The Gospel and the Paradox of Success

Jim Leffel

Mark 10:17-31

When the rich young ruler comes to Jesus with amazing self-confidence in his own righteousness, he asks Jesus what he must do to be saved. Jesus shows him how high the bar of the Law really is to God. The gospel states that no religious system can save us, but that God offers us His grace as a free and undeserved gift. God does want success for us in terms of wealth, but in a life of following Him.

Spiritual D-Day

Dennis McCallum

Acts 2:1-18

The day of Pentecost comes and as all the believers are there, the Holy Spirit comes and fills them, giving them spiritual utterances. The Holy Spirit permanently indwells people that place their faith in Christ at the moment of conversion, not like some that believe the Holy Spirit is correlated with speaking with tongues. The day of Pentecost was a description of an extraordinary event orchestrated by God, not a prescription of what Christian conversion looks like. The Holy Spirit allows for unprecedented intimacy with God through the mystical union that binds us together with Him and is a key in learning how to mature in our faith. After the miracle at Pentecost, Peter teaches to the crowds about the need for forgiveness through Jesus Christ and 3,000 people came to faith.

The Heart & the Gospel

Jim Leffel

Mark 7:5-23

The Pharisees were confused about why Jesus and his followers did not follow certain ceremonial rituals that they viewed as keeping people clean and free from defilement. Jesus' critique of religious tradition demonstrates that it: replaces relationship with ritual, emphasizes feelings, and ultimately legitimizes sin. The religious approach says that you are what you do, while the secular approach says that you are basically good. In stark contrast to these, Jesus cleans people from the inside out.

Mission of the Gospel

Jim Leffel

Mark 6:7-13

Jesus sends his disciples; he instructs them to adopt his values, take initiative by moving toward people, go humbly, and to take risks without taking offense. They were to present the answer to people's root issues: to turn back to God. Ultimately, his disciples were to offer freedom and healing to a broken world.

Showing the Gospel

Jim Leffel

Mark 1:29-2:13

The actions of Jesus typically serve to either show his authority or illustrate his message. First, Jesus responds to the humble faith of the leper by healing him, which shows the priests that Jesus had the authority to make people acceptable to God. Second, he heals the paralytic man, demonstrating his authority to forgive sin. God wants offer us substantial healing as well, but the first step is to accept a relationship with Him.

Jesus in the Old Testament (Part 11)

Gary DeLashmutt

Isaiah 55:1-11

Four passages predict and describe the Messiah's ultimate reign but focus on his prior sufferings as God's Servant. These passages detail centuries in advance the specific suffering he would go through for the very people who were persecuting him. His death was the ultimate payment for humanity's sins and our response to his sacrifice on the cross impacts our lives for eternity. Because of God's great love for us, He makes eternity available through simply turning to Him and accepting His Servant's work on the cross to pay for our sins.\r\n

Paul at Ephesus

Ryan Lowery

Acts 19:1-19

Though many at Ephesus claimed to be followers of Christ, it isn't until Paul came to them that they received the Holy Spirit. This passage isn't teaching a Pentecostal theology, but indicates that not all who think they are believers have received Christ. Several points about the Holy Spirit can be gleaned from this passage: 1) the Holy Spirit is God's pledge of our spiritual life; 2) the Holy Spirit is what empowers change; 3) the Holy Spirit is what empowers us to be used by God in others' lives; 4) empowerment by the Spirit may include God working supernaturally; 5) it is dangerous to do God's work without His power; and 6) the Holy Spirit can free us from fear.

God's Sovereignty

Dennis McCallum

Romans 9:1-24

God's choice is to use Israel in His plan up to a point in time. If interpreted incorrectly, this passage can be misunderstood to be about predetermined eternal destiny. By examining this passage within the context, using exegesis, we see that this passage is about God's choice to use Israel, NOT about personal salvation. Human free will is the determining factor in salvation.

The Mystery of Christ Revealed (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

1 Corinthians 2:6-9

Colossians explains the mystery of Christ that is hidden throughout Old Testament times. In this mystery, a messiah or savior was predicted to come to redeem the people of Israel. Therefore, the people expected a powerful, governmental ruler who would free them from their adversaries. However, there is another character described throughout the Old Testament: the suffering servant. At first glance, it seems that these are two different persons. However, the mystery is that they are both the same person, Jesus Christ. Why was this hidden as a secret during Old Testament times? So that God's plan would be fulfilled by the cross.