Faith Works

The book of James offers practical help for living God’s way in God’s world.

A Servant of God

09/09/2018

Geoff Cook

James 1:1

How to Face Hard Times

16/09/2018

Geoff Cook

James 1:2–4

James starts by saying that life is sometimes wonderful, and sometimes painful. Faith works, not just when life is good, but when life is painful, the dark days, the difficult days.

How to be Rich

30/09/2018

Geoff Cook

James 1:9–11

We sometimes say, “God helps those who help themselves,” but that’s not in the Bible. It would be more accurate to say God helps those who can’t help themselves and aren’t ashamed to admit it.

How to be Happy

14/10/2018

Geoff Cook

James 1:12

Biblical Christianity is marked by God’s presence in the midst of challenges and a people who continue to love to God despite their pains and problems.

How to Withstand Temptation

21/10/2018

Geoff Cook

James 1:12–15

God measures our spiritual progress not by huge battles won or lost but by a thousand daily skirmishes no one else really knows about.

How to be Wise

23/10/2018

Geoff Cook

James 1:5–8

What constitutes good advice in a world where pithy quotes abound on social media, apparently encouraging, even inspirational, but often also inane, shallow and downright misleading?

Three Things To Remember

11/11/2018

Geoff Cook

James 1:16–18

To encourage us, James shows us three things we need to remember as we face the spiritual battles of life.

How To Be Kind

18/11/2018

Geoff Cook

James 1:19–20

James wants us to discover the freedom that comes when we respond the right way to the pressures of life.

How To Read The Bible

09/12/2018

Geoff Cook

James 1:19–25

We can turn Christianity into an academic exercise instead of a lifestyle, into something that we study rather than someone we become. We can use the Bible for information instead of transformation.

Three Signs of Authentic Christian Faith

16/12/2018

Geoff Cook

James 1:26–27

Did you know you could spend your life being very religious, calling yourself a Christian, and end up wasting your time? You deceived yourself, but you didn’t fool God.

How to Treat Others

13/01/2019

Geoff Cook

James 2:1–13

God is no respecter of persons. He doesn’t play favourites.

How Faith Works

20/01/2019

Geoff Cook

James 2:14–19

Is my faith living. active, vital, central to my life? Or am I faking it? Do I have a deep, abiding, growing relationship with Jesus, the Lord of heaven and earth, and my life?

How Faith Grows

10/02/2019

Geoff Cook

James 2:20–26

James would say that genuine faith must be put into practice, and will therefore be visible. Dynamic faith is real, it’s active, it’s living faith, it’s messy and it grows by being exercised.

How to Speak to Others

17/02/2019

Geoff Cook

James 3:1–5

Being honest with ourselves, we all stumble through life saying foolish things that wound those closest to us. How we use our tongue reveals our spiritual maturity, or lack of it.

How To Watch Your Tongue

24/02/2019

Geoff Cook

James 3:5–12

The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. That’s always the bottom line in life.

Three Keys to Wise Living

09/06/2019

Geoff Cook

James 3:13

James talks about wisdom in his letter again and again because wisdom matters more than money or education or good looks. A wise person is someone who makes smart choices that produce a beautiful life marked by a gentle spirit.

How to Live Well

16/06/2019

Geoff Cook

James 3:14–18

Since true wisdom comes from outside ourselves and from God himself, we have to examine where our reliance is placed.

How To Get On With Everyone

23/06/2019

Geoff Cook

James 4:1–6

If the gospel means anything, it means God will take you just as you are right now. He yearns for your love, he calls you by his Spirit, and he will not let you rest until you find rest in him.

How To Be Close To God

30/06/2019

Geoff Cook

James 4:6–13

God opposes the proud. He keeps them at a distance. But when we choose to humble ourselves, God draws near to us and pours his grace into our lives.

How to Deal with Uncertainty

14/07/2019

Geoff Cook

James 4:13 – 5:6

Many of us are unhappy because we’re fighting God at the point of his sovereignty. We’ve never surrendered our agenda to his control.

How to be Patient

28/07/2019

Geoff Cook

James 5:7–12

May God make us strong and give us grace to endure. May our faith grow as we wait on the Lord.

How to be Church

08/09/2019

Geoff Cook

James 5:13–20

James pictures the church as a community of believers where we are close enough to be honest and open enough to be real. When that happens, true healing can take place.

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