The Lost Virtue of Gratitude

James Rochford

Biblical gratitude is closely related to understanding God's righteousness and His grace. God desires us to be thankful because it leads to many benefits for us. Science shows that gratitude impacts our emotional, physical and relational health. God however will not make us more grateful; it is our role to cultivate gratitude.

Leading Corporate Prayer

Joey Francisco

Philippians 4:4-8

Leading a corporate prayer meeting effectively takes strategy and planning. It requires thought in building both the agenda and atmosphere of the meeting. Good prayer meetings include focusing on our mission, a vision, and gratitude.

Importance of a Positive Outlook in Ministry

Conrad Hilario

Hebrews 10:32-35

While holding and presenting a positive outlook is scientifically shown to cause others to thrive, spewing negativity just further feeds our negative attitude. The difference is between effective, motivational leadership and defeatism, which leads to unbelief. If we remain with our negative outlook, we are at risk of becoming cold towards the very people God calls us to love. Thus, we should seek a positive outlook in ministry without running to the other extreme of being overly positive. Finally, we can cultivate a positive outlook through several key steps outlined in this presentation.

Preparing Spiritually to Communicate God's Word

Gary DeLashmutt

Hebrews 10:32-35

When we communicate God's Word to others we need to prepare beforehand. We do this through having gratitude to God for what He has done and all He has given us.

The Last Supper

Scott Risley

Exodus 12:1-14

Jesus teaches his disciples about taking Passover at the Last Supper. He shares this meal and reminds them about the foreshadowing of the Passover lamb in the Old Testament and that he is their Passover lamb that will be sacrificed for them. Both Passover lambs highlight two events: 1) the unrepeatable day God's people were saved from slavery; and 2) the time believers look back in gratitude remembering that day. As believers we can also look forward in anticipation of the first Passover we will eat with Jesus.

Five Things

Dennis McCallum

Luke 17:1-19

In this passage, we focus on 4 of Jesus's interactions with His disciples and end with a miracle. First, Jesus warns His disciples against false teaching and then explains the basis for corrective discipline and forgiveness. When the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith, He replies that they should focus on the object of their faith rather than the amount of faith. Jesus then tells a parable of a faithful, dutiful servant and rejects the attitude of entitlement. Finally, Jesus heals 10 lepers, but only one returns to say thanks, which illustrates how a lack of gratitude causes spiritual blindness.

Five Memorable Lessons

Scott Risley

Luke 17:1-19

Five lessons from Jesus on how to have successful relationships with others and with God are: 1) Don't be a stumbling block; 2) Rebuke and forgive; 3) Faith; 4) Have a servant's attitude; and 5) Gratitude.

When Yahweh is Your Shepherd

Scott Risley

John 10:11

David the psalmist compares God to a shepherd, who sacrifices His own life to care for and meet all the needs of His flock of sheep (us). In times of prosperity and in times of adversity, God desires to bless our lives with all we need and more. In order to experience His blessings, we must choose to be led by Him.

Grace-Motivated Serving

Jim Leffel

1 Timothy 1:12-17

The grace, mercy, and love of God form the basis for serving others. Understanding these things will result in gratitude, humility, and praise that are necessary to truly love others.