In this message, Pastor Hezekiah explores James 2:14-26 and the relationship between faith and works, addressing a passage that is often misunderstood. He explains that James is not teaching that people earn salvation through good works, but that genuine faith naturally produces a transformed life. Using the examples of Abraham and Rahab, Hezekiah shows how faith is revealed through action and obedience. He challenges listeners to stop striving to prove themselves and instead remain rooted in Jesus, the source of both faith and lasting change.

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About Riverview Church
Riverview Church is a multi-venue church based in Lansing, Michigan, where we invite everyone to know and enjoy Jesus as we stumble together in our pursuit to love like Him. Learn more at https://rivchurch.com

In this message, Pastor Tony examines James 2:14-26 and the often-debated relationship between faith and works. Looking at the examples of Abraham and Rahab, he explains that good works do not earn salvation but reveal the reality of genuine faith. Noel contrasts a faith that is only claimed with a faith that produces visible change, obedience, and compassion. He challenges listeners to see good works not as a way to gain God’s acceptance, but as the natural result of a life transformed by grace.

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About Riverview Church
Riverview Church is a multi-venue church based in Lansing, Michigan, where we invite everyone to know and enjoy Jesus as we stumble together in our pursuit to love like Him. Learn more at https://rivchurch.com

In this message, Pastor James explores the relationship between faith and works in James 2:14-26, addressing a question that has sparked debate for centuries. Using the story of Abraham and Isaac, he explains that good works do not earn salvation but reveal the reality of a genuine faith. Pastor James distinguishes between being declared righteous by God and growing in righteousness through a life of obedience, showing how faith becomes visible through action. He challenges listeners to move beyond a passive belief and live in a way that makes the character of Jesus tangible to the people around them.

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About Riverview Church
Riverview Church is a multi-venue church based in Lansing, Michigan, where we invite everyone to know and enjoy Jesus as we stumble together in our pursuit to love like Him. Learn more at https://rivchurch.com

In this message, Noel explores the challenge of favoritism through James 2, arguing that the way we treat people often reveals whose values we trust—God’s or the world’s. He explains that showing preference based on wealth, appearance, or status is incompatible with the gospel because every person has equal worth and standing before God. Drawing on Jesus’ teaching about loving our neighbors, James challenges listeners to replace judgment with mercy and to resist the instinct to rank people according to worldly measures. The message concludes with a reminder that mercy triumphs over judgment and that followers of Jesus are called to extend the same mercy they have received.

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About Riverview Church
Riverview Church is a multi-venue church based in Lansing, Michigan, where we invite everyone to know and enjoy Jesus as we stumble together in our pursuit to love like Him. Learn more at https://rivchurch.com

In this message, Noel explores James 1:19–27 and argues that spiritual growth begins with seeing ourselves through the lens of the gospel rather than through our failures. He challenges listeners to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, noting that outrage and argument rarely produce the kind of life God intends. Using James’ mirror analogy, Noel explains that many people become discouraged by focusing on their shortcomings instead of remembering who they are in Christ. The message concludes with a call to let that identity shape everyday actions, relationships, and care for others.

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About Riverview Church
Riverview Church is a multi-venue church based in Lansing, Michigan, where we invite everyone to know and enjoy Jesus as we stumble together in our pursuit to love like Him. Learn more at https://rivchurch.com

In this message, Noel explains how the Book of Psalms serves as a healthy tool for processing human emotion, comparing it to "spiritual breathing" where believers exhale their honest pain and inhale God's grace. Focusing on Psalm 22, he highlights how King David’s ancient words of suffering remarkably foreshadowed the literal details of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

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Subscribe to AfterWords on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Visit us online: rivchurch.com

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In this message, Hezekiah addresses the critical distinction between God’s testing and the nature of temptation as outlined in James chapter one. He emphasizes that while God utilizes life's trials to build maturity and endurance, temptation originates from our own internal desires rather than from God. Hezekiah illustrates how small, seemingly harmless thoughts can progress into destructive sin, but counters this reality with the unchanging goodness of God.

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Subscribe to AfterWords on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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In this message, Tony addresses the warning from James chapter one: do not be deceived about God's character in the midst of life's difficulties. He outlines the critical differences between trials, tests, and temptations, clarifying that while hardships are inevitable, God never tempts believers or sets them up to fail.

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Subscribe to AfterWords on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Visit us online: rivchurch.com

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In this message, Andrew addresses the warning from James chapter one: do not be deceived about God's character in the midst of trials. He outlines two common lies people often believe—that trials are actually temptations sent directly from God, and that giving into sin will ultimately lead to lasting happiness and life. The speaker counters these deceptions with the truth of God’s unchanging goodness, pointing to the primary display of that goodness in the new life offered to believers through Jesus Christ.

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Download a copy of the Exodus Journal

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Subscribe to AfterWords on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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In this message, Noel introduces a 13-week study on the New Testament book of James by exploring how to shift our perspective on life's difficulties. Rather than spiraling into panic or despair during a crisis, listeners are challenged to view both minor disruptions and major life storms as opportunities to build spiritual endurance.

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Download a copy of the Exodus Journal

Visit us online: rivchurch.com

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Send us feedback: [email protected]

Subscribe to AfterWords on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Visit us online: rivchurch.com

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Send us feedback: [email protected]