Jesus Subverts the Status Quo

Dennis McCallum
Mark 2:13-17

The religious consensus in Jesus' day called God's followers to avoid "sinful" people. Jesus decisively rejected this false teaching and replaced it with humility and love for all people.

Receiving the Word

Dennis McCallum
James 1:19-27

A believer must be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to anger. One must learn to come before God quietly in order to become a good listener. A good listener is not too full of himself to listen, nor is a wool-gatherer who is thinking of other things while supposedly listening, and is able to enter into the feelings of others as they share.

Responding to the Message

Chris Hearty
James 1:19-27

How do we prepare the soil of our heart to welcome the God's message/ Receive the word of God by paying careful attention in order to truly understand it. Be wise listeners, who are slow to speak and slow to anger. And finally, keeping your attention fixed on the perfect law of liberty, be a purposeful doer of the Word; Put into practice what you know to be true.

Humility

James Rochford
James 1:19-27

Humility is the highest Christian virtue and the root of every other virtue. The Bible places heavy emphasis on humility, so we must learn what humility is, why it's important, and how to become humble.\r\n

Being God's Child

James Rochford
Psalms 131:1-3

The psalmist demonstrates how we can come to God and rest, the way a child rests in its mother's arms. Elsewhere in the Bible, we read that God wants to be our perfect heavenly father. These images show the deep care God has for His children and the tender, intimate relationship we can have when we spend time with Him.

The Body of Christ

Chris Hearty
Romans 12:3-21

The Body of Christ is filled with people with many diverse giftings, supernaturally empowered to serve the Body of Christ as well as the world at large. Every member of the Body has a unique role that they can fulfill to demonstrate the love of God to a lost world. God is calling each one of us in the Body to step out in faith and let our love for one another shine brightly in a dark world.

Finding Your Place in God's Spiritual Community

Conrad Hilario
Romans 12:3-8

Paul compares the church to a human body, containing both unity and diversity and the various parts each having an important role to play. Entering and thriving in God's community requires humility.

Applying Isaiah's Anonymous Servant Passages

Gary DeLashmutt
Isaiah 53

Many Christians are aware that Isaiah 42, 49, 50, and 53 predict Jesus' first coming. Few realize, however, that the New Testament also applies these passages to Jesus' followers. This workshop explores these applications so that believers can become more effective servants of the Servant.\r\n

Two Lepers

Jim Leffel
2 Kings 5:1-27

Jim Leffel discusses a tale of two lepers, Naaman and Gehazi, which reveals elements of Biblical irony. Naaman was an honorable Aramean army captain and far from God while Gehazi was Elisha's servant. Naaman eventually humbled himself and trusted in God's grace. His life was transformed and he sought God's reputation over this world, while Gehazi's life was destroyed as he sought the world and misrepresented God.\r\n