Persecution and Division

James Rochford

Acts 5:14-6:7

Crisis, perseverance, and growth is the pattern seen in the early church. Philip and Stephen along with the other apostles experience external and internal attack through persecution and division. With God, they are able to overcome these. God doesn't grow His church despite crises, but actually through them.

Releasing the Power of God

Ryan Lowery

2 Corinthians 3:18-4:18

Paul has seen church after church be distracted by false teachers and turn against him, just like the church in Corinth. How is he able to persevere despite apparent failure after failure? He relies on God's power. We must be willing to fail at following God, because that is how God will teach us to rely on Him, and that is how we will grow.

Patience (Part 2) - Patience with Sin

Ajith Fernando

Romans 13:1

Patience is an often sought-after virtue, but it is not achieved in the Christian life without trials. As we encounter sin, we are faced with an opportunity to be refined. Even in times when we have been greatly hurt by others, we can forgive by the power of Christ and learn to endure patiently, without having to take vengeance on our own shoulders. This fruit of patience brings relief and freedom into our lives.

The Life of Watchman Nee

Mike Sullivan

Romans 13:1

The life of Watchman Nee is an extraordinary account of Christian dedication. This workshop explores his background and the church planting movement that he began in China during the twentieth century. Through examining his movement, we can extract both pitfalls to avoid and qualities to implement in our own churches. Xenos, in this way, does have Nee to thank for some of the reasoning behind its own home church structure.

Praying for Stuck Christians

Gary DeLashmutt

1 Samuel 12:22-23

Once beginning a relationship with Christ, the road to spiritual growth is not easy and many believers become "stuck," mired in things like bitterness, self-righteousness or fear. This workshop develops the biblical evidence that we should pray for these believers and explores what that looks like in action. Prayer is an immensely powerful tool, and we need to wield it in order to help others be loosened from the enemy's grasp. We see that In response to this, we should consider someone in our own life for whom we may pray and be prepared to persevere in those prayers.

How to Keep Loving in Difficult Relationships

Bev DeLashmutt

2 Timothy 2:24-26

Christ's call for us to love another as he has loved us is not exclusive. He calls us to love even very difficult people, and to do that effectively, we need to bear several things in mind. First we need to gain insight into the lies and sins of difficult people to avoid getting hooked into their relational patterns. We must ensure our motive in responding to people is in line with Christ's love. And finally, we must implement strategies to effectively give both compassion and discipline simultaneously. With these things and the abundant help of the Spirit, we can love in a way that, even if it does not change the other person, it will change us.

Patience (Part 1) - Patience with Weakness

Ajith Fernando

Philippians 2:3

We often yearn for a particular fruit of the Spirit, patience. But patience is not achieved without difficulty. One way we grow in patience is through experiencing weakness in ourselves and others. As we experience conflict and the weakness of other believers, we are sharpened to become more Christ-like in our patience.

What Are You Doing Here?

Mike Sullivan

1 Kings 17-19

When God commanded Elijah to tell King Ahab that there would be a drought in Israel, Elijah's faith was tested. When God commanded Elijah to gather the prophets of Baal and the people of Israel to Mt. Carmel, God provided in revealing Himself to all the people present and eradicating the prophets of Baal. But when Ahab's wife, Jezebel, ordered the death of all the prophets of God, Elijah was deeply disappointed. Such is the type of defeat we can feel in the midst of disappointing outcomes that arise during the Christian life. Fortunately a life serving God is not centered around outcomes, and God will help direct us away from the mindset if we are willing.

The Unrighteous Judge: A Lesson On Prayer

Jim Leffel

Luke 18:1-8

In this parable, Jesus teaches his followers about perseverance in prayer. As we persevere in prayer, we not only see miracles happen as those prayers are answers, we also see ourselves transformed.