CCW Podcast

What a great summer we've had walking through James together! The letter of James is Christianity with its sleeves rolled up. It is the working person's practical guide to living the Christian life. It spells out what it means to follow Jesus day by day. James emphasizes faith in action. The Church must serve with compassion, speak lovingly, and truthfully, live in obedience to God commands, and love one another. The body of believers ought to be an example of heaven's principles applied on earth, drawing people to Christ through the love of God and one another. if we truly believe God's Word, we will live it day by day. God's Word is not merely something we read or think about, but something we do. This Sunday we will wrap up this great study by looking at part two of the Wayward Brother.

This Sunday we will be looking at how we can Restore the Wayward from the last few verses in the James’ letter. James says that Christians can stray away from the truth (James 5:19). When this happens, the believers of the church are to seek to convert them, that is to lead them to repentance. The word convert means to turn, to take him by the hand and lead him to repentance. What a descriptive picture: loving one another so much that as soon as a believer slips into sin we take him or her by the hand and help them come back to the Lord. What a different place the church and world would be if we loved one another so much that we actually did this! How desperately such a ministry of restoration is needed today! Remember when we turn a believer around from his or her sin, we save their soul from death, and cover a multitude of sin (James 5:20).

Prayer is certainly a high and holy privilege. To think that, as God's children, we can come freely and boldly to His throne and share with him our needs! (Hebrews 4:16) Seven times in James 5:13-20, James mentions prayer. The mature Christian is prayerful in the troubles of life. Instead of complaining about his situation, he talks to God about it; and God hears and answers his prayers. "Taking it to Lord in prayer" is certainly a mark of spiritual maturity. This Sunday we will see how James encourages us to pray by describing four situations in which God answers prayer. Don't miss this life changing message this Sunday, as God's word teaches us how to pray.

Time is precious. So, is it any wonder that waiting has become the most hated and frustrating experience in life? We wait in bank lines, in supermarkets lines, at the doctor's office, and in traffic, especially on Highway 280. And while we wait, we are wasting time. I know you feel like I do that I need more time to get it all done. James 5:7-12 is for us! The words patience, endurance, and perseverance are mentioned no less than six times. Patience is the quality that the apostle Paul continually stressed as a requirement for a godly life. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness," Galatians 5:22 (ESV). This Sunday as we walk through this passage verse by verse, we will learn together some things about patience that will help us live the Christian life with greater integrity as followers of Christ.

"If money talks," said a popular comedian, "all it ever says to me is good-bye!" But money was not saying "good-bye" to the men James addressed in this fifth chapter of his letter. These men were rich, and their riches were being used for selfish purposes, as well as persecuting the poor in the process. James did not say it was sinful to be rich. After all, Abraham was a wealthy man, yet he walked with God, and was greatly used of God to bless the whole world. James was very concerned about how they were using their wealth, and advised them to "weep and howl." A judgement day is coming, and we will give an account of how we used our money. This Sunday we will look at the three exhortations James gave to the wealthy about their wealth. The principles apply to all of us, whether we are poor, struggling to make ends meet, comfortable, or wealthy.

This Sunday we will be looking at James 4:13-17, which deals with people living their lives without God. Solomon wrote a whole book that describes life without God, the book of Ecclesiastes. In it, he explores all that life on this earth has to offer. As the richest and wisest man who ever lived, he had access to the finest things the world could afford. And what did he find in a world of pleasures devoid of God? "The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing" (Ecclesiastes 1:8). However, at book's end, he tells us that a life lived in the fear of God is a meaningful life (Ecclesiastes 12:13). This Sunday we will see what James has to say about A life Lived without God. It’s a sobering message, but one that we need to hear!