The first six verses of our text talks about the injustice of our world. Such evil injustice can weigh heavy upon followers of Christ. James specifically speaks concerning the injustice of the wealthy. There is certainly nothing wrong with being wealthy. However, there are those who are wealthy that will take advantage of those who…
In the over 15 years that I have served in full-time ministry, I have seen numbers of people who have dropped out of church. In order to be an outward focused Christian, we must declare, as Thom Rainer says, I will not be a church dropout. There are several reasons why people drop…
Psalm 64 speaks concerning those who seek to destroy us with their tongues. Words can certainly do a lot of damage. Gossip, slander, rumors; all are very destructive. How do we respond when we are the subject of such attacks? Do we intervene? Do we attempt to defend ourselves? Do we go on the offensive…
Money is a topic that many people do not like to talk about. It is often thought of as a personal matter and, therefore, should be kept quiet. However, the Bible teaches us a lot about money. In fact, Jesus Himself spoke a great deal about money. Many church members do not like to hear…
One of the primary purposes of the church is evangelism. As a matter of fact, that is what the church is elected to do. We have been chosen by God to be His ambassadors to this earth. Everything we do as a church must have as its purpose to reach people with the Gospel of…
There was a man in Boston who was entertaining a famous Chinese scholar. He met his Oriental friend at the train station and rushed him to the subway. As they ran through the subway station, the host panted to his guest, “If we run and catch this next train, we will save three minutes!” To…
There are many great and powerful weapons in the world today. Over the years, man has used the resources God has given us on this planet and has developed powerful weapons of war. However, there is one weapon that is more deadly and powerful than all the nuclear and chemical weapons combined. That weapon is:…
We live in a consumer based society where it is all about what I can get and how much I can get for myself. Unfortunately, this mentality has found its way in the church. We tend to think that the local church is there to serve us. However, this is not how God intended the…
The New International Greek Testament Commentary says, “A ‘faith’ which is purely doctrinal and does not result in pious action (i.e. charity) is a dead sham, totally useless for salvation. True faith reveals itself in pious deeds of love, as the examples of Abraham and Rahab show.”[1] This is one of the most intriguing passages…
Next to worship and evangelism, helping each other to grow in our walk with God is one of the main purposes of the church. An outwardly focused Christian is one who will declare: ‘I will grow together with others.’ Thom Rainer points out the importance of small groups in the local church when he says,…
Pastor Chris Noland 