Simple Beginning Phrase: God is good! He loves us and is for us, not against us... 

Key Bullet Points: • Created in the image of God • Relationship • Mission on earth

Full Phrasing of this Gospel Section: God is good! He loves us and is for us, not against us. He joyfully created humans in His image, allowed them to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him and placed them in a perfect and beautiful world to carry on His mission on earth to reflect His glory. We were to do this by living and acting in ways that make His presence and ways evident to the world and that ultimately fosters God-honoring families and communities throughout the earth.

Added Development: The Bible states that God is good and that He loves us. He is for us and not against us. He joyfully created humans in His image and placed them in a perfectly functioning, gloriously beautiful and awe-inspiring world, where peace, love, and harmony existed between God and people, among people, and between people and nature. Under God's wise and perfect leadership, there was no pain, suffering, or tears. In this beautiful face-to-face relationship with Him, we were meant to cultivate the earth, steward its resources and multiply throughout the earth, reflecting His glory to each other and the world by living and acting in ways that make His presence and ways evident (that is, through our actions, character and words) and help establish God-honoring families and communities. In this way we were to model obedient allegiance to the rule and reign of God and help spread the knowledge of God everywhere so that the nations will humbly follow the King.

Bible Texts

• "When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God." - Genesis 5:1 NIV

• "Then God said, 'Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.' So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.'” - Genesis 1:26-28 NLT

• "Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end." - Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

Simple Beginning Phrase: But we have all sinned against God and became separated from Him... 

Key Bullet Points: • Broken world • Lost + Doomed

Full Phrasing of this Gospel Section: Unfortunately, we have all sinned against God and became separated from Him and the life He intended for us. Instead of reflecting His glory, we modeled rebellion against our Creator and His ways. We now live in a broken and sinful world of our own making. Without Him, we are hopelessly lost and eternally doomed.

Added Development: But, we all have sinned. We have rejected God's leadership over our lives and have chosen defiantly to live life our own terms. Life wasn't designed to work that way. Instead of reflecting His glory and ways, we modeled rebellion against our Creator and His ways for each other, contributing to the cultivation of a broken and sinfully diseased world. The effect of our rebellion is that we have become separated from the holy God we have rejected. We have lost connection to the very Source of life and are now left to our own broken devices that will neither work nor satisfy. Outside of Him we are hopelessly lost and doomed. 

Bible Texts

• "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." - Romans 3:23a NIV

• "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God'." - Romans 3:10-11 NIV

• "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people because all sinned." - Romans 5:12 NIV

• "Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.  You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger [lit: children of wrath], just like everyone else." - Ephesians 2:1-3 NLT

• "You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God." - James 4:4 NLT

• "Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they are not gods at all? Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols! The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,” says the Lord. “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!" - Jeremiah 2:11-13 NLT

• "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

• "...it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment..." - Hebrews 9:27 ESV

• "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." - 2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV

• "And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.  The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” - Matthew 12:36-37 NLT

• "I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. ...And all were judged according to their deeds... And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:12,13b,15 NLT

Simple Beginning Phrase: Jesus is bigger than our sins...

Key Bullet Points:  • ↘️ ✝️ ↗️ = Jesus paid our debt  • restore & renew creation

Full Phrasing of this Gospel Section: The Good News is that Jesus, God's Son, is bigger than our sin. By coming to earth in human flesh and living a sinless, perfectly obedient life, dying for our sin and rising again on the third day, He overcame our sin by paying our debt. Now enthroned as rightful King, His grand plan is to restore and make all things new in creation, starting with and through His people. 

Added Development: The Good News is that God sent His Son Jesus to earth, taking on human flesh, to live the life we could not live and die the death we deserved, in order to pay the price for our sins we could never pay. In the life He lived, Jesus perfectly imaged God, His ways and how to live in obedience to Him. At the cross, Jesus covered over our sin fully and forever—past, present and future. Now enthroned as rightful King, His grand plan is to restore and make all things new in creation, starting with and through His people. 

