Who Do You Say That I Am?

Gary DeLashmutt

Matthew 16:13-19

The identity of Jesus is something that was called into question during the years of his ministry on this Earth as well as in our present day. Our response to Jesus' question "Who do you say that I am?," affects the trajectory of our life on this Earth and the next, in the same way that the apostles' responses affected their own lives. When we decide in faith to recognize Jesus as the son of God, we obtain four key privileges: membership in Christ's church, victory over death, helping others to faith in Jesus, and an unchanging basis of spiritual truth and ethics.

Jesus' First Teachings

Dennis McCallum

Isaiah 61:1-2

Jesus' first declaration that He is the fulfillment of ancient messianic prophecies and His teaching is followed by miraculous acts of healing and exorcism, challenging the naturalist to consider the existence of the supernatural. Supernatural claims in the Bible are compared to those of other world religions, showing Biblical miracles to be astoundingly unique, indicating that Jesus' miracles are symbolic of his deity. Skeptics are invited to approach God with a desire to be convinced of the supernatural, and with an expectation that the same God who created the universe will answer by bringing the miraculous into their own lives.

Encountering God's Enemy

Conrad Hilario

1 Corinthians 15:45

Jesus provides an example of how to use the Word of God as a weapon against Satan. Jesus models dependence on God while Satan operates under autonomy, pragmatism, and pride. Jesus is our perfect substitute who offers us a victorious alternative in responding to temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The King Arrives!

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 2:1-12

An introduction of Jesus to the world and an analysis of the surrounding historical detail and circumstances during the birth of Christ. King Herod, who was aware of Jesus' birth, commanded a group of Magi to tell him where the Messiah was so he could go and worship Him, though his plan was to kill Him. This is compared to pseudo-seeking the truth about God, defined as stating that one is seeking the truth but in practice ignoring the evidence that is presented. The Magi, who were not Jews at all, came to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, demonstrating God's power to work through any means to reach real seekers of the truth about Jesus.

Honing Your Spiritual Discernment

Conrad Hilario

Proverbs 11:14

Solomon was called the wisest man who ever lived and for good reason. He displayed an understanding of humans and an ability to judge truth from falsehood. This attribute of discernment is vital for our spiritual growth and effectiveness. In order to grow in our discernment, we must learn how to correctly interpret Scripture and begin learning how human nature works. In order to gain wisdom here, we must lean against the imbalances of seeing people in either an overly positive or overly negative light. This workshop then discusses several practical ways in which we can hone our own discernment.

Suffering with Hope - An Eternal Perspective

Amy Moreno

Romans 8:18

A framework for suffering includes preparation, purpose, and patience. The Bible is flooded with scripture about suffering as a reality and how God can use it in our lives. It is important to focus on going through the process with God rather than on ending the suffering. God wants us to know Him and this can happen best when we go through hard times and cling to Him. Suffering gives us an opportunity to go deeper with God, develop our character and experience peace in a deeper way. Suffering with hope requires an eternal perspective.

Teaching Difficult Concepts to Jr. High Students

Brian Runk

Brad DuFault

Luke 2:41-52

The Xenos Junior High Staff explores the why, how, and what when it comes to teaching difficult concepts to adolescents. Teaching the hard concepts is important because they can and do understand it, they need to be equipped, they do enjoy it, and they need an alternate view to the world system. Five ways how to teach these difficult concepts: 1) consecration; 2) communication; 3) content; 4) connection; 5) context. What makes these concepts difficult is that they are abstract, complicated, uncomfortable, delicate, low immediate interest, and have large text. These areas need careful consideration and wisdom in presenting but also necessary.\r\n

The Combat Field Manual - Fighting Today in Our March Toward Eternity

John Cleary

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

We are reminded throughout Scripture to "not be surprised by the fiery ordeal" that accompanies the spiritual battle to which we belong. This spiritual battle is very real and we need to be convinced of it. The battle is in our minds and the weapon God has given us to fight in this battle is His truth. Writing out truth is helpful in arming our minds for this battle. We can develop our own personal Combat Field Manual.\r\n

Evangelism for the 21st Century (Part 3) - Quoting Poets

Randy Newman

Acts 17:16-34

As we prepare to share the gospel with those around us, we must be sensitive to the audience we have. While the gospel always remains the same, we need to adapt our presentation of the gospel to best fit the person in front of us. One way to do this is to quote their poets, or to use insights from their own music and movies as bridges to the gospel. If we have an accurate understanding of the "poets" of today's culture, we can use this to connect the truth to what people may already be seeing or believing.