Community & Commitment

Gary DeLashmutt

Romans 12:1

Radical commitment to Christ is the substance that attracts people to Him and grows people into maturity. To cultivate commitment in a group it takes creating environments for people to spiritually thrive. The most important element to cultivate commitment is maintaining passionate commitment to Christ in your own life. This is a process that at times calls for challenging conversations and radical dedication to the simplicity of devotion to Christ.

How to Motivate People

Dennis McCallum

Romans 12:1

Motivation is different for Christians than it is for people in the world. Christians need to be convinced and motivated by Biblical truth. To be fruitful in motivating you must instruct, persuade, and convince people of the urgency of Biblical goals. You must also be prepared to speak truth and solve problems that would hinder someone from being motivated. Once someone has committed themselves to the goals of the Bible, it is imperative to continue to nurture ongoing motivation.

The Need for Authentic Spiritual Growth and Christian Community

Jim Leffel

Romans 12:1

Christian community is essential to grow spiritually. The mark of a growing Christian involves deep love relationships. American individualism hinders this way of life as it prioritizes self above God and others. God's will for His church is to love Him and others by speaking into each others lives, being there to support one another and sharing His good news of forgiveness with those who don't know Him. Being involved in Christian community is necessary to grow spiritually.\r\n

Guard What has been Entrusted to You

Tom Dixon

2 Timothy 2:2-7

True spirituality is caught and taught within the context of close, intentional relationships. This is the main method of evangelism that was used by Jesus and the early church fathers through multiplication. Modeling this method involved entrusting sound doctrine about grace to reliable men.

The Sacred Deposit of Truth

Dennis McCallum

2 Timothy 1:13-2:2

God has entrusted us with the precious treasure that is the Word of God. It is our responsibility as Christians to accurately impart the Word to other reliable Christians. The best way to impart this truth is by working one-on-one with individuals and studying the truth in the context of a close friendship. We call this discipleship. Through discipleship, we can multiply the amount of quality Christians that are committed to sharing the truth with others.

Fanning the Flames

Dennis McCallum

2 Timothy 1:1-6

A zealous, excited response is normal for those who have encountered Christ. The un-energized Christian is a living contradiction. If our zeal for using our gifts dies down we can "fan the flames" using God-given means through practice, diligence, and urgency. We look at several keys to earnestness and how developing this trait has less to do with feelings and more to do with determination and urgency.

Elijah's Departure

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Kings 2:1-12

After God lifted Elijah out of a state of deep spiritual depression, He called on Elijah to anoint Elisha to succeed him as prophet. Elisha becomes Elijah's protege and helper. Many years pass, and Elijah knows that the time has come for him to depart from this world. Elisha travels with Elijah as he goes from place to place, and remains with him until God takes Elijah away. From this portion of the story, we learn about an aspect of his career that was not so dramatic, though exceedingly important: his investment in discipleship relationships. This teaching focuses on the importance developing deep friendships as a means of spiritual growth. In addition, we get a glimpse of Elisha's character as he enters into the position of filling Elijah's shoes, and discuss some of the possible reasons for the unusual and dramatic end to Elijah's career.

Who Do You Say I Am?

Dennis McCallum

Mark 8:27-37

The biggest question to answer is who Jesus is. Jesus came and predicted that he would suffer, be killed, and rise again three days later. For followers of Jesus, the next decision is whether or not discipleship (radically following Jesus) is something that you desire. Jesus' example of self-sacrifice was demonstrated through his death on the cross and is the key to enjoying a satisfying and fulfilling life for Christ.

The Feeding of the 5000

Dennis McCallum

Mark 6:30-43

The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 demonstrates God's desire to use people to meet others' needs. Jesus was more concerned about the people's need than his personal wants, and just as satisfied with the disciples availability rather than any ability they thought they could conjure up on their own. God desires to meet the spiritual hunger in people's lives through Christ and is committed to using His church and community of believers to accomplish this purpose. Christians who go out to meet others needs will come back deeply satisfied themselves, as evidenced through this miracle.