Love (John 13:1-20, 31-35)

Sacrificially loving and serving one another is one the most powerful things we can do before a watching world to testify to the grace of Jesus Christ.

I.    MAKING GOD KNOWN (THROUGH WHAT WE DO)
    A.    The Witness of the Image of God
    B.    The Evangelistic Function of the Law (Deuteronomy 4:1-8)

II.    MAKING GOD KNOWN (THROUGH LOVING ONE ANOTHER)
    A.    A New Commandment (John 13:1-11, 30-35)
    B.    Be a Re-Gifter (John 13:12-17; cf. Matthew 25:14-46)

III.    POPPING THE BUBBLE
    A.    Those Who Need Love (Luke 10:25-37; Galatians 6:10)
    B.    Getting out of the Christian Bubble (1 Corinthians 5:9-10; Matthew 9:9-13)
    C.    The Divine Example (Supper)

Boldness (2 Timothy 1:3-14; 4:1-8)

The unpopularity of the gospel in this world should not cause us to shrink back in fear, but drive us to proclaim it all the more boldly, knowing that it is most needed when it is least popular.

I.    FANNING THE FLAME (2 TIMOTHY 1:3-14)
    A.    Do Not Be Ashamed (2 Timothy 1:6-8)
    B.    Fan the Flame (2 Timothy 1:6, 9-14)

II.    THE PARADOX OF THE GOSPEL
    A.    Not of this World (John 18:36)
    B.    Setting Our Expectations (2 Timothy 1:12-14)

III.    IN SEASON AND OUT (2 TIMOTHY 4:1-8)
    A.    Two Kinds of Fear (2 Timothy 4:5-8)
    B.    Preach the Word (Always) (2 Timothy 4:2-4)
    C.    The Calling of the Cross (2 Timothy 4:5-8)

A Culture of Evangelism (1 Corinthians 3:1-23)

Because evangelism is chiefly a work of God, he accomplishes it not through our power, but his own, and uses many parts in harmony together to accomplish his ends.

I.    PAUL, APOLLOS, AND A DIVIDED CHURCH (VV. 1-9)
    A.    Life in the Flesh (vv. 1-3)
    B.    Identifying with Servant (not the Master) (vv. 4-9)

II.    CHRIST IS MADE THE SURE FOUNDATION (VV. 10-23)
    A.    The Only Foundation (vv. 10-15)
    B.    Building, Not Destroying (vv. 16-23)

III.    RULES OF CONSTRUCTION
    A.    Essentials of a Culture of Evangelism
    B.    Working Together
    C.    One Loaf, One Body

Hearing (Romans 10:5-17)

God uses the official preaching of the word as the primary way of calling sinners to faith.

I.       Two Kinds of Righteousness (vv. 5-13)
         A.     Based on the Works of the Law (vv. 5, 6)
         B.     Based on the Hearing with Faith (vv. 6-13)

II.     Hearing the Gospel (vv. 14-17)
         A.     How Will They Hear? (vv. 14-15)
         B.     Preaching Christ is Beautiful (vv. 15, 17)
         C.     No Guarantees (v. 16)

III.    Addressing Pride and Fear
         A.     Text and Subtext
         B.     Avoiding Dangerous Extremes
         C.     Hearing the Visible Word

The Powerful Gospel (Romans 1:8-17; 1 Corinthians 1:18)

The power of evangelism comes from the message we proclaim and the God who gave us that message.

I.    THE POWERFUL GOSPEL PROCLAIMED
    A.    Not Ashamed (v. 16)
    B.    The Power of God unto Salvation (vv. 16-17)
    C.    The Reason—God’s Glory (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)

II.    THE POWERFUL GOSPEL ILLUSTRATED
    A.    Paul in Corinth (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
    B.    Moses in Egypt (Exodus 4:10-12)

III.    THE POWERFUL GOSPEL EXPERIENCED
    A.    Power Made Perfect in Weakness
    B.    Avoiding Misunderstanding (John 13:35)
    C.    Power Made Visible in Weakness

Getting the Gospel Right (1 Peter 3:13-22)

The gospel is the good news that, though we are sinners who deserve hell, Jesus Christ has lived a perfect life and suffered the curse we deserve so that all who put their trust fully in him will be saved.

