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LESSON 2: FAITH IN ACTION
CENTRAL MESSAGE:
When trials come, exercise
Lesson Introduction:
faith over fear This lesson is all about the benefits of exercising our faith,
MUSICAL PRELUDE: especially in the darkest and most challenging times of our lives.
Keep The Faith There is a scene in the movie “Facing the Giants” that demonstrates
by Charles Jenkins an exercise known as the death crawl. A football player is asked to
OPENING PRAYER: carry a fellow player down the field on his back while crawling on
Psalm 27:1-3 hands and feet while keeping his knees from touching the ground.
The coach has the player do this exercise blindfolded because what
LESSON SCRIPTURE: we see and what we hear can impact our faith. In the end all are
Hebrews 11:1 surprised that the player does this physically straining exercise for
James 1:2-4 the entire 100-yard length of the football field. This is especially
Supporting Scriptures: impactful because originally, he thought he could only go 30 or at
Hebrews 11 most 50 yards. Watch the video clip here.
Mark 9:23, 11:24 The Bible has a lot to say about faith. The Scriptures tell us that
John 3:16, 2 we are saved by faith in Jesus (John 3:16) and by grace through
Corinthians 5:7 faith (Ephesians 2:8). It tells us that faith without action, often
Ephesians 2:8, 6:16 referred to as works, is worthless (James 2:17) and that we are
James 1:22-25, 2:17 to pray in faith so that we can receive our requests (Mark 11:24).
The word also tells us that we are to walk by faith rather than
our limited sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) and to protect ourselves by
putting on the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16). Yes, there is much
in the word about faith.
The question to consider: When the trials of life come, and we
know they will come, how do we apply our faith? Often, we find
that faith can be most elusive when it is needed most. James tells
us about experiencing the trials of life and how we are to respond
with joy. This is because when we endure trials with faith, they
produce perseverance and maturity. As believers we are called
to be doers of the word, (James 1:22-25) acting based on God’s
direction, not the circumstances we face or the emotions we feel.
The entire chapter of Hebrews 11 is about faith. The word “faith”
appears 24 times in that chapter alone. Hebrews 11 has been called
the hall of fame of faith because it revisits many persons of great
faith from the Old Testament to the New Testament. This chapter
is a wonderful place to spend time reading if you feel your faith
muscle needs a little strengthening. The first verse speaks of faith
and sight. In the King James Version of the Bible it uses the words
substance and evidence in defining faith. In Greek, substance
translates to “hupostasis” which means assurance or confidence,
and evidence means “elegcho” which means proof. Therefore, we
can further translate Hebrews 11:1 to say that faith is the assurance,
confidence, and proof of things we cannot yet see.
Living Your Faith | Bible Study Series A Publication of Be The Match® | Page 5
Video Testimony: Jermaine
Jermaine was a provider, a loving husband and father of three
young children when doctors delivered a deadly diagnosis—an
aggressive form of leukemia. The question, “How do you apply
your faith when you receive bad news?” was one he had to deal
with directly. Learn how Jermaine applied his assurance and
confidence (faith) at a time when he had yet to see the proof
during a very challenging time.
Jermaine, stem cell transplant recipient
Discussion questions:
1. Share a time that you had a tremendous obstacle before you.
How were you able to use your faith to get through the challenge?
2. What impact has lack of faith, or leaning on your faith, had on
your circumstances?
3. What tools do you use to keep your faith during difficult times?
MUSICAL POSTLUDE: I Believe—Jonathan Nelson
Prayer Requests:
Pray for Dorian
Before receiving a leukemia diagnosis, Dorian was working as
an engineer and enjoyed building his strength in the gym and
his faith at weekly Bible studies. As the son of a minister, he
knows how important faith is in facing the same diagnosis that
Jermaine received. Dorian urgently needs a matching donor to
receive a blood stem cell transplant to help him beat leukemia.
Dorian leans on his faith to meet the demands of each day,
which sometimes include rounds of chemotherapy and blood
transfusions. He regularly shares his story of endurance during
this trial in his life, always giving God glory and resting in the
knowledge that God has a good plan for his life. Please pray that
Dorian will find the donor and healing he is believing God for.
AFFIRMATION: I am a believer and have faith in Your promises
Lord to give me strength to handle all of my
challenging circumstances.
Dorian, searching patient
with leukemia To Join the Be The Match Registry text FAITH to 61474
Notes:________________________________________________________________________________________
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Living Your Faith | Bible Study Series A Publication of Be The Match® | Page 6
CREDITS
Addie K. Sanders, Author
Addie Sanders is a wife, mother, and grandmother who serves as
Associate Minister of Grace AME Zion Church in Charlotte, NC.
Addie is also a member in Barbara L. Peacock Ministries where
she serves as a Spiritual Formation Ministry leader. Addie is
currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Gardner Webb
University School of Divinity with a concentration in Pastoral
Care and Counseling. She is employed by Be The Match as the
Community Operations Program Manager. Addie’s heart’s desire
is to experience an ever-increasing presence of God in her walk,
family life and ministry.
Xavier Brandon, Contributor
Xavier Brandon holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Morehouse
College and a Masters of Divinity with a concentration in Race and
Religion from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He
is a prominent hip-hop artist, DJ, content curator, radio producer,
podcaster and minister. He’s married to his wife Ifie Natasha, and
has two children, Brooklyn and Malik. Xavier strives to reconcile
Hip-Hop culture with God, demonstrating that it is okay to have
a love for the music and be in love with Jesus Christ.
Erica Sevilla, Editor
Erica Sevilla is a senior multicultural public relations strategist for
Be The Match who shares the stories of lives changed through
blood stem cell and marrow transplants. Erica holds a B.S. in
journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern
University and is the producer of Be The Match’s Black Blood
Heals podcast in partnership with iHeart Media. A mother of
three children, she loves Gospel music and teaching Bible classes
to elementary school children on Sunday mornings at Lifepoint
Church in Lewis Center, Ohio.
KD Bowe, Video Production
A “motivator to the masses”, KD Bowe is a legendary radio
broadcaster turned philanthropist who daily provides actionable
solutions and insightful responses to the socio-economic ills
plaguing individuals, families and communities. His life’s mission
of educating and empowering individuals by offering a practical,
principle-centered approach to living has caused KD to become
a trusted advisor to many. He is the Founder and Executive
Director of ManUP! Community, Inc. and owner of Kontent
Faktory, Atlanta’s premier digital content creation company.
Living Your Faith | Bible Study Series A Publication of Be The Match® | Page 9
About Be The Match
For people with life-threatening blood cancers–like leukemia and
lymphoma—or other diseases, a cure exists. Be The Match connects
patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord
blood transplant. People can contribute to the cure as a member of the
Be The Match Registry®, financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match
provides patients and their families one-on-one support, education, and
guidance before, during and after transplant.
Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program®
(NMDP), a nonprofit organization that matches patients with donors,
educates health care professionals and conducts research through its
research program, CIBMTR® (Center for International Blood and Marrow
Transplant Research®), so more lives can be saved. To learn more about
the cure, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.
© 2021 National Marrow Donor Program. All Rights Reserved. | P00415; JUL 2021
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