THE GOSPEL PROJECT FOR STUDENTS / PERSONAL STUDY GUIDE TM Bearing god s Image FALL 2013 Fall 2013 fall 2013: Personal Study Guide Ed Stetzer General Editor Trevin Wax Managing Editor
the gospel project for students personal study guide, Fall 2013 volume 2, number 1 ProdUCTION and MINISTRY Team Vice PrESident, Church Resources: Eric Geiger General Editor: Ed Stetzer Managing Editor: Trevin Wax content editor: Andy McLean director, STudENT MINISTry PubliSHING: Jeff Pratt director, student ministry: Ben Trueblood Send questions/comments to: Content Editor, The Gospel Project for Students Personal Study Guide, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0174, Or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com Send questions/comments to: Publishing Team Leader, The Gospel Project: Personal Study Guide, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0102; or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com. Printed in the United States of America The Gospel Project for Students (ISSN 1939-0742; Item 005508013) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President. 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. For ordering or inquiries, visit www.lifeway.com or write LifeWay Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription address changes, e-mail subscribe@lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5818, or write to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, e-mail orderentry@lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5933, or write to the above address. We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWay s doctrinal guideline, please visit www.lifeway.com/doctrinalguideline. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved. Photos: istockphoto and Getty Images 2 TGP Personal Study Guide
SESSION 3 Created to work Close your eyes for a second and picture the Garden of Eden. What images do you see? Most likely you pictured a place of rest, animals milling around and Adam and Eve reclining in the shade. While Eden looks restful, it doesn t look inspiring. It doesn t look exciting. If it appeals to us at all, it s because we like the idea of a quiet place to lie down for a while and take a nap or just be lazy. At the heart of these images, and at the heart of our reaction to them, is a great misconception about God s original creation. It wasn t a perpetual day spa with hot spring baths, massages, and smoothies. Instead, it was a vibrant, active community, a place where Adam and Eve had work to do and showed up to do it six days a week. Far from the work stinks attitude of our world, the Bible presents work as something intrinsic, human, and good. This week we will see that one of the ways we reflect God is through our work. God created us to work in the Garden, and through our work, to serve Him and others. Due to our sin, however, work has become toilsome and often seems futile, and we adopt a wrong posture toward work. But because of the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, our work can once again become purposeful as it points us toward new creation. 26 TGP Personal Study Guide
Ready Your Heart Living the Dream 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. LiKE so many across the country, I am a huge fan of Duck Dynasty. This show is so addicting because of the mix of family, humor, outdoors, fun, and faith. Before the Robertson family became famous for their television show, they built a very successful business building duck calls. Today, they re a multi-million dollar company, but it took a lot of hard work to get there. What we see on TV is a family having a lot of fun, even at work, but what we don t see is the numerous employees that assist in making duck calls, filling orders, managing inventory, and running this enormous operation. What we also don t see is the years of hard work that it took to get to this level. It may appear on television that they do more fun stuff than hard work, but multi-million dollar businesses don t happen overnight and they don t run themselves. The modern American dream is to have as much as possible and do as little as possible to get there. People today often dream of striking it rich, retiring at an early age, and living a life of endless pleasure. But that dream is completely different from the plans that God has for our lives. God has sovereignly ordained that work exist, and He has created and equipped us with certain gifts, skills, and passions in order to participate in the creative work He is doing. PauSE and Reflect How is work portrayed in our culture negatively or positively? What are various areas of your life where some sort of work is demonstrated? How do you glorify God in that type of work? fall 2013 27
Ready Your Heart GroWIng From Our Mistakes Genesis 3:17-19 And to Adam he said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, You shall not eat of it, cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. I am not proud to admit it, but I failed Junior English. I didn t fail because I was stupid; it was because I was lazy. The focus of Junior English was American literature. In order to pass the class, I was required to read several assigned selections and pass tests on the material they covered. In those days I hated to read anything, especially American literature, and instead loved playing sports. When I came home from school, instead of taking the time to read, I lied to my mom by saying I didn t have any homework and either went to the gym to play basketball or went to the golf course to practice. Naturally, since I didn t read the assignments, I failed the tests and, ultimately, failed the class. It was pretty embarrassing being a senior sitting in a Junior English class. Looking back, even though I m still embarrassed about failing Junior English, it turned out to be a great blessing. Though the class felt overwhelming and discouraging the first time, my perspective changed significantly when I took it a second time. It is also a blessing because I learned something about work in general and schoolwork in particular. I m to glorify God in my studies. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, I am to do everything to the glory of God, everything from Junior English to eating lunch in the school cafeteria from the part-time summer job I have to the relationship I m in. Because of what Jesus has done, I don t need to seek my identity or my sense of value in what I accomplish, nor do I need to be overwhelmed with it all. Instead, Jesus has provided for you and me a way to work that glorifies God, benefits those around us, and is for our good and joy. PauSE and Reflect What areas of life do you admittedly slack off in? Why? Have you ever faced any consequences as a result of slacking in these areas? Have you ever thought about your identity or value being tied to what you do (i.e. performing well in a sport or making good grades in school, etc.)? What is the danger in this? 28 TGP Personal Study Guide
