Importance of a Positive Outlook in Ministry

Conrad Hilario
Hebrews 10:32-35

While holding and presenting a positive outlook is scientifically shown to cause others to thrive, spewing negativity just further feeds our negative attitude. The difference is between effective, motivational leadership and defeatism, which leads to unbelief. If we remain with our negative outlook, we are at risk of becoming cold towards the very people God calls us to love. Thus, we should seek a positive outlook in ministry without running to the other extreme of being overly positive. Finally, we can cultivate a positive outlook through several key steps outlined in this presentation.

The Gentile Kingdoms

Ryan Lowery
Daniel 7:2-8:22

Daniel 7 and 8 correlate with one another in order to display an impressive prophecy. Different gentile kingdoms, that Daniel compared to different beasts, are predicted hundreds of years before they come to power. These prophetic visions of Daniel are supported through various historical extra-biblical resources and accounts. The prophecies here give measurable evidence from history that might encourage readers to take a closer look at the areas of the Bible pertaining to faith and salvation that God offers.

Journey to Rome

Dennis McCallum
Acts 27:1-28:30

During Paul's journey from Caesarea to imprisonment in Rome, despite dire circumstances, Paul was able to maintain his faith in God and knew that it was God's Will for him to reach Rome and be imprisoned there. Many people came to Christ throughout this journey and Paul's two-year imprisonment in Rome.

Lessons on Prayer

Conrad Hilario
Matthew 18:19-20

God doesn't promise to answer all of our prayers with affirmation. However, we can and should pray: 1. According to His will; 2. In faith; 3.With persistence; 4.Corporately (in groups); 5. Seeking answers; and 6. Remembering how He has answered us in the past.

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

Ryan Lowery
Daniel 2:1-45

Nebuchadnezzar is a king who desperately wants an answer for a disturbing dream. He demands his wise men should know what his dream is, without him telling it and he wants an interpretation of the meaning of the dream. The wise men don't know what the dream was or what it was about. Daniel asks God for insight and interpretation. God reveals the dream, using Daniel as a witness to show authentic spiritual truth to Nebuchadnezzar. Although the king was a wicked man, God wanted to reach him.

The Gentile Pentecost

Dennis McCallum
Acts 10:1-48

Cornelius, a Centurion, a God-fearing Gentile, was instructed by God's messenger to send for Peter in Joppa. Meanwhile, God was preparing Peter to preach the Gospel to Cornelius' group of Gentiles by demonstrating that the tradition of eating unclean meat was not Biblical, but was a religious tradition added by men which would be a barrier to giving the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Joseph

Jim Leffel
Romans 8:28

When we face hardships and unjust situations we often focus on the horizontal perspective: how these things affect our lives, goals, and desires. God wants us to have a vertical perspective: to focus on what He is doing and how He is working in our lives, even through times of suffering. These two perspectives are illustrated in life of Joseph. Joseph faced many hardships and encountered unjust trials that were outside of his control. However, God still worked through them. God put Joseph in situations where he became a powerful man who ultimately was able to save and preserve the nation of Israel.\r\n

Loving Muslims in an Age of Terrorism (Part 3) - Speaking Like Jesus - Sharing Your Faith with Muslims

Fouad Masri
John 1:4-41

In order to speak like Jesus when sharing our faith with Muslims, we need some basic attitudes and foundational knowledge. We are called to be ambassadors for Christ, to be loving, which means that we also show respect. We are called to be friendly, to create a friendly environment when sharing about Jesus instead of arguing or criticizing. We then seek to use bridges to help move Muslims to understand key truths about Jesus. Finally, our approach must be Bible-based, drawing on the power of God's Word. As we focus on these principles and examine how Christ spoke to those who did not know him, we can gain insight for our own communication and learn to build more effective bridges to the Gospel.

Loving Muslims in an Age of Terrorism (Part 1) - Violence and Hope in the Middle East

Fouad Masri
Matthew 28:18-29

In an age of terrorism, many questions emerge about the Islamic faith. There are vast numbers of Muslims in our world today, and we should seek both to understand their faith as well as to share the love of Christ with them, rather than drawing back in response to violence that may be displayed in the media. This workshop explores the Islamic concept of jihad and its relation with terrorism, as well as other key beliefs of Islam. God is at work in the Muslim world, and we can participate in Christ's mission here.