🎙️ The Weight of Waiting
James 5 | Pastor Matthew Cole | 8.30.26
Waiting is hard, especially when you’ve prayed, trusted, and believed... and nothing seems to be changing.
But waiting doesn’t mean God is absent.
This week, Pastor Matthew walks through James 5 and reminds us that there is purpose in the waiting. God is still moving in places we can’t see. He is strengthening our hearts, growing our faith, and teaching us to keep showing up even when the field looks barren.
Don’t waste the wait. Keep praying. Keep serving. Keep planting. Keep being faithful to the last thing God told you to do.
Because just because God hasn’t done it yet doesn’t mean He isn’t doing something.
And if He was faithful before, He will be faithful again. ❤️
What if instead of asking, “God, when?” we started asking, “God, what do You want to do in me while I wait?”
🎧 Catch this week’s message from Pastor Matthew Cole on The Bridge Ministries Podcast. 

LET GOD BE GOD | James 4:11-17 & Mark 4:35-41
Pastor Matthew Cole | The Bridge Ministries Podcast | August 23, 2026 | Second Service

Let God be God.

We say we trust Him, but what happens when the storm comes? When tomorrow feels uncertain? When something isn't going the way we planned? So often our first instinct is to grab hold of it, fix it, control it, or figure out what happens next.

The disciples were in the boat with Jesus, terrified of a storm they couldn't control, while the One who had authority over the wind and the waves was right there with them.

And how often do we do the same thing?

God is the Judge. God holds tomorrow. God deserves our obedience. Sometimes the most obedient thing we can do is move when God says move. And sometimes it's taking our hands completely off something that was never ours to handle in the first place.

It's not your job to carry God-weight.

So where are you trying to carry something that belongs to God? Where are you trying to control tomorrow, fix someone else, force an outcome, or make sense of a storm when Jesus is already in the boat?

During second service, Pastor Matthew Cole followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and the message took a different direction. And maybe there's something in that for all of us too. How willing are we to change direction when the Holy Spirit says, We're going this way instead?

If you've been carrying something too heavy, trying to figure out what happens next, or struggling to surrender control, we invite you to listen to this week's message from The Bridge Ministries Podcast.

You don't have to have your hands on everything.

Let God judge. Let God hold tomorrow. Let God lead. You just obey.

Let God be God.

🎙️ On this episode of The Bridge Ministries Podcast, Pastor Matthew Cole brings a message from James 3:13–18 and James 4:1–10 titled, “Out of Order.”Sometimes the problem isn’t that the things we desire are bad. The problem is that they’ve gotten out of order.When our desires become our master, pride takes the place of humility, and we begin looking to the wisdom of the world instead of wisdom from above, disorder follows. Whatever has our greatest affection will eventually have our greatest influence.But James gives us the way back: submit to God, draw near to Him, take sin seriously, and humble ourselves before Him.Prayer isn’t about convincing God to give us what we want. It’s about bringing what we want under the authority of His will.Maybe the question isn’t, “Is this a good thing?”Maybe it’s, “Is this a God thing, and is it in the right place?”What has gotten out of order in your life?🎧 Listen now to “Out of Order” on The Bridge Ministries Podcast.

What if the words you speak every day are saying more about your heart than you realize?On this episode of The Bridge Ministries Podcast, Pastor Matthew Cole challenges us to take a closer look at The Weight of Words.Our words can build up or tear down. They can encourage someone forward or leave wounds we may never see. They can point people toward Jesus, or become the very thing standing in the way.So how are you using yours?We invite you to listen as we look at what Scripture teaches about the power of our words, the condition of our hearts, and what it looks like to speak with truth, love, and grace.Because following Jesus isn't just about changing the way we act. It's allowing Him to transform our hearts, and letting that transformation change the way we speak.🎧 Join us for The Weight of Words on The Bridge Ministries Podcast.

🎙️ On this episode of The Bridge Ministries Podcast, Pastor Matthew Cole continues our study through the book of James with a message titled "The Evidence of Faith."Faith is more than something we say. Genuine faith is revealed by the way we live. James reminds us that faith without works is dead, because true faith always produces fruit. So stop putting your faith in changing circumstances and start putting your faith in the unchanging God. Join us as we explore what biblical faith really looks like and why genuine faith is always demonstrated through a transformed life.

🎙️ On this episode of The Bridge Ministries Podcast...Pastor Matthew Cole brings a powerful message from James 2:1-13 titled "The Ground Is Level at the Cross."What does favoritism reveal about our hearts? Why does God call His church to love without partiality? And what does it truly mean to show the same mercy that Christ has shown us?At the foot of the cross, no one stands higher than anyone else. We have all sinned, we all need the same Savior, and we are all recipients of the same amazing grace.Join us as we discover why mercy triumphs over judgment, why people matter because they matter to God, and how the Church is called to reflect the heart of Jesus to a world that desperately needs Him.🎧 Listen today, and be encouraged to love God, love people, and remember that the ground is level at the cross.

James 1:19-27

1. Receive the Word

A. Attentive ears and a restrained mouth

B. A controlled temper

C. A humble heart

2. Respond to the Word

A. Avoid self-deception

B. Apply the truth

C. Abide in the word

3. Reveal the Word

A. Guard your speech

B. Give compassion

C. Guard your purity

James 1:1-12

2 Tim 4:7-8

What to do when you don't know what to do

1. You have to know what to ask for.

• Ask for wisdom - ask in faith & with confidence

2. You have to know what to look at.

• Look beyond your circumstances. God remains the same regardless of the circumstance

3. You have to know what to live for.

When we go through trials it is to strengthen us & mature us. Trials help build our faith

When you are going through trials do you ask for wisdom to know how to praise Him through it?

When you are in a fire, God does not remove His hand from you, He is in the fire with you.

In this episode of the Bridge Ministries podcast, Pastor Matthew Cole presents a challenging message entitled "When God’s People Get Serious," urging listeners to move beyond a casual faith and into a life of deliberate commitment. Drawing from the devotion of the early church in the book of Acts, Pastor Cole asks a probing question: we are all devoted to something—such as our families, sports, or the gym—but are we truly devoted to God?​The discussion explores what it looks like to cultivate a "life of piety," defined as a life shaped for God and marked by reverence and worship. Pastor Cole emphasizes that a genuine, serious faith requires constant communion with the Father, highlighting that both private and corporate prayer are essential because a "praying church is a stable church".​Listeners are encouraged to examine whether they are living out the truth every day and if they are truly obedient to the call on their lives. By looking at Hebrews 10:23–25, the episode underscores the importance of fellowship, reminding us that we must actively "stir up one another" in love rather than neglecting the gathering of believers. Ultimately, this message serves as a call to action for those ready to deepen their dependence on God and embrace a life of bold, obedient faith.

In this message from 1 John, Brother Joshua Tanner reminds us that love is not merely a feeling—it is a choice. God demonstrated that choice when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us while we were still sinners. Because God is love, we cannot truly love others apart from Him. Many people claim to love God while harboring resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness toward others, but Scripture teaches that if we do not love our brother and sister, whom we can see, how can we love God whom we cannot see? Brother Joshua challenges listeners to examine their hearts and recognize that agape love is sacrificial, committed, and proven through action. Just as Christ willingly gave His best for us, we are called to give ourselves for others. Love is not always easy, and forgiveness is often painful, but perfect love drives out fear and reflects the heart of God. This episode encourages believers to move beyond emotions and embrace the daily commitment to love God and love people the way Christ first loved us.