Can eternal happiness be achieved by selfish pursuit?
By John Ortberg
What is the gospel? Folks in the most interesting places are asking that question these days. When I was growing up, no one had to ask what the gospel was. We knew. It was the answer to the question: "If you were to die tonight, how do you know for sure you'd go to heaven?" The gospel was what got you saved. We knew what getting saved was, too. Getting saved was being placed in the heaven-bound category. ...
Small GroupsMoney TroublesWhere small groups fit in a tough economy.Reid Smith
SmallGroups.com recently had a chance to sit down with one of our favorite authors: Reid Smith. In addition to serving as one of our Q & A experts, Reid serves as Community Life pastor for the multi-site Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
We asked Reid how the current economic situation was affecting the small-group ministry at Christ Fellowship, and what the church has done to adjust.
Donald Miller frames this lesson around one simple question, "If your life was made into a movie, would you go see it?" The answer is obvious for most of us. Donald Miller applies the principles of storytelling to instruct us how to make our stories more significant. This two-session study includes two 30-minute video clips and a PDF discussion guide.
Session OneSee how the Bible uses the power of ...
The surpassing greatness of Christ is worth our everything.
by Francis Chan and JoHannah Reardon
Francis Chan is pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, and a popular author and speaker. In this video course, he talks about the supremacy of Christ detailed in Philippians 3. Chan reminds us that fellowship with Christ often comes through suffering. Although we tend to see suffering as a bad thing, this passage shows that it can actually be a blessing. As we are consumed by Jesus ...
This seven-session course will remind us of how to live the basic Christian life.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he knew they needed to be instructed in the basics. Today, we also need to be taught the basics of the Christian life. This seven-session course from 1 Corinthians will remind us why we go to church, how to use our bodies to honor God, how to find unity in diversity, how to love, serve, and worship together, and how to face death.
This six-session course offers Biblical advice on how to pass on our faith.
Passing our faith onto our children is vital. How can we help them want to know Christ? This six-session course will discuss how to make God real to your children by teaching them how to pray, making church a positive experience, helping children make their faith their own, and using stories to make the Bible come alive.
Session 1
Make God Real to Your ChildrenUse everyday examples to teach your child ...
This course reveals that abundant life is possible when people respond in faith and obedience to Christ.
The Book of Haggai is about how God's prophet stirs up the Israelites to get back to work on the rebuilding of the temple. There is an analogy between temple building and the Christian's focus on being disciples, making disciples, and serving the church body. There's also an analogy between the literal drought the Israelites experienced and what God's people may experience—the dryness of dissatisfaction ...
How the church treats homosexuals has eternal consequences.
How God's household treats homosexuals can have eternal consequences. In this three-session course, we learn that God transforms us through our struggles. The road to change is a slow, but worth the effort. As God's ambassadors, we need to learn to express our own weaknesses so that others will learn to trust us. Finally, we need to give God room to work, because only he can truly change someone.
Think about the difference between right and wrong with these six movies.
Small GroupsMovie Discussion Course: Ethics ExaminedThink about the difference between right and wrong with these six movies.
Think about the difference between right and wrong with these movies. What place is there in our lives for revenge? Control? Crime? Discrimination?
Session 1
Changing Lanes What are the consequences of acting out of retaliation rather than patience? How does our integrity, or lack thereof, reap consequences for us and those around us?
Session 2
Hotel Rwanda This film tells the real-life story of one man's struggle to survive and save others during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. What does the movie convey about the worth of each human life? What does it say about the nature of evil?
Session 3<
Godsend Could the option of resurrecting a lost loved one become an actual temptation? How do these issues play out for Christians who believe God created us in his image? Why are bio-future thrillers so compelling?
Session 4
Ladykillers How does this dark comedy about character, justice, and the good life portray Christianity? What does it say about the way God intervenes in our lives?
Session 5
Crash This Best Picture Oscar winner takes us into modern-day Los Angeles, dramatizing the intersections of several characters' lives over three days. It reminds us of how racism, anger, and the struggle to achieve security in life can taint our interactions with one another.
Session 6
The Village Discuss the themes in this especially poignant film for the church community. What is the role of authority, and is pragmatism justified? How do people of principle interact with a corrupt world? Can we regain innocence in a sinful world? Can love conquer all?
In this 12-session course, learn God's heart for the church and your place within it.
If you're like most people, you have serious questions about the church. Even "seasoned" believers sometimes wonder what the church is all about, and how they are supposed to interact with it. What does Jesus say about it? Do I have to do more than just go? What is God's vision for how people get along? In this 12-session course, learn God's heart for you and the church with illustrations from trusted ...
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