In this teaching Dan Gallagher uses the forging process of steel to demonstrate the spiritual process of transformation through adversity. We think you will enjoy the many examples and parallels as you learn more about how God disciplines (teaches and trains) us as His children.

In this teaching, John Schoenheit explains wisdom statements in the Bible and goes over four characteristics as outlined by Dr. Bruce Waltke. Then he shows how wisdom statements can be interpreted in light of the scope of Scripture. We hope that this teaching will help you to gain clarity and confidence in your reading of the Word of God.

We hope that this teaching will help you to become more aware of the spiritual battlefields where both God and the Devil are waging war, in order to increase in your discernment and spiritual judgement and to help you to become more effective in fighting the spiritual battle of which we are all a part.

In this teaching, Truitt explores how Jesus set the example when he endured intense suffering through fervent prayer, and how the Bible tells us over and over again that we must set aside the things of this world so that we, too, can bear the things we will suffer in this life. Through prayer, endurance, and keeping our focus on Jesus, we can truly experience the joy that is set before us.

In this teaching, John Schoenheit talks about forgiving others from the perspective of his study of Colossians 1:24. He shows that sin is a debt, and when people sin against us we have the choice to either pay the debt and cancel the sin with forgiveness, or refuse to pay it, in which case the sin produces anger and resentment, and leads to more sin that just contributes to the sin in the world. This teaching covers the sin cycle, the fact that Jesus is still suffering now, how sin is a debt that must be paid, and that if we are going to have joy in life we cannot be carrying the burden of unforgiveness and resentment. To truly have joy in this life, we have to be willing to pay for the sins that others commit against us, just as Jesus forgave the sins we committed against him.

When Jacob was told that his beloved son Benjamin had to go to Egypt if the family wanted more food, he exclaimed, “Everything happens to me!” Of course, that was not true—but it expressed how he felt at the time, and how a lot of us feel when things go wrong in our lives. If we allow our thoughts to run in that direction, we can become pessimistic and even depressed, or we can slip into escapism and not engage the world the way God calls us to. In this teaching, John Schoenheit addresses 5 simple points for staying positive, being engaged in life, and being effective ambassadors for God—through our awareness of how our flesh makes us feel; our honesty about the world as a war zone; our understanding that it is not abnormal or ungodly to have strong emotions when bad things happen; our having control of our thoughts, and being willing to let go of the things of this life and keep the Hope in mind.

In the Book of Hebrews we are told that, like a father, God “disciplines” his children. In the Western world we often think of discipline as corporal punishment, but in the Greek and Hebrew mindset, discipline was about teaching and instruction. In this teaching Dan Gallagher shows how, when we are seeking His instruction, God will guide and train us at all times, through both the good times and periods of hardship, provided we are focused on the Creator and not the creation. We believe you will enjoy and be inspired by the many personal examples cited in this teaching.

Jesus faced many difficult situations as well as hours of torture and then death on the cross at the end of his life. It is amazing and inspiring to see that Jesus was not just another prisoner being overcome with fear and controlled by others, but instead he stayed in control of himself. He may have been tied up, beaten, and nailed to a cross, but he was not confused and in despair. He knew who he was and what he was doing and he was not afraid of the pain and death. In this teaching, John Schoenheit reads the records of the trial and death of Jesus Christ, examines the principles Jesus used to maintain his control in some of the most difficult situations that any person could ever face, and then discusses how we can use those same principles to be in control of our own lives.

We believe you will find this teaching to be inspiring and encouraging as it illuminates why Christians are called “children of the light” and how one day, when our bodies are transformed, we will live with God and Jesus in a place where there is no more need for the sun or moon because we will dwell with them, and they will be our complete source of light.

Esther is packed with powerful practical lessons and wisdom for life. We can see the spiritual battle between good and evil raging in a real life drama; the value of being wise and making wise choices to be successful in life; the requirements of sacrifice and boldness to accomplish God’s purposes; and the value of being able to graciously handle the things that come up in our lives, being thankful to God and looking for a way to let our light shine on this earth. Those lessons, and many more, are buried in the pages of Esther, and come to light as we read it.

In this teaching Dan Gallagher examines the differences between the two types of love by looking at examples from the scriptures, personal examples, and a comparison between the two. We believe you will enjoy this teaching as you gain a new perspective on what it means to love as God does.

In this teaching, John Schoenheit talks about our sin nature and how it affects us, and what we can do to mitigate our feelings of failure and shame that often derail our walk. God wants us to have a powerful walk with Him, and is aware of our sin, and we need to do all we can to keep walking strongly for the Lord.

In this teaching done live at our 2014 National Conference, Dave Hanson talks about how real Jesus truly is, how Jesus and God have equipped all believers to be disciples and to make disciples, and how the gifts and ministries God has given us help us to grow and mature in love as we strive to be imitators of Jesus, strengthening the bond of unity in the Body of Christ.

