Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary

Joaquin Peña encourages students to desire more than just understanding salvation, but to seek unstoppable spiritual growth like Paul prayed for the Colossians who had already demonstrated faith and love.

Scripture Text

Colossians 1:9-11

Main Points or Ideas

We must pray constantly for unstoppable growth in three areas:

1. Be filled with Christ - The word "filled" means completely full to the uttermost, like filling a water bottle to the top daily. We need God's knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to function spiritually, just like taking daily medication to survive physically
2. Walk in Christ - Living worthy of the Lord and fully pleasing Him through our daily behavior and choices. This involves bearing fruit in every good work - not just blessing ourselves but being able to bless others through the abundance of what God produces in us
3. Depend on God's strength - We need His power and might to do what He's called us to do. The gospel is the power that carries us daily through trials, temptations, and decisions about our future.

Students are in a unique window of opportunity at Faith to maximize their time by filling themselves with Christ through exposure to God's Word.

Conclusion

God wants to do even more in students' lives than what He's already done, expanding their current small window of opportunity into greater ministry as they remain faithful to seek unstoppable growth in knowing and serving Him.

Dr. Jim Tillotson concludes his study of Proverbs 9 by contrasting Lady Wisdom with Lady Folly, showing how both compete for attention but lead to vastly different outcomes.

Scripture Text

Proverbs 9:10-18

Main Points or Ideas

Lady Wisdom offers life through God's Word:

• Wisdom begins with salvation (fear of the Lord) and continues with sanctification
• God, who knows everything including our deepest secrets, has written the Bible for His glory and our good
• Time always proves that God is right, and following His wisdom leads to blessing

Lady Folly is demanding, deceitful, and deadly:

• Demanding - Sin clamors for attention in our culture and aggressively pursues those just going about their way
• Deceitful - Promises that "stolen water is sweet" and secret pleasures are enjoyable, but this is a lie that hides the hook
• Deadly - Leads to spiritual and often physical death, as seen in various addictions and destructive behaviors

Using grief as an example, both women will show up during difficult times. Lady Wisdom says to run to Christ, while Lady Folly encourages wallowing in self-pity, bitterness, and isolation.

Conclusion

Students must choose between wisdom and folly, understanding that God's Word provides guidance for every area of life, and choosing wisdom may be costly but is always worth it in the end.

Juan Valdes addresses the post-truth culture where objective facts are less influential than emotions and personal beliefs, leading to widespread confusion in society and attacking the foundation of the gospel.

Scripture Texts

Ephesians 5:15-17, 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Main Points or Ideas

Post-truth mentality creates confusion in multiple areas:

• Freedom vs. Autonomy - Culture confuses autonomy (being a law unto yourself) with true freedom, leading people to pursue independence from all authority
• Human dignity - When feelings determine value rather than objective truth, some argue for parents' rights to end babies' lives even after birth
• Identity - Elevating emotions above biology leads to over 50 recognized genders and the magic phrase "I identify as" that shuts down rational discussion
• Morality - Without objective truth, people like the college student "Ben" claim nothing is truly right or wrong, leading to moral confusion

The danger of relativism:

Relativism makes sin disappear by letting people define their own morality. If nothing is sin, then no one needs forgiveness, redemption becomes unnecessary, and Christ's sacrifice on the cross becomes meaningless. This is Satan's back-door strategy to close the door to the cross.

Conclusion

Believers must stand for objective truth found in God's Word, which serves as the straight line to measure everything else, recognizing that a world with objective morality points to God and our need for salvation through Christ's sacrifice.

Pastor Pat Nemmers shares how God taught him about multiplication rather than just addition in ministry, beginning with a story of ten students saved at a winter retreat and the lasting impact that followed years later.

Scripture Text

Acts 12

Main Points or Ideas

Five ways to be part of a multiplication ministry:

• With proven, gospel-centered men and women - Like Peter, who had been transformed by the gospel and was no longer the impulsive disciple of the Gospels but a proven servant
• With the presumption of satanic resistance - Where there's a door, there's a demon; where there's opportunity, there's opposition. Every advancement in gospel ministry comes with various forms of resistance
• With persistent prayer and fasting - The church prayed earnestly for Peter, and God answered dramatically. The Engaged Network committed to weekly fasting as their "secret sauce" for multiplication
• With an ongoing trust in the sovereignty and justice of God - Like Peter sleeping chained between soldiers, trusting in God's character regardless of circumstances
• With a church willing to decrease that the gospel might increase - Centerville Church gave up 300 people to plant seven churches, resulting in over 300 people now serving in ministry across these churches

Conclusion

Students can participate in multiplication ministry by jumping into evangelism, expecting opposition, committing to prayer and fasting, trusting God's sovereignty, and being willing to sacrifice for gospel advancement.

