unleashing the Gospel

Introduction – who I am. What I do, etc…

· Goal – Understand why the gospel exploded… Implications for today.

· Session 1 – Unleashing the Gospel (The Early Church)

· Session 2 – Unleashing the Gospel (Implications for Today)

What is the most significant thing you have learned so far at Perspectives?

· God’s heart for the nations is nothing new is it? Proof texts from the OT: Isaiah

· Isaiah 49:6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Roll Playing Game – Rules: You are Jewish background believers.

· Your mentality – Acts 1:6 When will you restore the kingdom to Israel?

· Your Mission – Acts 1:7-8 and Matthew 28:18-19

· How? What’s it look like to “go”?

Acts 1-10 Who is the church reaching “primarily”?

· Pre-persecution - Jews are coming to Christ in droves.

o Acts 2:47 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

o Acts 5:14 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

· Persecution - comes and they scatter Acts 8:1-4. (More Jews coming to Christ)

o Acts 8:4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

o Acts 11:19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

Acts 10 Peter’s Vision and visit to Cornelius…

• Acts 10:9-13 Peter’s Vision – Kill and eat

• Acts 10:14-16 Peter’s objection – I have never eaten anything unclean

• Acts 10:17-33 Peter’s education – what God has made clean…

• Acts 10:34-35 Peter’s New Understanding

Acts 11 Peter reports to the Church.

· Vs. 1-3 the Problem – you went to the Gentiles who are “unclean”? (Acts 10:28)

· Vs. 4-17 Peter’s explanation – Who am I to stand in God’s way???

· Vs. 18 Revelation – The Gospel is for the Gentiles!!!

Acts 11-14 Barnabas and Paul

· In Antioch

o Acts 11:19-20 Something new?

o Acts 11:26 First called Christians (not Hellenists or Jews)? Why is this significant?

· Acts 13 – Praying… God in light of this new reality (Act 11:18) what do you want us to do? Send Paul and Barney!

· Acts 13-14 Gentiles coming to Christ… (see 13:47-48 & 14:27 open door to Gentiles)

o Acts 13:47–48 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” 48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

o Acts 14:27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. (report back at Antioch)

Acts 15 Needed – an official ruling… Jerusalem Council

· Critics (Judaizes) – Gentiles must become Jews to be saved. (Jesus + Jewishness)

· Paul and Barnabas – No. Absolutely not. The gospel is Jesus plus nothing!

· Decision time – Gentiles don’t need to become Jews!!! We can eat bacon!!!!

Gospel unleashed means that the Gospel transcends culture.

Break Questions

· What would have happened to the gospel movement had the Acts 15 council ruled differently?

· Why does Acts 15 matter in today?

Session 2 – Why does Acts 15 matter today? Answer break out questions.

Our Mission – Matthew 28:18-19

· What is the great commission?

· What hinders the gospel?

o Disobedience.

o Failure to understand the mission.

o Failure to understand the gospel.

o Failure to understand the culture.

1 Corinthians 9:19-27 – Unleashing the gospel like Paul requires that we:

· You must know the gospel inside and out…

· You must be able to distinguish between what is gospel and cultural.

o Aspects of life determined by the gospel (no compromise).

§ What are nonnegotiable gospel issues? What do you think?

o Aspects of life determined by culture (doesn’t matter).

§ What are negotiable cultural issues? What do you think?

o Do not ask them to convert twice: once to your culture then to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9 Become like, remain like. (Harley Talman)

· Become like. Enter their culture with the gospel and leave your culture behind.

· Remain like. Encourage the culture you are trying to reach not to become “like you” unless by “like you” you mean like Jesus.

Shaking off the Dirt… Indian Missionary – Westerners bringing potted gospel plants…

· In what ways do we potentially compromise the gospel with our cultural preferences?

· In all things be gracious…

· What people group are you close to that are culturally different from you?

· Are you willing to alter the culture within your church to reach the lost?

· Are you willing to go to the lost in your community and enter their culture?

· Are there dangers there? Sure, but what are the dangers?

· Case Study – Iowa City Downtown Church… How would Paul do it?

· This is hard, isn’t it? Why? I don’t want to change.

2 Corinthians 5:11-15 What will help us unleash the gospel?

· What wont?

o Guilt.

o Fear.

o Manipulation.

· What motivated Paul? “Love of Christ compels me”

· Talk about cross-cultural ministry!!! John 1:14 and Philippians 2:4-8

· Prayer!!!