A Servant's Love

Jim Leffel

1 John 3:18-19

Paul tells us about what real servant love is all about. Real love is sacrificial towards others and not self promoting. We can spend our lives caught up in our own accomplishments, or in theological debate; but Paul tells us that God wants our focus to be on sacrificial love.

How to Know the Will of God

Dennis McCallum

Acts 11:1-17

Peter's defense of his ministry to the Gentiles with the Gospel highlights the importance of understanding God's Will. When trying to understand God's Will, it's important to distinguish moral versus non-moral decisions, the spiritual significance in our choices and the need for special guidance with an attitude to follow God regardless of the revelation. As Peter recalls his account to the people, several factors are revealed that are important when discerning God's Will: 1) direct divine revelation; 2) providential circumstances; 3) inner spiritual prompting; 4) correlated leading; 5) spiritual fruit borne; and 6) Scripture. Looking to mature counsel is another important factor when trying to figure out what God's Will is, along with our own personal desires.

Samson: Right in His Own Eyes

Scott Risley

Judges 13-15

Sampson's life, despite being an miraculous work of God, is one characterized by disobedience and pride against God, as seen with his marriage choice, his dealings with his parents and how he interacts with those persecuting Israel. However, God demonstrates His power in spite of Sampson's pride to bring about God's own purposes for the nation of Israel. This demonstrates God's ability to powerfully use and love even those who are arrogant.

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.

Esau's Free Choice

Dennis McCallum

Genesis 25:27-34

The story of Esau's choice to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup shows the power of choices. Esau forfeited being immediately in the center of God's plan for a temporary and physical fix, as opposed to looking forward to the future, eternal, and spiritual reward that God had promised him. God's will for our lives is greater than any other thing we might think will satisfy, and even when we make irreversible mistakes, God in His grace is able to redeem those decisions as well. This teaching includes a personal testimony of a woman who reflects on how God redeemed a irreversible decision in her life.

Gospel and Postmodern Culture (Part 4)

Jim Leffel

Romans 8:28

Part four of a four-part series on the Gospel impacting postmodern culture. We are called upon by God to give an account for the hope that is within us with gentleness and respect. How do we respond to questions about God being loving when we live in a world full of evil and suffering? A basic framework for understanding the problem of evil is presented to help us engage with others on this topic.\r\n

Christians and Generosity (Part 2)

Dennis McCallum

Proverbs 20:4

Paul calls us to be good stewards of the money God has blessed us with. We are called to give voluntarily of own volition; God loves a cheerful giver. The best thing we can do with our temporary resources is invest in things that are eternal.

Christians and Generosity (Part 1)

Dennis McCallum

Isaiah 44:13-16

Paul preached to the early church that they should give their money as a stewardship of the things God has blessed them with. Giving is an important way to invest in God's work, and He wants us to give out of what we have. God wants us to be open, honest with our finances, and to view our possessions as the things that He has given us.

The Life of a Spiritual Ambassador

Dennis McCallum

2 Corinthians 5:14

Paul explained that as Christians we are ambassadors of Christ, we can either be a stumbling block to the watching world or we can reflect God's love to them. Being an ambassador for God is difficult, but is also deeply satisfying, because it is rich with meaning. God will empower us to do His work, the question is whether we are willing to do it?