Dan Evans, from Good News Ministries in Indianapolis, shares about ministry to some of the neediest and most desperate people in society.

Good News Ministries exists in the second worst neighborhood in Indianapolis for violent crime and serves through an 85-bed homeless shelter, youth center, health clinic, and boys home.

Scripture Text

Acts 26:18; Second Timothy 2:1-4

Main Points or Ideas

• The Gospel is Our Main Purpose - Good News Ministries exists to give the gospel of Jesus Christ to people who are lost and bound for hell. Everything else they do (meals, lodging, medical care) could wash away, but if they can't preach the gospel, they should close shop. The gospel has the power to open blind eyes, turn people from darkness to light, and provide forgiveness of sins.
• Ministry Will Be Hard - Paul warns Timothy that ministry comes with afflictions and suffering. Examples include being whipped, beaten, shipwrecked, experiencing hunger, thirst, and coldness. Yet Paul was in the center of God's will through all of this. Students preparing for ministry need to understand it will be difficult and they will need to endure.
• Don't Quit - The philosophy of quitting has permeated our culture and is ruining everything. God might call you to something you never thought you wanted to do, but wherever He puts you, do not quit. There will be days, weeks, months, and maybe years where you don't feel satisfied or think this can't be what God wants for you, but unless your expectations are perfectly in line with God's will, He's going to challenge them.

Conclusion

Students need to be prepared that ministry will involve enduring hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, but they can find strength in God's grace and stay faithful to their calling without giving up.

Dr. Kraig Keck shares about Ferdinand Waldo Demara, "the Great Imposter," who successfully faked being a surgeon and many other professions. This story illustrates how we can be deceived, and if we're vulnerable to confidence games, how much more vulnerable might we be to false teaching about Christ?

Scripture Text

Colossians 2:1-5

Main Points or Ideas

• Spiritual Growth is Necessary and Shared - Paul's struggle for the Colossians was that they would grow in love together, not individualistically. We cannot grow spiritually outside of the church. True growth happens through unified hearts of love, knit together, and through mutual knowledge of Christ with all the saints.
• Christ's Wisdom is Comprehensive but Exclusive - All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ - not some, not most, but all of them. Christ doesn't need to be supplemented by secular psychology, philosophy, or worldly wisdom. Many Christians love the poetry of this verse but ignore its application, thinking secular counselors or self-help books have better answers than the treasures found in Christ.
• Other Wisdom is Enticing but Empty - Worldly wisdom persuades through plausible arguments that sound right but are false. Self-help books are flash-in-the-pan fads that don't stay in print because they're enticing but empty. We can be deceived by fine-sounding arguments that move us away from belief that Christ has all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Firm faith in Christ protects us from deception.

Conclusion

You need the wisdom and knowledge found only in Christ. You will be tempted by other wisdom, so keep coming back to Christ because in Him we find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Tom Gibbons, general director of Gospel Missions of South America, reflects on Jesus' teaching that a disciple should be like his teacher, and that being like Christ brings contentment even amid suffering and persecution.

Scripture Text

Philippians 2:1-8; Matthew 10:24-25

Main Points or Ideas

• The Path to Contentment is Pursuing Christlikeness - Jesus said it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher. True disciples are driven to emulate Christ in character and adopt His will as their own. This pursuit brings superlative contentment regardless of circumstances.
• When We're Christlike, Our Will is Submitted to God's Government - Jesus voluntarily set aside aspects of divine license, lordship, and likeness in His incarnation to do the Father's will. He found satisfaction in doing God's will rather than living in the center of His own will. We must ask ourselves who governs our will and what we're chasing after for satisfaction.
• When We're Christlike, Our Attitudes are Submitted to God's Government - Christ exemplified humility and obedience, which are the bedrock of all other godly attitudes. Humility acknowledges and obeys the one who is truly Lord, having a right view of ourselves as creatures, not creators. Our humility gives God freedom to lift us up and pour out His grace upon us. Christ's obedience was all-in, even to the point of death on a cross.

