The Gospel is not only how we enter into a relationship with God but much more. The Gospel is the crux of the local church in that we are reconciled to God and have eternal life. In addition, the Gospel is how we grow in our faith in Christ and how we experience the love of Christ through our relationships with others. To rediscover the local church, we must remain grounded in the Gospel.

Drew’s Main Points

• The Gospel meets our initial need for salvation.
• The Gospel meets our daily needs for spiritual growth.
• The Gospel creates biblical community and a Gospel culture in our churches.
  

Key Takeaways

• The Gospel is our only hope in life and death. Salvation alone is found by grace through faith in Christ.

• The bad news is that apart from Christ all people are spiritually dead, storing up greater judgment with every sinful act, under the authority of the Devil, and love their sin. The good news is that God is merciful and by grace makes the dead alive through faith in Christ.

• Through faith in Jesus, we are justified, or legally declared righteous because of His works. Christ’s death was a substitutionary atonement where He died in our place for our sins—the righteous for the unrighteous.

• The goal is not to be a smarter sinner, but more sanctified. The goal is not to be better versions of ourselves, but more like Christ.

• We come to Christ by faith and grow by faith. The Christian life is not just hard, but impossible apart from God’s grace.

• As we grow in Christ, we grow in understanding our own sinfulness and God’s holiness.

• The essence of being a Christian is to be saved and savor Christ. There is no bottom to the depth of riches in Christ Jesus.

• In our culture and even churches, Christ is popular and prevalent, but powerless because He is not at the center. Jesus intends to be our Lord and Savior, not our personal assistant.

• The Gospel is to not only define the church’s community, but refine the church’s culture. The Gospel-centered church is the perfect place for imperfect people, while offering a real purpose and mission.

• As the church, we are to embrace the call to be “the aroma of Christ” with urgency and embrace the cost—expecting to be repulsed and even persecuted by the world.

Discussion Questions/Application

Personal application:

• Read and review the passages referenced by Drew in today’s message (listed below).

• In what ways are you prone to make Jesus your personal assistant more than your Lord and Savior? Confess and repent!

• What does savoring Christ look like today? How will you intentionally remain grounded in the Gospel to provide for your spiritual needs this week?

Discuss with your community group:

• How can you encourage each member of your group with the Gospel this week?

• In what ways can you grow individually and as a group to be the aroma of Christ to one another and to those around you?

Passages Referenced for Further Study
Ephesians 2:1-9; Romans 5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 52:14; John 1:12; Luke 7:36-50; Colossians 2:6-7; Ephesians 3:8; Romans 1:16; Colossians 3:12-14;2 Corinthians 2:14-16.