What is the Gospel and What’s Your Role in it? Introducing the Awakening Project
Christians talk a lot about ‘the gospel’. We talk about hearing the gospel, believing the gospel, sharing the gospel with others. But what is the gospel?
When I went onto the streets to see who could tell me, I got answers like:
- It’s something to do with the Bible and church…
- It’s about God and love, and means different things to different people…
- It’s a style of music, right?
If I was to ask the same question in a church I’d probably get a more detailed answer. The Gospel, someone would say, is that Jesus died for our sins and by believing in him we can spend eternity with God in heaven. But is that it? Forgiveness and then entrance to heaven one day?
Introducing Awakening
Awakening trailer
A little while ago my friend Julie Richardson felt there was a need to clarify what the gospel is, not least because her own understanding of it left much of life untouched. What about work and relationships and art and poverty? she thought. What does the Gospel mean for this life? Nothing? The result of her journey was Awakening: Discover Your Role in the Gospel, a new 6 session DVD series she produced. I was thrilled when Julie asked me to host the project and contribute two teaching sessions to it.
The gospel, it turns out, transforms everything it touches. Through solid biblical teaching and powerful real-life stories, Awakening aims to help us see what a gospel-shaped life looks like and ignite a desire to live it out.
Check Out the Sessions
I get to speak on a favourite topic—identity
Recorded before a studio audience, Awakening features:
- Six episodes of teaching from renown communicators Joe Stowell, Vivian Mabuni, Artie Lindsay (and me)
- Beautifully filmed real-life stories of people living the gospel in their sphere of life
- A 60 page Study Guide with tools for daily living
- This is a ready-made series ideal for small groups, Sunday school classes and church teaching campaigns
Session 1: Gospel
What is the gospel? After hearing from a man who gave up what he loved for the sake of it, I unpack some key biblical ideas about the gospel and use a John Steinbeck story to explore what this ‘good news’ is
Session 2: Kingdom
The gospel is news… about a kingdom. In this session, pastor and bible teacher Artie Lindsay explains what the kingdom of God is. You’ll then hear how this kingdom changed the life of hip hop artist George Moss
Session 3: Identity
The gospel changes everything—including the very foundation of who we are. Using personal stories and some help from the Roman god Bacchus, I get to explore how we become new people through the gospel
Session 4: Attitude
The world is full of illness, tragedy, grief. How does the gospel strengthen us for those times? I think you’ll to be moved by Sarah Schieber’s story, then university president Joe Stowell gives a brilliant session on defeating despair
Session 5: Action
You have an important role to play in the kingdom of God. Author and speaker Vivian Mabuni shows you how to discover and live it out, just like Becky Moreland has done, reaching the street workers of her city
Session 6: Discovery
Our final session is a round table discussion where I probe each speaker to take their message further and provide tools to live out. Some good, practical wisdom comes out of this fun session:
What Others Are Saying
| In these sessions we are given hopeful teaching by a diverse group of thoughtful believers who help us on our journey. Here we learn that opportunities, discouragement, and sorrows are to be seen not as stumbling blocks but stepping stones that magnify the God who saved us. Watch it and share it with others.
Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, Pastor Emeritus, Moody Church, Chicago | I am so grateful for Awakening, which is packed with the kind of insightful teaching, engaging discussions, and real-life stories that challenge and inspire us to live more fully as kingdom people. Time spent in this resource will be time well invested in your walk with Jesus.
Cathy Madavan, speaker and author of Digging for Diamonds |
| Awakening is a hope-filled reminder of God’s power to redeem and restore. As you watch these insightful messages, prepare to be awakened by the power of the gospel.
Jeff Manion, Senior Pastor Ada Bible Church, Grand Rapids, author of Dream Big. Think Small | This engaging resource is a gift that I’m sure God will use in a compelling way to help us see more clearly and experience more deeply the gospel as the power of God. Thank you, Our Daily Bread!
Dr. Crawford W. Loritts Jr., author, speaker, radio host. Sr Pastor, Fellowship Bible Church, Roswell, Georgia |
| Too often followers of Jesus live lives of quiet desperation waiting for eternal glory. Yet the message of Jesus is that we can be part of the unfolding story of God’s kingdom on earth now. Our Daily Bread Films has produced a wonderful series that will both inform and inspire every viewer.
Karl Faase, CEO of Olive Tree Media and pastor in Sydney, Australia | This series is timely and powerful. I love the way that engaging Bible teaching is combined with relevant, real-life testimonies of God’s redemptive grace in action. The church desperately needs to be reminded of why the gospel is indeed the power of God for salvation and my hope and prayer is that many will take advantage of this great resource.
Jim Samra, Senior Pastor, Calvary Church, Grand Rapids |
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So, What is the Gospel?
Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead
and is now changing lives and renewing the world
