Neighbor Me

Key Text: James 2:14-26

"Here is a genuinely frightening truth that should give you and me pause. It is possible to claim, and to believe you possess, genuine saving faith when in fact you do not. It is possible, in other words, to believe you have things sorted with God—that you will not face his judgement, that there is hope for you beyond he grave—and yet remain under the judgement of God. It is possible, in short, unknowingly to possess counterfeit faith." ~ Sam Allberry, James For You.

James' challenge to us needs to be taken seriously. Join us this week as we consider the next part of our series on the book of James.

Key Text: James 2:1-13

It doesn't get much more direct than this: "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory."—James 2:1 (ESV)

Elsewhere, Paul says, "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."—1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (ESV)

We shouldn't be too hasty in thinking we're beyond this. Join us this week as we sit with the challenge of showing no partiality.

Key Text: James 1:19-27

"When our listening slows, it is not only our speaking that can quicken, but also our temper. Such anger is not pleasing to God "because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires" (v20). What we do with words, both those we speak and those spoken to us, greatly affects the way we live." — Sam Allberry, 'James For You'.

Join us this week for our next instalment in the 'What The Gospel Looks Like' series as we work through the book of James.

Key Text: James 1:9-18

Pride is more a problem than you may realise—one we are fairly quick to see in others, but rarely notice in ourselves. What does James have to say about pride and deception?

Key Text: James 1:1-8

Our next major series focuses in on James' punchy letter in the New Testament. Often referred to as living the Christian life 'where the rubber hits the road', James' description of gospel effect is practical and hard hitting. As you read through this little book, you will see the significance of demonstrable truth, faith in action, and words backed up with deeds; this is a series where we aim to discover what the gospel looks like, not just what it sounds like.

Join us this week as Tim Blatch leads into our new series by speaking from James 1:1-8

As a culture, we are obsessed with 'fearlessness'.

"Man up!"—"Don't be such a princess!", and my personal favourite, "Take a teaspoon of cement and harden up!"

The Bible has a lot to say about not being afraid as well, but its message is fundamentally different.

Join us this week as Chris unpacks a Biblical perspective on courage, and how the gospel informs the fearless life.

Key Text: Mark 4:1–20 (ESV)

1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 

10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that 

      “they may indeed see but not perceive, 
      and may indeed hear but not understand, 
      lest they should turn and be forgiven.” 

13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”