I wonder if you can remember the first time you picked up the Old Testament and tried to read it? One thing you probably noticed right away is that it is really long. They say, 77.2 percent of the Bible is the Old Testament. And ten percent of the New Testament is the Old Testament…

It may be difficult to find ways to help those who are suffering physically while making a priority out of the gospel and planting churches but it is possible. William Carey did. He gave his life for the spread of the gospel. In fact, Carey did so much that many call him the ‘father of modern missions.’..

People have the problems they have right now for a number of different reasons. One reason they have problems is because they have been sinned against. They have problems because they are living in a world that has been deeply impacted by man’s rebellion against God…

While we won’t always know what to do when confronted with suffering, as Christians, clearly we will want to do something. When we begin to help however, we often discover that the problems people face are bigger than we thought and that providing solutions is more complicated than we imagined…

It's possible to know what Jesus did on the cross and even teach about what Jesus did on the cross without really appreciating the implications of that for the way you attempt to serve God…

We are all about the cross.Or are we?I am afraid that sometimes we fail to apply the way God worked through the cross to our lives as believers. The disciples in Luke certainly did. In Luke 9, Jesus shows several symptoms someone is forgetting about the cross…

One problem with the way we approach life is we often leave the cross out. In other words, we think about life without applying what Jesus' dying on the cross tells us about God and how God’s working in this world. We act like what Martin Luther called “theologians of glory”…

Getting Started: It may seem somewhat awkward to talk about this issue, but it is very important we do look at what the Bible teaches regarding sexual intimacy. Can you think of any reasons we should discuss this in a biblically appropriate way as a church…

If we are going to understand the Old Testament, there are a couple of key words we have to understand first.One is kingdom.Another is covenant.The Old Testament tells the story of how God is going to establish His kingdom, and it tells that story, through a series of covenants God makes with men…

We are looking at the Old Testament.What is the Old Testament about?Obviously you know the Bible is divided into two parts.The Old and New Testament. It wasn’t always called that, by the way, the Old and New Testament. Those were names given to them, I think, around the third century a.d…

Favoritism is a serious sin.Why?One reason according to James is because when you show favoritism, 'you become judges with evil motives.'In other words, when you show favoritism you are setting yourself up in God's place as a judge…

We’ve seen James condemns favoritism in James 2.But what does favoritism look like?He illustrates.Picture this scene in your minds. The church has gathered together. They've come to worship…

Ever had a rude awakening? I have nine children, so I have had plenty. Honestly, probably more of them, have been cute awakenings, actually. Like the time, I awoke to my two year old daughter singing, I may never march in the infantry…

Is your religion real? In James 1:26 and 27, we are given three tests. 1.) The way we speak. 2.) The way we relate to the vulnerable.And 3.) The way we relate to the world. Are we worldly? Over the past couple of posts we have been defining worldliness and thinking a little about why it is dangerous…

Worldliness is dangerous because it stains us. James says true religion is to 'keep oneself unstained by the world.'In other words, if you are not actively keeping yourself, you are going to be stained by the world…

Are you worldly? That’s an important question.After all, listen to James 1:27." This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father...to keep oneself unstained by the world." Worldliness is a problem because the world wants to stain you…

Yesterday we looked at what it means to speak against others.Today, why.Why do we speak evil against others? We speak against others because we think we know better than God's law…

What does it mean to speak evil against someone?Let me get specific.We speak against others when we speak words that are intended to hurt not to help. When you speak against someone your words are like soldiers that you send out to do war…

“Do not speak evil against one another brothers...” James 4:11Every week, every one of us experiences all sorts of different problems. Our car breaks down, a friendship crumbles, we lose our job…