Several years ago one of my superiors made a false accusation against me at church. I asked a couple of friends how I should refute what was said. One friend answered wisely, “Don’t defend yourself against the accusation. Doing so will only give the accusation merit.” My friend was right. Sadly, the leader who made … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : Words hold tremendous power. Words can soothe and reassure, or poison and contaminate. [Lesson Plan for Taming the Tongue November 10, 2014] 1. Have a volunteer read James 3:1,2. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is. b. Why does being a teacher … Continue reading –>
Read James 3:3-5. What do the two illustrations have in common, and how do they relate to the tongue? Both the bit in a horse’s mouth and the rudder of a ship are very small compared to what they control. Yet, with a slight movement of the hand, the horse’s or the ship’s direction can … Continue reading –>
For we all stumble in many ways (James 3:2, ESV). What a refreshing admission, especially considering James’s emphasis on behavior! Still, our acknowledgment of the real need not dim our belief in God’s ideal for us as His representatives on earth. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, … Continue reading –>
Read James 3:1. What important point is he making here about accountability? Teachers in the church and in Christian schools have an especially heavy responsibility because they shape minds and hearts in ways that will last for years. This effect includes the rippling impact they will have on many others beyond their immediate sphere of … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: James 3:1-12; Deut. 6:6-7;Luke 9:51-56; Prov. 16:27; Matt. 7:16-18. Memory Text: For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matt. 12:37, NKJV). Words hold tremendous power. A word fitly spoken (Prov. 25:11)-praise, poetry, stories can shape lives in profound ways. What we … Continue reading –>
Told to Enoch Iglesias by Victor Vergara I was born into a very poor family in a little town north of Medellín, Colombia. Our poverty carved out a hard life for us. Our town has no adequate water supply, no electricity, no telephone. Our houses are made of mud pressed over bamboo poles, for we … Continue reading –>
Further Study: “When self is put entirely away, then you can obtain a new and rich experience, you will discern your own imperfections as you lie low at the foot of the cross, and as you view the perfections of Christ, self will sink into insignificance. Christ will appear to the discerning eye the perfection … Continue reading –>
This blog will depart from my usual gentle, winsome tone. I’ve avoided using my posts as a bully pulpit, but I can no longer forbear. It’s time for a stern rebuke regarding our spiritual condition. Earth’s probation will soon screech to a halt when Jesus comes with his glorious retinue of angels, and I must … Continue reading –>
Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? (James 2:25, NKJV). Read Joshua 2:1-21. How do we understand this example, again in the context of salvation by faith alone? According to Hebrews 11:31, the inhabitants of Jericho did not believe. Most modern … Continue reading –>
One hot July afternoon at an Oklahoma Camp meeting, I visited a friend in her tent. Just outside sat my friend’s 13-year-old daughter with a friend she had just met. This was her friend’s first camp meeting. He had come with his grandfather who just became a Christian. He did not know what to think about all the meetings … Continue reading –>
[Thought questions for Faith that Works November 4, 2014] 1. Faith without works is dead. James didn’t mince words, did he? Why did he speak so boldly, so plainly, about how faith is as useless as a dead body in the Christian faith? If the doctor-preacher in the story at the beginning of the lesson had … Continue reading –>
