A faith worth having is a faith you can see, in how you wait, how you speak, and how you treat the person right in front of you.
The letter of James is blunt and practical, and over eleven Sundays in the fall of 2023 we walked through it from start to finish. James never lets faith stay an idea. He pushes it into the trials we face, the words we say, the way we treat the rich and the poor, and the plans we make for tomorrow. The result is a portrait of mature faith, the kind that shows up when life gets hard.
Mark, Tim, and Kyle traded weeks and let James do the work, from considering it pure joy in trials, to faith without action being dead, to taming the tongue, to the fights that start closest to home, to praying for one another. It mattered because James asks the question we'd rather avoid. If nothing about your life is changing, what is your faith doing? This series invites you to take an honest look and to live what you say you believe.
September to November 2023 · 11 Weeks
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
James 1:22
Prefer to watch start to finish? We've put the whole James series into one video on our YouTube channel.
James 1:1-12
Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds. It is one of the hardest sentences in the New Testament, and this message opens the James series by taking it at face value. Reading James 1:1-12. Taught by Pastor Mark Addis.
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James 1:12-27
James refuses to let anyone blame God for temptation, or Satan either. This message reads James 1:12-27 and traces the sin cycle one stage at a time, then offers three guardrails. Taught by Pastor Tim Rolen.
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James 2:1-13
Two visitors arrive at church the same morning. One parks a Ferrari, the other walks up the driveway in torn clothes. This message reads James 2:1-13 on favoritism, and argues it is not a bad habit but a sin the Bible names. Taught by Pastor Mark Addis.
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James 2:14-26
Telling a hungry person to keep warm and eat well is not faith, it is a sentence. This message reads James 2:14-26 and then turns to the lukewarm church of Revelation 3:14-22, where the water problem is a real one. Taught by Pastor Kyle Relph.
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James 3:1-12
Two ounces of muscle and mucous membrane, and James says no one can tame it. This message reads James 3:1-12 through the six word pictures James uses, and ends with a five letter test to run before you speak. Taught by Pastor Tim Rolen.
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James 3:13-18
We have more information available than any generation in history and no more wisdom for it. This message reads James 3:13-18, separates the two kinds of wisdom James names, and works through the six marks of the heavenly one. Taught by Pastor Mark Addis.
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James 4:1-12
What causes fights and quarrels among you? James asks it of his own congregation, not the world outside. This message reads James 4:1-12 and traces the conflict back to two causes before laying out the cure. Taught by Pastor Tim Rolen.
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James 4:11-17
There are two ways to play God, James says. Sit in judgment on your brother, or make plans for a tomorrow you were never promised. This message reads James 4:11-17 and takes both seriously. Taught by Pastor Tim Rolen.
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James 5:1-6
James turns on the rich in six blistering verses, and then the message spends most of its time on what he is not saying. This reads James 5:1-6 alongside the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-26, and lands on an open hand. Taught by Pastor Mark Addis.
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James 5:7-12
James tells suffering people to be patient, which is not the answer anyone in pain wants. This message reads James 5:7-12 and takes the command seriously, including the moment patience quietly curdles into apathy. Taught by Pastor Kyle Relph.
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James 5:13-20
Most of us keep faith in one compartment and open it when we need it. This final message in the James series reads James 5:13-20 and argues the whole point is the opposite, prayer poured over everything like syrup on a waffle. Taught by Pastor Mark Addis.
Watch the messageJames is one of several series we walked through in 2023, the year of UnLOCK. Browse the rest of the year, or join us in person on a Sunday.
