Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

L ESSON 5 T HE E XCELLENCE W E S HOW Living as Saints of God and Ambassadors of Christ in This World

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness* must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints* . Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater* ), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ~ Ephesians 5.1-5 By the end of this session, you should embrace the Excellence We Show by believing that: • We are to imitate God, as his own dearly loved children. • As saints (holy ones) in Christ, we are to represent God before others as his own holy, thankful people. • As ambassadors, we are to share the Good News of salvation with our friends, families, and neighbors, demonstrating in good works the love of Christ in service to others. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *covetousness – Covetousness is an intense desire to possess something or someone that belongs to someone else. It is more than just wanting something, but is an extreme greed that comes from self-centeredness and an arrogant disregard for God’s purposes. *saints – A saint is someone who is set apart for God’s possession, demonstrated in both service and worship. It is often misunderstood to mean someone whose behavior is extraordinarily good and religious. But the word “saint” and “sanctify” or “sanctification” are all based on the same idea: something that is set apart for a special purpose. For example, if you have a special dress or pair of shoes that you only wear for special occasions, that piece of clothing is “set apart” (or sanctified) for the purpose of special events. In the same way, “saints” are normal people who are set apart by God to worship and serve him. *idolater – An idolater is someone who worships a created thing rather than worshiping the Creator. Because people want their lives to be good, and free of problems, they have tried to gain control of their circumstances by gaining the favor of powers they cannot understand. Therefore people worship images of gods of the rain, weather, or victory in war, worshiping them instead of trusting in the Creator. Others are greedy for their own gain and put their trust in systems like capitalism, education, religious activity, or militarism. Therefore an idolater is anyone who seeks to get their needs met from anything other than God.

Objectives

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