Bible Texts 

• "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14 NIV

• "The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven." - Hebrews 1:3 NLT

• "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6 NIV

• "For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” - Luke 19:10 NLT

• "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 NIV

• "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent." - Acts 17:30 NIV

• "[Jesus said] I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." - Luke 13:3 NIV

• "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." - Proverbs 28:18 NIV

• "And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil... But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good... For God does not show favoritism." - Romans 2:2-11 NLT

•  "[Peter said of Jesus] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12 NIV

• "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." - John 3:16-17 NIV

• "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation." - Romans 5:8-9 NLT

• "For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” - John 6:40 NIV

• "He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them." - 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

• "Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit." - 1 Peter 3:18 NLT

• "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." - 1 John 4:10 NIV

• "He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.  But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God." - John 1:10-13 NLT

• "Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:34-36 NIV

• "Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed... But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels." - Isaiah 53:4-5,8b-12 NLT

• "For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." - Romans 8:20-21  NIV

• "See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know Him." - 1 John 3:1 NLT

• "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:21 NIV

Simple Beginning Phrase: > Jesus invites everyone into an intimate relationship...

Key Bullet Points:  • Turn + Trust King Jesus = Salvation > Forgiven sins •  Relationship •  God's family •  Join Jesus' mission •  Eternal life

Full Phrasing of this Gospel Section:  Jesus invites everyone into an intimate relationship. Those who turn from their sins and trust in King Jesus as Savior and Lord over their lives, receive the free gift of salvation. The salvation Jesus offers includes forgiven sins, a restored relationship with God, being adopted and embraced into God's family, the privilege of continuing Jesus' mission on earth and receiving eternal life. (What's keeping you from receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior?)

Added Development: Jesus is inviting everyone into a covenant relationship. In defeating sin and death once and for all, He has made a way for us to come back to God and be reconciled with Him. Those who turn from their sins and trust in King Jesus (repent & believe), receive the free gift of salvation. The salvation Jesus offers includes forgiven sins, a restored relationship with God (where we are eternally loved in an intimate, abiding, and life-giving way), being adopted and embraced into God's family, the privilege of continuing the mission of Jesus on earth and receiving eternal life. ASK: What's keeping you from receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

Bible Texts

• "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." - Romans 10:9-10 NIV

• "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:13 NIV

• "He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.  But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God." - John 1:10-13 NLT

• "See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know Him." - 1 John 3:1 NLT

• "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord..." - Acts 3:19 NIV

• "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" - Acts 2:38 NIV

• "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:8-9 NIV

• "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:21 NIV

• "He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them." - 2 Corinthians 5:15 NLT

• "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 NIV

• "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." - John 17:3 NIV

• "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." - 1 John 5:11-13 NIV

• "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them." - John 3:36 NIV

• "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God." - Romans 5:1-2 NIV

• "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." - Romans 8:1-4 NIV

• "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39 NIV

Simple Beginning Phrase: > Humans are weak and need help. God helps and transforms us...

Key Bullet Points:  • Holy Spirit • God's family

Full Phrasing of this Gospel Section: We all know this reality whether we admit it or not: Humans are weak and need help. God provides His people ongoing help through the power, presence and guidance of Holy Spirit and by caring and growing us through His earthly family. His love and grace empower us to become more like Him, reflect His glory, and spread this Good News throughout the earth.

Added Development:  Since by virtue of being humans we are weak, limited and fragile, living in a broken and harsh world, we all need outside help. To deny this reality is to not be truthful with ourselves and the realities of life on earth. But God has provided help for all those who trust in Him:

1. He has given us His Holy Spirit, the divine advocate and helper who has been given to those who embrace Jesus as their Lord and Savior. He empowers us, leads us, comforts us, and so much more. 

2. He has provided a family to help us face life and grow in Him. Through the family of God we receive love, grace and support in community, to grow and change towards becoming more and more like Him. 

We are not alone or left to change out of our own self-effort or limited knowledge. God has gifted us with divine help to accomplish the very thing He asks of us. In His love and grace, He gives us the power and desire to become more like Him. This enables us to reflect His glory to the world by living and acting in ways that make His presence and ways evident, and to spread this Good News across the earth.  Praise God for His goodness!

Bible Texts

• "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." - Philippians 2:13 NLT

• "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." - Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV

• "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:10 NIV

• "Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But when God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life." - Titus 3:3-7 NLT

• "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires." - 2 Peter 1:3-6 NLT

• "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." - Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT

• "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." - 1 John 3:2-3 NIV

• "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV

• "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV