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Published on Leave a comment on Outgoing 6 – What kind of gospel?

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Outgoing – Session 6 – 13 October 2011

Dead

RECAP:  Our God is more wonderful than we can imagine!

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Therefore, what is sin?  Discuss

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“The Fall” is living apart from the Life-Giving God

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The Head takes creation with Him

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Is this unfair?

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Romans 5:12-21

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It’s about our being not our doing. 

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We are bad trees producing bad fruit

Good fruit will not make us good trees

We must be made good trees to bear good fruit.

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We are not neutral – we are a sinner in Adam.

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Example:  Hebrews 7:1-10

Levi was in Abraham

We are in Adam

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Therefore it’s DONE – it’s not down to us

We are carried in the body of our Head

We share the Head’s destiny!

How should we communicate the truth that we’re sinners?

John 16:5-15

God is Giver.

Sin is not receiving.

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Luke 15 – Two Ways to Reject the Life-Giving Lord

Jesus is surrounded by sinners and slaves.

Sinners opt out of the system and go for freedom

Slaves opt into the system and go for respect

Slaves hate that Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them

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Therefore Jesus tells a story about a man welcoming a sinner and eating with him – while the slave grumbles.

Who is the slave?

Who is the sinner?

Who is the man (who welcomes the sinner and eats with him)?

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The turning point....

... the pig-sty?

... the father’s arms!

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Therefore:

What is sin?

What is repentance?

Who is Saviour?

How should we present the gospel?

 

Common Objection: “Sounds like I’m born sick and commanded to be well. How is that fair?”

Recommended Reading: Romans 1-4

What saves us / What does not save us?

Next Week: Buried

Those cut off from the life of God try to seek life in all the wrong places.  Yet all our goodness and all our will-power only mires us deeper!

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Published on 4 Comments on Outgoing 5 – The Outgoing God

Audio part A

Audio part B

Powerpoint Slides

Outgoing – Session 5 – 6 October 2011

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The Outgoing God

 Last week we considered the Triune God.

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The Trinity is not a maths problem,
It’s the good news that God is love, and we’re invited.

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What are the roles of the Persons?

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2 Corinthians 13:14:

Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

Love of God

Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

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Isaiah 11:1-5

Isaiah 42:1-4

Isaiah 48:12-16

Isaiah 61:1-3

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Father

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Son

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Spirit

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What was there in the beginning?

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Nothing

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Chaos

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Power

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Love

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Common Objection:  What’s all this nonsense about Trinity?  Isn’t it easier to stick with one God?

 

 

Nicene Creed

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We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets.

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What does it mean that the Son is “eternally begotten”?

By the Spirit and through the Son, God is eternally outgoing

Life-giving

Communicating

Shining

Loving

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Richard Sibbes: “God’s goodness is a communicative, spreading goodness. . . . If God had not a communicative, spreading goodness, he would never have created the world.  The Father, Son and Holy Ghost were happy in themselves and enjoyed one another before the world was.  But that God delights to communicate and spread his goodness, there had never been a creation nor a redemption.  God useth his creatures not for defect of power, that he can do nothing without them, but for the spreading of his goodness.”

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God so loved the world that He gave...

His Son...  and

His Spirit

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At Christmas He gave Himself particularly

At Pentecost He gave Himself universally

Common Objection: “Why did God make us?  And who made God?”

Recommended Reading: Genesis 1-5.

What is the relationship between

God <=> Humanity <=> World

Life and Death

Next Week: Dead

God is Life and life-giving, but how do we respond?  We naturally close ourselves off from our true Life-source.  This is the problem for the world.

Published on Leave a comment on Outgoing 4B – The Triune God part two

 

Audio Download

Full Handout

 

Outgoing – Session 4 – 29 September 2011

The Triune God - part two

Compare and contrast the omnibeing with the trinity.

How do these different gods lead to different gospels?

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What is our big problem with the Trinity?

We try to reconcile the omnibeing with the Trinity.

 

We need to replace the omnibeing with the Trinity.

 

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How is God Three?

 

Eternally distinct Persons.

 

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How is God One? 

 

Eternally united in love

Deuteronomy 6:4

 

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Use of “one” in the Bible:  Genesis 2:24; 11:6; 34:16; Exodus 24:3; 26:6; Deuteronomy 6:4; Joshua 9:2; 10:42; 2 Samuel 2:25; 2 Chronicles 5:12; 30:12; Ezra 6:24; John 17:11,20-21

 

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God is one the way a married couple or a united church is one.

 

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Perichoresis – the round dance of the Three!

 

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We must uphold UNITY, DISTINCTION and EQUALITY

 

Arianism:  Jesus is not as God as God is God!  (JWs)

Modalism: There’s one Person wearing 3 masks (TD Jakes)

Tritheism: There are three Gods doings their own thing.

 

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Almost all analogies are rubbish.  But....

 

Humanity is in the image of God!  Genesis 1:26ff.

