John Stott challenges us in this four-session course to reach out to others. Stott's best-known work, Basic Christianity, has sold 2 million copies and has been translated into more than 60 languages. Other titles include The Cross of Christ, Understanding the Bible, The Incomparable Christ, eight volumes in The Bible Speaks Today series of New Testament expositions, and most recently, Why I Am a Christian.
Session One
Be Free in Christ
Jesus Christ sets us free from sin, guilt, and self-centeredness.
John 8:36
We tend to think of freedom as doing what we want, when we want, being answerable to no one. But this is exactly the opposite of what true freedom is. Discover what Jesus has to say about being truly free.
Session Two
Be Loving
Love is the key to the Christian life.
Galatians 5:22–24
Love is bantered about today like a ping-pong ball, but few people really know what it means. It's easy to think of being loving as a sentimental cliché. However, the first and greatest two commandments are to love the Lord our God with all our being and then to love our neighbors as ourselves—for God is love.
Session Three
Be a Friend to Sinners
Jesus' example of befriending sinners is the model for Christian mission.
Mark 2:13–17
Jesus was the friend of sinners. The Pharisees didn't understand that Jesus kept bad company for a good reason. But he did, and so should we. The problem is that most of us don't have any bad company. Are we more like the Lord Jesus in the company he kept, or more like the Pharisees, who avoided that company? The Holy Spirit is a missionary spirit. If Jesus kept bad company, so does the Holy Spirit. He's reaching out to people that we often neglect and avoid. He loves them more than we do.
Session Four
Be Salt and Light
We must repent of Christian pessimism and reaffirm our confidence in God's power.
Matthew 5:13–16
Christians are determined to see things change in society and long to have some influence for Jesus Christ. But there is a great deal of pessimism that grips and even paralyzes us. Everything is hopeless; there is no hope but the return of Jesus Christ. Are we powerless? Is the quest for social change hopeless before we begin? Or can Christians exert some influence for Jesus Christ?
Total number of pages—47
