If you have a leadership role in your church, then you’ll want to listen to this lesson to learn the meaning of elders, shepherds, and overseers. See what the motive should be for being a leader and what the motive should not be. At the end of the lesson, listen to Ralph LaRosa, a missionary to the Philippines, as he presents some of his many ministries and how the Lord has always cared for all his needs.

143 - Leading the Church: The Beginnings [c]

This epistle focuses on the critical doctrine of how we face adversity and how we are to think about it in our lives. The key word is the word for suffering and its many synonyms. The purpose is to remind all believers that God has a destiny and a future inheritance for them. What we think of as speed bumps interfering with our personal plans are actually God’s training tools and are to be expected, rejoiced in, and not dreaded.