Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

L ESSON 6 T HE E DIFICATION W E S EEK Building Up One Another in the Body of Christ

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery* , but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns* and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. ~ Ephesians 5.19-21 By the end of this session, you should embrace the Edification We Seek by believing that: • The Christian life is designed to live life together in community, growing together as a family of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit. • We learn of the things of the Kingdom, worship God, and grow as disciples of Christ as we relate to other believers in the local church and in small groups. • As we follow Christ as Lord, we are built up (edified) in our faith as we learn how to submit to each other out of reverence (respect) for Christ.

Objectives

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

Opening Prayer for Wisdom

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *debauchery – Debauchery is excessive indulgence in pleasure. It doesn’t mean we have to avoid everything that gives us pleasure but that we stay clear of reckless behavior that dishonors God. God has given us everything to enjoy, but everything has its proper limitations. For example, when a river is flowing within its banks, it is a powerful force for good, but when it overflows its banks and floods a town, that river gains destructive power. In the same way, debauchery is the improper use of God-given pleasure, when it overflows its boundaries and becomes destructive to the individual and those affected. *psalms and hymns – Psalms are a certain kind of lyrical poem that are in the Bible that were sung in community, given as an expression of worship to God. Hymns and spiritual songs are expressions of love and worship that are both from the Bible and written by Christians through the ages.

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