Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

L ESSON 4 T HE E NDOWMENT W E R ECEIVE The Holy Spirit’s Role in the Good Fight of Faith

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists* , the pastors* and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. ~ Ephesians 4.11-15 By the end of this session, you should embrace the Endowment We Receive by believing that: • The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, and endows each believer with gifts to serve the Body. • We are given freedom in Christ to practice our gifts, as the Holy Spirit provides us opportunities to serve. • Through the Spirit’s direction, gifts, and strength, we are provided with sufficient power to live in strong fellowship with other believers in the church, growing together in maturity and unity. Eternal God, my Father, you say in your Word that you are the source of all knowledge and wisdom. I acknowledge this as the truth, dear Father, and I ask that you impart into me divine wisdom, that I may be able to rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2.15). Please instruct and teach me in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *Evangelists refers to those workers gifted by the Spirit to effectively communicate the good news of the Gospel to the lost. While all believers are commanded to share the gospel, some are more gifted in this area and helpful for building up the body of Christ. *Pastors are “shepherds” assigned to care for the flock, i.e. the local church. Pastors must protect the flock through their Bible teaching, godly counsel and encouragement, warning the sheep against dangers, and leading the flock to carry out the work of God in their communities.

Objectives

Opening Prayer for Wisdom

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