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Discerning the Validity of Spirituality-Claims

Gary DeLashmutt

1 John 2:3-11

John, the last living disciple of Jesus, writes to the church in Ephesus to combat Gnosticism. Throughout his letter, John subjects the Gnostics' claims to three spiritual tests: the doctrinal test, the ethical test (based on Jesus' teachings on sex, money, and power), and the social test (based on Jesus' teachings on love). The latter two tests are the focus of these verses. These same tests can and should be applied to ourselves, spiritual leaders, and spiritual groups in order to discern hypocrisy and false spirituality. In Biblical Christianity, Jesus' ethical instruction and his command to love should coexist.

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Sermon on the Plain: An Invitation to Discipleship (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

Luke 6:17-49

Jesus' call to love others is based on God's love for us. God reconciled us when we were His enemies to make us His sons and daughters. Sacrifice is always involved in reconciling relationships and God wants to free us to restore the alienated relationships in our lives. This involves taking the log out of our own eye, dealing with the hypocrisy in our lives, and appealing to one another in love.

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{"passage": "Luke 6:17-49","passageabreviated": "Luke 6:17-49","passagetiny": "Luke 6:17-49","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "03/...

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Key Elements of Daily Private Prayer

Gary DeLashmutt

Matthew 6:6-13

It is important for all Christians to develop a personal, private spirituality with God, and Jesus models that kind of spirituality through the Lord's Prayer. The Lord's Prayer provides a valuable framework for private prayer while also emphasizing three important truths: 1) God is our loving Father and we are his children; 2) God is our rightful King and we are His servants; and 3) God is our Provider and we are dependent on Him daily. We as Christians can pray along these lines daily and as a result develop a deep personal relationship with God.

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{"passage": "Matthew 6:6-13","passageabreviated": "Matt 6:6-13","passagetiny": "Matt 6:6-13","teacher": "Gary DeLashmutt","teachingDate":...

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Timothy's Challenge

Scott Risley

1 Timothy 1:1-5

We start the book of 1 Timothy with background on the author Paul the Apostle and on Timothy (who the letter is written to). Paul talks about having a "pure heart and a good conscience, and a sincere faith". How can we have a good conscience serving God in today's world of compromise?

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{"passage": "1 Timothy 1:1-5","passageabreviated": "1 Tim 1:1-5","passagetiny": "1Tim 1:1-5","teacher": "Scott Risley","teachingDate": "0...

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Judge Not!

Jim Leffel

Matthew 18:15-16

Judge not so you will not be judged and "take the log out of your own eye". These are some of the most famous verses from Jesus' sermon on the mount that are still referenced today. Are you someone who is always confronting others about how they messed up? The Bible lays out a path to confront a brother or sister, not through self-righteousness, but in love and also how to restore them in grace.

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{"passage": "Matthew 7:1-5","passageabreviated": "Matt 7:1-5","passagetiny": "Matt 7:1-5","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "01/05/...

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Deadly Hypocrisy

Ryan Lowery

Acts 4:32-5:11

While the early church was extremely generous, Ananias and Sapphira were disciplined by God for holding back money. The real problem that the couple had was the spiritual posturing and deceptive practice known as hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a direct threat to the witness of the church because of how grossly it misrepresents God and because of how quickly in can spread. We can fight hypocrisy by striving to love others authentically and by being honest about failures.

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{"passage": "Acts 4:32-5:11","passageabreviated": "Acts 4:32-5:11","passagetiny": "Acts 4:32-5:11","teacher": "Ryan Lowery","teachingDate...

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The "Jesus" Test

Doug Pollock

Luke 5:29-32

In our culture today, we get tested on things all the time. But there also exists the "Jesus" test, a test in which not even all who are outspoken Christians pass. Many people think they are passing the Jesus test by obeying religious rituals and withdrawing from sinful people who may rub off on them. These people could not be more mistaken, as it is Jesus who calls us to love the sinners as he did himself. We must recognize that we are all sinners that needed saving, and embrace befriending the "sinners" of our society.

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{"passage": "Luke 5:29-32","passageabreviated": "Luke 5:29-32","passagetiny": "Luke 5:29-32","teacher": "Doug Pollock","teachingDate": "0...

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Light Comes Into Darkness

Dennis McCallum

John 9:1-41

Jesus sees a blind man and heals his ailment on the Sabbath. As the healed man is taken before the Pharisees, Jesus uses this miracle as a demonstration to combat the Pharisees legalistic perspective. The Pharisees were self-righteous and thought they were put together, whereas the blind man was totally blind and admitted his need for Jesus. The purpose of Jesus' work on the cross was to open the eyes of the spiritually blind when they ask for his forgiveness. However, many are like the Pharisees and suspect they are not in need of assistance.

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{"passage": "John 9:1-41","passageabreviated": "John 9:1-41","passagetiny": "John 9:1-41","teacher": "Dennis McCallum","teachingDate": "0...

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The Light of Life

Dennis McCallum

John 8:12-59

Jesus interacts with the Pharisees again and compares himself to the Light of the World, as opposed to the darkness and confusion that the Pharisees were living in. Jesus warns the Pharisees clearly while also trying to communicate with the multitudes of people gathered around them. They argue back and forth, with the Pharisees and some of the people listening still missing the point that apart from Jesus, they are in complete darkness and alienation before God the Father. Others, on the other hand, come to believe in Jesus, who instructs them to continue on in his word. Jesus came to offer real freedom for those enslaved to sin through his work on the cross.

Keywords

{"passage": "John 8:12-59","passageabreviated": "John 8:12-59","passagetiny": "John 8:12-59","teacher": "Dennis McCallum","teachingDate":...

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