Diligent in the Word

Jim Leffel
2 Timothy 2:15-18

Paul imparts confidence in Timothy by reminding him of the importance, power, and relevance of Scripture. Like Timothy, when Christians are true to the Word of God, they gain clarity from God and closeness to Him. When diligent in this endeavor, Christians can build spiritual depth and spiritual relationships.

Why Follow God?

Scott Risley
Ephesians 5:1-14

We follow God because our old selves died when we accepted His death as payment for our sins. There are certain things incompatible with our new selves, such as sex outside of marriage. We are called to live in the light, live our lives to please the Lord, and love because He first loved us.

Being Ready for the Coming of the Son of Man

Dennis McCallum
Matthew 25:1-43

Jesus teaches his disciples through three separate stories what it means to be ready for the coming of the Son of Man. The first, a parable about ten virgins, teaches that there will be many who profess themselves to be Christians, or nominal Christians, that will not be ready for Jesus' return. The second, a parable of the talents, teaches the principle of stewarding the resources God has given us before He returns. The last parable is about the sheep and goats, and shows the urgency of serving Jesus by serving those in real need. In light of what God has given us, Christians are called to consider how their lives reflect stewardship.

Overcoming Our Fears

Gary DeLashmutt
Isaiah 8:12

When we focus on our fear, the object of our fear begins to grow, and our view of God begins to shrink. When we put our focus on God, He will grow, and our fears will be diminished. Our reverence for God for who He is and His power drives out our fears of the world. We have to practice doing this reactively when situations of fear come up in our life. We must go to scripture to reaffirm in our hearts who God is, His power, and ask for help.

What Does It Take to Get to Heaven?

Scott Risley
Matthew 19:13-30

The rich young ruler asked Jesus what good deed he must do to have eternal life. Rather than answer his question directly, He asks the ruler questions to uncover his profound misunderstanding of how good God really is. Jesus revealed how high the bar of goodness truly is. In spite of all his efforts to be good enough, he needed to give up on relying on his own merits and come to Jesus like a little child. Once he received grace (if he ever did) he needed to follow Jesus.

Hearing God's Message

Dennis McCallum
Matthew 13:1-23

Jesus tells his disciples a parable of the soils, which focuses on hearing God's message and the varying responses people have toward His message. The four responses in this parable are: 1) to hear the message but not understand it because of distractions and deception from Satan; 2) to hear God's message superficially but then fall away when persecution comes; 3) to hear the word but get distracted from worry and the deceit of money; and 4) to hear and respond humbly to God's message, bearing fruit for Him. All people must respond to God's message concerning Jesus Christ and his forgiveness.

Chaos and Grace

Jim Leffel
1 Corinthians 11:1-34

Paul addressed the cultural chaos that defined the Corinthian church by calling for genuine equality and genuine community. These two revolutionary Biblical principles taught to this church also apply to authentic Christian fellowship in today's culture.

Receiving God's Word

Gary DeLashmutt
James 1:19-27

One of the most important aspects of christian spirituality is humbly accepting God's Word. There are four elements of this process: 1) respect and submit to the Word, putting aside our own pride and principles; 2) look intently into the Word and personally delve into God's provisions; 3) look honestly at what it reveals about you, recognizing our own sin and self deception and look at God's grace; 4) take action on what it reveals to you. By humbly accepting God's Word we can start to experience spiritual healing.

The Parable of the 3 Managers

Gary DeLashmutt
Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus tells a parable of a master who goes away on a long journey and gives three managers the responsibility of taking care of his assets before he returns. The first two managers invested the assets wisely, while the third didn't invest. When the manager comes back, he rewards the faithful investment of the first two managers and exposes the wicked and lazy attitude of the third servant and casts him away from his presence. Through this parable, three lessons are communicated: 1) God is the owner and we are all managers; 2) God gives us both freedom and responsibility in our management; and 3) the key to a favorable verdict is faith in God. As Christians, we should handle God's resources not only faithfully, but in light of His return.