Freedom

Jeff Gordon
Galatians 5:1-15

The Bible teaches that Christ saved us so that we could actually experience freedom. Instead of subjecting ourselves to slavery. This freedom means that we can approach God freely, follow Him with our lives, be open about our sin, and choose to serve others in love.

Why This Waste?

Dennis McCallum
Matthew 26:6-13

While with Simon the Leper in Bethany, Jesus encounters a woman who pours an alabaster vial on his head. While some, including the disciples and Judas, criticized the woman for apparently "wasting" what would have been worth much monetarily, Jesus has a different perspective. Those who saw this as a waste had their focus on the temporary, where the woman sacrificed what she had for Jesus. The attitudes of material avarice and pride keep us today from wasting our resources when we could be more radical for God. Similar to the woman, all people need to pour out what they have and receive from Jesus salvation based on faith. This teaching includes a testimony from John Davis.

The Good Shepherd

Conrad Hilario
Mark 10:45

Through the story of the Good Shepherd, we see what God's leadership looks like in our lives and how we should lead others. This is contrasted with the characteristics of a bad shepherd. Four things we learn about God's leadership are: 1) He wants a personal relationship with those who follow Him; 2) He leads by example; 3) He is continually involved in our lives; 4) His leadership is characterized by self-sacrifice. Are we going to commit to living as servant leaders as Jesus did?

The Good Shepherd

Scott Risley
Ezekiel 34:22-23

Jesus is the good shepherd, and he demonstrates his love and care for us as his sheep by laying down his life for us, pursuing and knowing us personally, and including all kinds of people in his flock. Furthermore, Jesus promises to never lose us once we are in his care, and he allows us to be a part of his shepherding work by acting as spiritual leaders for others.

Adorning the Gospel

John Cleary
1 Peter 2:12-15

As believers in Christ, we are called to stand out as lights and help bring the Gospel to others in our community in part because of God's own pursuit of His people and in response to Jesus' example. We can begin moving toward this call through prayers for our own heart change and for the lost around us. We can also start where we are today, beginning to adorn the gospel in the very neighborhoods, workplaces, and organizations in which we are already immersed.

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.

Where Is Your Hope?

Jim Leffel
1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

According to the Bible, Satan has a role in hindering our unity and therefore our witness to the watching world. The triumph of God's grace is the basis for which we have hope for all things, including good relationships. The prize of the Christian life is not personal glory, but the joy of ministering to others.

Three Distinctives of Biblical Christianity

Gary DeLashmutt
Philemon 1:1-25

The letter of Philemon was written by the Apostle Paul to Philemon, another Christian worker who is fairly wealthy and is a slave owner. Onesimus, a slave owned by Philemon, ran away, met Paul in Rome, and came to faith in Jesus Christ. Paul is writing to Philemon, urging him to forgive Onesimus and allow him to be sent back to Paul for help with God's work. Within this letter, we see three distinctive elements of Christianity: 1) coming to faith in Christ and the positive effects on one's life; 2) the outcome of faith of Christ being others-centered love towards other Christians; and 3) the importance of reconciliation and maintaining peace among believers.

How to Instill God's Love

Jim Leffel
1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul describes the way that he loves the church. He explains how the gospel reveals God's amazing love for us that is far beyond our limited conceptions of love. The example Paul gives is of one who loves in a tender and nurturing way like a mother, but also one who loves with the toughness and instruction of a father. We should seek to embody both the toughness and tenderness of Biblical love.