The Calvary Chapel Model for Equipping Leaders

Carl Westerlund

1 Corinthians 4:1-2

Carl Westerlund from Calvary Chapel discusses the structure and focus of this church's leadership building. Carl describes the difference between servants and stewards, and emphasizes the responsibility that stewards or leaders of the church have. This requires strong character and integrity. In this church, there is a large focus on teaching throughout the week and sending people to build up their own churches, exercising authority there.

The Art of Leadership (Part 2)

Jill Briscoe

Philippians 3:12-14

Through Paul's letter to the Philippians, we see Paul not let his circumstances dictate his mood. He allows God to put courage into him and accept the unacceptable. Paul demonstrates servant leadership, modeling Christ. He presses on and is obedient, leading to liberty. He shows us that if you want to be big, learn to be small. And that when we minister we must remember that we are dead to sin and to let God give us our throne.

Mary of Bethany

Jill Briscoe

Luke 10:38-42

Through beautiful stories and examples comes encouragement to not waste the pain and suffering in our lives, but allow God to use it. It is through adversity that we have a choice to deepen our faith. Mary of Bethany is a woman who through her life gave her heart, home, and hurt to Jesus. \r\n

Foundations of Faith

Jim Leffel

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

There are major differences between our culture's view of faith and the Bible's view of faith. Peter instructs the ?resident aliens? about the life of faith which has intellectual and character components and provides hope. God has given us incredible prophecies about Christ in the Anonymous Servant passages in Isaiah in order to strengthen our faith to endure suffering.\r\n

God Speaks!

Dennis McCallum

Daniel 1:1-20

At a time when the Jewish nation has been beaten down yet again, and many have been taken captive by the Babylonian empire, a young Jewish man named Daniel comes on to the scene. Daniel and a few of his friends are specially selected to live in the palace and be trained and taught as Babylonians. They are offered wealth, power, and prestige but at a price - as they are called to give up their cultural and religious identity. Daniel and his friends are respectful but firm in their refusal to conform, and God provides for them as a result! We face many similar choices where we are told to compromise, will we stand firm?

God All Powerful

Jim Leffel

Exodus 13:17-14:31

When the Lord parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to escape from the Egyptians, He was demonstrating His mighty power in the midst of the Israelites' all-out weakness. As a result of their dependence on Him, their faith was strengthened. We can also have the supernatural expectation that God can and desires to perform the miracle of heart and life transformation in us. However, it's not until we are totally weak?until we come to the end of ourselves?that we are able to fully trust in God's ability to work in us.

A "Thorn in the Flesh"

Dennis McCallum

Galatians 6:11-17

Paul had a thorn in his flesh that God allowed to be there, this thorn was a reminder to Paul that God's grace is sufficient for him. God will allow us to suffer in order for us to see our need for him in our life. We need to choose to depend on God with our lives to experience the fullness of His love and to powerfully be used by Him.

Asking According to God's Will

Gary DeLashmutt

1 John 5:14-15

Understanding how to pray according to God's Will includes: 1) entrusting ourselves to God's loving authority; 2) focusing on God's priorities; and 3) listening to God's Spirit. We must learn humble obedience to listen to His Will and present ourselves to Him, eager to live out His purposes. Our prayers should align with what God cares about including developing our character, sharing His love with others, and becoming more attuned to hear Him through His Word. As we couple our prayers with other Christians' and note the Holy Spirit's leading, we can better understand where God is leading us in our lives.

The Simplicity in Christ

Dennis McCallum

Galatians 5:6

Paul explained that the message of Christianity is quite simple. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and all we have to do is accept God's free gift of forgiveness through Jesus in order to start a relationship with God and go to heaven. There is no reason to add any unnecessary barriers to this message.