Asking According to God's Will

Gary DeLashmutt

1 John 5:14-15

Understanding how to pray according to God's Will includes: 1) entrusting ourselves to God's loving authority; 2) focusing on God's priorities; and 3) listening to God's Spirit. We must learn humble obedience to listen to His Will and present ourselves to Him, eager to live out His purposes. Our prayers should align with what God cares about including developing our character, sharing His love with others, and becoming more attuned to hear Him through His Word. As we couple our prayers with other Christians' and note the Holy Spirit's leading, we can better understand where God is leading us in our lives.

Championing Evangelism in Your Sphere of Influence

Gary DeLashmutt

Philippians 2:19-31

Being an evangelistic champion can be learned. There are six observations we learn from Paul as he champions evangelism with the Philippians: 1) he expresses excitement about them being partners in sharing the gospel; 2) shares recent experiences in outreach; 3) reports and rejoices in the spread of the gospel; 4) issues the challenge to be witnesses; 5) extols those who work hard at it; 6) prays with and for one another. Anyone can be an advocate for evangelism. Commit yourself by God's grace to be an evangelistic champion and ask God for one or two steps you can take this week to do this.\r\n

Praying for your Home Group

Joel Comiskey

Philippians 2:19-31

Successful home groups are the result of diligence, which shows itself through prayer, evangelism, and community. Explore the different forms that diligence can take in several church examples and the ways that it will consistently be the same.

Prayer and Evangelism

Joel Comiskey

1 Thessalonians 5:17

There are three common characteristics in effective cell churches: 1) devotion to prayer as a church; 2) individual quiet time in prayer; and 3) having a prayer shield (requesting prayer). A survey revealed that time spent in daily devotion was correlated to cell group growth. The findings of the survey line up with what Scripture teaches in this area. Effective cell leaders prioritize prayer and teach their people to prioritize prayer.\r\n

Christians and Their Neighbors (Part 2)

Dennis McCallum

Colossians 4:2-6

Three ways to reach out with God's message include: 1) prayer; 2) lifestyle; and 3) words. With the focus on prayer Paul instructs Christians to pray in six ways: 1) with watchfulness; 2) with thanksgiving; 3) expressing belief; 4) incorporating intercessory prayer; 5) for open doors; and 6) with power of God. This is a powerful tool when reaching out and should be included in Christians' efforts. Prayer is the power that moves people.

Jesus' Prayer in Gethsemane

Gary DeLashmutt

Ezekiel 23:30-40

In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prays to the Father and through His prayer we figure out Jesus' mission. His mission was to drink the cup that His Father had given Him. The cup that Jesus was about to drink was taking on God's righteous judgment for the sins of all of humanity. This left Jesus with a terrifying mission but He turned to the Father for everything He needed. Like Jesus we will have many ?Gethsemane? moments where we need to choose if we are going to follow God's will for our life. We can look to Jesus' example. He was honest with the negative feelings He was experiencing and He firmly resolved to follow God's will in spite of His negative feelings.

Spiritual Warfare (Part 6)

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 6

Within spiritual warfare, we are able to withstand Satan's tactics by resting in God's power. We must learn to stand firm in God's truth to defend ourselves from Satan's accusations, affirming our position in Christ in faith as we remain intent on accomplishing God's mission. As we remain persistent in prayer, rooted in God's Word, and confident of the security we have through Christ, we are able to effectively fight against Satan's schemes.

Serving Love in the Body of Christ (Part 3)

Dennis McCallum

1 Thessalonians 5:11-24

After reviewing verses 11-15, we uncover more imperatives for a faith-centered community (verses 16-24). In a faith-centered community, believers learn to practice the following: 1) rejoice always; 2) pray continually; 3) exercise gratitude; 4) learn to discern prophetic messages from the Lord; and 5) continue to show God's grace.

Reaching your neighbors

Mark Ashton

1 Thessalonians 5:11-24

Ashton gives five steps to reach your neighbors: 1) prayer; 2) meet neighbors; 3) recreate Mayberry; 4) begin a seeker group; 5) invite to services and special events. These can be summed up in making the most of opportunities and building relationships. Focusing on a few neighbors at first and having regular contact by incorporating them in everyday life are a few additional ideas that has given him success. Remembering God is involved and powerful will help with situations that seem questionable.\r\n