Uncategorized Murray McLellan on 11 Oct 2008 04:03 pm
The Gospel-centered Life - Lesson One
Introduction to the Gospel-centered Life
The purpose of these lessons is to equip us to be gospel-centered on Jesus’ mission. The early church turned the Roman Empire upside down by filling it with gospel-centered Christ followers! Grace Fellowship’s purpose is to do the same in the Saskatoon region. What does a gospel-centered life look like? It involves three things: 1) preaching the gospel to yourself, 2) loving your neighbor, and 3) praying it forward. In this study, we will get you doing all three of these. In subsequent lessons, we will further equip and encourage you in each of these.
1. Preaching The Gospel To Yourself
After receiving the Spirit at Pentecost, the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). In other words, they devoted themselves to the gospel. They devoured the gospel. They couldn’t get enough of it. They met together to learn how the gospel applied to their everyday life circumstances. They were learning to preach the gospel to themselves and others.
Application Exercise: A.C.T.S.
As you begin to learn to preach the gospel to yourself, it will be helpful to use the acrostic A.C.T.S. as a grid for making gospel application to various circumstances that arise in your life. This is not the only way to preach the gospel to yourself, but it is a helpful guide to start you down the path of learning to preach the gospel to yourself. Read one or more Psalms (or any other portion of God’s Word) and identify one or two verses or a small portion of special interest. Then meditate on it by asking the following questions:
Adoration: Lord, what are you showing me here, for which I can praise you?
Confession: What do you require of me? How have I fallen short? What wrong behavior, harmful emotions, and false attitudes result in me when I forget that you are like this or have done this?
Thanksgiving: Father, how is Jesus the ultimate answer to this sin of mine and/or to my longings? What can I thank Jesus for?
Supplication: Lord, what do you want me to ask you to do in and through me?
My family and friends? My church? Our city? The nation? The world?
After going through the questions and jotting down some answers, pray the result of your meditations to God.
2. Loving Your Neighbor
As the early Christians soaked in the gospel, they began to love their neighbors. They “devoted themselves…to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread…” (Acts 2:42). This means that they devoted themselves to friendship with one another. They began to eat meals together. And they invited their neighbors to these meals. As a result, they “enjoyed the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (2:47). They began to care deeply about those both on the inside and the outside of the fellowship.
Throughout the New Testament, we see that the gospel spreads most effectively through webs of relationships—especially what we call our ‘extended family’: our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers who do not yet know Jesus.
One historian has said: “The primary change agents in the spread of faith…were the men and women who earned their livelihood in some purely secular manner, and spoke of their faith to those whom they met in this natural fashion.”
Even today the gospel keeps spreading and the church keeps growing through these webs of relationships. One survey of over 14,000 people asked: “What or who was responsible for you coming to Christ and your church?” Almost 90% responded: “A friend or relative.”
Application Exercise: Take a 3×5 card and list 3-5 names of people that are in your “extended family”, that is, people in your web of relationships who are not-yet Christians. Begin to think of ways that you can love them, in both word and deed.
3. Praying it forward
When you begin preaching the gospel to yourself, it will naturally cause you to love your neighbor, and as you attempt this task, you will quickly realize how inadequate you are to accomplish it, thus you will be driven to prayer. This is why the early church “devoted themselves to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Prayer fuels on going gospel renewal, giving you insight into how to preach the gospel to yourself, opening doors to love your neighbor, and empowering you with God’s grace to do it even when it is difficult.
Application Exercise:
How do we pray for people we know who are not yet Christians? The Apostle Paul gives us a good starting point: “Pray…that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…(Col.4:3). Here’s the challenge: Each day pray: “Lord give me today at least one open door to share your love in word and deed.” God is eager to answer this prayer. So, look for the doors he opens. Enter the door with confidence. At the end of the day, give him thanks for the door(s) he opened and pray for the people.
Please write a comment to share how this lesson has helped encourage or challenged you. If you need further clarification or have any questions please ask those as well.