James gives us a simple test for our simple religion. The test is this:

1. Do you control your tongue?
2. Do you have compassion of the helpless and hopeless?
3. Do you keep yourself unstained from the world?

Joel helps us deal with suffering by giving us the proper perspective and pattern for dealing with the pain while placing our faith in the great God of the Bible. He also calls us to heed the warnings of the suffering we endure. They are meant to purify us and lead us to live repentant life so we will escape the judgment of the great day of the Lord.

What is simple religion? That's a great question. James answers it by saying it is a combination of a heart commitment to Christ and a life lived in obedience to Christ and based on the word of truth. In short, it is the belief and practice of a person who's profession of faith in Christ matches his/her behavior leading to a life of consistency.

God has given us his wisdom in his word. Our responsibility is to listen to it, clean out our lives, and follow the wisdom we find in the Bible.

God tests our faith through trials in order to make our spiritual journeys complete. These tests are are good gifts from God because they come from a good God and they make us complete in Christ. God's great desire for us is to make us like Jesus -- the picture of perfect humanity. We will never reach completion or perfection on this earth, but we are sure to reach it at the Day of the Lord should we remain steadfast in our faith. This is a wonderful encouragement to us

Calling us to prayerfully identify 3 people for whom we can pray and hopefully see come to Christ.

The question of what kind of church are we is one that every congregation must continually ask. Buzzy Elder, our Minister of Visitation, helps us think through that question by phrasing it, "Are We a 5-Star Church?" The 5 stars are: devotion to the apostles teaching, fellowship, breaking of the bread, prayers, and generously meeting one another's needs.

A disciple of Christ is one actively involved in reproducing himself or herself asa disciple of the Lord Jesus. Jon us as we talk about practical steps we can take to join Christ in his mission to make disciples.