Week 2 :: You were made to do this
The gospel clarifies who you are and what you were made for
This week’s lesson includes text, audio, and video content. Enjoy!
Congratulations! If Jesus saved you, you have a new job!
The Gospel reveals your true identity and purpose in life
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The gospel of the Kingdom isn’t merely the good news that God will forgive you of your sins so you can go to heaven when you die. The gospel certainly includes forgiveness and heaven, but the gospel is actually about much more than that.
The gospel of the Kingdom is the good news about all that the creator accomplished through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. He has done everything necessary to fix the disaster that began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve rebelled. The good news of the gospel is that we can be forgiven of our sins and restored to the relationship we were originally intended to have with God and the purpose we were placed on this earth to accomplish. Restored relationship and restored purpose are both included in the good news of the gospel.
Our culture tells us that our highest purpose is to do whatever it takes, fulfill all our desires, meet all our own needs, and get our way in everything we can while accumulating lots of stuff. We are locked in an endless pursuit of personal fulfillment and self-actualization fueled by the belief that nothing is more real or more important than our feelings, thoughts, and happiness.
But the Bible paints a different reason for our presence on the earth. We were created to know the pure and endless love of the Sovereign Creator and to run this planet and manage it for him. The truth is, this mission is impossible if we are separated from him or if we rely on our puny human resources. The bad news is that humanity is in a bad way, and the world we are responsible for is a mess. The good news is that through Jesus, God is putting it all right again.
If you want to see what you were created to be and do, look closely at Jesus. He is the “firstborn of many brothers” (Romans 8:29) and the beginning of the new creation. What you will learn in this course is that participating in Jesus’ Power Ministry is not an optional extra to spice up your ordinary or boring life. Learning to do what Jesus did, in the power of the Holy Spirit, is about learning to do what you were made for.
Warning: Guard Your Heart. You may be tempted to view Power Ministry as the way to find happiness and fulfill your deep longing for significance. Reread the three paragraphs above. Your deepest longings and ambitions for purpose, meaning, and significance are found in being with Jesus, not in working for him. While Power Ministry will, at times, provide very significant and meaningful experiences, they should never take the place of Jesus in your heart. Remember, anything that takes the place only God should have in your life is called idolatry. It may seem strange to encounter a warning about idolatry and Power Ministry, but there it is. Our hearts are prone to wander off track if we are not watchful. So, as you begin to minister with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, always keep your focus and affection on Jesus and nothing else. You can learn to do your job as a disciple of Jesus and always give your best effort, but keep your heart reserved for him, and you will do great.
What is God doing? The key is found in the one big story told in the Bible.
Too often, we get the impression that the Bible is just a collection of rules, strange stories, or moral and ethical principles for living a better life and becoming better people. The Bible is, first and foremost, God’s self-revelation of himself to his lost and fallen human creatures (that’s us), and second, it is the revelation of his Kingdom’s purposes to fix all that has gone wrong.
Watch
~ Benji Horning and Ron Ford
We all can acknowledge that this world is a mess filled with too much pain, loss, and despair, but the Bible is the story of all God has done to fix what was broken and restore it to his original plan for good. It is one single story that begins in Genesis and ends in the book of Revelation. It is also a story that explains who you are and what you were made for.
Why do we need power?
Why do those who love and follow Jesus need the power of the Holy Spirit? The answer is simple. Jesus saves us to restore us to what God originally intended for humanity.
Watch
~ Benji Horning and Ron Ford
Genesis 1:27 shows that Adam and Eve were placed on the earth to bear God’s image, that is, to represent the Creator’s interests on the earth. Adam and Eve had four things that were lost to humanity when they fell; they had (1) an open and intimate relationship with the Creator, and they had been given (2) responsibility, (3) authority, and (4) power to manage God’s will on earth as in heaven.
Through Jesus’ all of this has been resolved and restored to those who become his disciples. When Jesus poured out the promised Holy Spirit on his disciples (Acts 2) it was to fully restore humanity to their created purpose in God’s Kingdom.
Here are some questions for consideration and discussion.
We claim that “The gospel of the Kingdom isn’t merely the good news that God will forgive you of your sins so you can go to heaven when you die. The gospel certainly includes forgiveness and heaven, but the gospel is about much more than that; the gospel is about the restoration of your relationship with your creator and the restoration of your purpose for being on the earth. What is your reaction to that claim? What significant questions does it raise in your mind that you hope this course might answer?
In the second video was the idea that our self-understanding of life as Christians can be described as a journey. Some view life as flying cross country on a plane, others as a long-distance train ride, or finally as driving a delivery vehicle. Which of these scenarios best describes your assumptions, past or present?
What are the most important or challenging ideas you encountered in this lesson? Explain.
Week 2 Daily Scripture Readings
How to spend some quality time listening to what Jesus would like to say through the scriptures:
In preparation, acknowledge the Lord’s presence and love for you and settle yourself before Him (in your mind and heart).
Read the day’s text carefully; take your time.
Reflect on what you have been reading with a listening ear – what word, phrase, or sentence speaks to you from the text?
Now, talk to the LORD about what you hear from this text. What has Jesus stirred in your heart?
If you were with Him walking from one Galilean village to another, what would you say to Him about this?
Monday: Daniel 7:13,14
Tuesday: Isaiah 9:1-7
Wednesday: Isaiah 40:1-11
Thursday: Isaiah 42:1-9
Friday: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Bonus Material:
The following two videos, produced by The Bible Project, are excellent overviews of some of the key ideas we are addressing in this lesson. Enjoy!
The Gospel of the Kingdom
~The Bible Project
Heaven and Earth
~The Bible Project