In this teaching Dan Gallagher shows we tend to live in an Old Covenant mentality, one in which we look to checklists to tell us what to do and to make us feel righteous. Instead, the New Covenant reality of today is one in which we are children of God and that means we, unlike those of the Old Covenant, can be led by the spirit. We hope this teaching will encourage and inspire you to grow spiritually, walking in the fullness of what it means to be a son of God, led by the spirit.

In this teaching, John Schoenheit looks at this first commandment in both the Old and New Testaments and explains its primary meaning and some of its secondary meanings. He shows that it means that we do not get to choose who or what will be our God, nor do we have the moral right to be agnostics or atheists. There is only one true God, and that is why we can love Him with “all” our heart, soul, and might. We are not to divide our worship and “share” God’s worship with “lucky” things or superstitions that supposedly help and protect us. God “alone” is to be our God. It will help us in our walk with God to have a clear understanding of His first and greatest commandment.

In this very practical teaching, John Schoenheit does a study of the Greek word for “profit,” and shows seven things that God says are profitable that we should focus on in our lives.

To walk like Jesus did, we have to know when to call people back to the truth and when to extend grace, and in the meantime we must use what God uses: tolerance, often called “forbearance.” In this teaching, which further develops the subject of grace and truth, John Schoenheit examines the balance of truth, grace, and tolerance in our daily lives.

In Part Two, Doers—Not Hearers Only, Dan Gallagher makes the point that God desires an obedience-based relationship with mankind. He also shows through personal example and various sections from the Word of God that obeying, or doing, is more important than “knowing.”

We believe this teaching will inspire you in your discipleship journey to do what Jesus said to do.

When Nebuchadnezzar burned the Temple down in 586 BC and carried the Jews away from Israel, baptismal ceremonies took on a new importance, and continued to grow in importance even after the Temple was rebuilt. John and Jesus both baptized people in water (although Jesus’ disciples did the actual baptism). However, like animal sacrifice, water baptism was symbolic, and pointed to a greater reality. Animal sacrifice pointed to the greater reality of Jesus’ sacrifice of himself, and water baptism pointed to the greater reality of the baptism in holy spirit, which the Old Testament prophets as well as John and Jesus foretold.

When the reality of the baptism of the holy spirit came on Pentecost, water baptism was no longer needed as a symbol, and could have stopped. This is why Ephesians 4:5 says there is only “one baptism” for the Church. However, it was such a well established tradition that it has continued to this day. In this teaching, John Schoenheit covers the history and tradition of water baptism, and shows why the “one baptism” for the Christian Church is in holy spirit, not water.

While 1 Timothy 2:12 has been mistranslated and misunderstood, there are a growing number of scholars who have concluded that 1 Corinthians 14:34 and 35 were added to the Bible by an early scribe, and that it was not part of Paul’s original letter to the Corinthians. In this teaching, John Schoenheit goes through some of the reasons many scholars now conclude that these verses were added to the text, and also speaks about how we should understand and apply them if they were part of the original text.

In this teaching John Schoenheit opens the Word of God to see what it reveals about who Jesus is. Taking a biographical approach, John examines different records in the Four Gospels to show that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, but he is also our hero and role model. Scripture says that Jesus was tempted just like we are. If so, how could he live a sinless life? Scripture reveals that Jesus got hungry, tired, and had family problems just as we do, yet he singularly focused on God and lived and loved like no other person before or since. This look at the life of Jesus reveals a person who needs to be better known, and knowing him inspires us to live a more focused and holy life.

Because both God the Giver and the gift God gives have the same name, they are often confused. After differentiating between the Giver and the gift, this teaching shows that the holy spirit God gave in Old Testament times was different from the gift of holy spirit He gives to Christians. The gift is still holy and still spirit, so the name is the same, but a study of its characteristics shows that it is a different gift. If we are going to understand the Bible, and what God has done for us as Christians, it is vital that we understand what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit, both the Giver and the gift.

John shows that Satan still has access to heaven, and that Scripture reveals that heaven is at times like a courtroom, where the Devil is making fiery accusations before God, while Jesus Christ is making passionate intercession for the believers. We believe this teaching will add a greater dimension to your understanding of the nature of the spiritual battle, and magnify your appreciation for what Jesus Christ is doing for us now.

Traditionally, much focus has been placed upon the equipping ministries of Ephesians 4:11 (the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher). In this teaching Dan Gallagher provides new insights and a fresh perspective on the various gifts listed in Romans 12 (the Perceiver, Server, Teacher, Encourager, Giver, Leader, and Mercy Giver). We believe you will enjoy learning about the characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of each of these gifts, and possibly learn some new insights about your own gifts of grace.

This is part 4, the last segment of our "Truth Matters" seminar. The theme of this teaching is "Walking in the Truth."