article 9: Our Eternal Destiny - CALL AND RESPONSE
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning unbelievers to eternal separation from Him, and believers to eternal peace in His presence with restored relationships to God, renewed creation, and one another in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace.
Objective:
To respond for the first or hundredth time to the gospel.
[In each section start with the green question and do the others as time permits.]
Open in Prayer
Watch the Video [5–10 minutes]
Video Reflections [10 minutes]
- How can we help people meet Jesus? How can we help them repent and find God’s forgiveness? Think about this individually and communally.
- If you call Jesus your Lord, when did this happen? How did it happen? Who helped introduce you to Jesus?
- If you have followed Jesus for a long time, what good is there in being reminded of the good news? How can we build gospel reminders into our lives as individuals and as communities?
Read
“We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning unbelievers to eternal separation from Him, and believers to eternal peace in His presence with restored relationships to God, renewed creation, and one another in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace.”
(Lake Avenue Church Statement of Faith: Article Ten – Eternal Destiny)
Questions from the Statement of Faith [20 minutes]
"Up" Questions (Worship)
- Since God has gone to great lengths to provide a way for us to be with him forever, how should we respond? Why are we tempted to merely secure our “hellfire insurance” and stop there?
- Read over the text from the Statement of Faith and underline all the words in it that reveal that God is worthy of worship. Which words did you underline? Which of them is most meaningful to you and why?
- “God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel.” What does this phrase indicate about God? Where does he have jurisdiction? If this phrase is true (and it is!), how should it impact us?
"In" Questions (Community)
- If Christian community can be defined as a group of people who have confessed that Jesus is lord, what good is reading this part of the Statement of Faith? Haven’t we already covered this way back when we met Jesus? What value is there in thinking about it now?
- How can we as communities make continued repentance a part of what we do? What is holding us back? How can we address these concerns?
"Out" Questions (Service)
- How do we go about calling people to repentance without being judgmental? In fact, why is it so easy to be judgmental in the first place? What can we do about this?
- Talk together about methods that have been most effective as you have sought to share your faith. What worked? What didn’t? How can we help one another share the good news of Jesus and his kingdom more often?
- CHALLENGE: Share with the group the name of someone close to you whom you want to help meet Jesus. Try to think of someone in your family, at your job, or where you normally hang out. As you begin the process of sharing your faith, keep your community informed!
Questions from Scripture [10 minutes]
- Read Ephesians 2:8-10. Read through verses 8 and 9 carefully. How are we saved? What should this mean in how we present ourselves to those who do not yet know Jesus? Now read verse 10 again. What role do good works play in all this?
- Read Psalm 95:1-7. When you think about your relationship with God, what do you want to praise him the most about? How can we build in regular times to remember how God has been good and to praise him for it?
Prayer
Father, in you alone is salvation found! When we are in need, whether spiritual, physical, or emotional, we turn to you alone. You alone are good and we are reminded of your goodness as we look back on our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And Father don't let us get stuck the past. Instead always move us forward through your Spirit. Always help us grow. Always help us love others and share your good news with them as well! In Jesus' holy name. Amen.