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.

The World of Ideas (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Amidst spiritual warfare, it's vital to remember the importance of the mind. Taking our thoughts captive requires a deep understanding of the power of God's Word, along with our minds being shaped by what His Word says. As we conform ourselves to God's Word, we will be able to discern false thinking and combat it with His truth.

Timidity or Bold Love

Dennis McCallum

2 Timothy 1:6-10

Using your spiritual gifts or building a ministry is God's will for us but fear can get in the way of this goal. Fear holds us back from doing what God wants. It makes it very hard to take risks and ultimately leads to self-protection. God's will is that Christians overcome fear. Through faith and reliance on the Holy Spirit, a life of timidity can be transformed into a life of bold love. A life of power, love, and sound judgment can meet the needs of a dying world.

Reconciliation

Jim Leffel

2 Corinthians 2:6-11

Paul gives instructions to the Corinthians on how they should approach a brother who has undergone church discipline. The purpose of discipline is redemptive by nature, desiring a change of mind and moving away from damaging habits. Paul calls on them to extend forgiveness and grace toward the offender and affirm their love for him. As people experience reconciliation, they are able to humbly respond to God out of gratitude for His grace, eager to be used by Him.

Building Commitment Rather Than Compliance

John Rue

2 Corinthians 2:6-11

When there is a focus on getting results in growing a church, there is often a pressure to shift towards building compliance rather than commitment. In order to have healthy, long-term growth and transformation, however, leaders must continue to move away from compliance thinking. God does not operate this way, and the negative effects are serious. There are various indicators of compliance that can be identified and things leaders can do to help build commitment in their groups. One key aspect of this is ensuring that the leaders are growing themselves, modeling their own personal commitment.

The Art of Leadership (Part 1)

Jill Briscoe

Philippians 1:12-20

To understand the art of leadership, it is imperative to understand yourself and God. You can only lead people as far as you have gone yourself with the Lord. Opening up the book of Philippians we see Paul write down the art of the Christian life. Like Paul, we too can bring people along with us as we understand and relate to God in deeper ways.

Relating to God

Dennis McCallum

Hosea 14:1-5

Hosea was a prophet who God called to marry an unfaithful prostitute. God reveals that this will "illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the Lord by worshiping other gods." Hosea's book contrasts idol worship (which applies to letting anything have priority over God) to the relationship God wants with people. This relationship includes intimacy, grace, discipline, freedom, faithfulness, and repentance, which is contrary to the perils that people experience without God.

Common Hindrances to Prayer

Gary DeLashmutt

Hosea 14:1-5

Gary DeLashmutt addresses the most common reasons people find it difficult to pray: 1) feeling like an outsider; 2) feeling aversion or lacking the desire to talk to God right now; 3) feeling unworthy of God's presence due to a guilty conscience; and 4) being unwilling to listen to God. With humility and empathy, Gary explains some spiritual implications behind these common hinderances and offers solutions that are Biblical, yet often counterintuitive in the moment.

Helping People with Problems

Dennis McCallum

2 Corinthians 2:2-11

Paul called the Corinthian church to practice loving discipline with one of the members of their church who had committed a serious sin. Biblical discipline is something the church does for the spiritual well-being of the person being disciplined, and not something done in judgement of that person. When the man who was disciplined had repented of his sin Paul called the church to invite him back and to comfort him.