Witnesses in a Hostile World

Scott Risley

1 Peter 2:11-25

Peter reminds his audience that they are different than those who don't believe in Christ and they should live differently for their own good and for their witness to others. Believers can represent Christ in a hostile world by expecting slander, not being needlessly offensive, communicating with kindness, and being proactive with good deeds. Christ is the ultimate example.

Spiritual Insurgency

Dennis McCallum

1 Peter 2:9-24

Peter explains to believers, that by God's mercy, we are able to display His excellencies by our good deeds. Believers, who live in a world with developed thoughts and values that come from God's enemy, we should be eager to do good. As those who look forward Heaven, God is calling his followers to represent Him to the rest of the world in order to rescue people out of bondage from the world system. Includes reading from Andrew Murray's book, Working For God.

A Different Way to Live

Scott Risley

1 Peter 1:13-22

Peter calls on believers to live differently than what comes natural and differently from the world. He says to be holy (different) because God is different and because believers ARE different. Believers can do this by thinking about who they are, being alert to what they are doing, and focusing on their hope in Jesus.

Multiplication in an Urban Context

Scott Arnold

Jeremiah 17:9

Multiplication within an urban context is a unique goal that has its own breadth and depth of challenges. Barriers to people accomplishing functional and spiritual goals can run incredibly deep as we consider the potential lack of helpful family support, negative examples, the stigma of success, lack of funds, and transportation. Discipleship is still the goal to strive for, so we must recognize and consider practical steps to the unique challenges presented. Some of these suggestions include being honest and open about our own struggles, teaching them to distrust themselves, studying God's faithfulness and goodness, and both praying and going with them to help resolve conflict with other Christians.

A Biblical Perspective on Work and Career

Jeff Gordon

Jeremiah 17:9

Often, people derive much of their identity from the work they do. Work is important and provides many opportunities, but the purpose of a person cannot be taken from it. Knowing that one is first a child of God and then translating that into their work life allows Christians to be good workers without having a career as the center of their life.

Obstacles to Missional Replication - What Holds Us Back?

Ed Stetzer

Psalms 47:2

In Paul's call to be ambassadors for Christ we find the mission of the church. In order to understand how we can live out the mission and multiply we need to understand the obstacles. There are four obstacles to keep in mind: 1) putting the world's values above God's; 2) recruiting people, rather than reconciling people; 3) not being on a kingdom mission; and 4) failing to appreciate the cross.

Close Christ-Centered Friendships

Gary DeLashmutt

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

God wants us to be able to have relationships that can go deeper than just a casual friendship. These close friendships involve regular time spent, vulnerability, and sacrificially loving one another. These relationships are often the venue for us to experience true Biblical love.

Serving Love and Sexuality

Dennis McCallum

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

God's will for Christians in the area of sexuality is to serve others by abstaining from sex outside of marriage and pursuing a life centered around God's view of love. Contrary to popular belief, this command is not a mere cultural construct but rather the only path to a fulfilling and healthy life, and research has shown that following the world's view of sexuality has serious consequences. Christians who are single can prepare for their future marriages and sex lives by growing in God's love and learning relational skills in the body of Christ now.

Christ-Centered Friendships

Gary DeLashmutt

Acts 2:42-46

God's plan for love involves real relationships. The most basic friendship God wants us to start with is having casual friendships. Casual friendships involve initiating others-centered conversations.