The Word for Everyday Disciples with Dave DeSelm

Friend. It’s one of the most powerful words in the world. A good friend will mark you at the heart level as nothing else. That was certainly true of David. 

In the aftermath of the giant-killing, the …

Every one of us would love to exhibit the kind of giant-killing courage David had as we deal with our own Goliaths.  So, how does that happen?  How do you develop a bold heart?  

1.     You develop a…

David had a bold heart. And the place we see that most wondrously played out is in arguably the most famous story in all the Old Testament – the story of David and Goliath.

In 1 Samuel 17, we find the…

In many ways, David was the central character of the Old Testament. A truly remarkable man with the soul of a poet, the competitive drive of an elite athlete, the leadership of a statesman, the milit…

What if material prosperity does not always lead to spiritual prosperity?  

What if material affluence can result in spiritual indifference? 

I’d like you to keep those questions in mind as we look at…

The city of Philadelphia (Turkey, not Pennsylvania) was considered the gateway to the whole central plateau of Asia Minor. Jesus used this strategic point of geography to give the church there this s…

Thyatira was the smallest of the 7 cities named in Revelation 2-3, but its church received the longest letter. Perhaps because they faced far more serious challenges.

Jesus begins by commending them f…

Jesus begins His message to the Church at Pergamum by saying this: “I know where you live, where Satan has his throne.” Indeed, Pergamum was home to temples to nearly every major Roman deity there wa…

Jesus introduces Himself to the Church at Smyrna as “the First and Last, the one who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty.” In identifying Himself this way, He was te…

The Lord begins His message for this flagship church by affirming them for three things.

The Lord Commends: 

• Deeds 

This was an energetic, hard-working Church. Forty years earlier, the Apostle Paul pla…

At the beginning of the book of Revelation, we find the Apostle John living on the rocky island of Patmos, located 40 miles from the coast of modern-day Turkey. Great persecution was sweeping across …

In our fallenness, walls can easily form between us and others. Brick by brick, hurt by hurt. If we are going to know the blessing of being a peacemaker, then we must deal with those bricks before th…

In this message we’re going to answer 5 basic questions about forgiveness: why, who, when, where, and how. Let’s begin with: 

WHY should we forgive?

• It’s a matter of obedience if we do. You cannot dis…

In his letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul tells us that “as God’s chosen people,” we are to “forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Col. 3:13) Having been forgiven by God, we are to extend forgiv…

Jesus’ approach to peacemaking is to pursue reconciliation. There are three steps in that process that are important for us to understand and practice. The first step is confession.

In the Sermon on …

While conflicts take place on larger, collective scale, the bigger issue for most of us are the conflicts that take place on a smaller scale. Personal conflicts between work associates, friends, or e…

Relational breakdown is as old as the Bible, and none is more deeply ingrained as the animosity that exists between people of different races, religions, and ethnicities. 

In Ephesians 2:11-19, Paul …

Perhaps the most daunting aspects of being a peacemaker is the challenge of peace-making in our own relational worlds. Our natural reaction to conflict is either fight or flight – punish or withdraw.

…

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes two things: 

• what life in the Kingdom of God is like, and 
• what should characterize those who live in it. 

Specifically, He says that Kingdom people will be c…

We all know that Christians are supposed to forgive.  Jesus said as much when He taught His disciples to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Mt. 6:12)

What’s intriguin…