the gospel - nte 2019this material belongs to afes. please do not make unauthorised copies. //...

THE GOSPEL

STRAND

12

CONTENTS

Session 1 2Session 2 5Session 3 8Session 4 14Session 5 17Session Summary 22My Testimony 23Romans 3:21-26 Sentence Analysis 26

NAME:

NTE19 // Strand 12: The Gospel // This material belongs to AFES. Please do not make unauthorised copies.

2

// SESSION 1 //

INTRODUCING EACH OTHER

How did you become a Christian?

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

The gospel is momentous news1

The word ‘gospel’ (euangelion2 in New Testament Greek) is not a religious word but a media word for ‘news’. It is not just any news, however, because it is the kind of news that changes the world. It is momentous. It demands a response. The outcome of World War 2, the fall of the Berlin Wall or the death of a President constitute such ‘gospels’.

In the ancient world, these gospels arrived through a messenger (Greek: angelos). Pheidippides was the famous ‘gospeller’ that ran 42 kilometres from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to proclaim, ‘Rejoice, we have won!’3 When Isaiah proclaimed the gospel 300 years earlier he said, ‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news (gospel)’ (Isaiah 52:7).

1 This article is greatly indebted to an unpublished paper by Tim Thorburn: ‘What is the gospel?’ written for the AFES Senior Staff Conference 2009. 2 Literally (in Greek) eu means ‘well’ and angelo means ‘I announce’. So euangelion more accurately means ‘news well told’. 3 This gave rise to the Olympic marathon. According to tradition, Pheidippides immediately collapsed and died having run a further 280 kilometres in the preceding two days to deliver other important ‘gospels’ in the battle.

Source: Richard Chin, ‘The Momentous News of the Gospel’, SALT (Spring 2010): 6.


3

At this point your good non-Christian friends busts in... stumbles upon these notes... turns to you with a confused look on their face... and says: ‘But I thought the gospel had something to do with Jesus!?’

a) How do you respond?

b) How would you explain the ‘gospel of Jesus’?

By the end of this strand you should be able to explain the gospel of Jesus even better than you just did! - by simply and clearly using your own story or testimony.

WHAT IS THE 'GOSPEL' OF JESUS'?

a) The best way to discover what the ‘gospel of Jesus’ is to look at what the Bible has to say. The following are three gospel explanations given by Jesus, Peter and Paul. As you read each on, list the key ideas in the table below.

Luke 24:46-49 Acts 2:14-41 Acts 17:16-34

HIGHLIGHT key ideas that are included in ALL THREE descriptions of the gospel.

UNDERLINE key ideas that are included in TWO of the descriptions of the gospel.

b) What surprised you about the descriptions of the gospel?


4

c) What are the important things about the gospel?

d) Try to draw a mind map of the different ideas contained in the gospel and how they all connect together. The ‘Jesus’ box should get you started.

e) Did you find doing the mind map easy or hard? Why?

f) Turn to page 22 and fill in the summary section for Session 1. Pray together.

Jesus


5

// SESSION 2 //

HUMANITY IN POPULAR CULTURE

HUMANITY'S GREATEST PROBLEM

‘The greatest problem facing humanity today is...’

a) How might that sentence be finished by:

... a politician? ... a doctor? ... a soldier?

... a teacher? ... a beauty queen? ... an environmentalist?

... an economist? ... your friends? ... YOU!?

In today’s session we’ll consider how God would finish that sentence - as today we consider our sin and God’s wrath.

THE BAD NEWS THAT MAKES THE GOOD NEWS SO GOOD

a) What does the Bible say about the nature and the origin of sin? (I.e what is it and where did it come from?)

Genesis 1:26-31; 2:15-25; 3:1-24

b) You might like to draw a timeline of what happened.

c) What has that got to do with us?

Hosea 6:6-7 Romans 5:12 1 Corinthians 15:22

d) What does the Bible say about the extent of sin?

Psalm 14 Jeremiah 17:9 Mathew 3:7

Mark 7:20-23 Romans 3:10-23 Romans 5:12-19 (vv.12 & 19)


6

e) What does the Bible say about the consequences of sin?

Acts 17:31 Romans 1:18 Romans 1:24, 26, 28

Romans 1:32 Romans 5:12, 14, 15, 18 Romans 6:23

1 Peter 4:3-5 Jude 14-15 Revelation 20:11-15

f) What can we do about our situation?

Jeremiah 13:23 John 8:34 1 Corinthians 2:14

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Ephesians 2:1-3 Ephesians 2:11-12

Ephesians 4:18-19 Titus 3:3 2 Peter 2:19

g) Can our performance, our efforts, or our good works help us?

