The Church and Evangelism: Maintaining an Evangelism Ethos in the Church

Tom Stipe

Luke 22:24-27

God calls His people to reach the world with His message. How did the disciples win the world? Tom Stipe points out that the disciples went out and loved people in the way Jesus taught and it worked. How then do we maintain an evangelism ethos in our churches? Tom argues that it is through building relationships. He primarily focuses on the example of David and Jonathan.\r\n

Christians and Their Neighbors (Part 1)

Dennis McCallum

2 Corinthians 5:18-20

Paul shares three ways Christians can share their faith: 1) prayer; 2) lifestyle; and 3) words. In regard to lifestyle, the way Christians live has the potential to endanger the message of Christ or attract people to the message of Christ. Christians should follow Christ's example in living a lifestyle of love to demonstrate who God is. There are excellent opportunities in the workplace to live with integrity and to selflessly show God's love.\r\n

Putting on Christ

Dennis McCallum

Colossians 3:9-17

Putting on Christ is living out the new identity God has given us. This involves a transformation powered by God as we cooperate with Him. God produces selfless qualities in us that make us more like Christ. This results in lasting love relationships that are unifying and produce peace which are in contrast to relationships that do not follow God's way.

The Measure of True Spirituality

Jim Leffel

John 15:11-12

Love is a basic human need. We all seek to be accepted, valued, and cared for. Where do we seek it? The Bible says God is love; in fact, that is the central message of the Bible. Why not share in God's love? God says experiencing love is based on giving. Find out what giving love looks like in a spiritual dimension, a moral dimension, and an emotional dimension.\r\n

Understanding Our Freedom (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

Luke 19:1-7

Living lives of active love produces radical freedom in the lives of Christians. As a result, we are freed to identify with all kinds of people. Christian freedom is moving toward culture as much as possible within the moral limits of scripture. We should learn to: be excited to be in our culture while standing out on moral principles for God, be hospitable, and show love towards others.

Understanding Our Freedom (Part 1)

Jim Leffel

Romans 14:1-6

One area of understanding the freedom we have in Christ is matters of personal conscience. For some, the freedom in Christ may hurt their conscience and they should live by what their consciences say in grey areas that aren't under moral absolutes. Our role is to not judge those who place restrictions on their freedom for the sake of personal conscience, but should look to do what's loving towards them. Legalism and disunity spread when matters of conscience are seen as moral absolutes, so we should learn how to understand where our personal freedom in Christ extends.

God Transforms His People

Dennis McCallum

Colossians 1

God invites us to transformation in three key areas. First, God wants to transform our values so that our trust in Him and hope in heaven leads to loving other people. God also wants to transform our thinking as we study His Word; not just what we think about but also how we think. Finally, God wants to transform our actions so that we accomplish good works through His power. The only thing that God asks of us is a willingness for Him to transform us!

Being About What Really Matters Most

Jim Leffel

1 Corinthians 13:1-7

The center of Christian spirituality is love. As our most basic need, God has promised to meet our need for love so that we can be empowered to give His love to others. Experiencing love is found through giving ourselves to others for their good, producing real joy. Biblical love is centered around God's grace and is: committed, excited for others' success, and able to extend radical forgiveness based on God's forgiveness towards us.

Conflict with Religious Leaders

Gary DeLashmutt

Mark 2:13-28

Comparing the mentality of Jesus versus the mentality of the Pharisees highlights three conflicts: 1) conflict over Jesus' associates; 2) conflict over fasting; and 3) conflict over the Sabbath. The Pharisees emphasize separation from sinners, impersonal ritualism, and keeping minor external rules. Jesus emphasizes initiation with sinners, having a personal relationship with God, and loving people. Jesus' way of living can be motivated and empowered by his love in our lives.\r\n