The Ephesian Experience

Dennis McCallum

Acts 18

Paul begins his third missionary journey and spends many years in the city of Ephesus. As a result of God's ministry through Paul, the Gospel spread throughout the whole region surrounding Ephesus. This movement spread from Paul to other people through household churches. The question ?how did this movement happen from house to house?? is explored as many cases in the New Testament of house churches are discussed, and contrasted with the traditional experience of temple religion. The New Testament example of dynamic Christian community is applied to the modern day.

Christians in a Pluralistic World

Dennis McCallum

Acts 17:1-33

Paul continues his missionary journey. He preaches and persuades others about Christ's death and resurrection. Pluralism is a common view in this culture. Paul engages people and their cultural views. He finds common ground with them, challenges them, and teaches them about the character of God. Because Paul is distressed about the idol worship, he gives a convincing speech about the truth of God. Today postmodern pluralism is the common worldview. Taking Paul's approach can be effective in our day. God's desire to have a relationship with every person is the same today as it was back then. Presenting truth in a sensitive and persuasive way is essential.\r\n

The Gentile Pentecost

Dennis McCallum

Mark 7:8-9

God wants to use believers to tell other people about His message and help them understand what God has done for them on the cross. However, believers can put up barriers to that message. Our prejudices, traditions, and arbitrary absolutes can stand in the way of God's love. We should be actively ridding ourselves of these barriers so people can see who God is through us. See what God has to say about this through Peter and Cornelius.\r\n

Breaching Cultural Containment

Dennis McCallum

Galatians 3:28

The Bible says, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. You are all one in Christ Jesus." What happens when the members of the church do not live according to this verse? Cultural containment is not a condition that just happens to groups. It is the outgrowth of sins of omission and commission. It is not enough to just say, "We have no objection to those outside of our cultural group coming in." The burden is on us to get outside of our comfort zone and seek out people who might be different than us, but need God. Cross cultural unity bears witness to the reality of Christ, and we are called to be united with one another.\r\n

Leadership in Missions

Holly McCallum

Galatians 3:28

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called not only to share our faith at home but also abroad, as Jesus has a heart for all people and wants all people to come to know him. A good sign of a healthy church is one in which its members are both aware and excited about missions. For the most effective world missions, the church should be sending people who are already servant leaders and who have already gained ministry experience at home before attempting this in a more difficult field abroad. Today, we face challenges such as post-modernism which often views mission leaders as intolerant for trying to proclaim one truth to a people group and a self-focused approach to church. As believers who are being transformed by God into influencers, we can gain the proper equipping and attitude to overcome this and prioritize world missions. \r\n

Seeker Small Group

Mark Ashton

Galatians 3:28

In our culture today, people are seemingly becoming less interested in Christianity, seen through the declining numbers of church growth in America. Seeker small groups, however, target the meeting and discussion around people who are not believers in Christ. A group like this would have a majority of non-Christians with a Christian discussion leader and be a relatively small cluster of people. This provides a safe environment for spiritual discussion and is thus an effective method of evangelism. This can be especially effective for people who may not be close to believing in God yet. We discuss 10 "laws" of seeker small groups, why they are effective, and how to run them.

Leading Evangelism

Doug Patch

Colossians 1:28

God's heart and plan to reach the lost is through the church. While God is the one who ultimately causes the growth, we each have a role to play as well. Effective evangelism in a home church setting is driven largely through discipleship relationships between committed workers, bringing the power of the Word and teaching people that exchanging their agenda for their lives for God's agenda is ultimately fulfilling. For a home church to effectively reach the lost, a substantial number of members have to own God's plan for evangelism and reorder their lives according to His value system.

Feeding the Multitude

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 28:18-20

The feeding of the five thousand is a picture of how God calls us to meet people's needs. He has what people need that will satisfy and we are called to share that with them. As we are used by God to meet people's needs we have the privilege to see lives changed, experience deep significance, and we become spiritually satisfied.

The Woman at the Well

Dennis McCallum

John 4:1-42

Jesus interacts with a Samaritan woman who was drawing water from a well. He reveals who he is by telling her things about her life. He claims he can give her living water. When she realizes he is the Messiah, she is so excited that she stops what she is doing and runs to town to tell people. Jesus offers salvation to all people, even those who think they are the worst sinners.\r\n