‘The greatest problem facing humanity today is...’

h) From what you have just read, how would that sentence be finished by ... God?


7

THE BLACK BACKGROUND TO THE GOSPEL

a) Draw a picture of our problem as sinful humanity.

b) How does this make you feel about facing God’s judgment?

c) How does it make you feel about non-Christian friends and family who will face God’s judgment?

Turn to page 22 and fill in the summary section for Session 2.

FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION...

The greatest problem in the world is __________.

How do you see this reflected in...

> the world around you?

> your relationships?

> your own life?

Pray a prayer of confession to God, acknowledging sin. Thank God that he cares enough about sin to judge the world justly.


8

// SESSION 3 //At the end of the last session we were left with a fairly bleak picture. However, last session was not the complete picture. It was the context into which the gospel, the momentous news about Jesus, comes.

WHAT GOD DID

a) Together we are going to look closely at Romans 3:21-26. However, firstly we need to establish the context.

b) Read Romans 1:17-18. What two things are being revealed?

A quick summary of Romans 1:18-3:20God’s wrath is being revealed. All people stand guilty under God’s judgment. This includes both Gentiles and Jews, those who wilfully do wrong, and even those who try hard to do good.

c) Read Romans 3:21. How does this verse fit in the argument of Romans so far?

Romans 3:21-2621But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets 22—that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26He presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.

d) From the opening words, how does this passage fit in the argument of Romans so far?


9

e) Below is a list of some of the key words from Romans 3:21-26 and their meanings. Match the key words to their meanings.

key word meaning

RIGHTEOUSNESS the Old Testament Scriptures

REVEALED majesty, ‘weightiness’ or splendour

PROPITIATION rejection of and rebellion against God

LAW to be declared righteous

THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS rescue by the payment of a ransom

FAITH patience or endurance or forbearance

REDEMPTION undeserved kindness

JUSTIFIED a sacrifice given to turn away God’s anger

SIN God’s instructions for his people given through Moses

GLORY made known

RESTRAINT the legal state of being declared ‘not guilty’

GRACE reliance on or trust in a person or thing

f) Are there any other words or ideas in Romans 3:21-26 that you would find tricky to explain?


10

Next we are going to do a sentence analysis on Romans 3:21-25 to help clarify exactly what these verses are saying.

There are three steps to this sentence analysis:

1. Identify the clauses (already done for you below).2. Find the main clause (or big idea) in the sentence.3. Decide how the other clauses (related bits) relate to the main clause and to one another. In order to track the relationship, position the main clause on the extreme left and indent the other clauses to show how they related to the main clause and to one another. Below is a brief worked example.

Example sentence:

On a sunny day, Jack and Jill went up the hill, with their pet dog Bouncer. They went up the hill, to fetch a pail of water, because they were thirsty.

Example analysis:

When On a sunny day, Explains when Jack and Jill went up the hill

Main Idea

Jack and Jill went up the hill,

This is the main clause. All the other parts of the sentence could be left out, but the sentence would still make sense.

Who with their pet dog Bouncer. Explains who else went up the hill

Main Idea They went up the hill, This is a repetition and return to the main clause.

Why to fetch a pail of water, Explains why (for what purpose) they went up the hill.

Why because they were thirsty. Explains why (the reason) Jack and Jill fetched the water.

d) Now it’s over to you! Have a go at doing a sentence analysis on Romans 3:21-26.

e) What does this passage mean for those who find themselves in the situation explored in Session 2?


11

WHY GOD DID IT

a) Look up the following passages, and answer the two questions below for each:

John 3:16 John 12:27-28 Romans 3:26

Romans 5:8 Ephesians 2:4-5 Ephesians 2:8-10

2 Timothy 1:9 Titus 3:4-5 1 John 4:10

b) Why did God send Jesus to save, redeem, justify and die for us?

c) What do we contribute to what God did?

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER

a) Why is it important to understand our situation (Session 2) in order to understand what God did?

b) Why is it important to understand Jesus’ sacrifice in order to understand God’s love?

c) How do you feel knowing that God loves you? How do you feel knowing how greatly he has shown his love?

Turn to page 22 and fill in the summary section for Session 3.


12


Spend some time in prayer, thanking God his wonderful gift of grace in Jesus. You might want to write out your prayer in the space below.


13

ROMANS 3:21-26

But now,

apart from the law,

God’s righteousness has been revealed

attested by the Law and the Prophets

that is, God’s righteousness

through faith in Jesus Christ,

to all who believe,

since there is no distinction.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

They are justified freely by His grace

through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

God presented Him as a propitiation

through faith in His blood,

to demonstrate His righteousness,

because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.

He presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time,

so that He would be righteous

and declare righteous

the one who has faith in Jesus.


