1. Planting a church is about winning the war in the. (Spiritual) 2. Never underestimate the power of and. (Prayer and Fasting)

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1 CALLED TO BATTLE Session One Spiritual Warfare Planting a church is a spiritual act of war. There is a kingdom of darkness that fights against all things that profess the name of Jesus. As a team, walking into this endeavor without a plan, without tools, and without training is like an army walking into a battle without a tactics, guns, or boot camp. 1. Planting a church is about winning the war in the. (Spiritual) 2. Never underestimate the power of and. (Prayer and Fasting) We think if we follow the same strategies of other successful churches we will have the same results that they have. The war is won in the spiritual, not in the practical. 3. We must pursue prayer. (Personal) 4. We must develop the pattern of prayer. (Group) 5. There will be a attack. (Counter) Do not mistakenly believe that God and Satan are in a cosmic battle of equal power. God has all power. 6. Building a church from ground zero will be. (Hard work) 7. Prayer demonstrates our on God. (Dependence) 8. Fasting illustrates our for God. (Hunger) 9. Poor and leads to unmet expectations. (Preparation and Planning) Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Proverbs 13: We must and in order to accomplish the task of planting Christcentered churches and make lifelong disciples. (pray and prepare) 11. Satan works to,, and. (John 10:10) (Steal, Kill, Destroy) 12. In Satan makes his first appearance to make the children of God and from God. (Doubt, turn)

2 When we make it known that we are going to bring people from darkness to light, we must know the spiritual implications of that claim. 13. our joy. (Steal) 14. Kill our. (Witness) 15. Destroy our faith. 16. Satan desire is to kill your desire for Jesus. He will do this with tactics, using your against you. (Weakness) 17. This cosmic battle between good and evil is not an equal fight. Jesus has won! 18. Jesus over the power of darkness on the. (Triumphed, cross) (Colossians 3:13-15) 19. By Jesus, the power of darkness over our lives was destroyed. Death died by death. (Crucifying) (1 Corinthians 2:7-8) 20. We still must learn to the good fight of. (Fight, faith) (1 Timothy 6:12) 21. If Jesus has the authority, and he is offering it to us, then our only hope is in. (Jesus) (Matthew 28:18) (Jude 9)

3 CALLED TO BATTLE Session Two Prayer Prayer is our communication with God. Power to defend and fight is of utmost importance in a battle. The fact is, apart from God we can do nothing to defend ourselves (John 15:5). Prayer is not an arbitrary thing; it is the very life-saving act that every good soldier uses in time of distress and battle. Prayer is one of the signs of faith. Prayer is one of the tools for faith. Prayer is not an emergency measure that we turn to when we have a problem. Real prayer is part of our constant communion with God and worship of God. When we pray, we accentuate our on the Father for help in all things. One of the disciples few recorded questions to Jesus in the gospels was Lord, teach us to. (Luke 11:1) We to must learn to pray and to pray, lest our prayers be ineffective and. Planting a church without prayer is like building a house without foundation and materials. It is God who is the very fabric of this house. Even so prayer is the invitation for Him to build. It is good to pray with God. (Matt. 6:6) It is important to God for what you desire. (Matt. 7:7-8) Check your heart before you pray! (James 4:3) Think of God as your in prayer. (Matt. 7:9-11) God knows how to give. Come to God with in prayer, knowing that you are now God s friend because of Christ s work. (Heb. 4:16)

4 Come to God with in prayer, because he will exalt you at the proper time. (1 Peter 5:6) Prayer, like nothing else, provides for the work of church planting. (Matt. 9:37-38) Be in prayer. (Mark 10:51) is the most important ingredient of effective prayer. (Mark 11:22-23) in prayer. You must not give up after one prayer. (Luke 18:1-8) Effective prayer is about in Christ. (John 15:7) The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. - James 5:16 Power in prayer comes through. (John 15:16) The chief end of all prayer is that the might be glorified in the. (John 14:12-13) If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done to you. John 15:7

5 CALLED TO BATTLE Session Three Word God s Word is a precious gift. There is no book like it in all the earth. It testifies that God created the entire universe by the words of His mouth. By grace, we have the words of His mouth at our fingertips daily. The Bible is a book about. When God the truth becomes available to us. The Bible is a book with many authors, but one author. Jesus tells us that without God s we cannot live. (Matt. 4:4) The Word must be and in the hearts of believers. (Colossians 3:16) The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the Word of the Lord. -1 Samuel 3:21 We must see the value of knowing in order to see the value of knowing/reading the. The Word and faith. (Romans 10:17) Through hearing the Word, God the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 3: 5) A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn t -C.H. Spurgeon The Word and life. (John 6:63) The Word gives us. (Romans 15:4) The Word leads to. (John 8:32) The Bible puts us in touch with God s thoughts, which is the truth about all of life. We fight against the deceitful of sin, by reminding ourselves and each other of the beautiful of God. Jesus responded to Satan s false promises in the wilderness with the true promises in God s.

