Meeting Up With God

Dennis McCallum

Psalms 86:1-17

Any relationship has two persons involved and involves interaction to some extent. Our relationship with God is one that we may be neglecting because we don't see him face to face, but it is by far the most intimate and complex one because He is our creator and we are made in His image. Some questions we can ask during our time spent talking and learning with God are: who are you talking to?; what is He like?; what has He done for you currently or in the past?; and what the answers mean for your life.

Foundations For A Legacy of Service

Jim Leffel

2 Timothy 1:1-7

As we reflect on living our lives for God, there are a few crucial elements that will help us to last the long-haul like the apostle Paul: 1) partnership; 2) restoring zeal; and 3) work of the Spirit. Paul reminds Timothy of their kindred bond serving God together and calls him to continue living zealously for the Lord, elements that will aid our spiritual lives as well.

Fight the Good Fight

Jim Leffel

1 Timothy 1:18-2:7

The Bible describes a "good fight" for followers of Christ to advance God's purposes in a broken world. The goal of this fight is to battle using truth and love. In order to be successful, the church needs to be committed to praying for others.

Laying the Foundations for Spiritual Renewal

Ryan Lowery

Nehemiah 2:1-18

For many Christians, the balance between using their minds to strategize and depending on God is difficult to find. Nehemiah is a great example of someone who was extremely strategic in reaching his goals, while at the same time remaining diligent in prayer. Ultimately, Christian workers need to learn how to take an honest look at spiritual goals and the barriers to their fulfillment, and be ready to take a step of faith.

Discovery Bible Studies

Curt Stearns

Pam Stearns

Luke 10:1-9

To understand how to use the Discovery Bible Study method with cultures and people of faith who don't know the God of the Bible, it is important to understand the principles behind Church Planting Movements. Church Planting Movements consist of these principles: 1) pray abundantly; 2) gain access to a community; 3) search for the person of peace; 4) Discovery Bible Studies; 5) obedience based discipleship; 5) develop leaders. Once you have prayed and found the person of peace you can begin the Discovery Bible Method.

Prayer and Evangelism

Jeanne Arter

Luke 10:1-9

Prayer is the means of communicating with a God who loves unconditionally, but Christians often avoid or neglect it. Praying is a heavy and taxing work. Still, there are ways to commit to prayer and to persevere in it. This is necessary for successful evangelism, and it involves God in reaching people.

Effective Teams

Mike Sullivan

Colossians 4:7-18

Through Paul and his team we learn qualities that make a team effective. Qualities that made them effective were their faithfulness, growth in their roles, giving each other second chances, serving together, fighting together, praying for each other, challenging each other, and loving each other. There was genuine love and closeness. These are qualities that we can develop with the people we serve with. Effective followers of God are on teams and never working alone. Who is your team? What qualities can be developed to be more effective in God's work?

Representing Jesus in What We Say

Gary DeLashmutt

Colossians 4:2-6

Three guidelines to represent Jesus well in what we say: 1) pray for open doors; 2) make the most of every opportunity; and 3) speak graciously. Each Christian has a significant role to speak in a way that attracts people to Jesus. It's important to pray for ourselves as well as each other. It's important to be sensitive to the open doors God will give to share something about Him. It's important to be good listeners and good question askers. The purpose of following Paul's instruction in this way is to be God's ambassadors to the people He's put in our lives.\r\n

Prayer

Ryan Lowery

Colossians 4:2-4

God wants to change the world through us, so He must teach us how to communicate with Him: through prayer. The apostle Paul writes that devoting ourselves to the difficult task of strategic prayer plays a key role in our lives and the lives of others. He records three main ways we can pray: with thanksgiving, for other people, and petitioning.