Our series for the month of July is Bad News - Good News.
In the Bible this is called the Gospel.
Romans 1:16

The word Gospel in Greek is Euangelion which is derived from the noun Angelos which means Messenger. The word Angelos is used numerous times in Luke 1 in relationship to the birth of John the Baptist.
Luke 1:19

The word Euangelion, the Good News or Gospel, carries a message of joy and gladness. A web link for a short video on the subject has been provided below.

The purpose of this series is two-fold:
1. It is so you better understand the key components of the Gospel message, and
2. to help you feel more confident in talking to others about it

Paul structured his presentation of the Gospel around 4 critical truths. These can be understood by the use of 4 individuals and 4 words:

God - RELATIONSHIP
Man (General) - RUIN
Jesus - RESCUE
You (Personal) - RESPONSE

These truths show up again and again in the teaching and preaching of the writers of the New Testament. Because Paul understood the key truths of the Gospel, he was able to present them in a variety of ways, depending on his audience. His general format was to present the bad news and then move on to the really good news!

#1 - God created us for a RELATIONSHIP.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul explains the Gospel by starting off with God. Romans 1:1
When God made man, we were crafted in His rational, moral, and relational likeness. Genesis 1:26-27

When you move into Genesis 2, you see that God also created man to have relationships with his own kind. God created the perfect environment in which these relationships could flourish. Everything communicates His love!

What people understand about God can help or hinder their understanding and reception of the Gospel message.
We can examine a person's perception about God and ask some investigative questions to gain insight into:
Why they believe what they do?
How they arrived at their conclusions?
What their perception may mean for their life now and later?

We can then talk about our understanding of God. To keep it simple, we can point out 2 characteristics or 2 aspects of God's heart that are totally in sync and entwined throughout eternity:
First - God is a loving God.
Second - God is a holy and just God.
Exodus 34:6-7

God as a parent and creator has some similarities to us. Here are a few:
-He loves
-He understands
-He is emotional
-He knows us
-He has standards
-He holds us accountable
-He will discipline man but He delights to restore man