Monday 28 April 2014

Coming Up: Sonday 4 May 2014

The Gospel

Romans 1:1-17

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Read: Romans 1:16-17, Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:31

Creation

The Gospel drove every single part of Paul's life. It caused him to spend his life as an apostle, (Romans 1:1) enduring incredible persecution and hardship for the sake of the Gospel. It made him willing to give up nearly anything for the sake of preaching the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:12,19). It changed Paul's personal life, causing him to count everything else as rubbish compared to knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8-9). Paul served God with his whole heart in the mission of preaching the gospel (Romans 1:9). Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel, it drove his entire life...

I wonder if we could say the same thing about our own lives? Does the Gospel drive everything we do and say? Do we desire to preach the Gospel with our whole heart. Do we show the Gospel by our lives to those in our workplace, our friends and our family. Are we willing to take advantage of opportunities to share the Gospel with these same people? Or are we ashamed of the Gospel? Do we even know the Gospel enough to be able to share it without fear and shame?

This week we will see together exactly what this Gospel message is. There are many tools that can help you share the Gospel like the Romans Road, Christianity Explained and there are even apps you can get for your phone! We will be studying the Creation2Completion (C2C) program which explains the Gospel by looking at the whole of redemptive history. Use the pictures and the words on each page to help you remember what you are explaining. By the end of the week you should be able to confidently explain the Gospel using these cards. If you would like a set of these cards to use in evangelism come see us at the ChristLife office or send us an email atadmin@christlife.org.au.

To explain the Gospel to someone it is helpful to start right at the beginning of time. In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. God made every single thing that exists. From microscopic organisms to you and me all the way to the millions of galaxies in the universe God made every single thing. Because He made it He was the rightful ruler over all things. The crown represents this rulership over all creation. God made mankind as well and intended that they be totally obedient to Him as their rightful ruler. They were to obey every command that He gave. This creation was perfectly good, there was no bad at all. No sickness, no pain, no war, no sorrow, no death. This world was perfectly good. Everyone was smiling and happy, just how God intended.

This is the perfect world that God created for mankind. But this isn't the world we live in now is it? Tomorrow we will see why...

Discussion Questions for families and groups

1. Why is it important to start with creation when sharing the Gospel as opposed to starting with Jesus?
2. Share with the group three people who you want to share the Gospel with and pray for them together.

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

• Praise God for the incredible news of the gospel! Praise Him that we can have righteousness before God through the work that He has done on our behalf. Pray that God would be working in your heart that you might be able to serve God with all your heart. Pray that this week God would help you to fully understand the Gospel and fill you with a passion to share it with others.
• Pray for the small groups that will be gathering throughout this week to study God's Word together, to pray together and to encourage one another. Pray that God would give each group great wisdom and help them to apply the Word in their lives.
• Pray for the three people you listed above and for an opportunity to share the gospel with them.