SIX CATEGORIES OF BLESSING BY ASSOCIATION

There are six categories of blessing by association.

 1.  Spiritual periphery:  those associated with mature believers in the local church, in prayer meeting, prep school, on a deacon board, or mission board, or any Christian service organization.

 2.  Family periphery:  husband, wife, parents, children, relatives.  Even unbelievers or negative believers are blessed by association with the mature believer.

 3.  Social periphery:  friends.

 4.  Geographical periphery:  those associated with the mature believer in a neighborhood, city, country, state, and nation.

 5.  Professional periphery:  businesses, schools, hospitals, medical clinics, law firms, engineering firms, branches of military service, law enforcement agencies, banks, athletic teams, symphony orchestras, etc.

 6.  Blessing by association after death:  in certain cases like parents to children.  This can extend to the second and third generations, and in rare cases to the fourth generation.