In His Service

  Humility, Trials and Temptation, and Goodness James 1:9-16 Every fall I have to get rid of dying flowers around the outside of the house. They have been beautiful since spring and bring joy to my wife, I, and others, from the smallest to the largest. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven… A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted.” (3:1,2b) In God, there is equality and humility in every plant of His creation, no matter what the size, shape or color. He is a good, good, God. So let's delve into the first portion of the text for this lesson. “Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achie...

  Persecution, the Fertilizer of Faith James 1:2-8 I met an Indian pastor who told me “Persecution is the fertilizer for the growth of the church.” The early christians and the twelve apostles understood this well. James the Just, the brother of Jesus, who was the head of the Jerusalem church, led many of the first churches to understand that the persecution for their faith would force the diaspora of christians to spread throughout the world from Jerusalem.  So when James began his letter to the churches, it was of no surprise for the churches to understand the fiery trials that brought joy, knowing they were counted worthy in their faith to face similar persecution as Jesus and to bring the gospel to others. James begins with the joy of our faith which comes from the Holy Spirit and our steadfast faith in Christ Jesus. So let’s read the first portion of the text of the lesson. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because...

  Handling Controversy with Grace, Love, and Truth Titus 3:5-11 Drawing back to the last lesson, when we see the power and movement of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people, let us remember the purpose of the work of God is to bring salvation to a lost world. For we are saved by grace through faith, and Paul acknowledges this is by the mercy of the Lord, and salvation is not by our own righteous behavior. For it is God's grace that justifies us before him through the Lord Jesus Christ’s blood shed for the sins of mankind. So let’s pick up from last week the next portion of the text. “... he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, s...