Wisdom and Prayer (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

James 5:16-18

God's wisdom is available through prayer. James teaches corporate prayer and the work of prayer being essential in gaining God's wisdom. Through these two kinds of prayer the believer experiences God's provision of Him meeting needs and experiencing God's work get accomplished. James uses Elijah's prophetic work and prayer as an example of how we should pray. Praying in this way produces a renewed outlook from God and a passion to make God known.\r\n

Achieving the Spirit of Unity

Dennis McCallum

Philippians 1:27

The church (those who believe in Jesus Christ) is commanded to make every effort to preserve the unity that God has already given. The unity given to the church is a spiritual unity based on truth that is carried out relationally. It takes effort not to destroy the unity but there are many benefits to preserving a unified church.

Peace on Earth

Scott Risley

Ephesians 2:11-22

Paul explains that Jews and Gentiles can have peace with God and peace with one another because of Jesus' death on the cross. There once were many barriers between Jews and Gentiles but since Jesus' death those barriers have been removed. All people in God's family are equal. There are many positive implications of this unity that impact daily life.\r\n

Reclaiming the Youth in Your Church

Conrad Hilario

Ephesians 2:11-22

The American Christian church is losing teen interest and attendance at an alarming rate. Those who "drop out" can cite many reasons for their loss of interest, including boredom and moving away. To engage youth and prevent this exodus from the body of Christ, churches are challenged to raise the commitment level by: teaching deeper content, actively combating sins of commission and omission, calling on students to actively participate in ministry, and not placing major emphasis on minor laws.

Six Essentials of Christian Leadership

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Timothy 4:12-16

The pastoral epistles are a rich quarry of key elements of Christian leadership. Six of these are compressed in a letter from Paul to Timothy. 1. Be continually strengthened by the grace that is in Christ; 2. develop other leaders; 3. embrace the rigors of Christian leadership; 4. keep your teaching focused on Biblical priorities; 5. pursue godly character in your own life; and 6. deal with errant members in a firm and redemptive way. There is a bonus element found in another chapter: keep making progress that your flock can see.

The High Commitment Church vs. The Low Commitment Church

Dennis McCallum

2 Timothy 4:12-16

Creating a committed ethos in a church involves theology, application of truth, expectation, and making judgment calls. Ultimately, the ethos is where your theology meets your value system. The elements needed for a committed ethos include: strongly held and clear convictions, clear points and counterpoints, being relational and practical, encouragement, and honesty. Against these, there are many ethos killers to look out for.

Intro to the Xenos Home Group Model

Phil Franck

Acts 2:46

Xenos' structure is centered around small Bible study groups called home churches. This model is Biblically based. The New Testament gives multiple examples of the early church operating "house to house." Countless New Testament principles such as the "one another" passages also indicate that the church must provide smaller group settings where relationships can grow between members so that they will be able to discover and meet one another's needs. Home church leaders should be developed before selection and then selected on the basis of character, knowledge, relationships, and ministry. Leaders should have four areas of focus: 1) their own growth in God's grace, love, and sanctification, 2) outreach to non-Christians, 3) Biblical community, and 4) discipleship. This teaching discusses a typical home church schedule and meeting format. Evangelism is often a weakness in adult home churches, for a variety of reasons. But it is also a vital part of a healthy home church's ministry. Evangelism can be done in two ways - "come and see" stepping stone events, where the lost are invited into Christian community to experience fellowship, and "go and be" evangelism, where Christians go out into the secular community to witness. Several examples of these types of events are given. This teaching also plays a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMyTMTmJU6E) in order to comically show how shallow some small groups can be. The remedy to shallow community is discipleship. The product of successful discipleship is multiplication on both an individual and home church level.\r\n

Welcome One Another

Gary DeLashmutt

Romans 15:7

All Christians are called to welcome one another. This includes welcoming people who have significant sociological differences. Welcoming does not mean passive acceptance or tolerance; and it does not mean snobbery or prejudice. To welcome means to actively and personally invite someone into your life. Welcoming one another is compelling evidence that Jesus is the living Lord. Christians can learn to welcome others by thanking God regularly for His undeserved welcome through Christ.\r\n

Five Facets of Healthy Community Life

Jim Leffel

1 Corinthians 16:1-14

Paul concludes his first letter to the Corinthians with five exhortations toward a vibrant, God-glorifying community. The Christian church should be committed to generosity, expectant for God's action, grounded in their faith, collectively strong in sacrifice and, most of all, committed to self-sacrificial love.