14

// SESSION 4 //

UNDERSTANDING THE RESURRECTION

Last session we learn of Jesus’ sacrificial death for us, and its purpose in God’s good, gracious plan. The GOOD NEWS however does not end there - Jesus did not stay dead. As we saw in Session 1, this is a key aspect of the GOSPEL which was proclaimed by the Jesus and the Apostles.

a) Why is it so important? What difference does the resurrection make? (Hint: Look at Acts 1:9-11 and 1 Cor 15:20)

b) How do the following Bible passages help us answer the above question?1

Acts 2:32-36

Acts 17:30-31

Romans 1:1-4

Romans 4:25

1 Corinthians 15:3-7

1 Corinthians 15:12-18

Ephesians 2:5-6

Colossians 3:1-4

1 Peter 1:3

c) From what you have read above, why is it important that we speak about the resurrection of Jesus when we share the gospel with others?


15

RESPONDING RIGHTLY

So the gospel is the news about what God has done in Jesus Christ - in his life, death, resurrection and ascension. As we saw in Session 1, this mews is not just any news, but it is MOMENTOUS news - it changes the world, and it demands a response.

a) Looking back over each of the sessions, what are some of the things we have learnt about who Jesus is?

b) In light of who Jesus is, what is an appropriate way to respond to him?

c) Look at the following verses. What do they tell us about how to rightly respond to the gospel of Jesus?

Mark 1:14-15

Mark 8:34

Luke 24:44-47

John 3:16

John 3:36

Acts 2:37-39

Acts 10:42-48

Romans 10:9-10

Ephesians 2:8

James 2:19

1 John 3:23


16

d) Does the Bible lead you to expect that everyone will respond rightly? (Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 8:4-15; Revelation 7:9-10)

e) If Jesus fully achieves our salvation through his death and resurrection, does it really matter how we live? (Romans 6:1-2, 11-14; Colossians 3:1-10; James 2:14-19)

f) How might you explain to someone what it means to respond rightly to Jesus?

g) Turn to page 22 and fill in the summary section for Session 4. Pray together.


a) Have you responded rightly to the good news of Jesus?

b) How does/should living for Jesus affect your life?


17

// SESSION 5 //

EVANGELISM 101

a) The word ‘evangelist’ (or in Greek euanelizo) means ‘one who brings good news’ - so you can see it’s closelrelated to the word ‘gospel’. How does what we have learned about the gospel so far encourage you to share this good news with others.

b) Looking at your summary page (page 22), and other notes that you have written, write some dot points summarising the key points of the gospel.

c) You might like to sketch this table out on butchers paper and jot down some different ways you could approach evangelism in each box. For a heap of suggestions, check the other resources section of the website.


18

THE HOW OF EVANGELISM

Too often Christians have strong opinions about the ‘right’ way to do evangelism. There are some who think ‘cold contact’ evangelism (sharing the gospel with strangers) is immoral, because it is not ‘relational’. There are others who would rather tell 100 people they don’t know about Jesus before they share the gospel with an unbelieving sibling. We tend to have our preferences (based on our gifting) and then demonise other options. But if an evangelist is indeed ‘one who brings good news’, then perhaps we need to thank God that he uses us differently and concentrate instead on our Gospel message (Sessions 1-4). Once we’ve got that sorted, we can think creatively about different ways to share our faith. Below is a table to help you with that.

On campus, in our churches and in our relational spheres, we want to see two groups of people won for Christ. Those we know and those we don’t know. We can reach these people in different ways – at a 1:1, small group or large group level.

People we know People we don’t know

1:1

Small Group

LargeGroup

THE WHAT AND WHY OF TESTIMONIES

There are lots of ways you can share the gospel with others. One way is through your testimony.

a) What is a testimony?


19

b) Why should we tell our testimony?

THE HOW OF TESTIMONIES

There are lots of places you could give your testimony – in conversation, part of a formal evangelistic meeting and so on. How you give your testimony will depend, in part, on where you give it. We are going to work on preparing our testimonies for a formal evangelistic meeting. Here are some tips:

Tips for preparation:• Tell God’s story and your story: While you’ll want to keep Jesus central, remember it is about you and Jesus.

Make sure you speak about both. Be sure to speak about both Jesus and the difference he has made in your life.

• Be honest and interesting: Don’t exaggerate or make things up. Sometimes we think the more amazing our story the better. But this can i) give false expectations about becoming a Christian, and ii) draw people’s attention away from God’s story. The amazing story is that the Creator and King of the universe sent his son (God the Son!) to die and rise in the place of sinners. Our story, no matter how spectacular, won’t beat that! But don’t be boring either. Think carefully about how to keep people’s interest. Consider your audience and how you can tell your story in a way that will engage with them. Consider your opening line and how you can gab the attention of your listeners.

