Verses For The Week

 Romans 12:17 --  "Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all."

Matthew 5:7 -- "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."

Weekend Sermon -- James 5:19-20

      Today is the final sermon in our series on the book of James. We have been studying James for almost this entire year. I hope that you have enjoyed the series. More importantly, I hope that by going through the book of James, you have grown closer to the Lord Jesus and learned more about following Him. Thank you for reading the sermon today, and thank you for following along through this series in James. 

     For our message today, we focus on the last two verses of chapter five which state, "My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back,  remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins."

     There are a couple of points that I would like to make from these verses. First of all. there are people who do wander and drift away from faith in Jesus Christ. I believe that this takes two different forms. There are some people who lose their first love as it tells us in the book of Revelation. These are Christians who still believe in the Lord, but they have lost their zeal for serving the Lord due to some circumstance or sin in their lives. They have stopped practicing spiritual disciplines, and they have stopped following the teachings of Jesus in many areas of their lives. The other form of wandering from the truth are those who were once followers of the Lord, but they have decided to turn away from Jesus. They no longer believe in the Lord Jesus. 

     In this passage, James is telling us that we should try to bring back those who have turned away from the truth and those who have drifted away from following the Lord. As always, we should pray for those we know who are experiencing spiritual problems in their lives. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should speak to them and try to encourage them to once again pray and study the Word. We need to be examples to others in our own lives of consistently following the teachings and commandments of the Lord. We need to demonstrate to others that having a close walk with Jesus can make the difference and bring peace in a troubled and difficult to live in world. 

     There are some who have turned away from the faith entirely. In my experience, it is very difficult to help these people reconnect with the Lord. They have just flat out turned their backs on Him. As the Lord gives us the opportunity, we need to discuss with them why they have rejected the faith, and we need to attempt to earnestly contend for the faith with them as Jude has instructed us in his epistle. 

     If we are able to help a drifting believer to come back to a closer walk with the Lord, we will help to keep that person from drifting into sin and into practices that will further harm their spiritual growth and development. If we can with God's help encourage people to come back to faith in Jesus, we can be a part of helping that person escape eternal separation from the Lord. 

     It is always our duty as Christians to spread the message of the love of Jesus to everyone. We need to tell those who have never come to faith in Jesus that He loves them and wants to forgive them of their sins. He will not cast out anyone who comes to Him. He wants you to make Him the Lord of your life today. 

     With that, we wrap up our study of the book of James. Here are a few key points to remember from James. 

1. True religion manifests itself in helping those who are most vulnerable in society.

2. We should be both doers and hearers of the Word.

3. Faith without the evidence of works is a dead faith. 

4. Controlling the tongue is a mark of spiritual maturity. 

5. We should never show partiality and there is no place for racism or discrimination in the church

6. We should not boast about tomorrow.

7. We must help others with our wealth. It is not something to be hoarded. God will judge those who exploit the poor.

8. Prayer is powerful. 

Amen.

Prayer Requests

     Please remember to pray regarding the situation in Afghanistan. There are still many who need to be evacuated from the country. 

     Pray for those in Tennessee who were harmed by the floods. 

     Pray that the fires in the Western US will be brought under control.

     Pray that the people of  Haiti will get the aid that they need to recover.

     Please pray for peace in this world. Let us focus our prayers this week on Chad, Ethiopia and Libya.

     Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the sick will recover. Get vaccinated. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Iraq and Benin. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will begin a short sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to post something midweek. May God bless you all. 

     

Poem

 Today I am posting a couple of short poems I wrote.

Wind rolling the sea ...

Orcas frolic in the waves

under golden rays.

Foxes playing games

leap trough vine covered fences

'neath silver moonbeams.

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 31:3 -- "For You are my rock and my fortress, and for Your name's sake, You lead me and guide me. "

John 15:9 -- "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love."

Weekend Sermon -- James 5:16-18

      Thank you for reading the sermon this week. We have been studying in the book of James for quite some time now, and I've thoroughly enjoyed posting these messages. I hope that you have found them to be beneficial to you. Next week will be the concluding message in the James series. 

