy Spirit: forgiveness of sin, rescue from the devil and the kingdom of darkness, and power to obey the will of God as we live the Christian life. We cooperate with the Holy Spirit by affirming the truth of the Word of God, by changing our self-talk from negative, destructive, and untrue statements to accurate, statements, consistent with Scripture. We are new creations in Christ, and now we must accept what the authors of the

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