The Upper Room

Dennis McCallum

John 13:1-17

Practicing a self-sacrificial, others-centered lifestyle is actually far more fulfilling and joyful than living a life serving self. Christ was the ultimate example of this as he chose to take the role of a lowly servant and washed his disciples' feet the night before his death.

The Humble Messiah

Dennis McCallum

John 12:12-34

We, like the Jewish people of Jesus' day, are ready to follow God only if He meets our expectations. This type of religious devotion is superficial and outward. Jesus did not meet the expectations of the people of his day. Instead of being a powerful ruler, he was a humble servant. He will come back one day and conquer Satan and the power of sin once and for all. We have a choice to lives our lives in sacrifice to others as well.

Why This Waste?

Dennis McCallum

Mark 14:3-9

As believers, we have a different values-system than people who are only living for this life. We have eternity to look forward to and invest in. Therefore, the choices we make in this life should reflect that reality. Here we look at the disciples' shallow response to a woman who understood what it meant to invest in her eternal life.

The Good Shepherd

Dennis McCallum

John 10

God's method of leadership is through serving. Through God's example of servant leadership, we can understand the type of leaders He calls us to be. 1) We should influence others relationally, 2) we should lead by example through modeling, 3) we should invest in people deeply, 4) we should love sacrificially, 5) God will never abandon us, and so 6) we should never abandon our people.

Home Group Leadership (Part 1)

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 4:11

In order to promote a leader-rich home group, there are seven conditions that should be present. The church must first believe in the vision that qualified leaders are the key to success, and new leaders must be Spirit-chosen. Spiritual leaders must be held in honor, accountability and discipline. Every leader should seek to replicate themselves and top leaders in the church must prioritize helping develop new leaders. Finally, people should see a clear pathway to leadership, and leaders should be formed into teams to promote increased leadership within the church.

The Effect of Living On

Dennis McCallum

Philippians 1:21-27

Paul calls believers to be others focused and to strive for unity in the Body of Christ. The world system preaches a message of self interest because they see this life as all we have. As believers who know that there is an afterlife we are called to spend this life serving and loving others which is truly beneficial for us.

Feeding the 5000

Jim Leffel

John 6:27-35

When Jesus asks his disciples to feed the five thousand, he intends to teach them about God's priorities in serving. There are four lessons for Jesus' disciples in this miracle: 1) Jesus will sensitize us to others' needs as we follow him; 2) whatever we have is inadequate to meet others' needs; 3) Christ makes our meager resources adequate; and 4) serving Christ is God's way to meet our needs and effect change in our lives. A life of service is the only way to true fulfillment, purpose, and stability, and God can use people who make themselves available to Him. A video testimony from Joanne Rhodes is included.

Loving Others with our Wallets

Dennis McCallum

1 John 3:16

Christians are called to love others in truth and deed, and this very much includes giving our money. We are stewards of what God has given us, and if we want to be dedicated givers we need to practice disciplined regular giving rather than only impulse giving. In this way we can heartily invest in God's work with the money He has blessed us with.

The Non-Negotiables

Dennis McCallum

Romans 6:4

Paul emphasized the importance of the Gospel message to the Corinthians, that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected which demonstrates that he was God and had paid for sin. All we have to do to be made righteous in God's eyes is to accept Jesus' death and resurrection as a payment for our own sins. Nothing should be added or removed from the Gospel that Paul preached.