Ready Your Heart Finding Your Purpose Revelation 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. For a complete reading of this passage, read Revelation 21:22-27 in your Bible. as a teenager, I fell in love with the game of golf. When I graduated high school, I moved to Orlando, FL to attend a career college to learn how to be a golf professional. After graduation, I was very fortunate to work at several nice golf courses. I felt like one of the luckiest guys on earth because I got to pursue my passion as a career. Among other things, golf allowed me to visit some of the most beautiful places across the country and meet some of the most incredible people as a result. Even though I loved what I did, I began to consider my work as something less significant or less important than, say, someone working at a church. I enjoyed teaching Sunday school, singing in choir, and volunteering in the youth ministry. However, I couldn t help thinking that I could be doing more ministry if I was involved in full-time ministry and less involved as a golf professional. It wasn t long after I began to seriously consider leaving my job that I realized that my job was, in fact, a ministry of its own and that I was able to use it as a platform to share the gospel with a number of people I could never reach if I was on staff at a church (for the simple reason that I would never see them). Sure, we are all called to serve in various roles within the church according to the giftedness we have been given, but it was false to think that my job was secular and, therefore, not capable of making much of Jesus as would a sacred church position. Jesus has restored my work, and I am both free and obligated to glorify Him through my work as a golfer. PauSE and Reflect Do you see some jobs being divided into the categories of secular and sacred? Which ones would go into either category? What makes them that? Is it possible to glorify God and make much of Jesus by doing work that is not full-time ministry related? Could you find more fulfillment doing something else? If so, what is preventing you from pursuing that endeavor? fall 2013 29
The work God designed has been... One of the ways we reflect God is through our work. God created us to work in the Garden, and through our work, to serve Him and others. Due to our sin, however, work is toilsome and often seems futile, and we adopt a wrong posture toward work. But because of the work of Jesus Christ, our work once again becomes purposeful as it points us toward new creation. W hat type of job do you hope to have one day? W hy is it important for Christians to seek careers that honor God and make a contribution to society? Commanded. Just as God shaped the dust and transformed it into something new, we take creation, shape it, and transform it into something new. The parade of animals that walks before Adam is a parade of chaos and disorder. They await the caretaking leadership of mankind to name them, imposing a sense of order and belonging. The animals are part of the wilderness, and his work incorporates them into the order of the Garden. Do you think of school as work? Why or why not? What are some other places besides school where we make order out of chaos? In the creation story, we see work that contributes to and participates in God s vision for the world a vision of expanding goodness, order, and beauty. It s a vision for work that s meaningful both to the worker and the world around him. In what ways does our culture demean and diminish the value of work? In what ways do Christians sometimes diminish the value of work that is seen as secular? Are some jobs secular while other jobs are sacred? The fast-food worker, the inventor; the clerical assistant, the scientist; the accountant, the musician they all have high callings, used by God to bless and serve His people and His creation. Gene Edward Veith
Corrupted. Work is good, but because of sin, it is often a struggle. Ever since sin entered the world, what was meant for our good has been cursed, and our efforts in work push against a world that resists us. Generally, this leads to one of two responses. On the one hand, we see people who respond by devoting their life to work, hoping to find a sense of purpose in success, money, and power. On the other hand, we see people who feel overwhelmed by the challenge and crushed by a sense of futility. Both responses are wrong. when was the last time work left you feeling overwhelmed? Or when did work last feel futile and pointless? What got you through it? How did you press on? some of you may love schoolwork, a sport and/or hobby, or something else you really enjoy and are good at doing. Discuss how you would feel if your ability to do it any longer was taken away. How would you respond? How do we fight the temptation in allowing our performance to define us? Restored. The gospel itself the work of Jesus in His life, death, and resurrection is a work that frees us from the toilsome effects of work. Where the god of work demands that we do more and do better, the gospel tells us, done. Where work would crush us with a burden we can never carry, the gospel relieves us of duty. Jesus came to earth with a job to do. What are some ways He demonstrated a singular sense of focus on His work? What could have distracted Him from that work? What might have discouraged Him that the work was futile? What can we know about work in the new heavens and new earth? Why might work continue there? How does the fact that work is something we ll do forever change the way we might work now? Conclusion One way that the testimony of the gospel will have credibility with the world around us is through the testimony of our work. In this sense, all work is connected to our mission. The integrity of our work says something to the rest of the world about what it means to be a Christian. how can being a lazy student ruin a testimony? how can your commitment to work at home (chores, helping out around the house, etc.) reflect your beliefs?
