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The Tongue

Jim Leffel

1 Corinthians 14:26

James told us that the tongue is hard to control and it can do a lot of damage. What we say can be very encouraging, or dangerously damaging. We are called to speak to others like we are saying the utterances of God.

Keywords

{"passage": "James 3:1-12","passageabreviated": "Jas 3:1-12","passagetiny": "Jas 3:1-12","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "06/12/2...

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It Is Finished

Scott Risley

Matthew 27:11-51

Whereas the enemies of God used the cross to kill Jesus, God used it to bring eternal life to whomever puts their faith in Jesus to pay their sin debt. When Jesus said, "It is finished," He was proclaiming the punishment for sin had been fully paid by His death. For anyone who believes, the certificate of debt has been cancelled. Have you asked to have your certificate of debt nailed to the cross? Are you growing in your appreciation of the cross?

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{"passage": "Matthew 27:11-51","passageabreviated": "Matt 27:11-51","passagetiny": "Matt 27:11-51","teacher": "Scott Risley","teachingDat...

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Old Testament Lessons for the New Testament Church

Jim Leffel

Exodus 11:1-12:51

The Bible claims divided loyalties have always been present in the human heart. Paul appeals to the Old Testament account of the Israelite's Exodus from Egypt to point the New Testament Church away from idols and back to Christ.

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{"passage": "1 Corinthians 10:1-13","passageabreviated": "1 Cor 10:1-13","passagetiny": "1Cor 10:1-13","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingD...

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Freedom And Conscience

Jim Leffel

1 Corinthians 6:12

One aspect of God's purpose in reconciling people to Himself is to create a community to show the world what He is like. One way believers in Christ can show God's love to others is to gain biblical knowledge tempered with discerning love when interacting with other people. Under grace, believers have God-given freedom with a clear conscience, but in this passage are encouraged to use this freedom to love and serve others instead of self.

Keywords

{"passage": "1 Corinthians 8:1-13","passageabreviated": "1 Cor 8:1-13","passagetiny": "1Cor 8:1-13","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate...

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What Does Spiritual Maturity Look Like?

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 4:3

Our culture believes that the path to personal peace is based on our good circumstances and developing an inner sense that nothing is bothering us. The Bible, however, says that personal peace comes from a relationship with God and is the sense of security and purpose that comes from trusting in God's love. This peace is accessible to all believers no matter what their circumstances, and anxious believers can experience it through practicing gratitude.

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{"passage": "Philippians 4:1-4","passageabreviated": "Phil 4:1-4","passagetiny": "Phil 4:1-4","teacher": "Dennis McCallum","teachingDate"...

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Gospel of Radical Grace

Jim Leffel

Mark 2:13-17

In Rome, tax collectors represented a system of extortion and betrayal, and were seen as sinners and outcasts. The Pharisees were correct in their moral assessment of tax extortion, but drew the wrong conclusion about Jesus spending time with them. Jesus demonstrates that the gospel of radical grace is both mercy to the undeserving and healing for the sick. Malia Bauer's testimony about her experience of God's healing and grace was included.

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{"passage": "Mark 2:13-17","passageabreviated": "Mark 2:13-17","passagetiny": "Mark 2:13-17","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "01/...

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Living in Exile

Jim Leffel

Jeremiah 29:4-14

Jeremiah writes to the Israelites who were placed in exile after Babylon took captive of Jerusalem. Jeremiah had been warning the people about Babylon. They realize what he has been saying all along is actually true, so now they are attentive to Jeremiah's words. The people's main inquiry is how does God want them to live as Jewish people in exile. Jeremiah warns those in exile of two items of importance; these warning can also be applied to Christians living today since the world is not their true home. Jeremiah's first warning is to not conform to Babylonian culture so that they would not forget that they are God's people. On the other hand, he also warns them to not fully retreat from the culture around them and live in isolation. He also encourages them to work for peace and to do so by treating others with compassion and dignity. Lastly, the exiled as well as the Christian today is to live in hope of God's promises and what is to come.\r\n

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{"passage": "Jeremiah 29:4-14","passageabreviated": "Jer 29:4-14","passagetiny": "Jer 29:4-14","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "1...

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(Re)Shaping the Future

Jim Leffel

1 Timothy 2:1-3

Jeremiah uses a parable that describes a potter working on a piece of clay. When something goes wrong with the clay, he crumbles it up and creates a new vessel. God is the potter, and Israel is the clay. There is something is wrong with Israel: they have continuously disobeyed God. God, as the sovereign creator, will enforce his covenant and judgment upon Israel and the nations. However, if the nation renounces its evil ways and turns back to God, then the Lord will not destroy the nation. This is a picture of God's grace, and its culmination is the cross of Christ. God wants to save people from their fate of destruction and values reconciliation with them. We need to turn back to God and agree with him regarding our standing before him as the perfect God. In this way, Israel mirrors our lives and who we are: broken people. God is offering complete transformation, into a new creation. Someone who has experienced God's transformation is Kelly Kline, and she gives her testimony on ways God has created her new. \r\n

Keywords

{"passage": "Jeremiah 18:1-12","passageabreviated": "Jer 18:1-12","passagetiny": "Jer 18:1-12","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "1...

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Making Sense of it All

Jim Leffel

Isaiah 19:19-25

This teaching explores the question of how do all of the stories of the Bible relate and connect with each other. It looks specifically at Jeremiah's prophecy and its connection to the exodus, both the literal exodus from Egypt and the theme. Jeremiah references the exodus out of Egypt and its importance as a defining event of Israelites. He also states that in the future, there will be another exodus that will be even more significant, not just for the Israelite but for the entire world. Understanding this prophecy helps us see that God has a great, overall plan of redemption for not just Israel but the entire world. Jeremiah prophesies that there will be a second exodus in which God brings back the scattered and captive Israelite to their homeland; this prophecy has been fulfilled. The universal exodus mentioned in this passage is also stated in Isaiah 19. This exodus is for all people, even the Israelites' enemies, and it is a freedom for all people on earth from their captivity by sin. These prophecies affirm that it has always God's plan to bless all of the nations and redeem everyone from their captivity to sin. God invites us to be part of his exodus plan by sharing this good news of redemption with those around us.\r\n

Keywords

{"passage": "Jeremiah 16:14-16","passageabreviated": "Jer 16:14-16","passagetiny": "Jer 16:14-16","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate":...

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