Listening To Hope

The Gospel is Good News

Hope Chapel, 3-14-10

by Geno Hildebrandt

Notes by Mary Jo Rekedal

Lesson:

The Gospel of God is good news for humanity because it tells us that God is for us.  By the death of Jesus for our sins and his resurrection for our justification we can walk in relationship with our God from whom we had been separated.

Texts: I Corinthians 15:3-5; Romans 3:23-25, 5:6-11, 6:1-14

Ice Breaker:

When was the first time you heard the Gospel? It may or may not have been the first time it was preached to you. When was the first time you “heard” the Good News of Jesus Christ? Who told you? What did he/she say or do that caught your attention and spoke to your heart/spirit?

Intro/Summary:

We’ve been talking about how to engage people who are at a distance from God; how it is that we can enter the ongoing story of God’s pursuing love in their lives and join the adventure. To recap last 4 weeks:

1. Steve Hawthorne--we are already late to the party—because God has been at work already for some time. Ask a few questions to discern God’s work-already-begun and then join Him.
2. Geno--tell our own God-story, how He brought us to Himself and rescued us from our own destructive ways.
3. Steve Unangst--Develop and persevere in friendship with those far from God.
4. Mark Proeger—Enter into an ongoing conversation with someone who is far from God by simply being oneself.

So for several weeks now we’ve talked about the ‘how’ of engaging people far from God—of evangelism.

This Sunday Geno discussed what it is that is so important that we go out of our way, sometimes irritatingly and embarrassingly, in order to engage folks in conversation.

What are we trying to communicate?  What’s at the heart of the matter?

Simple answer:  Good News.  The Gospel.  This is the heart of the matter.

Working Definition: (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology)

“The gospel is the joyous proclamation of God’s redemptive activity in Christ Jesus on behalf of man enslaved by sin.”  (Mounce in EvDT, 472)

Group Discussion

1. In I Cor 15:3, Paul declares that he is only delivering what he has received. Geno emphasized that neither Paul nor the apostles came up with the Good News on their own. They weren’t delivering something that was “theirs,” but that they were only passing along what they had heard and seen from Jesus Himself.   Why is this important?

2. According to this text the content of the Gospel is Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.  Why is this considered ‘good news’?  What’s the bad news?

3. How does the death of Jesus ‘for our sins’ impact your life? See Romans 5:6-11

4. What is the meaning of ‘atonement’ or ‘propitiation?  See Romans 3:23-25

5. How does the resurrection of Jesus ‘for our justification’ impact your life?  See Romans 6:1-14

6. Why is the burial of Jesus considered an integral part of the gospel?

7. Several weeks ago, Geno encouraged us to write our personal testimony. Choose one of the following. Be sure to include the “personalized” Scripture God used in your life as you tell your story.
   1. Go around the group and have each give his/her 2 min elevator version of his/her testimony
   2. In pairs, have each one tell the other his/her 5 min longer version
   3. Have 1-2 people give their long 10 min testimony

Closing

• Pray for each other, that each will have an open door this week to deliver the Gospel he/she has received to someone God brings to light.
• Share with one another when the gospel first made an impact on your consciousness.  When did you first ‘get it’?

Outreach

• This week there is a focused outreach at the Runnymede Apartments.  Why not join in and help with this work?  Look for such opportunities to share the gospel, to share your story.