Grace and Peace

Jeff Gordon

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

An introduction to 1 Thessalonians describing the importance of God's grace and peace. This passage encapsulates Paul's top priorities and he thanks God for their work of faith, labor of love and endurance of hope. Paul assures them that God loves them and has been seeking them; he reminds them that he brought the gospel to them with power, a transformed life and great concern. Will we respond to God's grace and peace and allow Him to transform our lives?

The Power of the Gospel to Spread

Gary DeLashmutt

Colossians 1:1-8

The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Colossae, a church he's never met, around 60 AD while imprisoned in Rome. He begins the letter by thanking God for their faith, hope, and love that overflows from the power of the gospel and continues to spread as they understand more and more about it. The gospel refers to the good news that Jesus Christ wants a personal relationship with each person and made it available through his death on the cross. As we deepen in our understanding and appreciation of the gospel, we will begin to see our lives being transformed as well.

Gospel and Waste

Jim Leffel

Mark 14:3-9

When a woman broke a jar of expensive perfume at Jesus' feet, his disciples accused her of being wasteful. Their real issue was that they were embarrassed by her attitude and uncomfortable with her priorities. Many who fail to experience the goodness of a life for God have actually failed to truly prioritize the most important things.

Why Do You Focus on the Past?

Gary DeLashmutt

Haggai 2:1-3

The Jews in Jerusalem have begun to rebuild the temple but become discouraged when they compare it to the former temple. God asks them a series of three questions through the prophet Haggai to point out that they are nostalgically focusing on the past, rather than focusing on what God is doing in the present. We fall into this as well, choosing to look at the past through rose colored glasses, discontent with what God has for us in the present. God calls us to persevere in the present, and look forward in faith to the future!

Gospel and Seeking

Jim Leffel

Mark 12:13-44

Jesus encounters three insincere questions: one intended to offend, one to incite ridicule, and one to incur moral judgment. In each of these situations, Jesus exposes the underlying complexity, assumptions, and hypocrisy. He teaches that a true seeker is a humble person who takes risks by acting.

Persecution and Division

Dennis McCallum

Acts 5:12-6:7

Despite many miracles and signs of God, the apostles encounter more persecution from the Sanhedrin and are thrown into jail. The high priest confronts Peter about preaching about the message of Jesus Christ. Some encounter flogging for their faith, only to continue to spread the message of Christ. However, they start encountering division because of cultural differences that threatens the dynamic Christian community. As a result of a dispute on how to assist widows, the Apostles ask the disciples to choose seven spiritual leaders to solve the problem, those of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit, and who are wise. These instances show that Satan will use persecution and division to try and minimize the effectiveness of God's work, but that preservation of unity within the Body of Christ can be sustained by quality leaders.

The Gospel and Prayer

Jim Leffel

Mark 11:12-14

When Jesus curses the fig tree, he shows that prayer is not mind power or magic words, but faith verbalized. His teaching shows a variety of principles about prayer: 1) expect an answer; 2) the impossible is possible; 3) root prayers in grace; and 4) you are relating to the Father.

Truly Living While You're Dying

Beth Chilcoat

Bev DeLashmutt

John 17:17

David Chilcoat, a devout Christian and the founder of the Columbus Young Life branch, experienced intense suffering as his body decayed slowly due to ALS, a devastating disease. His wife Beth and Bev DeLashmutt use his journal entries at the time of his illness to explore how to remain faithful and experience peace and joy even amidst this kind of physical and emotion pain. Three key points that emerge are: 1) the need to ask God for what we need and desire, 2) to remember God's goodness and affirm our faith, and 3) to wait for Him to fulfill His promises to us. These help us to respond to suffering in a way that allows us to persevere through it instead of crumbling under it.

The Relationship Between Joy and Pain

Ajith Fernando

James 1:2-3

Many people settle for what is less than joy in their lives - success, sexual experiences, comfort, the list continues. But Christians can experience true joy because of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is an extreme comfort and joy to know that we are immensely loved by our Creator, and it is that joy that helps us in our pain. In our sufferings, we can rejoice because we can trust in God's faithfulness to us and His ability to bring about good. Of course, that is easier said than done, and it requires that we both surrender to and embrace God.