Reaching High School and College Students

Ruth W

1 John 2:15-17

Insights into three barriers to student ministry, highlighting the "Gen Y" or the "Millennial" generations as examples and practical approaches to student ministry are discussed.

Insights on Coaching Leaders from the Pastoral Epistles

Scott Risley

1 John 2:15-17

The Discipling Church

Dennis McCallum

Hebrews 5:13-14

Scripture makes it clear that God's desire is to see every member of His church grow into maturity. This can be accomplished through successful discipleship relationships. To be a strong disciple-maker a large focus should be on character qualities and a focus on the inner life. God's Word is crucial for this to occur. It is in God's Word where we can motivate others towards God's goals with true conviction. In the Word lies the power for true character change.

Jesus Takes His Ministry to the People

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 4:12-22

Jesus travels to the sea of Galilee where he meets Peter and Andrew and calls them to follow him. Later, he calls John and James as well to leave behind what they have and follow them. This is the first introduction of Biblical discipleship, the way in which Jesus would reach others. Through one one one mentoring, Jesus would use this method to equip people to go out and reach others to mentor in the things of God. Discipleship is the method used throughout the New Testament by people like Paul, Timothy, and others. The first step for someone who wants to become effective in discipleship is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ by asking for his forgiveness.

Paul's Second Journey (Part 1)

Dennis McCallum

Acts 15:36-16:13

Paul's second missionary journey reflects several key New Testament principles of serving God through ministry: 1) timing; 2) contextualization; 3) centering ministry around discipleship; and 4) being led and empowered in the work by the Holy Spirit. From Paul's example, we see someone who, from the moment he received Jesus Christ into his heart, began immediately serving God. Paul made extensive efforts to ensure there weren't barriers for communicating with people from different cultures. He also centered his work around training and equipping others in discipleship to go and do God's work and wasn't human-centered, but depended on God's guidance through the Holy Spirit in the work God had placed before him.

Gospel Servant

Lee Campbell

Colossians 1:24-2:3

Paul teaches the Colossians what it means to be a servant of the gospel. The gospel is the priceless revelation of God that Jesus Christ died for sinners and wants a relationship where we are identified with Jesus through the cross. Living for the gospel is motivated by understanding God's work for us, knowing Him in a more intimate way and seeing people's lives transformed. We can do this by remaining focused on Jesus, understanding God's grace for us more and sharing that with others.

The Servant's Heart

Jeff Gordon

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

The Thessalonians accepted Paul's words as the very Word of God which continued to work in them after he left. As a result, they were persecuted because they were transformed by the Word and lived to serve rather than to be served. Paul intensely longed to see them because he loved them and they were his pride and joy. What is your view of God's Word and what is your pride and joy?

Adult Discipleship Models

Doug Patch

Colossians 1:28-29

What is discipleship and how do you do it? Doug Patch goes through what some general considerations for discipleship include; for example: the church's mission and how discipleship fits with that, personal considerations like time, and resources in the church. He presents different models of discipleship for adults including: 1 on 1 discipleship, couples discipleship, and a team model of discipleship. He also goes through the format for each model, pros and cons for each, and some content ideas.\r\n

Paradox of the Gospel

Jim Leffel

Mark 8:27-9:13

When Jesus asks his disciples who they think he is, they correctly identify him as the Messiah, despite the many possible answers. The paradox of Christ lies in the idea that he is both the King Messiah and the Suffering Servant who will die for sin. A similar paradox lies in following Jesus: those who lose their life for his sake will gain everything.