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While the recent increase in gospel-centered teaching has blessed my walk, I was at a loss on how to apply these truths to my everyday life. Life Over Coffee ministry bridges this divide by connecting the gospel with a biblical understanding of the soul. As a lay counselor, the Mastermind Program has equipped me to minister the gospel to my soul, family, and others. I learned a model of gospel-centered living. – Mark Grant
The gospel is like a multifaceted diamond. Every time you turn it, you see a previously hidden facet that reveals another aspect of God you can apply to your life. The gospel-centered life is more than a saying. It is a practical life that looks like Jesus. There is a disconnect between thinking about the gospel and living out the gospel. An excellent way to think about living the gospel in a practicalized way could be in these three steps:
The gospel (or the good news) is a person. The gospel is Christ. He was the predicted good news in Genesis 3:15. The gospel (Christ) was the hope of virtually every Israelite woman in the Old Testament. The Father sent the gospel (Christ) in the fullness of time according to Galatians 4:4. What is the gospel? In the most straightforward kind of language, the gospel is Jesus. And how you think about Jesus is twofold: His person and His works. Who He was (being/ontology) and what He did (works/actions) is the most concise way of thinking about the gospel.
If Jesus is the gospel, what was Jesus like? Describe Him. What were some of His characteristics? As you study the life of Christ, begin to attach labels to the things you observe in His life. I’m not just talking about His life on earth. The gospel has always been. It stretches into eternity’s past and reaches into eternity’s future. The gospel has always been, and it will always be. Thus, as you study the life of Christ in the gospels, here is a short list of some of His characteristics. Perhaps you would like to add to this list.
We’ve taken some of these ideas and developed this graphic as a template to guide us as we equip our Mastermind Students.
Let your religion be authentic in your home, church, and relationships if it is real. Let your profession be an actual possession that transforms your life and the lives in your sphere of influence. The call to be a Christian is to die to yourself (Mark 8:34) while living for God (Galatians 2:20). The best thing you can do in response to this podcast is sit down with your spouse (if you’re married), children (if you have any), and friends and talk about areas where you are appropriating God’s grace in your life and areas where you need to change.
Rick launched the Life Over Coffee global training network in 2008 to bring hope and help for you and others by creating resources that spark conversations for transformation. His primary responsibilities are resource creation and leadership development, which he does through speaking, writing, podcasting, and educating.
In 1990 he earned a BA in Theology and, in 1991, a BS in Education. In 1993, he received his ordination into Christian ministry, and in 2000 he graduated with an MA in Counseling from The Master’s University. In 2006 he was recognized as a Fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).