3 Responses to Jesus (Part 2)

Ryan Lowery

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Jesus spoke most harshly against the Pharisees in his day. Christians have a history of being poor representatives of who God is, they can at times be more like the Pharisees than like Jesus. This holds lost people back from investigating and responding to the Gospel. The Pharisees were infuriated with Jesus for breaking their man-made rules. They were convinced that God would be pleased that they were so strict, so that when God was in front of them they missed it! Jesus gives a comprehensive argument for why he is who he claims to be. We also need to realize that we have a problem and that we do not have the solution in ourselves; it is only God who is great. Loving other people should be supreme over our desire for people to have good views of us.\r\n

When You Are With God

Lee Campbell

Ephesians 5:18-21

God gives us every reason to be thankful, to trust him and to encourage others. In heaven, we will always be what we can choose to be now, filled with the Spirit.

Building a Family Around the Word

Chris Risley

Psalms 78:5-7

Many parents don't have a specific goal for their children to shape their parenting. As Christian parents, however, our goal should be to have our children grow to love the Lord wholeheartedly. This means we need to address our relationship with God, with our spouse, and with our kids. In order to give to our family amidst our own imperfections and anxieties, we need to be receiving from God ourselves. Through prioritizing our marriage, spending ample time getting quality time with our children and raising them according to God's priorities, we can build a successful family around the word of God.

Bonhoeffer - Community Under the Word

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 2:14

Dietrich Bonheoffer, a leading figure in the Christian church in Nazi Germany, became the director of the Confessing Church's underground seminary. During his time there, he lived with a dozen or more Christian men in community, something that resembles Xenos' ministry house model today in some ways. From Bonheoffer, we can learn keys to rich community, including being wary of romanticizing community and being watchful that we are living under the word in this area. This means that in the context of community we are practicing confession, thankfulness, self-control, and humility.

Kingdom Come

Ryan Lowery

Daniel 11

The previous chapters of Daniel culminate to show how the fulfilled prophecy of the past give credit to the prophecy of future end times. Using different passages of the Bible, this teaching gives plausible evidence of the end times. As Christians we can be aware and learn what God predicts for the future from the Bible, while continuing to focus on the importance of loving in the midst of a culture that will be spinning out of control.

David: The Heart of a Shepherd

Jim Leffel

1 Samuel 22:1-2

David is on the run from Saul and finds refuge in a cave. Many people joined him there. We'll look at similarities of how hurting people were drawn to David in the same way that hurting people are drawn to Jesus as well as the Church.

David: A Heart of True Friendship

Jim Leffel

1 Samuel 20:1-41

In 1 Samuel 18 we're told that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David. Jonathan loved David as he loved his own life. This is Jesus' way - to love. Jesus calls us is to demonstrate God's love to others in the same way that Jonathan loved David. We'll see what it looks like - evidence for and areas to grow in having and sustaining deeper, satisfying, intimate love relationships with one another.

Escaping the Trap of Materialism

Ryan Lowery

2 Corinthians 8:1-21

Money is a resource God wants to use to meet real needs. How do we achieve God's perspective on generosity? Paul describes six principles to guide us in our giving, starting with a need to give out of love, not obligation.

Regret or Godly Sorrow

Ryan Lowery

2 Corinthians 7:2-11

Paul demonstrates good, Godly correction, and shows how Godly sorrow leads to real change. We are called to represent God well in our culture, and that involves taking the risk of speaking the truth in love to others. We must be willing to direct others toward truth, and we must be willing to accept correction in our own lives.