• Be prepared and personal: Write your testimony in full, so you are clear on what you will say. But remember that spoken English is different to written English. Avoid or explain jargon words and avoid being ‘preachy.’

• Be short and sharp: Aim for about 3-4 minutes. Include a Bible verse if you can. Try to end with an appropriate challenge to understand and to commit to the Lord Jesus

Tips for presentation:• Be clear: speak slowly and clearly.

• Be keen: God has done an amazing thing in Christ and in you – don’t let your nerves make it seem that you are not excited about it.

• Be compassionate: Especially when speaking of sin/judgment: be truthful (2 Cor 4:2), humble (Titus 3:3-7), and compassionate (Ezek 18:32; 33:11; Mat 23:37; 2 Pet 3:9).


20

OUTLINES

Some people have been converted from a non-Christian background and others have grown up in a Christian home and cannot remember a time when they did not follow Jesus. In the light of this we have two testimony outlines that may be helpful as you prepare your story.

Also, if you look at the summary page at the back of this booklet you will have written an outline of the content of the gospel in your own words. You can use this page as you write your testimony.

non-Christian background Christian background

Before:What was I like before I became a Christian?

• Give one or two examples of your old life.

• Beware making before more exciting than after.

When did I first notice God working in my life?• Give one or two examples.

How:How did I come to understand the gospel?

• Share what God has done for you and in you.How did I come to accept the gospel?

• Share how you understood your need/situation.

• You may like to include a Bible verse.

After:What has changed after receiving Christ?

• Attitudes; actions; desires; relationships…

• ‘I used to think… but now I know…’

• What are the challenges? What the joys?

What are my goals and ambitions now?• What are you looking forward to, striving for?

Challenge

The Present:What are the great things about life with Jesus?

• Acknowledge the challenges, share the joys.What does trusting Jesus mean for me today?

• Attitudes; actions; desires; relationships; goals…

• ‘Lots of people think… but I…’

The Past:How did I come to where I am now?

• Share some of the process and be specific.

• Beware making Christianity sound inherited.

Who were some of the significant people?• Give one or two examples.

The gospel facts:What have you come to understand?

• Share your need and hopelessness.

• Share what God has done for you and in you.

• You may like to include a Bible verse.

• Why do you continue to trust in Jesus?

Challenge


21

EXAMPLES

a) If you’d like to see a couple of examples, check out Paul’s testimony in Acts 26 and 1 Tim 1:12-17, and the Uni student testimonies below.

b) Now it’s over to you! Spend some time writing your testimony on the blank pages provided (page 23).

CHECKLIST

My testimony: p tells God’s story and my story p is honest and interesting p is prepared and personal p is short and sharp

Pray together.


22

// SESSION SUMMARY //

21

Strand 12 - The Gospel This material belongs to AFES - Please do not make unauthorised copies.

The reason we need the gospel is ...2

Seminar Summary

So, in response, we need to ...4God has ...

Because ... 3

The gospel can be summed up as ...

But what I still don’t get is ... 1


23

// MY TESTIMONY //


24

Space to write your testimony


25

Space to write your testimony


26

// ROMANS 3:21-26 SENTENCE ANALYSIS //

Intro But now,Indicates a change in era and a new phase of salvation history

How apart from the law,Negative explanation of the revelation, it is not through the law.

Main Idea God’s righteousness has been revealed,

Main clause, the way to be made right with God has been revealed.

attested to by the Law and the Prophets,Clarification, affirming that the OT anticipated this way of being made right with God.

Main Idea that is, God’s righteousness, Brings attention back to

the main topic.

How through faith in Jesus Christ,How God’s righteousness is received.

Who to all those who believe.Who God’s righteousness is received by.

Why since there is no distinction.Why God’s righteousness comes to ALL who believe.

Why for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Explains why there is no distinction - all sin.

Why They are justified freely by His graceExplains why there is no distinction - all may be justified freely.

How through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Explains how all may be justified freely.

How God presented Him as a propitiation Explains how redemption comes through Jesus.

How through faith, in his blood, Explains how that redemption is received.

Why to demonstrate His righteousness,Explains the purpose for which God presented Jesus.

Why because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.

Explains why God needed to show his righteousness.

He presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time,

Restates that God presented Jesus to demonstrate his righteousness now.

Why so that He would be righteousExplains the purpose for which God presented Jesus.

Why and declare righteousExplains the purpose for which God presented Jesus.

Who the one who has faith in Jesus. Who is declared righteous.

This page is left intentionally blank

the gospel - nte 2019this material belongs to afes. please do not make unauthorised copies. //...

Documents