Overflowing with Grace

Expressing God’s Abundant Grace in Our Lives, Our Relationships, and Our Ministries

Spiritual Warfare Conference Topics:

Session 1: Experiencing the Transforming Power of God’s Abundant Grace

Session 2: Hindrances to a Grace-Oriented Life

Session 3: Understanding the Grace of Forgiveness

Session 4: Practicing the Grace of Forgiveness

Session 5: Understanding the Destructive Power of Ungodly Judgments

Session 6: Experiencing Freedom from Ungodly Judgments

Introduction to the conference:

Scripture teaches us that God has lavished his abundant grace on each and every follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. We experience God’s grace at the beginning of our lives as Christians, when we are justified by grace through faith. However, we also walk in that grace each and every day of our lives, living as children of God who are loved and cherished by their perfect heavenly Father. In addition, this grace should overflow in our relationships with others, enabling us to bear with each other in love, to forgive those who hurt or offend us, and to avoid judging those who have wounded us by letting God be the one who sits in the place of judgment. This is what God desires for us as His children, but many of us struggle to experience and to express His grace for a variety of reasons. We invite you to join us in this conference as we learn together how to experience God’s abundant grace, and to express it in our lives, our relationships and our ministries.

Speakers' l introductions:

Dr. Tom Sappington

Dr. Tom Sappington was involved in pastoral ministry for 9 years before being called to ministry in the predominantly Muslim country of Indonesia, where he and his wife served for 15 years in Central Java. During his years in Indonesia, he taught various courses in New Testament, Spiritual Conflict and Pastoral Ministry at 6 branches of the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Indonesia, where students are required to win a minimum of 15 people to the Lord and disciple them to the point of baptism before graduation. This is no easy task in the world’s largest Muslim-dominated nation! Since the seminary was founded in 1979 by Dr. Chris Marantika, students and affiliated church planters have established tens of thousands of new congregations in various parts of Indonesia. The vision of the seminary is One-One-One: To establish one new congregation in every (one) village in Indonesia in this (one) generation.

Dr. Sappington also founded Duta Pembaharuan (Ambassadors of Renewal), a ministry that brings renewal, inner healing and deliverance to pastors and other church leaders in Indonesia, and trains them to use these ministries in the context of their local church. Since Ambassadors of Renewal held their first public training in the year 2000, the ministry has trained hundreds of Christian leaders and others to minister to others in the context of their local churches and in other Christian ministries. He has spoken in numerous churches and in other settings in various parts of Indonesia, including preaching at a revival service in East Kalimantan to around 10,000 people.

In his teaching at Biola and Talbot, Dr. Sappington combines a strong background in biblical and theological studies with his years of pastoral ministry and cross-cultural experience. He has written four books and enjoys sharing his passion for missions with students in any part of the world. He also ministers to many students at Biola and Talbot, helping them overcome the issues that have been hindering both their growth in Christ and their effectiveness in Christian ministry. He is currently writing his next book on the biblical and theological basis for the ministry of deliverance in the context of the local church. He earned his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, CA, his M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL and his Th.D. in New Testament studies from Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, Canada.

Mrs. Katy Sappington

Mrs. Katy Sappington has been actively involved in Christian ministry since her university years when she was active in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. During the Sappington’s five years in Toronto, Katy led evangelistic visitation teams sent out by the inner-city church in which they were involved, and, together with her husband, Tom, led a ministry to college students and young adults. Later, during Tom’s tenure as pastor in the state of Kentucky, she ministered together with him, serving in various capacities as needed in addition to caring for three young children. When Tom and Katy were called to Indonesia, she helped teach children in a collective school for missionary kids, then later taught drama at both the elementary and high school levels in an international school focused on the needs missionary children. She also counseled many missionaries, national leaders and other believers during their years in Indonesia, and was active in helping her husband found Duta Pembaharuan (Ambassadors of Renewal) to meet the needs of the body of Christ in that country. Since returning to the United States, she has spent around 20 hours a week ministering inner healing and deliverance to believers from Biola and Talbot as well as to missionaries and Christians from various churches throughout the greater Los Angeles area. The Sappingtons have also recently started helping churches in Southern California develop healing and deliverance ministries in their local churches.

Mrs. Sappington earned a B.A. at University of California, San Diego, CA, and has almost finished her M.A. at Biola University, La Mirada, CA. She is currently working on a book that shows how Jesus can bring healing to the guilt and shame experienced by many Christian women today.

The Sappingtons live in La Mirada, CA, and have been blessed with three adult children—two sons, Chris and Joel, who is married to Tricia, and one daughter, Amanda.