Character that Counts - Fleeing Lust & Pursuing Righteousness

Jim Leffel

2 Timothy 2:19-26

God's standards for leadership in the church are centered around godly character. Spiritual gifts, ministry skills, and calling are useless in the life of a leader without character, and God wants to integrate who we are with how we live as we grow in our relationship with Him. This integration happens only when Christians understand the proper motivation for change and pursue a life of others-centered, sacrificial love. God also calls Christian leaders to be patient and humble in correcting people in their lives who are seeking change since they too are learning what it looks like to follow God. A video testimony from Jim Dorado was included.

The Way to True Happiness

Gary DeLashmutt

Matthew 5:1-12

Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount to a large crowd, explaining the way to find true happiness. The key lies in knowing about the life that comes after this one, and the Kingdom of God. In verses 1-12 he makes a series of eight surprising statements about the traits of those who attain this happiness.

Prayer

Dennis McCallum

Luke 10:38-11:4

Martha hurries around making preparations, while Mary sits at Jesus' feet. Mary stands as an example of the intimate relationship that Jesus wants with each one of us through prayer. Jesus gives us an example of prayer that includes dependence, praise and petition. Martha McCallum speaks about her experience with prayer.

Suffering and Spiritual Growth

Dennis McCallum

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Not only does spiritual growth occur through the building up of the new spiritual person within, it requires the breaking down of the outer man as well. God uses outward circumstances to chip away at our outer man so that the spirit of God within us can come through more and more. On our part, this requires active cooperation and the rejection of illegitimate pain reducers. The only context in which spiritual growth is possible is an eternal value system. We must focus on our position in Christ and the security that comes from our identity in him.

Walking According to the Spirit

Dennis McCallum

Romans 8

When we accept Christ's death on the cross to count for ourselves, we die to our flesh and are released from the Law. Now we have a new identity, and can choose to walk according to the Spirit. What does that look like? Paul breaks down the differences in a Christian's life when they choose to live according to the flesh versus according to the Spirit.

Presenting Yourself to God Alive From the Dead

Dennis McCallum

Romans 6:12-19

Once we accept the gospel, what does it look like to live out our new identity in Christ? We have a choice of whether or not we will continue to enslave ourselves to our flesh, or become obedient to God and seek righteousness. We cannot make ourselves righteous, nor can we we sit by without taking any action. Paul describes what the correct process of actively presenting ourselves to God looks like.

Becoming Who You Are in Christ

Dennis McCallum

Romans 6:3-13

Who are we once we become believers in Christ? We gain a new identity. We are who God says we are, and we can approach God confidently based on this new identity in Christ. We explore how to live in our new identity, and the effects of taking our identity from things other than God.

As in Adam, So in Christ

Dennis McCallum

Romans 5-6

Paul describes how we are born under the federal headship of Adam. Thanks to this one man's decision, we are born with a sin nature and are separate from God. Yet, thanks to the righteousness of another man, Jesus Christ, we can die to our old, sin nature and gain a new identity in Christ. By accepting Christ's sacrifice for ourselves, we can be made free and grow in our relationship with God under our new identity.

Self-Examination

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Timothy 2:7

Paul takes a stance on self-examination because the Corinthians are trying to accuse him of impure motives in his work. Paul leaves the examining to God and gives us insight on an appropriate willingness to examine ourselves. With that, there is also an unhealthy way of examining yourself that will lead to anxiety, confusion, and second-guessing. If we have a tendency to over examine our actions and thoughts Paul gives us some guidance on how to give this area up to God to guide us in His discipline.