In the third session of our EXPECT 2010 Church Leadership Conference, Pastor Carter Conlon of Times Square Church speaks about "Crisis Leadership."

In the opening session of our EXPECT 2010 Church Leadership Conference, Pastor Gary Wilkerson of The Springs Church talks about "Eager Expectations." It should be our eager expectation that we will not be ashamed; that we will live and die with full courage; and that we will rightly expect and fully experience fruitful labor.

In the second session of our EXPECT 2010 Church Leadership Conference, Nicky Cruz of Nicky Cruz Outreach speaks about overcoming spiritual depression. Our spiritual highs are often followed by spiritual lows. Elijah and Moses were both so depressed they asked God to take their life. Depression and burnout are an epidemic in the ministry. Many ministers are quitting because of moral failure, spiritual burnout, and contention in the church. Both Paul and David confessed their pain, trouble, and distress to God. Follow Jesus' example — draw away from the crowds and spend time with your Heavenly Father. He is listening and He cares!

When we are not in the Word of God we will not understand the signs of the times. We are living in a day when people are turning away from God to create their own right standing. As the days grow darker God is calling His people to stand in the Holy place. We are called to stand before the Cross and say, “Lord, take my life and heart into your hands and do what you will with it.” In this last hour of time will you stand in the Holy place and be what God created you to be and do what He called you to do for the Glory of God and the souls of men. When we stand in the holy place God will make His church beautiful and glorious and He will call us holy.

The times we live in are both the time of greatest need for Christ's message and the time of greatest opportunity to share it. Christ's death allows for justification and redemption of every human being on the planet, but His church is the method of delivery. All who call upon the Lord will be saved, but before they can call on Him they have to hear about Him, which is our duty as believers.

There are so many of us on this journey who truly desire to live a life that honors God. We come to church and work hard practicing self discipline only to end up like a stringed instrument that is wound up too tight. We become rigid in our determination to serve Him to the point that we can snap at any moment because we are bending under the weight of trying to do good and please God. Today we are reminded that God sends an invitation to all who are weary and heavy laden. He invites us to come into a power and a rest that is not our own. The call is to those who know they are dependent on God alone. The secret place of God's rest is not found in strength but in weakness. It's not found in knowledge but in complete trust in Him. Declare your trust in Jesus and He will take you into the secret place of His presence.

Is true community an option for a real disciple of Christ? God commands us to love Him and love others. Part of our new life in Christ is to be in community with other believers. If we neglect this, we are compromising in our complete obedience to Him. God is calling us out of this life of compromise to follow His example of community as He walked this earth. We don't have to do this in our own strength. God has called us to this life, established us and empowers us to be the center of His move on this earth.

Throughout Scripture God has called a people to himself — to establish community with Him and with each other. He prepares His people and fills them with the power to relieve suffering, heal the sick, and save lives from eternal death and separation from God. He gives common man the power to do uncommon things. Covenant Gospel community is not to build bigger churches, establish our own ministries, make friends, or maintain a social life; it is to lay down our lives for Christ and for others.

It is very hard to get right with God in the midst of panic and calamity. Now is the time to make right choices so we can have strength to get through the coming days. Fear is one of the most powerful weapons that Satan uses against God's people. Fear strips away our faith. Fear finds its strength against us when we look at what lies ahead and we come to a wrong conclusion that even with Christ within us we will not be able to make it through hard times. We must begin to embrace the Word of God so we can be empowered to do the will of God and the life of Christ can love through us to those who need a Savior.

We will all experience seasons of loneliness. Some of you may be wondering why you cannot get rid of this deep sense of loneliness. Is it possible that loneliness has deeper roots and a deeper purpose than you understand? Is it possible that we live trying to escape something that could truly have reason for being in our lives? This message suggests that loneliness is in your heart for a reason. God put an ache of loneliness in all humanity so we could find our way back to Him. But there is also something in the heart of God that is lonely for us. Is it possible that the loneliness in the human heart is in part God sharing with us His heart to have all people come back to Him? The next time you feel lonely consider that it is Christ in you trying to reach a lost and lonely generation.