A Profile of Christian Conversion

Gary DeLashmutt
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church in 48 A.D. after having spent a few weeks with them. In the beginning of this letter, Paul focuses on five key elements of a person becoming a genuine believer in Jesus Christ: 1) God initiates with them; 2) God pursues people through His Holy Spirit, the gospel message of forgiveness and by human messengers; 3) a person makes a heart decision to turn from idols and serve God and acknowledge the need for His forgiveness; 4) when a person asks for Jesus' forgiveness, they are no longer under God's judgment; and 5) their lives are freed up to love other Christians, share Christ with others and have real hope for the next life.

Striving to Love One Another

Scott Risley
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

Paul directs the Thessalonians to help three specific groups of people in three specific ways: 1) admonish the unruly, lazy, and rebellious; 2) encourage the fainthearted, suffering, or those facing failures; 3) help the spiritually and physically weak. Paul also calls the church to be patient and gracious with all types of people.

Serving Love and the Body of Christ (Part 2)

Dennis McCallum
1 Thessalonians 5:11-15

In the Body of Christ, Christians are called to warn, encourage, help, and extend grace to one another. All of these actions are to be done with the vital quality of patience, a quality that differs drastically from softness. When these actions are consistently practiced in a community of believers, true spiritual growth and a tangible demonstration of God's love ensues.

Overcoming Obstacles to Love Relationship: An Ungrateful Spirit

Gary DeLashmutt
Philippians 4:8

Paul practiced and taught gratitude as a key ingredient in finding true joy in our relationship with God. Humans naturally are often entitled and we need to fight to count our blessings. Expressing gratitude to God and other people can be a very satisfying and life changing practice.

Close Christ-Centered Friendships

Gary DeLashmutt
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

God wants us to be able to have relationships that can go deeper than just a casual friendship. These close friendships involve regular time spent, vulnerability, and sacrificially loving one another. These relationships are often the venue for us to experience true Biblical love.

Wise Words

Scott Risley
Proverbs 25:11-12

A significant theme throughout Proverbs is our speech and how we can use our words to bring either good or harm. The ability to speak is a significant and unique characteristic of God's image-bearers. When words are used in a godly and wise way, they can bring life, peace, instruction and encouragement to others. In contrast, words uttered by a foolish person can ignite fights, breed cynicism and bring death.

God's Amazing Call

Jim Leffel
2 Timothy 1:8-18

God has called, set apart, and entrusted Christians with the task of loving and reconciling people to God through Jesus. Here, the apostle Paul writes to Timothy to encourage him to persevere in leading for Christ in this way amid challenging circumstances.

Rekindling the Fire

Jim Leffel
2 Timothy 1:1-7

The apostle Paul encourages Timothy in his effort to lead the church in Ephesus by reminding him of the gift of Christ's forgiveness, and the God-given abilities to accomplish His purposes. By not neglecting these gifts and moving forward, Christians can cultivate genuine spiritual excitement and vitality. Includes information from "Spiritual Leadership" by Oswald Sanders.

Encourage One Another

Gary DeLashmutt
John 13:34-35

All Christians are commanded to regularly give and receive biblical encouragement. This "one another" command is foundational for three reasons: 1) it is the most used of the "one another" commands; 2) all of the other ?one another? commands work best within an encouraging relationship; and 3) experiencing Jesus' encouragement is central to biblical Christianity. To become an effective encourager you must commit to have regular face to face meetings with the other person and also think carefully and prayerfully about that person. Four practical ways to communicate God's encouragement to others are explained: 1) affirm others' value and potential in Christ; 2) recognize and praise others' steps of faith to follow Christ; 3) remind others of God's comfort and faithfulness to those who are suffering; and 4) exhort others to take scary steps of faith to follow Christ.\r\n