Crosswinds Weekly Messages

It's the Christmas season, and for believers, Advent season. Advent means "to come" and is appropriately used to refer to the coming of our Savior. The Advent season includes the four Sundays before Christmas. It's a season of devotion and remembrance of Christ coming in the flesh and moving into our neighborhood, so to speak, as well as His Second Coming. Four candles are lit in the four weeks leading up to Christmas, representing hope, love, joy, and peace, which are four wonderful results of a saving relationship with Christ. Then, on Christmas Eve, we light the Christ candle, celebrating God demonstrating His love for us by sending the Savior. In this series, we will be celebrating Advent by recognizing that remembering that first Christmas can make our current one a genuine Christmas to remember.

It's the Christmas season, and for believers, Advent season. Advent means "to come" and is appropriately used to refer to the coming of our Savior. The Advent season includes the four Sundays before Christmas. It's a season of devotion and remembrance of Christ coming in the flesh and moving into our neighborhood, so to speak, as well as His Second Coming. Four candles are lit in the four weeks leading up to Christmas, representing hope, love, joy, and peace, which are four wonderful results of a saving relationship with Christ. Then, on Christmas Eve, we light the Christ candle, celebrating God demonstrating His love for us by sending the Savior. In this series, we will be celebrating Advent by recognizing that remembering that first Christmas can make our current one a genuine Christmas to remember.

A standalone message about being thankful to God for all He has done for us.

A standalone message about God's faithfulness to guide us in what He's called us to.

The book of James is historically understood to have been written by a brother of Jesus around 60 AD. Both Paul and James deal with the topic of faith. It can be said they come at it from two sides of the same coin. Paul answers the question, how is salvation acquired? The answer is by faith alone! James answers the question, how is genuine saving faith recognized? The answer is by its fruits! In short, authentic Christian faith is shown by one's good works. Though Paul clearly instructs us in Romans that salvation is by faith alone and not by good works (Rom 3:28), James clarifies that good works will follow genuine faith (James 2:14). The bottom line is that "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17). For those who think it's enough just to believe in God, James says, "even the demons believe—and shudder" (James 2:19). In our series we receive practical wisdom for living the Christian life as we gain a fuller understanding of a faith that works.

The book of James is historically understood to have been written by a brother of Jesus around 60 AD. Both Paul and James deal with the topic of faith. It can be said they come at it from two sides of the same coin. Paul answers the question, how is salvation acquired? The answer is by faith alone! James answers the question, how is genuine saving faith recognized? The answer is by its fruits! In short, authentic Christian faith is shown by one's good works. Though Paul clearly instructs us in Romans that salvation is by faith alone and not by good works (Rom 3:28), James clarifies that good works will follow genuine faith (James 2:14). The bottom line is that "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17). For those who think it's enough just to believe in God, James says, "even the demons believe—and shudder" (James 2:19). In our series we receive practical wisdom for living the Christian life as we gain a fuller understanding of a faith that works.

The book of James is historically understood to have been written by a brother of Jesus around 60 AD. Both Paul and James deal with the topic of faith. It can be said they come at it from two sides of the same coin. Paul answers the question, how is salvation acquired? The answer is by faith alone! James answers the question, how is genuine saving faith recognized? The answer is by its fruits! In short, authentic Christian faith is shown by one's good works. Though Paul clearly instructs us in Romans that salvation is by faith alone and not by good works (Rom 3:28), James clarifies that good works will follow genuine faith (James 2:14). The bottom line is that "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17). For those who think it's enough just to believe in God, James says, "even the demons believe—and shudder" (James 2:19). In our series we receive practical wisdom for living the Christian life as we gain a fuller understanding of a faith that works.

The book of James is historically understood to have been written by a brother of Jesus around 60 AD. Both Paul and James deal with the topic of faith. It can be said they come at it from two sides of the same coin. Paul answers the question, how is salvation acquired? The answer is by faith alone! James answers the question, how is genuine saving faith recognized? The answer is by its fruits! In short, authentic Christian faith is shown by one's good works. Though Paul clearly instructs us in Romans that salvation is by faith alone and not by good works (Rom 3:28), James clarifies that good works will follow genuine faith (James 2:14). The bottom line is that "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17). For those who think it's enough just to believe in God, James says, "even the demons believe—and shudder" (James 2:19). In our series we receive practical wisdom for living the Christian life as we gain a fuller understanding of a faith that works.

The book of James is historically understood to have been written by a brother of Jesus around 60 AD. Both Paul and James deal with the topic of faith. It can be said they come at it from two sides of the same coin. Paul answers the question, how is salvation acquired? The answer is by faith alone! James answers the question, how is genuine saving faith recognized? The answer is by its fruits! In short, authentic Christian faith is shown by one's good works. Though Paul clearly instructs us in Romans that salvation is by faith alone and not by good works (Rom 3:28), James clarifies that good works will follow genuine faith (James 2:14). The bottom line is that "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17). For those who think it's enough just to believe in God, James says, "even the demons believe—and shudder" (James 2:19). In our series we receive practical wisdom for living the Christian life as we gain a fuller understanding of a faith that works.

The book of James is historically understood to have been written by a brother of Jesus around 60 AD. Both Paul and James deal with the topic of faith. It can be said they come at it from two sides of the same coin. Paul answers the question, how is salvation acquired? The answer is by faith alone! James answers the question, how is genuine saving faith recognized? The answer is by its fruits! In short, authentic Christian faith is shown by one's good works. Though Paul clearly instructs us in Romans that salvation is by faith alone and not by good works (Rom 3:28), James clarifies that good works will follow genuine faith (James 2:14). The bottom line is that "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17). For those who think it's enough just to believe in God, James says, "even the demons believe—and shudder" (James 2:19). In our series we receive practical wisdom for living the Christian life as we gain a fuller understanding of a faith that works.