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Leadership Profile, Crete - To me, the profiles drawn in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1, do not create a check list of qualifications for a generic kind of leadership in congregations anywhere they exist in the world. To me, they stress this essential understanding: spiritual leadership in a congregation provides shepherding while addressing the real needs of the congregation in the real context of their existence. One of the principal reasons that Paul left Titus at Crete was to appoint elders in every city. Bible Study at God's Message. Leadership Profile, Crete Podcast lesson

New People Leadership - Don't forget the declaration that Jesus is alive and He is coming back! If you are a Christian, you are alive because God put life in you, just as He put life into the dead body of Christ. You are alive because He is alive. You are alive when you are in Him. The power is from God to give you a new life, to make you a new person. When He gives you life, you share in Jesus' resurrection. If you are not a Christian, are you willing to be baptized so you can get life? We would love to help you find the life that only God can provide. Bible Study at God's Message. New People Leadership Podcast lesson

Leadership Profile, Ephesus - In churches of Christ we have great concern for doing Bible things in Bible ways. I totally agree that is a good and legitimate concern. But this is the question we immediately confront: how do you decide what is a Bible thing, and how do you decide the Bible way to do it? Can you see from the scripture that we are not talking about a checklist for selecting an Elder, but the profile of the kind of man that was needed to be a shepherd and overseer in the church at Ephesus? Bible Study at God's Message. Leadership Profile, Ephesus Podcast lesson

Christianity and Relationships Part Two - Nowhere is the destructiveness of selfishness more evident than in family relationships. At its worse, selfishness abuses the people the selfish person should love. He or she is so in love with self he or she cannot care about anyone else. Children are not seen as helpless extensions of us, but as rivals to me. Everything given to a spouse or to a child is something that deprives me. Thus, spouse and children in my family exist to be my servants, to make me happy, to serve my purposes. As long as my family makes me happy, every thing is as it should be. Bible Study at God's Message. Christianity and Relationships Part Two Podcast lesson

Christianity and Relationships - May I issue a challenge to every Christian: see the opportunity! Do not wring your hands and decry how awful situations are! In Christ, be an example of commitment in your relationships. If a relationship is failing in your life, learn. If that relationship fails, do not make its failure the result of a lack of commitment and learning on your part. Commit! Show people that belonging to God is an asset to succeeding in relationships! Bible Study at God's Message. Christianity and Relationships Podcast lesson

A New People - We can be so focused on what is right that that becomes the only concern. This leads to cold, unsympathetic, formal congregations. They do what's right, but it doesn't change how they feel. When I become what Jesus wants me to be, I can do what's right. I can do what's right with the same old heart, but that is not what God intends. Don't forget about what's right. But put first things first. Let Christ complete His creation. Do what's right with a life of compassion. Get the focus right. Be a new person in Christ. Bible Study at God's Message. A New People Podcast lesson

A New Me In A New World - Baptism is not a matter of changing religions or adding a religion to your life. It is not a matter of changing churches or adding a church to your life. Baptism is a matter of finding a Savior, of accepting his forgiveness, and of trusting his resurrection. Baptism is the decision to become a new me and live in a new world. When times get tough, trust your salvation because you trust your baptism, and trust your baptism because you trust Jesus' resurrection. Bible Study at God's Message. A New Me In A New World Podcast lesson

And Jesus Said, You Dont Get It - It would be incredible to witness what would happen in a congregation, any congregation, if three things happened: no one believed that Christ appointed him or her to tell everyone else what to do; everyone understood that he or she existed as a Christian to serve; as Christians served, no one cared who got the credit. You cannot imagine what any congregation could accomplish if the greatest commitment of its members was to accomplish God's purposes by doing as much good as they could. Bible Study at God's Message. And Jesus Said, You Dont Get It Podcast lesson

Spiritual Arithmetic - God is not predictable, but God is certain. We cannot tell God to whom He will and will not show mercy, to whom He will and will not show compassion. Oh, I can try to decide for God, but it would be as foolish and meaningless as it would be for a lump of clay to tell the potter what to do. But God's promises are certain. God never fails to keep a promise. He may not use the means to keep the promise that we expect; but He will keep it. Bible Study at God's Message. Spiritual Arithmetic Podcast lesson

Liberated From The Need To Hide - My most liberating understanding is the most liberating understanding anyone can have. God's love is not conditional. In God's love, you have nothing to prove. In God's love, you become; you don't prove. And you become through the repentance that happens because you dare come to the light. We are confused about many things in life. But we are really confused if we think there is blessing in hiding or blessing in darkness. Hiding doesn't accomplish anything. Avoiding makes life more complicated. Bible Study at God's Message. Liberated From The Need To Hide Podcast lesson

Troubles Have Spiritual Purpose - Everybody has troubles. No one wants the troubles he or she has. When it comes to troubles, we have two basic preferences. First preference, we don't want any. We want a daily life that is literally free from trouble of any kind. We spend lots of energy and effort trying to discover a trouble free daily existence. Second preference, if we must have troubles of some kind, we want to swap the troubles we have for someone else's troubles. We want the troubles of our choice instead of the troubles of necessity. Bible Study at God's Message. Troubles Have Spiritual Purpose Podcast lesson

Wearing Big Shoes - Is anything more important than your living with God in heaven? Without hesitation, you probably say no. Do you really mean that? If you really mean that, then in surrender to the Lord and Teacher, begin to pray this prayer. Whatever it takes, Lord, whatever it takes. I want to be your spiritual person. I want to live close to you now. I want to live in heaven with you. Let me experience whatever it takes. Then step into Jesus' sandals and begin the most incredible journey of your life. Bible Study at God's Message. Wearing Big Shoes Podcast lesson

God's Higher Calling - Every call we receive in Christ just leads us to a higher calling in Christ. From sinfulness the higher call is to repentance. From repentance the higher call is to new birth. From new birth the higher call is to become a functioning part of the body. From being a functioning part of the body, the higher call is to share Christ. From sharing Christ, the higher call is to develop the heart and mind of Christ. From developing the heart and mind of Christ, the higher call is to complete the journey. From the pilgrimage, the higher call is to come home to God. Bible Study at God's Message. God's Higher Calling Podcast lesson

The Only Thing We Will Take To Heaven - One thing would frighten me more than anything else. There is one mistake that I fear above all others. It is the one mistake that I do not want to take with me into the judgment. As I stand before the God who loved me enough to give me Jesus, and before the Jesus who loved me enough to die on the cross, I do not want to stand there having only loved those who loved me. In my understanding, that would be the most serious failure I could make as a Christian. Bible Study at God's Message. The Only Thing We Will Take To Heaven Podcast lesson

What Difference Does It Make - Though we have not intended to, and though we have rarely realized it, for too many years we have taught that it was more important to keep the laws than it was to live the Christian life. We have even convinced people that being a Christian has little to do with how you live; it has everything to do with what laws you keep. So for almost a decade we have created a generation of our own children who have learned from us how to use the Bible to justify whatever they want to justify. It is just a matter of definition and reasoning. Bible Study at God's Message. What Difference Does It Make Podcast lesson