The Gospel Propels us Outward!

How do you know that a baby is growing? You can see it.

We often think of Christian growth as something that is internal and personal, but that would be incomplete. Christian growth must actually be seen. It’s going somewhere. It is “growing” after all!

Imagine if after you were born, your internal organs started growing and growing, but your bones and skin did not grow. At some point… you’d look pretty funny. Christian growth is not merely internal.

Read John 20:19-23

[Use Balloon] The driving force behind all spiritual growth [the wind] is God’s grace expressed to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ and worked in us by the Holy Spirit. And when we are filled we overflow with grace toward others. What happens if we do not grow outward? We will eventually pop spiritually.
**This inward transformation that propels us outward is how we got the name for our youth ministry, overflow.

Matthew 6:10, Your kingdom come, your will be done [in my heart and then]… on earth as it is in heaven!!

So, we are called to MISSION

Read Galatians 5:13-15
What are we called to? Freedom.
Freedom from What?
Bad actions: Impurity, Anger, Envy
Bad motivators for good actions: Guilt, Fear, Bribery

The Good motivator:
- God’s Grace
What is freedom from sin and freedom from bad motives supposed to produce in us?
Love and Service — this is our MISSION

How should you be loving and serving people?
List a few
Why don’t you do it?
“Should has no motivational power.”

From a Student: “I know I should pay attention to a peer who is rejected by my other friends.  She is lonely and needs a friend, but it’s hard.”

Three responses to Mission opportunities:
1. Legalism (obey even though you don’t feel like it) – leads to drudgery

2. License (don’t obey at all) – leads to dullness

3. Gospel (God’s grace helps me see my selfishness and lack of love, reminds me that God loved me when I had nothing in common with him, Rom. 5:8, so this becomes a motivation to love people as you have been loved… it’s all empowered by grace.

Mission that is an overflow of internal gospel renewal is a JOY, not drudgery, not dullness.

If you aren’t motivated to love, serve, and speak the gospel to people, the answer isn’t “just do it.” The answer is to examine your heart, repent of sin, and discern where your refusal to believe the gospel is short-circuiting the natural outward movement of the gospel.

Being a Christian is not about “working for God.” It is about “God working in and through you.”