6 The Bible gives us the ability to the devil. (John 8:44) (1 John 2:14) Reading the Bible leads to sustaining and everlasting. (Psalm 119:72) It is important to know how to use your Bible. The Bible is not to be worshipped, but is meant to lead you to worship God. You must how you will read your Bible. Just like working out, if you don t plan how, you generally won t actually do it, but just talk about it. Spend some time with just your Bible and a journal sometimes. Scripture is not just for home-school or Christian children. I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 The Word of God is a treasure. God has exalted above all things His and His. You have exalted above all things your name and your Word. (Psalm 138:2)

7 CALLED TO BATTLE Session Four Faith Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 Faith is the of things hoped for and the of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) The fight we are wrapped up in is one of. What we actually is even more crucial than what we. Satan is a manipulator of and. He wants you to him at his word. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of what is visible. Hebrews 11:3 The is important because it gives us the about God. Faith comes by from God by His Word. (Romans 10:17) God gave us His Word to help us Him and not to believe the everyday of His enemy. You are not saved by the quality of your faith, but the object of your faith. Tim Keller Faith is about the not the. We fight by believing. (Hebrews 11) We must trust that is enough to save us not that we are worthy of saving. When we put our trust in God s and on our behalf we disarm all weapons that are formed to harm us. We cannot what we do not.

8 Satan is preaching ideas to you every day, which underscores the importance of to yourself. is how you allow others to preach the truth to you when you are weak. is asking God to preach to you when you can t hear. is God s ongoing sermon to you so that you never go without. Cling to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the truth. We believe in Him, not merely His words. C.H. Spurgeon The of our faith is Jesus Christ. Our victory of sin, death, and hell is. Faith is us rightly adorning the Son of God with the credit He. The principle part of faith is patience. George Macdonald Do not lose. (2 Corinthians 4:1) Believe. Take Him at His.

9 CALLED TO BATTLE Session Five Joy Why is it that Christians who have the greatest reason to rejoice and take joy in life seem to enjoy it the least? One of the greatest ways to fight the enemy is to outrejoice him. That s right. Have more fun. Joy is a one of the most emotional responses from the disciples to any given situation. Joy is a deep and that can only be found in Christ. "I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. C.S. Lewis God is most in us when we are most in Him. Joy is. When a Christian rejoices in all circumstances it the enemy of power. You will not need to fight this battle. Stand firm. Hold your position and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf. 2 Chron. 20:17 Paul teaches us to always (Philippians 4). Jesus defeated Satan and sin on the cross because of the that was set before Him (Hebrews 12). You prioritize what brings you most delight. Every man seeks happiness, this is without exception. Blaise Pascal Demonic doctrines are and. The gospel is about,, and in the Holy Spirit. Sin is simply for lesser and believing that they will satisfy. Do we all things richly? (1 Timothy 6:17)

10 When duty becomes delight, the love of God is changing you. We must create a of joy. Refuse to be a, and be a (John 10:10). Providence should be a place of on Sundays and everyday we are together, no matter the circumstances. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

11 CALLED TO BATTLE Session Six Worship We all worship. We are wired for it. The question will always be WHO/WHAT we worship not IF we worship. God s ultimate goal in you is to perfect you; that your whole life will be worship unto Him. ADORATION We worship what we adore and we adore what we worship. Adoration is about intimacy with God. It is our LOVE for God that will drive our worship. It is a revelation of God s LOVE for us that will give us a passionate love for Him. "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Psalm 42:1-2 CONFESSION In light of our love for God we acknowledge His holiness. To be holy is to be set apart. God is completely OTHER. He is in a category all of His own. When we see His holiness, we recognize our sin. Confession is two-fold. We confess our sin and God s grace, our inability and His ability, our weakness and His strength. Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in the truth of the inward being, and you teach me the wisdom in the secret heart. Psalm 51:5-6 THANKSGIVING In light of God s love for us and His character in the face of our shortcoming, we respond in thanksgiving. Everything we have and experience that is good is from God. Our lives should be all of thanksgiving because all of life is a precious gift. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. - Psalm 136 SUPPLICATION Supplicating is the act of asking or begging for something.

12 Since we know that God has the power to change all things and that He loves us greatly, our response is naturally to cast our anxieties and cares on Him. (1 Peter 5) We MUST ask and plead with God in worship. It is as natural as a baby crying for her mother. You are most like whom you were created to be when you worship. God created worshippers when he created us. Worship is about encountering God. Do not settle for heartless thoughtless worship. We overcome, as Christ did, by worshipping. We burn the sweetest incense for Him when we are in His sight on fire with devout and holy love. Augustine