Walk in Wisdom

Jim Leffel

Ephesians 5:15-20

Walking in the light includes carefully practicing wisdom. Wisdom is practical godly insight, developing and applying knowledge. Wisdom seizes the moment and redeems time. There are several ways to use wisdom to advance God's work: letting the Spirit control us, having content-rich fellowship, driving God's truth into the heart, having gratitude, and letting God's counsel come to us through other believers.

Four Great Ways to Get Spiritually Deceived

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Corinthians 11:1-21

Paul highlights four ways we can get deceived as Christians: 1) assuming everyone speaking positively about Jesus is from God; 2) paying primary attention to the experience from the messenger; 3) accept spiritual justifications for financial greed; and 4) follow leaders who want to run the lives of those they're leading. As Christians, we should ask God for spiritual discernment and sensitivity so we can spot false deceivers of God's Truth within our community.

Spiritually Compromised Relationships

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Corinthians 6:11-7:3

Paul urges the Corinthians to abstain from relationships that involve compromise to their commitment and witness for Christ. Common forms of spiritual compromise include forbidden religious practices, romantic relationships, business relationships, and family or friends. God's solution to these types of compromised relationships is to remember who we are in Christ. As we learn to build deep and healthy relationships with other committed Christians, we can spare ourselves misery by avoiding getting entangled in compromised relationships.

Loving Others with our Gifts

Dennis McCallum

Hebrews 10:24-25

The spiritual gifts that God has given us are meant to be used for the edification of the church. God has given some the gift of tongues which is personally edifying, and only edifying for the church when there is an interpreter. God still works powerfully in our world today, but He doesn't work miracles to help people in a quest for self promotion, His power is given to edify and embolden the Body of Christ.

Giving Up Our Rights for Others

Dennis McCallum

2 Thessalonians 3:7-9

Paul made a point to not let any non-moral cultural barriers affect his preaching of the gospel. Paul took strong stands on truth and religion, but he would learn and practice different cultures' dress, art, poetry, and music.

Love and Freedom

Dennis McCallum

1 Corinthians 10:23-29

Paul called the Corinthians to sacrifice some of their freedoms for the conscience of a younger believer. God's moral imperatives are clear in scripture, but some moral choices seem grey and unclear. We shouldn't draw moral lines that God hasn't drawn himself, but in a spirit of love it is good when we lay down our freedoms for the benefit of another person.

Applying the Wisdom of God: Egocentrism

Dennis McCallum

1 Corinthians 4:5

God's love is sacrificial and serving rather than a selfish emotional fulfillment. The things of this world are less important when we take on God's perspective and see that what truly matters is our eternal identity. When we view this world from God's perspective we are able to appraise things as they really are.

Mental Transformation (Part 2)

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 4:13-14

God has given us His Word as reliable truth that we can continually turn to. When we act on God's truth and study His Word we begin to grow into mature believers. God's Word feeds us like milk feeds a baby, moving us towards maturity.

Mental Transformation (Part 1)

Dennis McCallum

Acts 17:23-28

God made it clear that Christians are called not to conform to this world as we search for truth. God's truth is not relative but universal. However, we are able to conform to our culture on non moral and non truth based cultural norms. We are called to be in our culture, but not shaped by it.