Encore created to work The work God designed has been... 1. commanded (Gen. 2:15-17; 1 Thess. 4:9-12). The garden was a workplace. We see Adam at work in verse 19 of Genesis 2: So the Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. In the same way that God had taken the chaos and void of creation and brought order, mankind was meant to continue the work by tending the Garden, naming the animals, and caring for and expanding the order and beauty of God s world. Adam s work was a good thing. We were made to work, collaborating with God s creative work, caretaking, nurturing, and developing. Paul s words give us another window into the way God sees work. First off, we see Paul make the connection to brotherly love. He encourages the Thessalonians because they have demonstrated the love of God in the way they love one another, and he spurs them on to do so all the more by leading a quiet life, minding their own business, and working with their hands. Work isn t in there as a throwaway line. In the world of the Thessalonians, manual labor was seen as demeaning. The prevailing philosophy of the day viewed work as inherently demeaning and shameful. The wealthiest members of society wanted to live lives of leisure, waited on hand and foot by servants and slaves. By encouraging the church to work with their hands, Paul was dignifying work in a way that would have sounded profoundly countercultural. All good work has a positive effect on the community around it, and that effect should motivate our work. It s not only for our own benefit. Paul didn t say that everyone go into ministry or social services. In fact, Paul didn t talk about that kind of work at all. He s talking about ordinary, everyday, good work, the kind of work that would have been seen as undignified by his Thessalonian readers. House painting is the kind of work Paul would have encouraged. It makes the community a better place, leaving houses and office buildings more beautiful than they were before. It allows someone to earn a living, supporting his family, and ultimately investing that money back into the community as his pays his own bills and support others. 2. corrupted (Gen. 3:17-19; Eccl. 2:22-23). Work is good, but because of sin, it is often a struggle. Ever since sin entered the world, what was meant for our good has been cursed, and our efforts in work push against a world that resists us. We looked in Genesis 2 at God s intention for human effort in the Garden. Let s jump one chapter ahead into Genesis 3. Do you see what s happened? Where work had been created as a collaboration with God, done in harmony with the world around us, it suddenly became an uphill battle. The soil braced itself against us, weeds crept into our gardens, and the branches that produced food began to teem with thorns. Thorns and thistles make work painful, leading to sore hands, aching backs, and tired minds. They re also what make it relentless. Weeds grow up again and again, no matter how many times we clear the area and turn the soil. They aren t simply a possibility; they re a guarantee. Work will be hard. Work will resist you. Work will never be done. 32 TGP Personal Study Guide
Encore Generally, this leads to one of two responses. On the one hand, we see people who respond by devoting their lives to work, hoping to find a sense of purpose in success, money, and power. On the other hand, we see people who feel overwhelmed by the challenge and crushed by a sense of futility. For those who feel trapped in work that overwhelms, there is good news. Work doesn t have to define us, and it doesn t have to drive us to exhaustion. The gospel transforms everything about our lives, including our work. In fact, the gospel has a profound relationship with work. 3. restored (Rev. 21:22-22:5). The gospel itself the work of Jesus in His life, death, and resurrection is a work that frees us from the toilsome effects of work. The author of Hebrews described the priest who stood in the temple every day and made sacrifices (Heb. 10:11-14). For Israel s priests, worship was work. Sacrifices had to be offered in a specific way, at specific times, with dire consequences if mistakes were made. Into that misery came Jesus, who offered an entirely different kind of sacrifice: His own body and blood. This sacrifice is perfect, and it s perfectly offered. His perfect work brought about perfect results, and our sins were once-and-for-all taken away. It s a work that frees us from work; we no longer have to work to find freedom for our sins. We no longer have to work to feel acceptable and worthwhile. Where the god of work demands that we do more and do better, the gospel tells us, done. Where work would crush us with a burden we can never carry, the gospel relieves us of duty. Because Jesus perfectly fulfilled His work, we are now freed from having to prove ourselves through ours. Instead, we re invited to work as work was meant to be. Not only that, because of Jesus work, we can have profound hopes about the future of work. Where thorns and thistles dominate our landscape today, a day is coming where they ll no longer plague us. The apostle John gave us a glimpse of that world in the book of Revelation. This world not only harkens to the future, but also to the past. It s not something new, but the restoration of something ancient, lost, and desperately longed for. In fact, because of Jesus, the Garden has not only been restored, it s been expanded into a sparkling and glorious city. Until that day, we can only taste glimpses of it. We do so as we work for the good of our cities and neighborhoods, serving others as we live lives that show not only that work is good, but also that work isn t everything. Conclusion In creation, God invited Adam and Eve to join Him in the making of the world being fruitful and multiplying, extending the garden, and ruling over creation with an ever-expanding reign of order. In redemption, we re invited to do the same. Instead of the chaos of the wilderness, there is a lost and broken world, and instead of a garden, there is the church the beloved family of God redeemed by the blood of Jesus. With God, the people of God are agents of change that bring order into chaos, light into darkness, and beauty from ashes. Our love-motivated work is a witness to the wider world. One way that the testimony of the gospel will have credibility with the world around us is through the testimony of our work. As Christians, we can work as hard as anyone we re motivated to work out of love for God and neighbor, and we have a vision for our work that involves participating in God s mission in the world. At the same time, we can live in such a way that work doesn t rule our lives a profoundly counter-cultural way to live in our present world. fall 2013 33