In recent years, personal identity has become a core concept of who a person is. A great debate has raged about things such as transgenderism and whether a person can rightly "identify" as something other than what they biologically are. This debate sets up an interesting and important spiritual principle. That is, we may "identify" as a Christian, but does that mean we are actually a Christian?

Throughout the Bible, shepherds are used as a primary metaphor for leadership. But what happens when sheep have no shepherd? There are several instances in the Bible when this exact metaphor is used. When we look at how the Bible uses this imagery, we should lose all complacency concerning congregations that lack biblical leadership!

The book of Ephesians frequently uses the "walking" metaphor to describe the Christian life. In this excellent lesson, David Brown reviews that theme with a special focus on Paul's admonition in Ephesians 5:15 to be "careful how you walk." David discusses the importance of this and how Christians can practice care in their walk of faith!

For Christians, worship is a part of life. If we aren't careful, though, worship can become a ritualistic practice; something we do without putting real thought and heart into it. In this lesson, Garrett Macy discusses the dangers of this attitude and the importance of doing more than just going through the motions!

One of the primary descriptions of God in Scripture is "Father." In this lesson, we review the various passages that give a specific "Father of" title to God. In doing so, we learn about the nature of God, and we also learn practical applications for our own lives!

The fourth book of the Bible, Numbers, records the tragic events following Israel's departure from Mt. Sinai. What should have been a short journey to begin the conquest of Canaan resulted in four decades of wandering the wilderness, all because of rebellion. Despite the many failures, God's will prevails, and His plans are not thwarted. This lesson is the fourth in a series of Bible book overviews and reviews the highlights and importance of this Old Testament book!

Luke 18:1-8 records one of the Lord's stranger parables. Yet within this parable are important lessons on the subject of prayer. This short lesson from Jonathan Owens helps highlight those key themes and reminds us of the importance of prayer!

During Jesus' life, He sought to serve, bless, and help all people--even children! Mark 10:13-16 provides a touching scene from the life of Jesus when He beckoned, "Let the children come to me!" In this great lesson, teacher James Smith uses this text (and others) to remind us how important and valuable children are, as well as some ways we can fulfill Jesus' teaching to "become like children."

People often say they feel it is easier to identify with the Apostle Peter than some others like Paul or John. This is primarily because several accounts in the New Testament reveal some slip-up or failure on Peter's part. While Peter was human and thus experienced many failures, the overall example he provides is one of incredible faith. In fact, even in some of his weaker moments, he outshines most others. This lesson considers the story of Jesus walking on water, focusing on the positive attributes Peter teaches us on that occasion!

This is the final lesson in the Life of Christ series. This sermon focuses on the Great Commission and the Ascension of Jesus and reminds us that the end of Jesus' earthly work marks a great beginning!