Speaking In Tongues?
Interestingly, to show the evidence of Holy Spirit's infilling, God chose to use the tongue--a member of the body that is described in James 3:5 as capable of defiling the whole body. Although, in and of ourselves, we are unable to control the tongue, God uses it as this evidence to show our dependence on Him to reign in its capabilities. In this message, Pastor Chris lays out three points from James 3:1 - 12 that will guide us in our journey to control the tongue and use it for good rather than evil.
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- May 22, 2022Speaking In Tongues?
Speaking In Tongues?Interestingly, to show the evidence of Holy Spirit's infilling, God chose to use the tongue--a member of the body that is described in James 3:5 as capable of defiling the whole body. Although, in and of ourselves, we are unable to control the tongue, God uses it as this evidence to show our dependence on Him to reign in its capabilities. In this message, Pastor Chris lays out three points from James 3:1 - 12 that will guide us in our journey to control the tongue and use it for good rather than evil.
- May 1, 2022Working Out
Working OutWe really only have control over two things in our life--our attitude and our effort. Although we are saved by grace, true salvation is evidenced in our works. In this message, Pastor Chris continues the journey through James with James 2:14 - 26 and discusses how the ideas of "saved by grace" and "faith without works is dead" are not contradictory, but rather, complimentary.
- Apr 24, 2022Beating Bias
Beating BiasDiscrimination can have all sorts of faces. But, in the Kingdom of God, we all stand on the same foundation and the Gospel is a "whosoever" Gospel. In this message, Pastor Chris continues teaching through the book James and come to James 2:1 - 13. He exhorts us to be diligent in our witness by remembering that how we treat others really determines our level of maturity as Believers.
- Apr 3, 2022Five-Legged Dogs
Five-Legged Dogs"You can call a tail a leg if you want to. But a dog will still only have four legs." -Abraham Lincoln. We are living in a time when people are trying to redefine right and wrong. In this message, Pastor Chris comes to James 1:26 - 27 in his walk through the book of James. He reminds us that it is not just what we believe that makes the difference; but how that belief affects our behavior, our living. He highlights three points from the passage that will enable us to live out "pure and undefiled religion".
- Mar 20, 2022Don’t Just Hear…DO
Don’t Just Hear…DODreams do not work unless we do. To truly make an impact with our life, we cannot just be listeners; we must transition to doers and put feet to our faith. We must come to the point where we put into practice what we have been hearing, because what we do not respond to we will lose. In his continuation of the journey through James, Pastor Chris digs into James 1:22 - 25 and exhorts us to embrace a life of doing.
- Feb 20, 2022Deconstructing the Holy Life
Deconstructing the Holy LifeAs people of the Word, we are to pursue holiness. In fact, without it we cannot see God (Hebrews 12:14). So, biblically, what does holiness look like? Is it a list of do's and don'ts, a particular dress code, a prohibition of where or with whom we can hang out? In this message, Pastor Chris lays out what a holy life looks likes, according to James 1:19 - 21, and exhorts us to live our lives by Holy Spirit and not by flesh.
- Feb 13, 2022The Goodness of God
The Goodness of GodEveryone, at some point in life, will have to walk tough roads and will have tough questions that need answers. In those moments, we will be tempted to question God's goodness. We will be tempted to believe what we feel about the situation or what we have heard someone say about the situation. In this message, Pastor Chris lays out the strategy, referencing James 1:16 - 18, for standing in faith and believing what God says about the situation. Pastor Chris reminds us that God is our Source to meet any and every need we have.
- Feb 6, 2022L.S.D.
L.S.D.Evangelist R. G. Lee once said, "Sin will always take your farther than you want to go; it will always cost you more that you want to pay; and it will always keep you longer than you want to stay." No one is exempt from temptation and being tempted is not sinning. Acting on the the temptation is where the sin lies. In this message, Pastor Chris teaches from James 1:12 - 15, laying out the deathly progression: lust → sin → death. He reminds us though, that enduring through the crucible of temptation brings the crown of reward.
- Jan 16, 2022Christian Counterculture
Christian CountercultureIs there a solution to the problem of poverty? As Pastor Chris looks at James 1:9 - 11, he digs into this question, reminding us that God has blessed us to be a blessing. God has no problem with people having things; but He does have a problem with those things not being used to help others. The antithesis to poverty is not material prosperity; the antithesis to poverty is enough. The Church must not get swept into the mainstream thought of collecting things just to have the most things. We must see our blessings as a means to bless the less fortunate.
- Jan 9, 2022Wonderful Wisdom
Wonderful WisdomWe live in a time of escalating availability and accessibility of knowledge. But, there is a world of difference between knowledge and wisdom. In this message, Pastor Chris teaches from James 1:5 - 8 the difference between knowledge and wisdom. He encourages us, as we see the world around us devolve despite the prevalence of knowledge, to have the prayer readily available on our lips, "God, give me wisdom!"
- Jan 2, 2022Blessings and Battles
Blessings and BattlesOnce we become believers, our lives become smooth and easy...right? In this message, Pastor Chris reminds us that, as believers, we are fighting a real war against an enemy whose intentions for us and ours are not good. And, just because we find ourselves in the midst of a struggle does not mean that we missed God. He points out several observations from James 1:1 - 4 and brings encouragement to press on in God.
