We kick off our new message series this week, looking into the reality of spiritual warfare. This is an interesting and important topic for all of us, so I know we’ll want to be talking about it during our lifegroups.
Lifegroup discussion questions are after the break!
This week’s questions come from guest blogger, Lynsie McDaniel. Thanks, Lynsie!
If you’re the leader of the group, be sure to encourage everyone to “SUBSCRIBE” to the podcast, so they can be prepared for discussion prior to arrival each week. It is easy to have podcasts delievered to your mobile device so you can listen when you run, exercise, drive, or whatever you do! Just use one of the popular and free podcast apps like Podcasts, or Downcast.
When we hear of spiritual warfare what do we think? Do we think “yes, I am in it right now” or do we take more of a “that’s stuff of books or long ago, not a reality in America now”? Talk about your first reaction and some of your preconceived notions about the term “spiritual warfare”.
There are many fiction books and series that have been written about this topic. C.S. Lewis has written many, there is a series written by Chuck Black that lays out a fiction interpretation of the spiritual battles going on. These books put some images (some biblical and some imaginative) to the warfare that is waged in heavenly places. Do you think these fiction books help us to grasp the reality or cause us to see it as more fictitious and imaginary?
Who do you think you are battling? Steve told us Sunday that those messes and earthly battles we have with our wife, husband, kids, boss, the blame we put on crime and lack of morality, those aren’t the battles, those are the effects of the spiritual battles going on. We can’t just fix the physical and hope the spiritual will take care of itself. Are there physical areas you are blaming and hoping to band-aid instead of dealing with the spiritual battle going on? So you feel like you know how to deal with the spiritual battle? As the weeks progress through this message series keep coming back to this and hopefully our knowledge of how to fight these battles will grow.
Steve talked about the areas in Ephesians where Paul references “heavenly places”. How can we cling to all 5 to help us fight?
1) We all have the blessing we need to fight. Eph 1:3
2) Knowing God already has won the victory. Eph 1:20-21
3) We have a placed prepared for us in Heaven with Jesus. Eph 2:5-6
4) We have been given a responsibility to build God’s army in sharing the victory. Eph 3:10
5) Knowing who we battle against. Eph 6:12
Steve used the example of the football team watching film of their opponent for the next week. Figuring out what they do and how to fight against it. Figuring out their game plans for both offense and defense to be prepared. How can we study the battle plan to be ready for our role as target and soldier? How can being ready effect how we deal with the earthly effects of the spiritual battles?
Next Sunday: The strategy of the enemy! See you there.