Jesus the Healer

Jim Leffel

John 9:2-3

Throughout his ministry, Jesus makes bold claims about who he is. To back up these claims, he performs many miracles, often in the presence of hostile religious leaders or in the midst of large crowds. From these miracles, we see that Jesus has unique authority. He is able to meet not only the physical needs of people, but our deeper spiritual needs as well.

Marriage, Sex and Divorce

Dennis McCallum

1 Corinthians 7

Paul called the Corinthians to be content where they are at, whether they are single or married. Paul warns the Corinthians that divorce is damaging, but in really bad circumstances may be the lesser of two evils. It's much better to be married than it is to burn with lust.

Love in Community: Setting Limits

Dennis McCallum

2 Corinthians 2:5-8

The cultural view of love and God's view of love are quite different. Our culture views love as an emotional connection while God views love as a choice to act for the benefit of someone else. God's love includes discipline which we do in order for the good of a brother or sister in Christ.

Two Elements of Spiritual Parenting

Gary DeLashmutt

1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13

Paul explains two aspects of spiritual parenting: 1) prioritizing face to face relating; and 2) a willingness to be affected by another person's spiritual health. Technology is not a replacement for face-to-face relating. It actually can be a hindrance. We should prioritize face-to-face relating with our own children, in our own spiritual development, and in our efforts to impact others for Christ. Being affected by others' spiritual health is different than codependent relationships. Our identity is secure in Christ, not in another person.\r\n

A Legacy of Leadership

Jim Leffel

Genesis 45:4-8

Spiritual leaders look at difficult circumstances in their lives and ask how God is working in the situation to further His work and provide for them personally. Instead of hiding their weaknesses that are exposed by circumstances, spiritual leaders are vulnerable about their struggles and depend on God's Spirit to make them adequate to serve others. Lastly, spiritual leaders have trust in God's sovereign plan for them, and they seek God's glory above their own. These qualities create an opportunity to leave a powerful legacy for generations of Christians to follow.

Be Strong in Grace! Three Qualities of the Christian Worker

Jim Leffel

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Timothy has been called to suffer for the gospel. The entire world is in a spiritually divided state, active trust in God means entering into this spiritual battle. Paul illustrates our role as servants of God in the descriptions of a soldier in spiritual war, an athlete competing for the prize, and a farmer toiling in the field.

Managing Expectations in Following Christ

Jim Leffel

John 15:20

Is following Christ worth the suffering involved? Confident expectation and hope in eternal life is what empowers believers to willingly give all so that more might experience the grace of God. We can prepare to suffer by living with spiritual integrity - looking to grow to become more like Christ.

The Problem of Evil

Dennis McCallum

Luke 13

Jesus is asked about those killed at a tower in Siloam, calling to attention the question of the problem of evil. This question is addressed primarily through four worldviews: Spiritualism, Naturalism, Monoism, and Biblical Christianity. The first three views don't match what we know internally, along with external evidence from science, and lead to fatalism about the cruelty people experience in the world. The biblical view shows that God is loving and has allowed suffering temporarily so that as many people could place their faith in Christ before He judges all evil in the world. This provides hope and significance to the suffering we encountert.

Suffering and Spiritual Growth

Dennis McCallum

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Not only does spiritual growth occur through the building up of the new spiritual person within, it requires the breaking down of the outer man as well. God uses outward circumstances to chip away at our outer man so that the spirit of God within us can come through more and more. On our part, this requires active cooperation and the rejection of illegitimate pain reducers. The only context in which spiritual growth is possible is an eternal value system. We must focus on our position in Christ and the security that comes from our identity in him.