Violent images are used in the Scriptures to portray the fight for repentance against sin. Amputation (Mt. 5:29-30), murder (Col. 3:5), starvation (Rom. 13:14), and warfare (1 Tim. 6:9-12) are all images used to help us understand the gravity and danger sin poses. As a follower of Christ, you are in the midst of a war he has commanded you to fight (Eph 6:10-20, Rom. 7:22-23, 2 Cor. 10:3-4). A fight against sin, Satan, and the powers of hell; to fight for truth, joy, and life in others. Fight Clubs are one way we get in the fight…together.

Fight Clubs are where we fight for the truth, fight our sin, and fight for others. You will consume God’s Word like it’s food (Job 23:12, Psalm 34:8, 119:103, John 6:35). You will also stop isolating and instead use the brothers and sisters God has united you to in Christ (Prov 27:17, Heb. 10:24-25). You will be uncomfortably honest with your struggles because you hate sin and love Jesus. You will allow others into your brokenness because it pushes you to depend on the gospel. You will hammer the grace of God into your heart until it determines who you are. You will pray for those who don’t love Jesus and see God save them as you purposefully weave them into your life and mission. You will see God’s Spirit transform your friends, even when you fail in all of this. Jesus fought, died, and rose to destroy the enemies that are killing you, and he’s calling you to join the fight.

Rules

Fight Clubs are for those willing to fight. Start with people who are desperate and committed to the process. Fight Clubs multiply. 2-3 per group, same gender. When a fourth joins, the group splits. Fight Clubs are simple. There is no leader. Meet once a week for an hour and do 3 things:

1. Fight For Truth

Read the Bible during the week. Decide together to use a Bible reading plan, rotate who chooses a book of the Bible, or read a book together (recommendations here). If one person doesn’t finish, everyone re-reads and trusts that God has more to show.

2. Fight Your Sin

Sin stems from unbelief in who God is and what he has done. Confess this sin and unbelief to each other. Remind each other of and celebrate the grace of the gospel. Your Fight Club must be an environment of honesty, confidentiality, and grace.

3. Fight For Others

Pray for 1-2 friends who don’t love Jesus, both together and each time you read Scripture. Talk about how you will include these people in your life mission.

Resources

Memorization Suggestions

“Our concentration on Jesus will be strengthened by memorization of great passages (not just verses) from scripture. […] The practice of memorizing the scriptures is more important than a daily quiet time, for as we fill our minds with these great passages and have them available for our meditation, quiet time takes over the entirety of our lives.” – Dallas Willard

We strongly recommend the discipline of memorizing scripture together in fight clubs. Like Willard, we encourage you to consider memorizing passages of scripture rather than just verses. The following are some recommended passages to start with:

Matthew 5-7, John 14-17, 1 Corinthians 13, Colossians 3, Psalm 1, Psalm 23, Philippians 2-4

Additional Questions

The fight club card proposes several questions to help guide the “Fight Your Sin” aspect of the fight club. Below are two sets of questions that you can use to accompany the questions already on the card.