Looking at the Big Picture

Girl Reading Bible

What does

God say life is all about?

1. Who am I?

2. What is my purpose?

3. How do I accomplish my purpose?

Life’s Big Questions

Who? What? How?

The Big Picture

Jesus

Gospel Church Mission

Jesus

It’s About Jesus!

1. Jesus created the universe

2. Jesus sustains all things

3. Jesus will inherit all things

4. Jesus will judge everyone

5. Jesus will be King over all

Gospel Church MissionJesus

Gospel Church Mission

Importance of the Gospel

But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.”

Luke 4:43 (NLT)

Importance of the Gospel

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…

Romans 1:16 (NIV 84)

The Gospel

The gospel is the good news of what God has done through His Son Jesus Christ to restore His reign and rule o v e r a l l c r e a t i o n a n d b r i n g reconciliation to all those who repent and place their trust in Jesus.

Aspects of the Gospel

1. Understanding/Believing

2. Living the gospel

3. Proclaiming the gospel

4. Defending the gospel

Understanding the Gospel

1. Growing in knowledge and understanding of the gospel.

2. Able to write out the gospel.

3. Able to clearly explain the gospel to others.

Understanding the Gospel

You never leave the gospel to go onto other things. You only go deeper into it.

Living the Gospel

1. Preach the gospel to yourself daily.

2. Live based on the truths of who you are in Christ.

3. Live a cruciform life.

4. Live a life of repentance and faith.

Proclaiming the Gospel

1. Holy Spirit – need for prayer

2. Gospel – know it well

3. Testimony – your story & life

Defending the Gospel

1. Why believe in God?

2. Why believe that the Bible is the Word of God?

3. Why does God allow evil and suffering?

4. Why does God send people to hell?

Gospel Church Mission

Jesus

Gospel Church Mission

The Church

What is the Church

EkklesiaEkklesia is the Greek word from which we get our word "church" f rom. An "ekk les ia" is a gathering of people who have been called out for a purpose.

Importance of the ChurchWe have turned to a God we can use rather than a God we must obey; we have turned to a God who will fulfill our need rather than a God before whom we must surrender our rights to ourselves. He is a God for us, for our satisfaction-- not because we have learned to think of him in this way through Christ but because we have learned to think of him this way through the marketplace. Everything is for us, for our pleasure, for our satisfaction, and we have come to assume that it must be so in the church as well.

David Wells

Importance of the Church

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:10-11 (NLT)

Importance of the Church

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Matthew 16:13-15 (NLT)

Importance of the ChurchSimon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

Matthew 16:16-18 (NLT)

Importance of the Church

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy pr iesthood, of fer ing spir i tual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:4-5 (NIV)

Importance of the Church

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other…All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 12:7, 27 (NLT)

Bride of Christ

Body of Christ

Family of God

TrinitySymbol

The Church

The Church is a community of people who belong to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Church

The church is a community of imperfect people clinging to a per fect Christ who are being perfected by grace.

Jonathan Dodson

The Church

The Church is God’s People saved by God’s Power for God’s Purposes.

Soma Communities

The Church

The purpose of the church is to serve as an outpost of Jesus’ kingdom that makes the invisible kingdom visible by the grace of God and power of the Holy Spirit.

Mark Driscoll

The Church

The Church shows the world what it looks like to live under the reign and rule of Jesus.

City on a Hill

The Big Picture

Jesus

Gospel Church Mission