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James Series | How do we receive from the Lord |James 4:1-10

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 Verses from ESV Intro:  We have been looking at James, the brother of Jesus writing to believers who are from a Jewish background, living as Church away from the places.  As we have been reading we are clear what James is intending us to have: REAL ACTIVE FATIH We have seen how faith is build in trials faith is used to separate faith is based on Word of God faith is based and build by doing the word faith is based by building control - tongue faith is based by openness faith is shown by our works faith is shown in humility and teachability James 4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? The early Christians were like us. They too were people. They too had issues.  James is saying that we have passions, our happy agendas that we want to achieve. And this creates in us a war. Even in the Church this is the case. Look, see this situation, imagine there are two brothers teaching, if they are competing to be better th
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James Series | Taming the tongue | James 3:1-12

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 We are continuing on our study of James. What have we learned so far? Trials are at the hand of a loving father This is another way of saving that God is Sovereign in our suffering. We are to know that this means that God has not abandoned us but rather it is he who preserves and strengthens us Like a father training his child, so does trials work together for our good. As in Romans 8:28 -- all things work together for the good ... Trials build us up and strengthens our faith muscles. Doubting In our steps of faith, things are not crystal clear We are not called to take calculated risks but rather risks based on our trust in God Trials are means to shake us and refine and strengthen our faith with better quality sand of word of God like how people do when they construct buildings with sieving sand., Placing our foot on the right thing Not in our richness Not in our influence But rather on God and on His word Trials separate wolves from sheeps Trials can be like temptation God cannot b
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Disciples Make Disciples - Sermon Notes

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Key Verses: Matthew 28:19-20 Acts 14:21 Background of Acts 14 Paul/ Shaul (Saul ) a sinner is saved by Christ and he sees Grace. He later meets the rest of the believers and the Spirit of Lord tells them to set apart Paul and Barnabas as evangelists. They begin their travel through Asia Minor and reach in chapter 14 Iconoum (Koyna)  in modern day Turkey. There are significant events in this chapter and we will see through them as we try to understand the nature of disciples and what we are called to be. This is not a special teaching but rather a way we all look together to the word. First of all we need to define who is a believer We are unable to save ourselves We are not able to meet the righteous requirements Only Christ was able to meet then It is Christ who gave us his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21 , Romans 4:5, Philippians 3:9 ) We take on his righteousness in faith The next step is to be with a Church (2 Timothy 2:22 -  So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness
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James Series | Hearers and Listeners | James 1:19-25

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Scripture: James 1:19-25 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
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James Series | Trial Temptation Tests and The Spirit | James 1:9-18

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          In the previous sermon, we learned that trials are not a punishment from an angry God but a means through which God disciplines his legitimate (adopted) Children. We saw how trials are meant for our Joy and how this is not a conceptional thing but rather an experiential journey. No one should assume that being joyful in trials is a means of knowledge acquired in any means other than personal experience. God expects us to come to Him and ask for wisdom. This is what the Spirit of God gives, wisdom. No one should assume that this wisdom is based on mental fortitude. This is based on a realisation that you are not strong enough, not wise enough on your own means. This is what trials does. It pushes people to be God dependent. This is what God desires us to do. To be reliant on Him. James as we looked earlier points to Proverbs and the Old testament as much as possible as His primary audience is the Jewish Christians.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart,     and do not lean
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James Series | Trials at the hand of a good father | James 1:1-8

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  When we go through trials and difficult times we are often faced with the following questions Does God really love me? Does God do His will for me? Is God's will for my life perfect? Will I like God's will for my life? Will God take the evil others have done to me and really turn it for my good? Will God repay the evil for the harm them did? James, writes his letter to the Jews who are Christians who ran away from Jerusalem during the time of troubles.   Notes:   (a)  James 1.3: List the different ways in which the trying of faith produces patience (ie: perseverance/endurance).  Faith is always tested - 1 Peter 1:7 and it is in the fire of testing that our faith becomes purer than gold worthy to honour God. A man of faith stands by the Word of God and waits for God to work and waits in patience.  During trying times, we may face the following questions  Is God there? Will God use what others meant for my evil for my good?  The Greek word for patience (hupomoné) also means
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Good Father

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In Luke 15, Jesus talks about a good father. He tells this to the sinners and tax collectors who come to him as well as the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus tells about a good father who loves the sinner who leaves the father and the family and waste his life away as well as the son who is at home living a life living a life where he obeys the father without knowing who the father is. The father is God - the one who calls both the sinner and the self righteous alike, loving both of them. Genuine repentance involves two main things. % Change of heart Coming to God Jesus talks about the issue with human heart in both the cases. The younger one found the world and its pleasures lovely and the elder one feared and considered the father unjust. This is same in the Church and across human heart. The unbeliever does not want to do anything with God and the church going unbeliever goes just to make sure that they are not wrong. Jesus came to adopt and bring home the lost sons. This is the go
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