Discipleship Group Primer

Bulletin 

The Point:

God’s never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love has conquered sin and death forever. How will you respond?

Quote:

“The times of ignorance [people not knowing any better] God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)

Hear the Good News:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:3-19 ESV)

Embrace the Good News:

• What was your big takeaway from Sunday’s message?
• Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-19
• What does this passage teach about God (his characteristics, his actions, his plan)?
• What does this passage teach about humanity (our propensities, our needs, our responsibilities)?
• How do you begin to embrace the teaching of this passage? If the gospel always demands response (even if you already know Jesus), what does your response look like?

Live the Good News:

• How does this passage impact the way that you live out the Good News in your home and in your relationships with friends and family? (Parents: How can you model these truths to your kids and help them to understand these complex concepts?)
• How does it impact the way that you weave the thread of the gospel as you interact with your church family? In our local community? To the ends of the earth?
• Paul said that Christians should be counted as fools if Christ were not raised. Do you live so recklessly abandoned for Christ that people would call you a fool if this whole thing were false?