Monthly Archives: October 2011
after faith: humble yourselves
James 4:1-10. The same apostle who advised us to count it all joy when we face trials now tells us to “be wretched and mourn and weep” – to humblle ourselves “before the Lord and he will exalt” us. Remember … Continue reading
Posted in church, commitment, discipleship, humility, submission, will of God
Tagged James 4
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after faith: no wisdom wars
James 3:13-18. James had warned the churches not to produce too many teachers. It seems that the churches were in danger of wisdom wars – where teachers would compete with each other for the loyalty of the other believers. James … Continue reading
Posted in church, conflict, discipleship, divisions, faith, gentleness, genuineness, kindness
Tagged James 3
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after faith: a disciplined tongue
James 3:1-12. James had encouraged the churches to prove their faith by their works. Many people were ambitious and wanted to be teachers like James. He warned them that with such authority came much responsibility. The tongue could do much … Continue reading
after faith: proof
James 2:14-26. After faith comes into a person’s life, there will always be things that the person does that demonstrate the validity of that faith. These works could never be the basis of that person’s salvation, but they can prove … Continue reading
Posted in church, discipleship, faith, faithfulness, genuineness, grace, works
Tagged James 2
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after faith: impartiality
James 2:1-13. James continues to show what it is supposed to look like after faith in Christ has come into a person’s life. One of the differences is that believers see each other differently. They do not judge by … Continue reading
after faith: his creatures
James 1. The purpose of James’ letter was to encourage a group of Jewish churches to stay true to their faith in Christ, and allow that faith to control their actions. Faith should produce steadfast living in times … Continue reading
Posted in discipleship, faith, faithfulness, genuineness, perseverance, witness
Tagged James 1
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evangelism: celebrating the team
Romans 16. Lest we get the mistaken assumption that Paul was single-handedly bringing the Gentile world to Christ, he includes the names of over 30 of his co-workers in this chapter. This serves as a reminder that the work of … Continue reading
evangelism: ministry and fellowship
Romans 15:14-33. We have seen that the whole of Romans has to do with evangelism. As Paul begins to conclude his letter, he describes that work using two metaphors. Paul’s work of bringing the gospel to the Gentiles … Continue reading
evangelism: perspective on edification
Romans 15:1-13. How we get along with other believers has a definite impact on our evangelism. When the watching world sees us biting and devouring each other over our differences, they think less of the gospel that we preach. When … Continue reading
evangelism: perspective on differences
Romans 14. Paul encourages believers in Rome to get along with each other by refusing to let differences be a cause for division. There will be differences among believers, but we dishonor our mutual Lord when we use those differences … Continue reading
Devotions 