I.       Man’s Need (v. 18)
         A.     Unrighteous (Not by Design)
         B.     Sin and Its Consequences

II.     Jesus’s Provision (v. 18)
         A.     A Perfect Life (v. 18)
         B.     A Perfect Death (v. 18)
         C.     Redemption (v. 18)

III.    Making It Yours
         A.     Received by Faith Alone (Acts 16:31)
         B.     The Gospel Made Visible (vv. 19-20)
         C.     What Happens if We get it Wrong?
         D.     The Gospel Made Visible (Again)

God's Heart for the Lost (Ezekiel 33:1-20; 1 Timothy 2:1-7)

God’s heart takes no delight in the death of the wicked, but rejoices when one turns to him and finds mercy and grace—it is this heart that must drive us in evangelism.

I.       The God of Justice (vv. 1-9)
         A.      Goodness Requires Justice
         B.      The Ugly Temptation (of Self-Righteousness) (Jonah 4)
         C.      God’s Warning to His Watchmen (vv. 1-9)

II.      The God of Mercy (vv. 10-16)
         A.      No Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked (vv. 10-11; Exodus 34:5-7; Luke 15)
         B.      The Demonstration of Love (vv. 12-16; Romans 5:8; 1 Timothy 2:5-7)

III.     After God’s Own Heart
         A.      Seeking the Heart of God
         B.      Seeking the Salvation of the Lost (1 Timothy 2:1-7)
         C.      A Gracious (and Visible) Warning (vv. 12-16; 1 Corinthians 11:17-20)

Making Disciples (Matthew 22:34-40; 28:18-20)

The church has been called to make disciples—those who are conformed to the image of Christ in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, exercising dominion over sin.

I.       When All Else Fails (Go Back to the Beginning)
         A.      Cosmic Fullness (Adam’s Goal in Creation) (Genesis 1:26-28)
         B.      Image Bearing (Adam’s Job in Creation) (Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24; Genesis 1:26)
         C.      Heavenly Glory (Adam’s Would-be Reward in Creation) (1 Corinthians 15:44-53)

II.      Identifying a Disciple
         A.      The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40)
         B.      The Finished Disciple (v. 20; Luke 6:40)

III.     Making Disciples (Not Just Converts)
         A.      Disciples or Converts?
         B.      The Tools of Discipleship
         C.      A Disciple is not Above His Master

Ascending Zion (Hebrews 12:18-29)

As a worshipping community, the church is most clearly the church when she is in worship—possessing heaven, feasting with angels and communing with the saints throughout the ages in the presence of God.

Death, Resurrection, and the Church (John 2:13-22; Matthew 16:16-27)

The church of God will never be destroyed, but because it is the body of Christ, it will triumph only through death and resurrection.

The Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)

As a body, Jesus has made the church one and given gifts to each member for the service of the common good.

The Family of God (Matthew 12:46-50; John 19:25-27)

To be a Christian is to be brought into God’s family where his love and care is shown to one another.

The Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33)

By calling the church “bride,” Jesus is not only revealing how he has sacrificially loved us, but how we are to mirror that love to others.

The Pillar and Buttress of the Truth (1 Timothy 3:14-16)

God uses his church to boldly proclaim and humbly defend the truth of the Gospel which he has revealed to us in Scripture.

The House of God (1 Peter 2:1-12)

The Church is where Jesus’ presence is manifested on earth while he brings his plans for creation to completion.

The Kingdom of God (Matthew 16:16-20; 18:15-20)

Until the Last Day, God administers his eternal, heavenly kingdom through membership in the visible church.

The Visible Church (Ephesians 4:11-14; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

Though always imperfect in this world, the visible church is given to God’s people as the place in which to be fed, nurtured, and disciplined that they might grow in the image of Christ.

The Invisible Church (Ephesians 2:11-22; 5:22-32)

We must learn to look past superficial sources of unity to the person and sacrificial work of Jesus Christ if we are to know true peace with others.