     Today, we focus on what James tells us about the power of prayer. In verse 16 he states, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." There are two important applications from this verse.

     First of all, I would like to focus on the fact that James mentions the prayers of  a righteous person. In order for our prayer life to be effective, we have to be in right fellowship with the Lord. This means that we need to ask the Lord to forgive us of our sins and help us to live a life of holiness that is pleasing to Him. The Bible tells us that without a life of holiness, no one can please the Lord. 

     There are many people who go through life living in opposition to the way that has been shown and explained to us by the Lord Jesus. When they face difficulties, they pray, and then they are upset with the Lord if He doesn't respond in the way that they want Him to. I am not saying that the Lord does not hear nor answer the prayer of someone who has sinned in some way. What I am saying is that our prayer life will be much more effective if we confess our sins to the Lord. Our prayer lives will be much more effective if we live in the way that Jesus has taught us to live. 

    As an example of a righteous person with an effective prayer life, James provides us with the example of the prophet Elijah. When the people under the leadership of Ahab and Jezebel turned from God to idols, Elijah prayed that it would not rain as a means to bring the nation back to God. When Elijah prayed, the rain did not come for three and a half years. When Elijah prayed for rain to come, God sent the rain back to the land. 

     James wants to make clear that Elijah was a human being just as we are. He lived his life for God even when the king and queen were seeking his death. He had faith and believed in the things that God told Him. He served the Lord with all of his heart all of his days until he was taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire. 

     The Lord Jesus told us that when we pray we need to have faith. We need to believe that the Lord Jesus can accomplish that which we ask Him to do. If we pray for healing, we need to believe that the Lord can really do it. When we pray for peace, we must believe that the Lord can bring peace and justice even when it seems impossible in human terms. 

     We must be people of prayer. We serve and worship the God who created and sustains all that there is. He has the power to do anything. The Lord is the first one that we should go to when we have a problem in our lives. Don't go to other people first, and don't just rely on your own efforts. Go to the Lord. The Lord has the power to heal. He has the power to bring lost souls to repentance. He has the power to deliver us from adverse circumstances and set our feet on higher ground. We must take everything to the Lord in prayer. 

     We must also not give up when praying. Jesus told us not to give up. He told us to keep praying. I remember praying for certain things to happen for a a long time before there was an answer. Here on the blog we prayed for peace to come in some nations for years before peace came. But we kept praying. I prayed for a long time for the Lord Jesus to heal my vitiligo, and He did. 

     Don't give up when you are praying for those who need to come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. I believe that if we are faithful in our prayers, the lost will come to the Lord. At the very least, I believe that Jesus will send someone to them to really clearly explain the way of salvation. 

     As servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, let us live lives that are pleasing to the Lord. Let us keep praying in all circumstances for God to move in His power. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

      I want to thank the Lord for providing me with the money that I needed to get my car fixed. Thank you for your prayers in this matter. 

     Please pray for Afghanistan. Pray that the Afghan refugees will be able to make it out of the country safely. 

     Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Please get vaccinated if you haven't already. Pray that the sick will recover. 

     Pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world. Syria, Yemen, Chad, Ethiopia and Libya need our prayers. 

     Remember to pray for Haiti. Pray that the people will receive that aid that they need. 

     Please pray for an end to the terrible fires. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of  Thailand and Guinea-Bissau. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will conclude our study in the book of James. On Monday, I will post the verses. I will have a book review midweek. May God bless you all. 

A Good Book About Jonah

     Most of the reviews that I write here on the blog are about animal books. However, I do right reviews of other books from time to time. Today's book is "The Prodigal Prophet" written by Timothy Keller. Keller is a Presbyterian minister in New York. He has written many books, and he is widely known within the evangelical community. 

     "The Prodigal Prophet" is a a book about the prophet Jonah and the book in the Bible that bears his name. You may be thinking that you've heard a lot of sermons about Jonah, and you know what that's all about already. Don't let that type of thinking enter your mind. Keller's book is highly-informative providing a great deal of in-depth information about the book of Jonah and the historical times in which the story occurs. 

