The Good News
A Formation Path to help us more deeply (and precisely) grasp the Good News of King Jesus and to more lovingly (and zealously) share it with all the people around us.
What will it take to make this broken world right?
Imagine it. A world with no more wars, with no more slavery, racism, or injustice, with no more perversion, pornography, or politicians grasping for power. A world with no more trafficking taking place in Thailand, killing in the DR Congo, or shooting in the streets of our city. A world and everyone in it filled with love, joy, peace, righteousness, true happiness and true freedom and true justice for all.
I Believe: A Risk-Everything Trust in God
King Jesus is with you right now.
This formation guide is about following Jesus together.
The Apostles’ Creed is a discipleship tool that emerged out of the earliest generations of the Church. As it has been passed along generation to generation, it has served as a basic guide for interpreting the Scriptures and a curriculum for faith and formation in Jesus, and it has been declared in countless languages by followers of Jesus all around the world. Ben Myers calls the Creed “a summary of Christian teaching as well as a solemn pledge of allegiance.”
Bow, Sit, Walk, Run
We believe the way of Jesus is the best, most beautiful way to be human.
In addition to being a life filled with peace, joy, contentment, and purpose, even in the midst of trials, this way of life with Jesus as King is a true blessing to the world around it because of its love, kindness, truth, and grace. It is marked by right relationships with God, with others, and with the world. It is meant to shape every part of life—how we work, how we spend, how we share, and how we neighbor. It is truly beautiful and inherently radical. And Jesus invites us to follow Him into this beautiful, radical, counter-cultural way of living.
Advent / Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus
Advent is a season in which we fix our eyes on Jesus and celebrate His Advent—His coming. The Hebrew Scriptures foretell and foreshadow the coming of an Anointed One, the Messiah. As part of God’s mission to redeem a people and restore creation, He established a covenant people (Israel) and gave them three kinds of anointed leaders: Prophets, Priests, and Kings. Each of these offices played a key role in instructing and leading God’s people on how to be in right relationship with Him and how to live the way of His Kingdom in the midst of a broken and rebellious world.
The Prophet was anointed to speak the words of God and shed light into the darkness of the world. The Priest was anointed to perform ritual sacrifices on behalf of the people to enable them to draw near to God. The King was anointed to lead, guide, and shepherd the people in the way they should go. These three offices play a significant role in God’s unfolding plan, and yet throughout the Hebrew Scriptures we hear promises about an Anointed One, a Messiah, who will come and ultimately fulfill these roles and all of God’s purposes.
Here we are. Speak, Lord, we are listening.
The Good News According to Matthew
This tool covers a season of seven weeks. Each week, begin the process of memorizing the Text. Read through the Take Action and Family sections. Read or skim over the week’s readings to get an idea of what’s ahead. Spend some time praying and preparing your heart to grow. Then, follow the tool throughout the week.
One way to summarize the main point of the Good News according to Matthew is this:
Jesus is the Son of David who establishes the Kingdom of God.
This is the picture we see of who Jesus is and what it means for the world. He is the King who establishes the Kingdom. There are also a number of other themes we will see within Matthew, including God at work, God as Father, the Fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures, Conflict, and the Cross and Resurrection.
The Good News According to Mark
King Jesus said, “The time has come! The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:5).
This tool is designed to assist us as a church to do just that—to live the way of the Kingdom. It is our hope and prayer during this 50 day season (Resurrection Sunday to Pentecost) that we would draw closer to God as we engage in a life of continually repenting and believing the Good News of the King and His Kingdom.
If you choose to use this tool as a guide to help you grow in Christ, may you hear with fresh ears, may your heart be pierced, and may you faithfully trust Messiah Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Yield your life to God’s work and experience the Good News in all of its fullness. As a result, may the nations sing for joy!
ReForm | The Book of 12
Welcome to a season of learning together from The Book of Twelve. This book, which is found in the Bible, consists of the anthologies of twelve different Hebrew prophets.
These prophets were God’s mouthpieces to His people and His world. They were given the costly and glorious task of calling all hearers to turn around and to realign their lives with God’s Kingdom.
They spoke words of
judgment
wrath
forgiveness
salvation
restoration
and hope.
Here is their message in one word—reform.
We need reform. There are parts of our lives that do not fully align with the Kingdom of God. This is true of all of God’s people, and it is certainly true of the world around us. God is still calling us toward reform.
That is the aim of this tool.