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Gospel-Centered Teaching Workshop (3. Connect the dots and tell the story…
Gospel-Centered Teaching Workshop
2. Back to Basics
missing the point entirely
Jewish leaders (meticulous but missed the real point)
Merely theological (not pointing to glorious Savior)
Instruction book (we are at center, not God)
Bible study doesn't change lives, Jesus does
Beholding glory of God in face of Christ
justifies, sanctifies, glorifies
- Matt Papa
The Bible has one central theme:
God’s redemptive purpose.
one central figure: Christ. It has one central goal: God supreme in a redeemed universe.
only relevant, ultimately helpful teaching: focused on person and work of King Jesus
why Gospel-Centered?
Gospel is power of God to
salvation
-Rom 1:16
power not in...
ourselves
our presentation and skill
practical tips
"head" knowledge
power in...
glorious gospel of Jesus Christ
we need to be gospel-centered because that's where the power is...God, not you
Gospel is power of God to
sanctification
-1Cor 15:2
sanctification:
growing in holiness & conformity to image of Christ
a mere spiritual to-do list misses the point
The gospel-centered teacher understands that the unsaved need the gospel in order to come to know Christ, while the saved need the gospel in order to become more like Christ.
Gospel motivates
mission
The Spirit of God uses the gospel of God
to motivate the people of God
to be on mission with God.
solution to becoming missional...
paradigm shift of inward realities, not firstly outward activities
nothing will motivate you and your group to be on mission for God’s kingdom more than knowing and loving the King of kings.
Gospel pervades everything
theology and application
gospel isn't dessert at the end, it's salt in everything!
3. Connect the dots and tell the story
"How does this topic/passage fit in big story of Scripture?"
Context is King
stand-alone tales
heroes or virtues are fine, but their main purpose is to point to the greatest hero
helps us recognize "moralistic, therapeutic deism"
without connecting the storyline (RHM), we make ourselves the main character
we are not the heroes...we're the ones needing a hero!
see p. 65, Joseph
we find our proper place, only when bowing before the real Hero
Bearing in mind the big story of Scripture helps us keep our focus on Jesus, and off ourselves
and in exalting Jesus, we find our souls greatest satisfaction
so it is no sacrifice (we sing that here)
how to connect the dots?
Read the Bible Chronologically
Read Bible overview books/study Bible/Christ-centered commentary
locate the teaching in the grand narrative of Scripture (pointing to Christ)
Point to Jesus as ultimate answer to our sin problem
challenge people (expanding them), but stay accessible
The point
isn’t filling little heads with practical knowledge/skills but introducing hearts to the big God who has revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ.
yes, true spiritual growth requires right doctrine/truth (objective, not subjective)
yes, work out salvation...
4. Ground your application in the Gospel
"What is
distinctly
Christian about the way I am teaching this?
Is it Christian?
The question is not, “Do you open the Bible and comment on it?”
but “
How
do you open the Bible and comment on it?”
Q. is there anything in my teaching of this passage that a Jew/Mormon/Oprah etc would not affirm?
We must be sure we are presenting the biblical Jesus, and not a Jesus of our own imagination.
the gospel has stumbling blocks for our naturally prideful hearts
present Jesus as:
not just:
miracle worker
healer
teacher
helper or life coach
moral example
bringing God into
our
world or bringing us into
His
?
but as:
Son of God
sinless Savior
true Hero
our only hope in life and death
Q. is there anything in my teaching an unbeliever would be uncomfortable with?
EXAMPLE 1: Martial love (Eph. 5:25).
difference between "morality" and "gospel"
who defines "loving your wife"?
morality
compliment her
help around house etc
gospel
AS CHRIST LOVED CHURCH
Now, we’re talking about
what Jesus has done for us
and how Jesus’ work shapes what a husband’s love looks like.
formed by the cross. It’s self-sacrificial. It’s self-giving.
It’s a moral command that is grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
EXAMPLE 2: Generosity (2 Cor. 8:9)
who defines "generosity"?
generosity is 1/5 pillars of Islam!
EX 1 (2 Cor. 8:9)
we see Christ giving everything—pouring Himself out for the sake of God’s mission. Now, generosity begins to look radical. As we are confronted again and again with the glorious gospel of Christ giving up everything to purchase our salvation, we begin to have a stronger understanding of what gospel-shaped generosity looks like. It’s not motivated by guilt, but by grace.
EX 2 The point was that Zacchaeus encountered Christ, and he couldn’t help but be generous.
EXAMPLE 3: forgiveness (Eph 4:32)
EXAMPLE 4: temptation (Jesus in wilderness
p.89
)
Application cannot start with, "Who am I or what do I do?”
but “Who is Christ and what has He done?”
Answer those questions first. Concentrate on who you are in Christ before moving on to what you should do as a Christian.
5. Overflow with passion for God's mission
“How does this truth equip God’s church to live on mission?”
Doctrine does not exist for its own sake. We study the truths of God’s Word, FIRST: our hearts may be engaged with our Maker, and SECOND: our hands and feet moved to action.
Mission Mirrors God
Miss the mission, and you’ve missed the point of gospel-centrality.
There is no true gospel-centeredness that does not lead to mission, because the gospel is the story of a God with a missionary heart, a Father who desires that all come to repentance, a Shepherd who seeks and saves the one lost sheep.
The
purpose of God’s Word
is to reveal God and His plan to us, in order that we might then be empowered to fulfill His Great Commission. God’s plan is that people from every tongue, tribe, and nation would know Him as He is, and bring Him glory.
the Bible intends to reorient our lives around God’s mission and equip us to join Him in the work He is doing.
Ask the “How does this lead to mission?” question in order to give your lessons a missional orientation.
It’s a want-to problem, not an I-don’t-know problem.
The problem is that even when we know what our duty is, we still don’t do it. The problem is deeper.
it's not chiefly a knowledge or technique problem; it’s a worship problem. We don’t have any trouble talking about the things we love most.
The goal is to see a delight-filled group of Christians overflowing with love for God and neighbor who can’t help but speak of tthe one who loved them and gave himself for them.
So what to do? simple actually. EXALT GOD. magnify His Holiness. Praise his greatness. Exult in His grace.
Instead, spend your time exalting the God of mission, trusting that an awe-inspiring vision of His majesty will set your people’s feet on the right course.
Set the magnificent, majestic God of the Bible before your people week after week, and pray that they will encounter Him for who He is. Why? Because it’s an encounter with an awesome God that motivates us to mission.
don't focus primarily on man (we aren't the center of the universe, main character)
That's a culture change in your church
1. Something's missing
message, not method
we want hearts, not just behaviors...so what is the focus of our sermons?
What's at stake? what's the goal?
Tozer: your view of God is most important thing about you.
Jesus changes hearts, not information or application.
every worship service tells a story, what does your tell?
our great privilege is to help people see through the eyes of faith how great God has actually revealed himself to be" Bob Kauflin
disciple makers, not pharisee makers
Two type of insufficient "depths"
Information
Application (more, not less than examples.)
E.g. Jesus overcame Satan's temptations by the Word. Ultimately, The written word and its law can be a delight because the incarnate word came and died for us, securing pardon for our sins and shortcomings before God's law. You can't delight in the law of the Lord without understanding Jesus' whole mission. without him the law is nothing but a curse, condemnation, a witness against us (Gal 3:10-11
Depth of the Gospel