     What I enjoyed most about the book is that the author tells the rest of the story. What I mean by that is that he doesn't stop with Jonah preaching and the people of Nineveh repenting. There is more to the book of Jonah after that, and Keller focuses on that. He also provides the reader with information on how the book of Jonah is applicable for today. 

     When I was in Bible college, I took several courses on the Minor Prophets. Jonah is included in that group, and I always look forward to reading good books about the Minor Prophets. This is a good book, and I recommend it to you. 

Verses For The Week

 John 1:1 -- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Colossians 2:9 -- "For in Christ, all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form."

Weekend Sermon -- James 5:13-15

      Welcome to the new edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am happy to be able to post the message this week, and I am thankful for this opportunity that the Lord has given me. I hope and pray that you are all doing well and staying healthy. 

     In today's passage from the book of James, we see three directives from James to those who are believers in the Lord Jesus. First of all, James tells us that if we are experiencing troubles, we need to pray about them. I don't know about you, but I have a lot of problems that I face as I try to make it through this life. I know that there are people that are a lot worse off than I am, but everyone faces trials, troubles and tribulations as they try to make through life. 

     When we are going through difficult circumstances in this life, our first recourse should be prayer. We should go to the Lord and ask Him to help us and deliver us in our times of adversity and problems. We need to keep this in mind, we serve the King of the Universe. He is the one who created and sustains the entire universe. The Lord certainly has the power to help us in our time of need. And, He wants to help us no matter how big or small the problem is. We are told in I Peter to cast all our cares upon the Lord because He cares about us. 

     I saw a sign in front of church once that read, "Prayer is not a last resort." We should take that to heart. Always take it all to God in prayer. 

     Our next directive from James tells us that if we are happy, we should sing songs of praise. As believers in Jesus, we can always be happy and rejoice that our sins are forgiven. There are other times in life when good things happen, and we are really happy about them. At these times, we can sing a song of praise to the Lord for the good things that He has brought into our lives. 

     When we are in church, we sing songs of praise because we are rejoicing in all of the blessings that the Lord Jesus has given us. No matter what the circumstances that we are facing, praising the Lord in song will help us to make it through. There was a song that I heard once that said, "Nothing improves my day like praising the Lord". How true that is. 

     Finally, we move to James' third directive. He tells us that if someone is sick, they should call for the elders of the church to come and anoint them with oil. If the person has sinned in some way, they should confess and ask forgiveness. The elders should pray for the sick person so that the sick person might recover from his or her illness. 

     Many churches practice anointing of oil for the sick. It is entirely Scriptural as we can see here in James. I believe that we should make it a habit in our church services to always pray for the healing of the sick. This passage in James relates a specific anointing. It can take place in church, at home, or in a health care facility. 

     Unfortunately, some churches have forsaken the practice of anointing the sick. When my Grandpa was sick, my Grandma asked the pastor and leaders to come and anoint him with oil and pray. They said that would not do that because it was, according to them, "too Pentecostal". That is very sad. 

     The Lord has called us to pray for the sick. I know that the Lord healed me of vitiligo, and I am thankful for it. When we are sick let us pray for one another that we might be healed. 

     We have these directives from the Lord. Let us practice them for His honor and glory. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please pray that I will get to feeling better. Also, please pray that I can figure out what to do about my car. 

     Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that people will do what is right and get vaccinated. Pray that the sick will recover. 

     Pray for peace in the trouble areas of the world. Afghanistan is at the forefront of my mind. Let us also pray for peace in Yemen, Syria, Libya and Chad. 

     There are terrible fires in the US and Greece. Pray that these will be extinguished. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in the nations of Turkey and Sierra Leone. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue our study in the book of James. We are just about to wrap James up. I will post the verses on Monday, and I hope to have a review on Wednesday. I did not post anything midweek this week. I've been dealing with a lot of different things. Please pray for me. May God bless you all. Amen. 

Verses For The Week

 II Corinthians 4:17 -- "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

Matthew 6:33 -- "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Weekend Sermon -- James 5:9 and 12

      It is the time for the Weekend Sermon. Thank you for taking time to read the sermon this week. I thank the Lord for this opportunity.

