Fight Club 7
I recently started a Fight Club with a couple of other men, so that we could better disciple one another in the gospel. The name Fight Club is based on a book by Jonathan Dodson, from Austin City Life. I decided this would be a good time to re-read the book and make some notes. Here are the notes from my reading:
Picking up some thoughts from the book and movie Fight Clubs:
The pain awakens them from the numbness of their mundane lives.
In Fight Clubs unlike war men do not fight to live but to feel life and be reminded of their own mortality in an increasingly digitized world.
“Christians are tempted daily to believe the empty promises of the millionaire, movie god and rock star lifestyles. We are tempted to believe that if we had a little more money, power, notoriety, respect, success or whatever, we would be truly happy.” p44
We are called out of our depressing, fleshly lives into the rewarding fight of faith, out of the great depression to a great spiritual war.
What is a Fight Club:
“Fight Clubs are small, simple groups of 2-3 who meet regularly to help one another beat the flesh and believe in the promises of God.” p44
Fight Clubs should remain relationship-based whenever possible. Good fighting springs from relationships of trust and confidence.
3 Rules of Fight Club:
1. Know your sin:
Know why we gravitate to certain sins. What do you believe they will do for you? What are you desiring or valuing most when you do X? Look for the false promises of approval, acceptance, satisfaction, self-worth, significance etc. We need to look beneath our sin to expose the lie behind it, that has displaced the gospel and spirit.
2. Fight Your Sin:
The next challenge is to actually fight your sin – we have been lulled by a misplaced sense of grace into thinking that sin is in fact no big deal. The Bible, however contains numerous warnings against the deceitfulness of sin that can disqualify us for the kingdom. The proof of your faith is that it fights.
Fighting your sin is “a habitual weakening of the flesh through constant fighting and contending in the Spirit for sweet victory over sin… it is constant and progressive not occasional and instant.” p47
Fight Club is not ascetic legalistic, morbid introspection – it is a fight for true joy, lasting happiness and life.
3. Trust Your Saviour:
We are to fight in a particular way – by the Spirit. The Spirit wants to empower us to believe better promises, promise that are true and lasting…
Yield to him. Trust in his truth-telling and power. Ask the Spirit to strengthen your faith to believe God over the flesh. Look for counter-promises in God’s Word.
Text-Theology-Life
Text: Fight Clubs focus on a common biblical text – each person reads a chapter from a book devotionally each week. Making a point of asking the Holy Spirit to draw your attention to whatever he wants you to know.
Each week when you get together make the text your initial focus. Groups that don’t make the text their focus typically fall into license or legalism.
Theology: work through Scripture in community trying to follow the flow of the author. Particularly ask how does the person and work of Jesus inform this text. The goal is not merely to look like Jesus but to know him. Our discipleship will become more about communion with God and less about moral performance.
Be honest and meditate with one another on the promises and warnings and encourage one another with the promises of God. Be sure to glance twice at Jesus for every glance at your sin, in order to keep gospel focussed. Consider how his various roles offer you grace in the fight (eg righteousness)
Life: Do not make Fight Club a Bible Study.
Very often one of you will need more time to share more than others – defer to one another in love, fight with and not against one another.
Be sure to share the names of people whom you are trying to bless with the gospel.
Pray asking God to help you trust his promises, as well as give unbelievers the same gift of faith.
fresh expressions... 