A Family of Believers Centered on the Gospel

On Sunday our elders proposed a new church mission statement. At its core is the commitment is to be a “Family of Believers Centered on the Gospel.” In preparation for that “roll out,” I preached a sermon on Galatians 1 and the importance of protecting and proclaiming the gospel.

Here’s the sermon audio, with a few additional resources and response questions.

The Gospel Proper

• What is the Gospel?
• D. A. Carson on the Gospel

Theological Triage: A Way to Keep the Gospel at the Center

• Theological Triage (pt. 1): Rightly Dividing Truth from Error
• Theological Triage (pt. 2): Unity in the Gospel, Separation in the Church
• Theological Triage (pt. 3): Love Covers a Multitude of Differences

Response Questions

1. What is the letter to the Galatians all about? Why does the tone matter? How does it teach us to think about the Gospel?
2. Who is Paul writing to? And why does that matter? (Hint: the church is ultimately responsible for their doctrinal beliefs).
3. What is the gospel? Read Galatians 1:4; Romans 1:1–7; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8 for reference.
4. How can we deviate from the Gospel? How have you turned aside—in belief or practice? How have you seen churches deviate? What do we learn from Peter’s example (read Galatians 2:11–14)?
5. How does a church keep the gospel at the center? What role does a statement of faith play in that? What about a mission statement?
6. Read over the mission statement and the associated Scriptures. What would you add or edit in this statement? Talk about how keeping these truths before us helps us keep the gospel at the center.
7. Pray for the church and for our focus on the gospel.

Soli Deo Gloria, ds