Sermon

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS

1. What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful, or difficult to understand from this Sunday?
2. Read and discuss Proverbs 11:30 and 1 John 5:10-14. What do these verses say? What do they mean? What are the practical implications for us? What do they tell us about sharing our faith?
3. What is the difference between personal and private? Which do you consider your faith in Christ to be? Why?
4. Do you feel guilty regarding the topic of evangelism? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever shared the gospel with anyone? What opportunities has God given you now to share the gospel?
6. Pastor Mike outlined three types of resistance to the gospel; intellectual resistance (Romans 1:18-31), moral resistance (John 3), and religious resistance (Luke 18:9-14). Where do you see these in society? Have you had any experience with these forms of resistance?
7. Pastor Mike pointed out several things that all people have in common: Everyone is searching for something. Everyone is hurting. Everyone had the law of God written on their hearts. Everyone has a story. How does knowing that these traits are common among all people help you as you think about sharing your faith?
8. Spend some time in prayer for the things you have discussed. Give thanks to God for the grace of the gospel which has saved us. Ask the Lord to bring to mind specific people in your circles of influence with whom you can share the gospel. Ask Him for wisdom and boldness in doing so.

“NO GREATER LOVE” FOCUS: CORE ELEMENTS OF THE GOSPEL

In addition to our personal faith stories, every believer needs to be able to articulate the foundational elements of the gospel message. We should have our story refined down to critical statements that can be linked clearly and directly to the gospel message. Consider the scriptures and key concepts below as you grow in your ability to explicitly communicate the good news of Jesus Christ.

Scriptures: Take some time to look up these key scriptures prior to your Shepherd Group meeting. There are many Scriptures to consider which could be used to explain the gospel, but these rise to the top as verses each believer should know.

• Romans Road verses: 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9-10
• Titus 3:5
•  2 Corinthians 5:21
• 1 Peter 3:18
• John 3:16-17
• John 1:12
• 1 John 5:11-13
• Romans 8:1
• Hebrews 9:27

Key Concepts: Salvation, from the practical human perspective, has three components: Justification is to be saved from the penalty of sin, sanctification is to be saved from the power of sin in this life, and glorification is to be saved from the presence of sin in eternity. Salvation, which rests upon what we would call the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, begins at the moment someone receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Below you will find several critical concepts related to salvation and the gospel message. For these and further study, we recommend www.GotQuestions.org, a comprehensive web resource that answers many common questions from a biblical perspective. The Got Questions app is also available for Apple and Android devices.

• Substitutionary Atonement: The foundation of our belief is that Jesus died in the place of every person to satisfy the righteous requirements of God for the payment of sin. He provided atonement (payment for the debt our sin caused) as our substitute. See 1 Peter 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Isaiah 53:5. Read More
• Justification: To justify is to declare righteous, to make one right with God. Justification is God’s declaring those who receive Christ to be righteous, based on Christ’s righteousness being given to the accounts of those who receive Christ. See Romans 4, Romans 5:1, and Titus 3:5. Read More
• Sanctification: To “sanctify” something is to set it apart for special use; to “sanctify” a person is to make him holy. In the past, God granted us justification, a once-for-all, positional holiness in Christ. Now in sanctification, God guides us to maturity – a practical, progressive holiness. See Philippians 1:6 and John 17:17-19. Read More
• Glorification: Glorification is God’s final removal of sin from the life of the saints (i.e., everyone who is saved) in the eternal state. According to Philippians 3:20–21, our citizenship is in heaven, and when our Savior returns He will transform our lowly bodies “to be like His glorious body.” See 1 Corinthians 15:53 and Romans 8:29-30. Read More