Adorning the Gospel

Gary DeLashmutt

Acts 5:12-14

Paul's letter to Titus sets forth a lifestyle of adorning the Gospel with good deeds. Four key questions are discussed in this teaching: 1) What are good deeds? Who should do them? To whom?, 2) How important are good deeds for Christian leaders?, 3) How do good deeds affect the spread of the Gospel?, and 4) What will motivate us to embrace and sustain a lifestyle of good deeds? The success of a sacrificial lifestyle in prospering the Gospel is emphatically supported by history. This sort of lifestyle starts with the individual. Each of us should commit to being a good neighbor, volunteering in our community, and investing our resources in serving the community.\r\n

Communicating Your Faith in a Secular World

Mark Mittelberg

Acts 5:12-14

As we try to share our faith in the modern-day world, we can face many barriers. But there are beliefs and values we must hold in order to continue to strive forward in this area and see success in helping others come to know Christ. Mittelberg shares eight of those beliefs in this presentation, outlining that people matter to God and are lost. They need Christ, the need answers, they need community, they need relevancy to their lives, and they need time to soften toward the Gospel. The Church as a whole must move toward these people and help bridge the cultural chasm that exists, rather than waiting for people to come to the Church.

Communicating the Gospel without Compromise

Mark Mittelberg

Acts 5:12-14

In our culture today, it can be easy to diminish the gospel when sharing our faith, not wanting to offend others or point out flaws in their belief. But there is an urgent need to help others understand the real gospel in order for people to receive Christ's forgiveness. Some people are relativistic and believe whatever feels right, others just hold their faith because they grew up with it, and others believe because an authoritative figure has placed a pressure on them to believe. We can help people see the need to look at evidence for their faith. Through evidence and refusal to compromise, we can help those around us come to a real, sincere faith in the God of the Bible.

The Writings of Brian McLaren

Gerry Breshears

Acts 5:12-14

In Breshears' opinion, The Story We Find Ourselves In is THE theology of the emergent church, and exactly what it calls itself - a (fictional) story. The emergent church nobly started as a group of young leaders who wanted to "take Christianity to the streets" in opposition to postmodern spirituality and in contrast to fundamentalism. Today, the emergent church has unfortunately separated itself from the evangelical essentials and stands in stark opposition to the true Gospel of Christ. Instead of critiquing contemporary culture, it critiques the Church, and in the case of McLaren, the critique is not Biblically-based. Breshears exposes McLaren's theology as not taking into account all of Scripture, but rather only certain parts. The only real test of truth is the Word of God, the Bible.\r\n

The Mystery of Christ Revealed (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

1 Corinthians 2:6-9

Colossians explains the mystery of Christ that is hidden throughout Old Testament times. In this mystery, a messiah or savior was predicted to come to redeem the people of Israel. Therefore, the people expected a powerful, governmental ruler who would free them from their adversaries. However, there is another character described throughout the Old Testament: the suffering servant. At first glance, it seems that these are two different persons. However, the mystery is that they are both the same person, Jesus Christ. Why was this hidden as a secret during Old Testament times? So that God's plan would be fulfilled by the cross.

The Good News

Dennis McCallum

Romans 1:1-17

The Good News of the Bible is that we can have a close, personal relationship with the God of the universe. We have to come to Him on His terms though, not on our own. God's terms are just that we have faith in the good news that He sent His son to die as payment for our sins on the cross. Jesus' life and death was predicted by several sources hundreds of years before he walked on the earth. The Gospel is the power of God. It's the only thing that makes us right with God and is accomplished from start to finish by faith.

Total Help For Total Need

Gary DeLashmutt

Ephesians 2:1-10

All of humanity is in total need, but God through Jesus Christ extends total help. Humanity's total need is that we are alienated from God, we are enslaved to Satan, and we are headed for God's condemnation. God's total help reconciles us to Him, gives freedom from Satan's control, and destines us to His kindness for eternity. The total help of God is a gift that cannot be earned by good works, but is given to those through faith.

The Incomparable Christ

Jim Leffel

Colossians 1:15-23

Paul makes the argument that Christ has the authority and is sufficient to forgive sins. Christ's death on the cross gives the grace that humans cannot earn on their own. Christ is worthy of people's lives, and he is adequate to meet their needs. He is ultimately trustworthy and the only way to be made right with God.

The Attraction of the Gospel

Jim Leffel

Colossians 1:4-8

Paul describes the Good News that the Colossians know as grace, which has the power to change lives. He lists characteristics of this grace in the believers' lives as faith, love, and hope. Faith is our reality, love is our call, and hope is our future. These things attract others to Christ and make faith real.