Bible Study Theme: Blueprint

A blueprint is an outline or plan of action. Most of the time, it is used as the starting point for building a house. Before you ever grab a shovel or a bulldozer or whatever else you use to start building a house, you need a plan.

Without a plan, even the most skilled construction team will fail. The blueprint guides them. It reminds them of their foundation and shows them what to do next. It gives them a vision for the finished product.

In the Christian life, we are not without a blueprint. God has given us a foundation and a plan for our lives in His Word. Through the Ranch Bible study this summer, we will be doing an in-depth study of the GOSPEL and what it means for our lives.

What we find is that the Gospel is far more than a good story; it is the very blueprint for how God has designed us to live.

On Monday we will be diving into Peter’s very first sermon. In it, Peter teaches the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and 3,000 people become Christians. Whoa.

This sermon lays the groundwork for what the Gospel actually is. So often, we call the wrong things “gospel”, and this day’s study sets the record straight. The Gospel is the good news of the life, death, and resurrection for the salvation of all who believe.

On Tuesday we will dig in to what it means to respond to the Gospel. When we hear the good news of what Jesus has done, what do we do? What did Peter’s audience do? Acts 2 tells us they were “cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?'”

Peter’s response to them is exactly what our response should be. “Repent…” But what does it mean to repent? What we find is that repentance is not about doing something for God. Instead, it’s believing who He is and turning to Him from our sin.

On Wednesday we unpack how we respond to the Gospel a little bit more. Repentance, or turning to God internally, is followed by FAITH. Faith is one of those words that we throw around a lot but sometimes misunderstand.

Faith is made up of three parts: knowledge, belief, and trust. To have faith in Jesus I must not only know He is and believe that knowledge, I have to place my trust in Him.

On Thursday we tackle the question “now what”? Once you’ve repented and put your faith in Jesus, what’s next? What we need to realize is that if we are in Christ, we are a new creation! And if that’s true, then everything is different.

Not only is our destination different, our very identity has changed as well. We are fundamentally now children of God, redeemed and adopted by Him and made holy through the blood of Christ.

On Friday, we talk about the implications of our new identity. If God has redeemed and adopted us, how should we live? The Bible isn’t silent on this issue, and as we dig in to Scripture, we find that all throughout history, God has a purpose for His people.

God desires that His people be a blessing to others. We are blessed to be a blessing! What does it look like to live out of who we are, in response to the Gospel? It means that we love and serve those around us, to the glory of God.

Can’t wait to see what God does in the hearts of Ranch campers this summer as we study the Gospel and what it means for our lives!