Presenter: Nathaniel Adams

C.S. Lewis said, “Pride leads to every other vice. It is the complete anti-God state of the mind.”

Pride—the sense of entitlement, the belief that we deserve more than we have—is the direct counterpart of self-pity. 

When we are in its grip, self-pity leads us to believe ourselves to be the hero or victim of our circumstances, rather than recognizing that we can choose to overcome. Self-pity, when conceived, gives birth to lust. But gratitude is the remedy. Gratitude starves self-pity and aligns our hearts with God.

Presenter: Asahel Adams

Apostasy takes place when autonomous human reason judges the Source of God’s Word and effectively silences Him. Every good gift comes down from God, but envy causes us to lust after and presumptuously grasp what we think we need. Through repentance we can silence the voice of suspicion that analyzes, assesses and judges—and instead believe the Word that is sent to bring us freedom.

Presenter: Nathaniel Adams

After God had used Elijah to defeat the prophets of Baal and to end a three-year drought, Jezebel threatened his life. Elijah was overwhelmed by the human emotions of loneliness, fear and depression. But in his cave God spoke to him actionable steps of faith. In the same way, no cave can hold God’s purpose from being accomplished in our lives if we tell the devil he is a liar and begin to “do the truth.”

Presenter: Asahel Adams

Man’s purpose is to proclaim, with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”We fear humility. We fear that God’s requirements are too costly. Some people never surrender their will and their self-centered expectations until the reductions of age wrench them from their grasp. But we can each choose to “lose our lives”—to gain what we can never lose.

Presenters: Howard Wheeler, Daniel Anz & Dan Lancaster

Satan seeks to disrupt the unity of the Body of Christ from within, tempting us to cling to our personal biases. By nature, we gravitate toward information that reinforces our own perspective. But when we surrender the crown of our narrow view, the beauty and purpose of Christ’s design for His Body are fully revealed.

Presenter: Asahel Adams

Congregational growth occurs in four phases: infancy, adolescence, adulthood, and childbearing. As our church navigates these seasons of transition, we continually make adjustments, guided and safeguarded by the collective wisdom of the five-fold ministry. However, an "us versus them" mindset, driven by competition and envy, can undermine and destroy the church. By contrast, when each of us daily sacrifices our independent will, we become unified, forming the mortar that binds the temple together.

Presenters: Daniel Anz and Asahel Adams

As Christians walking together, we will face difficulties, misunderstandings, and conflicts. If we turn inward and let these issues divide us, we fail to walk in the light. Instead, we must value our covenant so deeply that we resolve all concerns.

When God calls us, humility acknowledges our flesh's inadequacy while trusting His Spirit to animate us. May God free us from seeking another's place or a different context, and help us fully embrace our inheritance as sons.

Presenter: Asahel Adams

The tether of our will prohibits us from bringing God a complete sacrifice. When we’re double-minded—caught between the priorities of God and self—we can receive nothing from God. But when, through humility, we trust God completely, we are free to prove His goodness.

Presenter: Asahel Adams

An individual Christianity is not enough. Our claim that Jesus is Lord is only legitimate if God speaks to us through His Spirit and through His body. If we seek to encounter Christ, He is manifested through the mosaic of the Body, His church.

Presenter: Nathaniel Adams

Are you trying to follow and serve God and repeatedly not succeeding? It’s time to stop. All the efforts of our flesh are worse than worthless—they’re garbage. God desires to bring us into a real relationship with Him so we can access the power to fulfill His purpose.