Creekside Church, Sunday, February 6, 2022
Good News?
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
Going Viral
- A collection of talks that we'll add to periodically
Evangelism = sharing the good news
---
Should we even be sharing our faith?
When was the last time your shared your faith?
---
What is the gospel/good news?
Rome had a gospel
The Priene Inscription, written 9 BCE
“The most divine Caesar…we should consider equal to the Beginning of all things…for when everything was falling into disorder and tending toward dissolution, he restored it once more and gave the whole world a new aspect; Caesar…the common good Fortune of all…The Beginning of life and vitality…All the cities unanimously adopt the birthday of the divine Caesar as the new beginning of the year…Whereas the Providence which has regulated our whole existence…has brought our life to the climax of perfection in giving to us the emperor Augustus…who being sent to us and our descendants as Savior, has put an end to war and has set all things in order; and whereas, having become God manifest, Caesar has fulfilled all the hopes of earlier times…the birthday of the God Augustus has been for the whole world the beginning of the gospel concerning him.”
Jesus Countered the gospel of Rome with his own
“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1)
“Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the gospel!” (Mark 1:14-15)
---
The simplest and perhaps earliest formulation of the gospel = Jesus is Lord
Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
I Corinthians 12:3 “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” This was the earliest and shortest Christian confession.
Jesus is Lord implies:
- He has a kingdom, and that kingdom has come near just as he said
- He is a good king who came to give his life as a ransom for many – to serve and to die for his people
- Death has been defeated
- We are being invited into a new family, a new life and to participate in the restoration of all things
---
Should you share?
We are commanded to:
Matthew 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Mark 16:15-20
15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
Doesn't love compel us to share?
If Jesus has come to bring abundant life, shouldn't that be enough?
---
How do I begin to share?
Faithful Presence (idea from David Fitch, check out his book called Faithful Presence for more)
Luke 10:1-11
The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.
5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.
8 “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ 10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!’
---
How do we practice this?
Believe that God is at work in other people’s lives
Tend to them - Go be present with them
Pay attention - Look for how God/King Jesus is at work in their lives.
Point to where/how Jesus is working in their lives and simply ask, "Can you see it?"
---
Ethiopian Eunuch
Acts 8:26-40
Stay near them
Be present
Surrender Control
---
A simple prayer when you are practicing faithful presence:
Jesus be present here.
Jesus be present.
Help me tend to your presence in the life of the person I am with.
- A collection of talks that we'll add to periodically
Evangelism = sharing the good news
---
Should we even be sharing our faith?
When was the last time your shared your faith?
---
What is the gospel/good news?
Rome had a gospel
The Priene Inscription, written 9 BCE
“The most divine Caesar…we should consider equal to the Beginning of all things…for when everything was falling into disorder and tending toward dissolution, he restored it once more and gave the whole world a new aspect; Caesar…the common good Fortune of all…The Beginning of life and vitality…All the cities unanimously adopt the birthday of the divine Caesar as the new beginning of the year…Whereas the Providence which has regulated our whole existence…has brought our life to the climax of perfection in giving to us the emperor Augustus…who being sent to us and our descendants as Savior, has put an end to war and has set all things in order; and whereas, having become God manifest, Caesar has fulfilled all the hopes of earlier times…the birthday of the God Augustus has been for the whole world the beginning of the gospel concerning him.”
Jesus Countered the gospel of Rome with his own
“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1)
“Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the gospel!” (Mark 1:14-15)
---
The simplest and perhaps earliest formulation of the gospel = Jesus is Lord
Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
I Corinthians 12:3 “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” This was the earliest and shortest Christian confession.
Jesus is Lord implies:
- He has a kingdom, and that kingdom has come near just as he said
- He is a good king who came to give his life as a ransom for many – to serve and to die for his people
- Death has been defeated
- We are being invited into a new family, a new life and to participate in the restoration of all things
---
Should you share?
We are commanded to:
Matthew 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Mark 16:15-20
15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
Doesn't love compel us to share?
If Jesus has come to bring abundant life, shouldn't that be enough?
---
How do I begin to share?
Faithful Presence (idea from David Fitch, check out his book called Faithful Presence for more)
Luke 10:1-11
The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.
5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.
8 “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ 10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!’
---
How do we practice this?
Believe that God is at work in other people’s lives
Tend to them - Go be present with them
Pay attention - Look for how God/King Jesus is at work in their lives.
Point to where/how Jesus is working in their lives and simply ask, "Can you see it?"
---
Ethiopian Eunuch
Acts 8:26-40
Stay near them
Be present
Surrender Control
---
A simple prayer when you are practicing faithful presence:
Jesus be present here.
Jesus be present.
Help me tend to your presence in the life of the person I am with.