Conclusion

The true disciple will be maligned like Jesus was, but it is enough - it brings satisfaction and contentment - for the disciple to be like his teacher. The ongoing pursuit of Christ's likeness is the only path to contentment.

Dave Tebbenkamp shares the story of Rustin Gates, a four-year-old boy in their church who died of bone marrow cancer, and how this experience taught him about finding blessing through enduring trials rather than avoiding them.

Scripture Text

James 1:2-12

Main Points or Ideas

1. Trials are Predictable - James says "when" not "if" trials come. Living in this fallen world means we will face trials in some way, shape or form. They come for two reasons: correction (like Jonah) or perfection (refining like gold).
2. Trials are Problematic - They're called trials because they're problems, not blessings or relaxation. The disciples faced a storm while doing exactly what Jesus wanted them to do. Various trials come in many different ways - job, finances, domestic struggles, fear of failure.
3. Trials are Paradoxical - James says to "count it all joy" when we fall into trials, which seems contradictory. But joy is what we have when circumstances go sideways but we still have confidence in Christ. Trials work to us, for us, and through us - making us look more like Jesus Christ.
4. Trials are Purposeful - They bring about purity (testing of faith produces patience), perfection (maturing process), and prayer (driving us to ask God for wisdom). The goal is to make us more like Christ.
5. Trials are Profitable - Whether poor, rich, or under pressure, we all need God's grace. The profit is the crown of life promised to those who endure and are approved through testing.

Conclusion

God is faithful in times of trial and watches for our reaction. We should find the blessing through enduring trials with His help rather than trying to escape them.

The president of Baptist Church Planters, Jon Jenks, uses a coaching analogy to teach Matthew 28:16-20. He compares pastoral ministry to coaching, where you break things down step by step and use experienced players to help younger ones.

Scripture Text

Matthew 28:16-20

Main Points or Ideas

• Gospel Belief - Like a five-tool baseball player, disciples need five essential components. It starts with gospel belief - the disciples showed they believed Jesus by going to the mountain where He told them to meet Him, and they worshiped Him there.
• Worship - True disciples who come to Christ with power will always worship if God is precious to them. This shows up in how they forgive others, engage in prayer and Bible study, manage their schedules and money.
• Authority - Jesus has all authority and gives us boldness to make disciples. We don't need to hope people will want discipleship - we have authority to go get involved in their lives and press our way in because God has commanded it.
• Training and Service - We should be making disciples as we serve in church, not just serving without discipling. Every believer should have a disciple and help their disciple find a disciple. The goal is creating followers who follow you and become like you.
• Jesus' Presence - We're never alone in discipleship because Jesus promised to be with us always. The best way to disciple is together as the church, introducing disciples to other believers so they see it's not just one person but the whole body pursuing this.

Conclusion

Christians are called to make disciples who make disciples, and this commission comes with Christ's authority and His abiding presence to help us accomplish it.

Dr. Alan Cole begins with a humorous story about a snowball fight between fifth and sixth graders, then transitions to discuss how we face avalanches of homework, responsibilities, and struggles that can feel overwhelming like being hit by snowballs or crushed by closing walls.

Scripture Text

Psalm 46

Main Points or Ideas

1. God's Sovereignty Over Catastrophic Events (verses 1-3) - God is our refuge, strength, and very present help in trouble. Even when the earth gives way, mountains slip into the sea, and waters roar and foam, we have a divine fortress in God who provides protection, power, and presence.
2. God's Sovereignty Over Threatening Enemies (verses 4-7) - There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. Unlike the raging waves of the sea, this is a quiet river within the city providing security. God is in the midst of the city, so it shall not be moved. God works in quiet ways as well as mighty ways to provide for us.
3. God's Sovereignty Displayed in His Mighty Acts (verses 8-11) - We need to behold with perception the works of the Lord and reflect on what God has done. He breaks bows, shatters spears, and burns chariots. The command is "be still and know that I am God" - cause yourself to relax and calm down because God's got this.

Conclusion

When facing trials and fears, we need to run and hide in the mighty fortress of our God, remembering what He has done in the past, reflecting on His trophies of grace in our lives, and trusting Him to either remove problems or give us grace to endure them.