 

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The Roles of the Persons

 

2 Corinthians 13:14
Isaiah 11:1-5; Is 42:1-4; Is 48:12-16; Is 61:1-3

 

The Father is the Loving Sender / Initiator

 

John 3:16, 35; 1John 4:8-9

 

The Son is the Beloved and Obedient Sent-One / Executor

 

Psalm 40:7-8: John 5:30

 

The Spirit is the Personal Empowerer / Perfector / Applier

 

Acts 10:38; Romans 8:14-16

 

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All things are FROM the Father,

THROUGH the Son

and BY THE POWER OF the Spirit.

 

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What are the benefits of being explicitly Trinitarian?

 

Relationship
Radiance
Room
Response

 

 

 

 

Common Objection: “What’s all this nonsense about a trinity? Isn’t it easier to stick to the one God?”

 

 

 

 

Recommended Reading: 1 John. What does it mean that God is love?

 

 

 

Published on Leave a comment on Outgoing 4A – The Triune God

 

Audio Download

Full Handout

 

Outgoing – Session 4 – 29 September 2011

The Triune God

 What was there in the beginning?

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The Trinity – Tri-unity – Three Persons united in love.

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Galatians 3:26-4:7

God the Son became God our Brother.

He came to make the perfect offering.

He brings us into His Sonship.

We are clothed in Christ,

Filled with the Spirit,

Doted on by the Father.

The trinity is not a maths problem!

It’s the good news that God is love...

... and we are invited!

Compare and contrast with the solitary, lonely god.

 

Published on Leave a comment on Outgoing Session 3 – The Surprising God

Outgoing Session 3 – 22 September 2011

Full Text of Session 1

Full Text of Session 2

Powerpoint

The Surprising God

The Question is always Which God?

It’s not about Theism versus Atheism

It's a god eat god world out there and it's every god for himself!

Everyone believes.  Everyone has a god.

We proclaim Jesus – the Surprising God.

 

Jesus is God-Sized.  And God is Jesus-Shaped.

 

Matthew 11:25-30

Only through Jesus are we let into the Family Secret

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Without Jesus are there other ways of knowing God?

Let’s examine: Reason, Religion, Old Testament and Creation.

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Alternative Paths to God?

Reason

Proverbs 3:5-7
Romans 8:7
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
2 Corinthians 4:4
Colossians 1:21
Colossians 2:8

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The god of philosophy looks nothing like the God of the Cross!

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Religions

Numbers 33:50-53; Deut 7:1-6; 12:1-3; 29:16-18; 32:15-21; Psalm 96:4-5; 106:35-40; Isaiah 41:21-24; 44:6-26; Jeremiah 16:19-21; Romans 1:23-25; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 10:20.

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The gods of the religions look nothing like the God of the Cross!

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Old Testament

John 1:1
John 1:18
John 8:56-58
John 12:38-41
John 5:37-46

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Jesus has always been the Way to God

Abraham, Moses and Isaiah trusted Christ.

Jesus simply is the Lord God of Israel.

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Creation

Psalm 19
Romans 1:16-20
Colossians 1:23
John 12:23-24

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Jesus is Lord – Creation’s Voice Proclaims It!

The creation reveals a very great deal about God

It does so by revealing Christ!

But unless our eyes are opened through the Spirit and His Word we will miss it.

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Jesus really is the One Image of God!

He should be the One Subject of our conversation.

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Common Objection: Isn’t it a bit narrow to say that Jesus is the only way?

 

Recommended Reading:

John 13-17

How are the three Persons of the Trinity described?
How do they relate to each other?

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Next Week: The Triune God

The Trinity is not a problem in evangelism.  It’s the solution!

Published on Leave a comment on Outgoing 2B – The God of the Cross

Full Text Session 2B - The God of the Cross

Powerpoint Slides - Session 2

AUDIO

The God Revealed at the Cross

Philippians 2:5-11

1 Corinthians 1:17-25

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Group Discussion:

How do you react to these religious statements?

What do they have in common?

-          Divine beings created humanity in order for us to mine gold and other precious materials for them.

-          God created us to test us, to see if good would triumph over evil.

-          God created us so that we would give him glory.

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What is glory?

John 8:54

John 12:23-24

John 13:31

John 17:1-4,5,24

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The cross redefines...

Lordship

Majesty

Strength

Wisdom

Holiness

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Jesus shows us that God is Giver!

Therefore repent and believe the good news!

Common Objection:  I don’t believe there is a god and I’m not sure I want one!

Recommended Reading:  Colossians

How does Jesus shape:

our view of God

our view of ourselves

our view of ministry

our view of the world around us

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Next Time:  The Surprising God
Jesus is not the God of the pub discussion or the philosophy department.  Exploiting the shock value of Jesus in evangelism!

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Published on Leave a comment on Outgoing 2A – Which God?

Audio For Session 2A

Powerpoint for Session 2A

Full Text of Session 2A

OUTGOING – Handout Session 2 – 15 Sept 2011

Which God?

