June 23, 2024 • James Allison • James 3:14–18, James 4:1–10
James 3:1-13
June 16, 2024 • David Schmidt • James 3:1–13
Is it Faith or is it Works?
June 9, 2024 • Andrew Hendrick • James 2:14–26
Favoritism Forbidden
June 2, 2024 • Ronnie Stevens • James 2:1–13
James 2:1-13
The Good And Perfect Father
May 26, 2024 • James Allison • James 1:13–27
Last week we started a new series in The Book of James. This book is about real faith. Not a faith that fills out a card or raises a hand, but is otherwise invisible to the world around us. But instead, this book is about the faith that is so infectious that when it grabs hold of your heart it works it’s way out into every single area of your life.
Last week we talked about the kind of person that can rejoice in the midst of pain is someone who knows something. Not someone who's out of touch with reality but someone who's in touch with a deeper reality. Someone who understands that there's potential locked up in their pain. And that although this situation is uncomfortable, I can know that God is working in it to grow my faith and trust in Him.
So, we looked at Joy being the awareness of God's grace in your life. Joy isn't informed by circumstances; true joy informs every circumstance. And we can experience this way of looking at things as trials come our way because in faith, we can see the trial as a deposit and not a withdrawal. The trials are coming not to destroy us but to develop us - and ultimately deepen our faith.
So, we know that God tests us so that we can stand. But the enemy will tempt us so that we will fall. And today we will see that the temptation in trials is to break trust with God. As temptations come our way, we have a choice to react in faith or unbelief. Will we trust that God is strong enough to provide for us? Is God faithful to meet our needs? Is God compassionate about our pain and heartbreak? Can I trust Him?
Today we’ll be looking at how we choose to answer those questions about God on our worst days. And as we’ll see, how we view God as a Father, will go a long way in determining just what answer we respond with.
Joy: The Greater Reality
May 19, 2024 • James Allison • James 1:1–12
The Book of James is about real faith. James is about the kind of faith that actually works. Not a faith that it is an internal decision that is invisible to the world around us, but instead about the faith that is so infectious that when it grabs hold of your heart it works it’s way out into every single area of your life.
What The Book of James is going to do over the next couple of weeks is strip away the exterior and start with the interior of who we are. Which is the opposite of what we do sometimes in the church world. We lead with the exterior. We lead with what we do or don’t do. The whole time God wants to talk about the interior; the condition of our heart and our relationship with Jesus.
The Book of James is talking about a kind of faith that actually impacts how you see and move in the world. A faith that determines how you treat your friends, how you make your plans, how you spend your money, how you spend your time, how you handle situations in life. When Jesus awakens our heart on the inside things start to happen on the outside.
