The Gospel life is about living as a family of believers, working together as Christ’s servants, on mission together as we learn under Jesus.
When you ask a Christian, “Why do you serve?” or “Why do you love your neighbour?” we are trained to give the correct answer: “Because Jesus loved me first.”
But is that always the true answer? Sometimes the true reason we serve is guilt, a need for approval, or just habit. The goal of the Christian life is for the “correct” answer to become the “true” answer — where our outward actions (Column 4) flow naturally from who God is and what He has done (Columns 1–3).
Filling Out the Fourth Column
If our identity has changed, our lifestyle must follow. Here is how the four identities from last week translate into daily rhythms:
| Who are we? | How do we live? (The Gospel Life) |
|---|---|
| Family | We eat together, celebrate birthdays, provide for needs, pray for one another, and more. |
| Missionaries | We represent Jesus in our workplaces, listen to people's stories, and proclaim what He has done. |
| Servants | We work humbly, serve the community and those around us, use our spiritual gifts, and resist the "masters" of sin and ego. |
| Learners | We spend time in the Word, follow Jesus' teachings, and point each other back to the Rabbi. |
Three Environments for Growth
We don’t live this out in isolation. At Soma, we focus on three specific environments that help the Gospel take root in our lives.
1. Life on Life (The DNA Group)
“Life with Jesus requires being known.”
Jesus didn’t just lecture His disciples; He lived with them. They saw Him pray in private; they knew His nicknames for them.
DNA Groups are groups of 3–5 men or women who Discover God’s truth, Nurture it into each other’s hearts, and Act on it.
Why it matters: As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Christ in our own hearts is weaker than Christ in the word of our brother or sister.” We need people who know our “mess” and can speak the Gospel into it when we forget.
2. Life in Community (The Gospel Community)
“Life with Jesus requires being together.”
The church is called Soma — the Greek word for Body. A foot cannot be a hand; we are designed to be dependent on each other. Whether it’s someone stepping in to help with a stressful situation or a group vacationing together, Gospel Communities are where we overlap our lives.
Why it matters: We don’t just “attend” a community; we are a community. We grow by pointing each other to Jesus in the ordinary rhythms of life.
3. Life on Mission (The Rhythms of Life)
“Life on Mission requires sharing Jesus.”
Mission isn’t an event we run every six months; it’s a lifestyle. Jesus took His disciples with Him on the mission so they could see how He interacted with the broken.
Overlapping Rhythms: We use things we already do — eating, listening, storytelling, blessing, recreating, and celebrating — and we do them with “gospel intentionality.”
Why it matters: We don’t do mission alone. We connect the people in our lives who don’t know Jesus with the people who do.
Key Takeaways: Living the Gospel
- Avoid legalism: If you try to do “Column 4” (the rules) without “Columns 1–3” (the Gospel), you will burn out or become self-righteous.
- Be deeply known: You cannot be known by 100 people, but you can be known by 3. Don’t hide your brokenness; it’s the place where the Gospel does its best work.
- Identify the “true” why: This week, when you serve or give, ask yourself: “Am I doing this out of the ‘correct’ answer or a ‘true’ love for what Jesus has done for me?”
- Mission is shared: You aren’t a “solo agent” for Jesus. Bring your friends into your community life so they can see the Gospel in action.
Discussion Questions
- Correct vs. true: Think of a way you served this week. What was the true motivation behind it?
- The body: In what area of your life are you currently trying to “do it alone” instead of leaning on the Soma — the Body?
- DNA: If you are in a DNA group, what is one thing you’ve “Discovered” about God recently that you need to “Act” on?