Gratitude and Spirituality

Gary DeLashmutt
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to always rejoice and give thanks. Gratitude in the Christian life is both an indicator of spiritual health and a medicine that promotes spiritual growth, allowing us to experience peace, recognize God's love, and positively impact others. We can cultivate a grateful attitude by prioritizing thanksgiving in our prayer life and asking God to sensitize us to our internal complaining, amongst other things.

Applying the Wisdom of God: Egocentrism

Dennis McCallum
1 Corinthians 4:5

God's love is sacrificial and serving rather than a selfish emotional fulfillment. The things of this world are less important when we take on God's perspective and see that what truly matters is our eternal identity. When we view this world from God's perspective we are able to appraise things as they really are.

Sexual Purity

Gary DeLashmutt
1 Thessalonians 4:1-10

Paul speaks about God's design for sexual purity. The Bible defines sexual immorality as all sexual relations outside heterosexual marriage. Common rationalizations to this truth include: 1) Paul's instruction is personal opinion or cultural, and therefore not authoritative; 2) suppression of sexual desire is unnatural and harmful; 3) sexual relations between consenting partners is not harmful; and 4) sexual purity is unconnected to spiritual vitality. God's provision for restoration in this area includes forgiving our guilt and healing our wounds.\r\n

Profile of a Spiritual Catalyst

Gary DeLashmutt
1 Thessalonians 2:1-13

Paul describes the profile of a spiritual catalyst: 1) they focus on God's grace; 2) they live to please God, not people; 3) they get personally involved being accessible, affectionate, empathetic, and vulnerable; and 4) they combine their example with challenges to others.\r\n

Living in Real Spiritual Community

Dennis McCallum
Titus 3:10-11

The Corinthian church was plagued with many moral issues, but God was able to speak powerfully in Corinth. Paul called them to unity and to focus on the Gospel.

Finishing the Course

Jim Leffel
Acts 20:24

As Paul's life comes to a close, he reflects on his past, present, and future in his last letter to Timothy. \r\nPaul's past demonstrated faithfulness to what God entrusted to him, and in the present Paul continued to live a life characterized by sacrifice for God. Lastly, Paul looked forward to the crown of righteousness that God promised him in eternity. All of these reflections enabled Paul to fulfill his ministry, and modern Christians can likewise have the same hope and motivation to be faithful to Christ in their own lives.

God's Attitude Toward Those Who Reject Him

Dennis McCallum
Luke 15

When we reject God, our assumption is that He will reject us. Through several parables, Jesus demonstrates that in reality, when we reject God, He is waiting to receive us with open arms. God wants a relationship with each of us, and waits for us to turn back to Him.

Christian Community (Part 6) - Forgive One Another

Gary DeLashmutt
1 John 2:9-11

The only way to preserve closeness in relationships with sinful people is to forgive as God has forgiven us. If we choose not to forgive others it leads to the crushing consequences of bitterness. Experiencing biblical forgiveness includes being willing to act and looking to Scripture to expose any misconceptions that we hold.

More lessons on Prayer

Dennis McCallum
Luke 11:5-13

Jesus tells a parable to argue that if a selfish person would give his persistent neighbor what he needs, then a good and loving God will generously give us everything we need. If we seek God and His will out in prayer, then God promises that we will find Him and experience His goodness. Therefore, we should be persistent in prayer, which leads to deeper faith and dependence on God's love and power.