Today we celebrate all of our students! We believe that they are not the generation that will one day change lives. Rather, they are the ones who right now are being used by God to help those around them! They are seeing lives changed and people taking #ONEstep! Six students sharing message that is sure to impact your life forever! Enjoy the messages by Josh Bolton, Sara Collins, John Martinson, Monyka Nuñez, Megan Edwards, & Mason Torres!

BELIEVERS CHURCH OF SYLVANIA

Twitter:@BCSylvania

Today we do something we have never done at BCSylvania before.  You will hear five people from our family each share a powerful five minute message with you. We believe that a simple five minute message used by God can impact a life for eternity!

Twitter: Clint  or  BCSylvania

(James 5:1-6 NLT) Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.

√ ATTITUDES of a giving life.

— Don’t HOARD it rather STEWARD it.

— Don’t handle it DECEITFULLY rather distribute it HONESTLY.

— Don’t SPEND selfishly rather SHARE generously.

(Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT) Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

√ ACTIONS of a giving life.

(James 5:7-12 NIV) Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear–not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.

— Be PATIENT.

√ God still HEALS PEOPLE!

√ God is also concerned about MY SOUL.

(Matthew 10:28 NIV) Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

(Luke 10:19-20 NLT) Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.

√ God wants me to GROW in faith.

(James 5:17-18 NLT) Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

1. Faith starts with a WORD from GOD.

(1 Kings 17:1 NLT) Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives–the God I serve–there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”

(Isaiah 55:11 NIV) so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

2. Faith continues when you HOLD ON to the WORD.

(James 3:13 NLT) If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.

Self-check:

1. God likes THEM MORE.

2. The world is MORE SATISFYING.

3. Others are WORSE THAN ME.

4. My plans ARE BEST.

The truth:

√ God is GOOD.

√ God is ETERNAL.

√ God is FAITHFUL.

(James 1:26 NLT) If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.

The tongue is:

1. Small but POWERFUL.

2. Powered by HELL.

3. Never TAMED.

4. Able to HELP or HURT.

Our response:

√ Check your SOURCE.

√ Think: TRUE, HELPFUL, INSPIRING, NECESSARY, KIND

√ ASK for help.

(James 1:19-21 NLT) Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

(Psalm 25:9 NLT) He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way.

√ Listening INDICATES value.

(James 1:22-25 NLT) But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

√ Actions demonstrate UNDERSTANDING.

(Galatians 6:9-10 NLT) So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone–especially to those in the family of faith.

(James 2:1-4 NLT) My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”–well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

(James 2:8-9 NLT) Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

(Leviticus 19:17-18 NLT) “Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. ……. but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

√ A impartial God shows the SAME FACE to everyone.