Group Discussion: With whom could you spend more fruitful time in evangelism – a theist or an atheist?

Colossians 1:15-23

When you picture God, what do you think of?

When you picture Jesus, what do you think of?

When God pictures you, what does He think of?

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If God isn’t like Jesus Christ, He ought to be –
Lord Byron

God is Christlike and in Him is no unChristlikeness at all –
Archbishop Michael Ramsey

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God is not obvious – He is the unknown quantity.

Jesus is the Image of the invisible God

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We must all begin again with Jesus.  Therefore...

The question for theists: Which God do you believe in?

 

The question for atheists: Which God don’t you believe in?

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God is Jesus-Shaped

Jesus is God-Sized

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Published on Leave a comment on Outgoing 1B – Peter, a model evangelist?

Previous session (1A) here.

Session 1B audio.

Session 1 Powerpoint.

Session 1B Full Text.

Outline below...

Peter – A Model Evengelist? 

 

It depends which Peter!

Matthew 26:31-34 – Brash and self-assured

John 21 – Humbled, assured of Christ’s love and forgiveness.

 

1 Peter Overview

Chapter 1

A feeble minority…

Gripped by God…

Showered with blessings…

Enduring suffering

Bringing People to God

He did – 1 Peter 3:18

We are – 1 Peter 2:9-11; 4:10-11

I can – 1 Peter 3:15

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Published on 3 Comments on Outgoing 1A – “From the overflow of the heart”

Week 1 - session 1 audio

Week 1 Powerpoint

Script (Google Docs)

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From the overflow of the heart...

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What do you picture when you think of an evangelist?

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Now describe someone who helped you trust Jesus.

Why is there a difference?

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Evangelist means “Teller of Good News”

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Who needs to hear the gospel?

Me!

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What do I need to do with the gospel?

Believe it!

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Does the world need more evangelists?

That depends!

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Matthew 23:15 – Evangelism can grow Satan’s kingdom!

Garbage In – Garbage Out!

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Matthew 12:34 – Evangelism needs to flow from the heart

Gospel In – Gospel Out!

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Full script here

Published on Leave a comment on Evangelism Training Course Outline

Here's the 12 week outline for Outgoing. It's based around four questions:

What kind of God?

What kind of gospel?

What kind of people?

What's stopping us?

Introduction

From the overflow of the heart - The first thing I need to do with the gospel is believe it.  When my heart is full, then I will overflow to others (Matthew 12:34).  But the first person who needs the gospel is me!

Part one.  Part two.

What kind of God?

The Jesus-Shaped God – The big question for Christian and non-Christian alike is “Which God?”  Most people believe in God, billions pray to God, trouble is no-one knows who they’re praying to.  And everyone’s God seems different.  Will the real God please stand up?  He has, and His name is Jesus.

Part one.  Part two.

The Surprising God – When we see the God revealed by Jesus, that ought to shock us, because He is very different to the God people talk about in the pub or the philosophy department.  We might find ourselves having to give up the God we grew up with, because Jesus reveals the Surprising God.

Part one and two.

The Triune God – people often think of the Trinity as a problem in evangelism. How do we explain the Trinity?  The Trinity is not the problem.  The Trinity is the solution to all our other problems.

Part one.  Part two.

The Outgoing God – If God is Jesus-shaped, if He’s cross shaped, if He’s Three Persons United, then He is thoroughly outgoing.  His posture to the world is “Arms outstretched.”  And that has huge implications for my Christian life and for evangelism.

Part one and two.

What kind of gospel?

Dead – We need to know who we are as the Outgoing God meets us.  Who are we? We’re under judgement.  We are sinners condemned under a terrible death sentence.

Part one and two.

Buried – More than this, all our solutions are false hopes.  They actually mire us even deeper.  We try to give ourselves life but we find ourselves addicted to all the wrong things.  We try to clean up our act and find ourselves trapped by the law.  We have no hope in ourselves.  All our hope comes from Jesus

Part one.  Part two.

Raised – Christ saves us.  And He does it completely and without assistance from us thank you very much.  Christ alone saves us, out of His own sheer mercy and grace alone.

Part one.  Part two.

What kind of people?

Priestly People – we’ll think of the Priesthood of Christ and the priesthood of all believers.  I find who I am in Jesus and in the family of believers – and both those things are priestly realities.  Priestly means outgoing – a priest is a go-between.  We are a priestly people.

Part one and two.

Proclamation People – We are people of the word.  The gospel Word creates us, sustains us and flows through us to the world.

Part one and two.

What’s stopping us?

Problems of the head? – Do we fail at evangelism because we don’t know the answers?  That might explain some of it.  Certainly we all need to know the gospel better.  But we need to figure out the place of “right thinking” in bringing someone to Christ.

Part one.  Part two.

Problems of the heart – You know why I don’t share my faith?  Because I’m scared, I’m selfish, I feel superior and I’m spiritually dry!  Those are my real problems.  And what’s the answer?  Return to Christ as He’s offered to me in the gospel.

Part one. Part two.

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