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03 | Formed by the Gospel: Part 2 - Present Tense

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Titus 2.11-15

The Gospel is the central message of Christianity, the good news that functions as a hub on the wheel of everything Christianity is. All that is involved in being a follower of Jesus is directly linked to understanding, believing, and living in light of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, ascension, and soon return! Last week, we unpacked the first of 3 statements regarding the power of the Gospel for our personal lives: We have been saved from the penalty of sin by the life and death of Jesus. We celebrated the good news of gracious acceptance with God, once and for all, knowing Jesus took our sin and gave us His righteousness, so that God treats us as if we perfectly obeyed! This week, we look at the ongoing power of the Gospel: We are being saved from the power of sin through the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Jesus rose victorious over death, disarming sin's power, and now sits at the right hand of God interceding for us. And, He has sent the Holy Spirit to empower our lives toward maturity. We mature into holiness - conformity to Jesus - by grace and the work of the Spirit.

Read Titus 2.11-15. This is the text we’ll be in for the whole Basics series.

Questions for Discussion:
1. Recall the 3 Gospel Statements (Past, Present, and Future Tense). Review from last week the Past Tense statement. What does each mean? With which of these - past, present, future - are you least familiar? How might a deeper understanding of that tense affect your life?
2. Re-read Titus 2.11-12. What life changes does Paul describe in the verses? What does real growth and change look like? Change can be hard. What resources do we have through Jesus’ resurrection and ascension?
3. Look at the list of the 4 Gs in p.26-27 of the handbook. Which are you most prone to forget? What are the results when you do? What changes when you are remembering these truths about God?
4. If you’d like to dig more deeply into this week’s content, you can access the video here: https://subspla.sh/whsk5bh. In particular, here is a short clip to watch and discuss: 41:00-42:00 minutes - Embracing the Process.
5. Each week, we’ll be giving some ideas for how to engage kids and youth with the Basics content. This week, explain the Present Tense of the Gospel to your kids. What has Jesus' resurrection and ascension done for us? What difference does that make when our kids disobey?

September 22, 2019 - Steve Hart

 
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02 | Formed by the Gospel: Part 1 - Past Tense

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Titus 2.11-15

Basics is designed to equip the whole Church to take the whole Gospel to the whole world. Over the next 10 weeks, we're unpacking exactly what the Gospel is, what it means to be the Church together, and how to live the mission of Jesus in the everyday stuff of life. This week we look at Section 2: beginning to look at what it means to have our lives formed by the Gospel of Jesus. In particular, we'll talk about the good news of God's gracious acceptance; that is, that we have been saved from the penalty of sin through Jesus' life and death. The Christian life is built on the foundation of Jesus' atoning death and victorious resurrection, and results in a new status with God - not only are we forgiven through Jesus, but we're also declared righteous, given the perfect record of Jesus, and invited into a relationship of delight with our Creator that transforms every aspect of our lives.

1. Read Titus 2.11-15. This is the text we’ll be in for the whole Basics series. Consider memorizing it as a community. How might you create space to be formed by this text together?

2. Take a minute and try to speak the Gospel message to one another (or write it down if you’re using these questions alone). How would you articulate the core message of Christianity?

3. Use the manual on page 16-17 to look at Romans 3. What is the bad news about human righteousness? What is the good news about the righteousness of God given through Jesus?

4. Look at the lists of ways we Prove and Pretend (p.18-19). Where do you see yourself in the list? What difference does it make to believe that you are both forgiven and have Jesus’ perfect righteousness?

5. If you’d like to dig more deeply into this week’s content, you can access the video on our webpage here https://subspla.sh/437mgj7. In particular, here are 2 short clips to watch and discuss:

Minutes 45:00-47:00 - God is Pleased With You

Minutes 54:30-1:00:00 - The Growing Cross Diagram

6. Each week, we’ll be giving some ideas for how to engage kids and youth with the basics content. This week, choose one way that the gospel speaks to a family relational challenge (for example, blaming, competing, or shaming). Ask kids how they see those things show up in your home. Explain to your kids why we don’t need to do those things because we wear Jesus’ perfect resume. There’s no need to blame, shame, or compete - we are all forgiven and loved through Jesus!

September 15, 2019 - Steve Hart

 
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01 | Intro - Importance of the Gospel

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Titus 2.11-15

As a church, we're celebrating 15 years this fall, so we thought it a great time to revisit our core convictions. We're asking God to lead us into the next season of mission and ministry with stunning clarity. Our mission is to form whole-

hearted disciples of Jesus in life-shaping relationships for everyday disciple-making. Basics is about what that means and how we intend to continue accomplishing the mission. This week, we start by unpacking the core message of Christianity: the Gospel or good news. What is the center of Christianity? What is it

all about? And what does that mean for us?

Questions for Discussion:

1. Read Titus 2.11-15. This is the text we’ll be in for the whole Basics series. Consider memorizing it as a community. How might you create space to be formed by this text together?

2. Talk about the Basics series and the manual. What sort of commitment do you all want to make to grow through this series? What are you hoping to see happen in your life and community? How will you pursue that?

3. Read p.8 in the manual together, and talk about what Jesus has done in his life, death, and resurrection. What of this sounds like good news to you? Why?

4. Using the chart on p.10 of the Basics manual, talk through what you see in yourself. Do any of the ‘religious’ characteristics describe you? Which of the ‘gospel’ characteristics are most attractive to you? Where have you seen gospel take root and grow fruit in your life?

5. If you’d like to dig more deeply into this week’s content, you can access the video on our webpage, somaspokane.org/basics. In particular, here are 2 clips to watch and discuss:

6:30-8:45 - The Solar System of Christianity

17:10-25:30 - What Has Jesus Accomplished?

6. Each week, we’ll be giving some ideas for how to engage kids and youth with the basics content. For this week, creatively explain the image Lloyd-Jones uses to describe the difference between religion and the Gospel (p.6). Discuss how the people might respond to the generals versus how they might respond to the messengers. Help your kids make the connection to Jesus’ work on our behalf: How should we respond knowing Jesus has won the victory for us?!

September 8, 2019 - Steve Hart

 

 

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