Have you ever known someone to cease being a faithful follower of Christ, only to seemingly slip away from the Lord and His church? Maybe it was a friend or family member. James calls it “wandering from the truth”. If “truth” in Christianity is what we claim it to be, to wander from the truth is to wander from the Lord Himself. Jesus made the boldest statement of all when He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life!” He claimed to be truth itself!

There was obviously no cameras in the early church. But James gives us a “picture” of the early church in chapter five. The early church was a praying and a praising church. The early church was a healing church; both physically and spiritually. The early church was a “confessing” church, meaning people actually confessed their sins to one another! What a concept! Lastly, the early church was an encouraging church. We explain what that really means.

Have you ever prayed for “patience” in a personal situation, a family matter, or a work or school difficulty? Maybe you have, perhaps it never occurred to you to do so! The book of James talks about patience in suffering. The early church did suffer persecution and intimidation for practicing their faith. Do you need patience for anything going on in your life right now?

A myth is defined as an opinion or belief that is unproven. We discuss three “money myths”, using the passage in James 5:1-6 this week. Money is the most sensitive issue in people’s lives! If you don’t believe it, start a “discussion” that involves money. Watch the sparks begin to fly! That’s especially true if it happens in a family conversation.

If there ever was a passage of the book of James that was more current or timely to study, this has to be one of them! It’s about people who are what we are calling “tomorrow thinkers”. We live, work, and socialize with people who are always talking about what they’re going to do tomorrow. Does that describe you or me? James talks about “tomorrow thinkers” and how tenuous that can be physically and spiritually. If the current crisis has taught us anything, it’s that we need to heed these words from the Word of God!

Most people think of the word “slander” as a legal term. That’s because it is! It means to defame someone verbally or orally. (Libel is defamation in writing.) But Biblically, slander is “speech that injures”. James deals with the issue in chapter four. It evidently was a problem in the early church, just as fighting and arguing were as well! Does it play any part in your life?

Several years ago, my mother died on the Tuesday before Easter. On that following Sunday, I decided that I “needed” to preach that Easter Sunday to remind myself of the hope that we have in the Risen Christ. This week we air that message from Luke 20, where Jesus talks about the people who are the “children of the Resurrection”. That is an exclusive title that applies to believers in the One who conquered death and walked out of the grave alive!

A major portion of life (that is unspoken) for many people is conflict. It manifests itself as conflict in the family, at work or school, in neighborhoods, and yes even in the church. James addresses the issue in the fourth chapter of the book with the question, “What causes fights and quarrels among you?” He then exposes the causes in your life and mine! Someone said this is the “touchiest” message in the series.

For some reason, this passage of scripture was difficult for me to preach. Why? Perhaps we have trouble comprehending the difference between worldly intelligence and Godly wisdom. Intelligence is measured by tests and exams; Godly wisdom is measured by a life that is lived. God gives wisdom; that means He has something to do with the way we live!

The most powerful “part” of the body is the tongue! In the same way that a ship’s rudder is small, yet it directs the movement of a massive ship. The bit of in a horse’s mouth is small, yet it boasts great power in controlling the whole animal. The tongue directs your body and mine! We can all give evidence of the power of someone’s speech in our lives. With our capacity to speak comes the power to bless and the power to curse!