     Last week, we took a short break from our ongoing series on the book of James. Today, we resume our study in James by looking at two verses from chapter five. If you remember when we first started this series, I mentioned that one of the reasons I liked the book of James so much is due to the fact that there is a lot in James that is very similar to what Jesus said during His earthly ministry, The two verses that we will be studying today are identical to two of Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. 

     James 5:9 states, "Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!"  In Matthew 7:1 Jesus said, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

     In the context in James, he is directed the teaching of Jesus about not judging others directly at those who are brothers and sisters in the faith. Those of us who know Jesus as Lord are not to be spending our times judging other Christians' motives and their relationship with the Lord. There are a lot of professing Christians going around saying that other Christians aren't really Christians because they behave some way or have a little bit different belief about some minor doctrinal matter. We are to encourage and help one another and not judge others. This is especially true about someone's relationship with the Lord. 

     The only one who is qualified to bring any judgment is the ultimate judge the Lord Jesus Christ. He has the ability to look at the thoughts and intents of a person's heart. We can only look at the outward appearances. Jesus is the one who will judge all one day. We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ according to the Apostle Paul. 

     In another passage, Jesus told us not to worry about the speck that is in another person's eye when we have a beam in our own eye. We have to deal with our own stuff. We certainly don't want to be hypocritical and condemn others if we are doing the same things ourselves. 

     James 5:12 states, "Above all, my brothers and sisters,  do not swear, not by heaven or by anything else. All you need is a simple "Yes" or "No". Otherwise you will be condemned." In Matthew 5:34, Jesus says, "Do not swear an oath at all." In Matthew 5:37 Jesus says, "All you need to say is simply, "Yes" or "No".

     Why are we not to swear an oath. I believe it is because we are to be people of the truth. As believers, our word is to be our bond. If we state something is true, or if we make a promise, that is that. We are to do what we say we are going to do. We must always tell the truth because Jesus our Lord is truth itself. 

     Some will ask about swearing an oath in a court of law. I believe that we are not to swear any type of oath according to the teaching of Jesus reiterated by James. We can simply state that we will tell the truth. 

     Our verses in James coincide clearly with the teachings of Jesus. Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life. We must always look to Him as our example on how to live properly in this world. We look to Jesus and His teachings to how to live in such a way that we will please the Father who is in Heaven. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am having a lot of trouble with my car right now, and it is hard to pay for the repairs that are needed. Please pray that the Lord will help me with this so that I can get back and forth to work like I need to. 

     Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Please get the vaccine as soon as you can. Pray for those who are sick that they might soon recover. 

     Pray for the continued safety of the Olympic Games. 

     Pray for an end to the fires currently causing problems in various parts of the world. 

     Continue to pray for peace. Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Libya really need our prayers. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those living in Bahrain and Bosnia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue in the book of James, Lord willing. I will post the verses on Monday. I am not yet sure what I will post midweek. May God bless you all. 

Book Review

 From time to time, I like to review animal books that have been written for younger readers. I like to read all good animal stories. The book that I am reviewing today is "Rise of Zombert" written by Kara LaReau. 

As the story begins, a cat escapes from a research laboratory. This cat is so weak that he is barely able to make it. He wouldn't have made but for his good fortune that he is found by a girl named Mellie and her best friend. Mellie takes the cat home and tries to figure out where he came from. The cat is determined to return to the lab and free those he left behind. 

Mellie keeps the cat a secret from her parents whose job is writing for their popular blog. Mellie thinks that her parents are obsessed with the blog and spend more attention on Mellie's younger twin siblings than they do on her. She is happy to have a cat, even a strange cat like Zombert. 

I will let you read the story to find out how Zombert gets his name. The book has a mystery/horror flavor that is geared towards kids. Zombert is a good book that is written in such a way that there are sure to be several more in the series. In fact, I know that the second book in the series is already out. 

"Rise of Zombert" is a different kind of children's animal story than I've read in the past. I enjoyed the story, and I believe readers of all ages will  have a good time reading this book. Hopefully, the other books in the series will be equally as enjoyable. 

Verses For The Week

 John 8:36 -- "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Romans 6:7 -- "Because anyone who has died has been set free from sin."