Contend & Contextualize
INTRODUCTION
Our Fall Vision Series aims to explain Fellowship Denver Church's mission—helping people discover and follow the original Jesus—in a way that invites new people to discover or join the mission and equips FDC insiders to faithfully participate in it. This series will also provide a unique challenge to cultivate a “one more” mindset, where we always seek to reach “one more” person with the gospel.
OPENING DISCUSSION
Good communication is the oxygen of relationships. Without it, they suffocate; with it, they flourish. Describe a time in your life when you struggled to communicate with somebody. What made communicating so tricky? How did that affect your relationship?
BIG IDEA
Our mission is to help people discover and follow the original Jesus. To do this faithfully, we must contend (speak the truth) and contextualize (speak the truth in a way that makes sense to our hearers).
OPENING DISCUSSION
Good communication is the oxygen of relationships. Without it, they suffocate; with it, they flourish. Describe a time in your life when you struggled to communicate with somebody. What made communicating so tricky? How did that affect your relationship?
BIG IDEA
Our mission is to help people discover and follow the original Jesus. To do this faithfully, we must contend (speak the truth) and contextualize (speak the truth in a way that makes sense to our hearers).
READ
Read Jude 3-4 aloud.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
In this passage, Jude appeals to his readers to “contend” for the faith because false teachers are creeping in and distorting the Christian message.
In order to “contend for the faith,” one must first be grounded in the doctrinal essentials of the faith.
The church's mission moves forward not only through contending for the gospel but also through contextualizing it. In Acts, Paul models healthy contextualization for us.
Paul models healthy contextualization by understanding the worldview and assumptions of his hearers. So, when speaking to the Jews who were awaiting a Messiah, he proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for, and he proved it by rising from the dead. But when speaking to the Greeks, who worshiped a pantheon of gods, he proclaimed that there is one true God who created the world and will judge the world through one man, Jesus Christ. The point is that Paul understood his hearers' assumptions and preached the gospel in a way that made sense to them.
- What are some modern examples of false teachings or ideologies that surround us in Denver?
- As an example, consider radical gender and sexual ideologies represented in the LGBTQ+ movement. What do these ideologies imply about God? Humanity? Sexuality?
- What does it mean for Christians and the Church to “contend for the faith” amidst these cultural ideologies?
In order to “contend for the faith,” one must first be grounded in the doctrinal essentials of the faith.
- What doctrines would you consider the “essential” doctrines of the Christian faith?
- How biblically and theologically grounded do you feel as a Christian?
- What are some steps you can take this Fall to ground yourself more deeply in your faith1?
The church's mission moves forward not only through contending for the gospel but also through contextualizing it. In Acts, Paul models healthy contextualization for us.
- Read Acts 17:1-3. How do you see Paul contextualizing the gospel message when speaking to the Jews?
- Read Acts 17:22-32. How does Paul contextualize the gospel message differently when speaking with the Greeks in Athens?
Paul models healthy contextualization by understanding the worldview and assumptions of his hearers. So, when speaking to the Jews who were awaiting a Messiah, he proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for, and he proved it by rising from the dead. But when speaking to the Greeks, who worshiped a pantheon of gods, he proclaimed that there is one true God who created the world and will judge the world through one man, Jesus Christ. The point is that Paul understood his hearers' assumptions and preached the gospel in a way that made sense to them.
- What are some common assumptions and worldviews of the average modern American?
- How might this shape how we contextualize the gospel for them?
ONE MORE
Each week of this series, we encourage you to consider how you might engage one more person with the gospel message. This week, we want to take the first step! We invite you to either use the “One More” card handed out to you at church or find a small notecard to write down the names of 1-3 people in your life who do not know Jesus. Carry the notecard with you or place it somewhere you will regularly see it. Let the card remind you to pray for God to open their hearts to the gospel and give you opportunities this Fall to share the good news with them.
1 One suggestion would be to buy an ESV Study Bible. Use it to read the Bible daily, and look to the notes when you need help understanding a passage. Also, the back of the Bible contains a wealth of helpful introductory articles to help you build a great theological foundation.
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