December 14, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Christian Character

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

James 1:26-27

This chapter ends with a clear call to pursue three traits that ought to mark every Believer. Let us think about these three commands this week. After all, James’ teaching is so practical and easy to follow here.

The first characteristic of a biblical Christian is a controlled tongue. In verse 26, we are told that a Christian who cannot control his/her tongue is deceived and has a vain, useless religion. Wow, James, tell us what you really think. The warning could not be clearer. Our Christianity will never be what it needs to be if we cannot control our words.

Another characteristic of a biblical Christians is helping the helpless. The specific word is to help the widow and the orphan. Why? The widowed woman and the parent-less child were vulnerable and had little (if any) means of support in the first century.  They could be easily taken advantage of due to their humble estate. Therefore, James implores the true Christian to support and help those who are disadvantaged.  Helping those who can’t help themselves is an identifying mark of a true Christian.

The last characteristic is keeping oneself pure in an evil world. The world system desires that we focus on ourselves and our desires to the exclusion of everything else. James declares that we are to be unpolluted by this thinking. We are to think of others and their needs. We should seek to help and serve wherever we can.

A polluted, dirty Christian will have little useful value in the Kingdom of God. It’s important that Christians confess their sin, receive cleansing, and seek to stay as close to God as possible. We are saved forevermore and we have a new identity in Christ. Let’s act like Christians by staying close to God and His Word!

Tony French

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December 11, 2023 · 9:00 am

Harvest

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:6-9

Three points from Paul’s teaching stand out in this passage. They correspond to the thoughts, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”

**We are to plant for harvest. Let us plant each day by sowing the seed of the gospel. We plant for harvest by sharing the good news of the forgiveness of sin that is available to all who believe. Also, we plant by loving people and by inviting them to Jesus.

**We are to prepare for harvest. We water as we continue to share the gospel and live out the implications of the gospel. Being a consistent witness is important and necessary for the harvest.

**We must pray for harvest. Only God can give the increase and cause growth. He uses our efforts and obedience. But, Jesus is the only one that can “build His church.”  (Matthew 16:18)

Dear Christian, commit yourself to these three principles each day. The harvest is ready and waiting. People need Jesus and we should be honored to be used by God to lead souls to salvation!

Tony French

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December 7, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Doing

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:22-25

In this Scripture, James implores us to be doers of the Word and not just hearers. We do not learn the Bible simply to know facts. We learn it to grow in our faith and learn to become obedient. Great blessing accrues to those who are obedient. So be a doer and not merely a hearer. 

The description given for someone who merely hears but does not obey the Bible is stark. James says that person is like someone who looks into a mirror and forgets what they look like. That statement seems nonsensical on its face. What is James trying to say? 

As Christians, we need to be constantly exposed to the Word of God. We need to look deeply into it by reading it, studying it, and by hearing the Bible preached and taught regularly. If we don’t practice this, we begin to forget who we truly are in Christ. We forget our true identity and what it means to be a child of God.  

So, Christian, read God’s Word. Study it deeply. Learn what the Bible says and do it. 

Tony French 

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December 4, 2023 · 9:00 am

Savior

Who is Jesus? The opinions are varied and mixed. While almost everyone believes there was a historical Jesus, there is much division about who He truly is and what it all means.

What does the Bible say about this topic? How would Scripture answer that question? It would be impossible to tell of everything the Bible says about Jesus nature and work in one blog post. So let’s examine three truth claims about Jesus from the Word of God as we seek to elucidate this quandary.

**The Scriptures declare that Jesus is the Son of God. Peter declared Him to be the “Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:14) in his declaration. Also, Jesus has the power to forgive the sinner (Matthew 9:1-6) and He pronounced Himself as “Lord of the Sabbath.” (Luke 6:1-5) John expressed Jesus’ deity by saying “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) in his Gospel.

These statements make a compelling case for the deity of Jesus. The Holy Word of God thunders the truth of Jesus’ divinity from the lips of Savior and the pen of the apostles. When one examines the Bible, we must realize that the Scriptures declare that Jesus is indeed the Son of God!

**Jesus is the Savior of the world. Everyone who believes in Him and trusts Him for salvation shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16-17)  He lived for our justification, died to pay our sin debt, and rose again to prove that everything He said was true. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) 

He is the Savior, and He is the ONLY savior. We find this truth expressed in John 14:6, Acts 4:32, and 1 Timothy 2:5. One can choose to accept this precept or reject it. However, this truth is objective and eternal and cannot be changed.

**Jesus is the judge.  He is the long promised Messiah (Matthew 16:14) and He is the one who will judge the nations. (John 5:22)  All Believers will answer to Christ for the way they have lived one day. (2 Corinthians 5:10) People may choose to reject His salvation and His mercy. But, no one will escape His judgment.

Are you ready to stand before Christ? Have you trusted Him for your salvation believing He died, was buried, and rose again for you? Trust in Him today. He is the Son of God, He is the Savior of the world, and He will judge everyone at the appointed time. Trust Him today while you still can!

Tony French

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November 30, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Careful Speech

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; or the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:19-21

The Word of God gives us a command in this passage; deal with your anger. While we will get angry from time to time, we must also learn to deal with anger in a healthy way. Our goal is this-we should control our anger instead of our anger controlling us. 

To this end, James give three commands to help us. First, be quick to listen and here all sides. Second, be slow to speak. Resist to the urge to speak and learn to listen. Finally, be slow to become angry. Evidently, we have a choice in this matter. We can, by the power of God, learn to control our anger.

Uncontrolled anger does not bring about a righteous life. And uncontrolled anger makes it more difficult for us to access and apply God’s Word to our life. Do you have an anger problem? Deal with it!

Tony French

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November 27, 2023 · 9:00 am

Help

The word “help” occurs over 185 times in the Scriptures. The word is found in the Old and the New Testament many times over. Why? God realizes that we are needy creatures and that we need His power, His love, and His mercy.

The book of Psalm contains several references to help. Let us look at three instances of the help that God provides for His people.

**Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

Psalm 33:20

We are called to wait upon the Lord. This waiting is not a call to passivity but to increase in faith. Waiting means we are to do what He has called us to do until further instruction. We don’t know when our help will arrive. We only know that God is the only one that can provide it and that He is our “help and shield.”

**God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

The help the Lord provides is present when we truly need it. Oftentimes, God doesn’t remove the trouble, instead, He helps through the trouble. He is our refuge and strength when everything else fails in our lives.

**If the LORD had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.

Psalm 94:17

Christ is our ultimate help. We would be separated from God forever without the salvation that He provides. As sinful human beings, we would indeed “dwell in the abode of silence” separated from God forever. Thanks be to God for the victory He has given us.

Dear Christian, these principles are for you.  Look to God as your ultimate help. Trust Him through all things. It is not easy, but, He has promised to be your help!

Tony French

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November 23, 2023 · 6:00 pm

Thankful

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

James 1:16-18

God is the source of all of our blessings. Every perfect gift comes from above. We should be thankful for all that God has done.

As we fight temptation, as we deal with disappointments, and as we live on mission for Christ let us consider this thought. God gives us what we need and we can be content in His provision. Sin can spring from the restlessness of our heart and the discontentedness of our spirit.

Learn to be content in all things (Philippians 4), Child of God. Let us be thankful at all times whether we feel like it or not. Contentment leads to godliness. God is our source. And He’s all we need.

Tony French

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November 20, 2023 · 9:00 am

Incarnation

One of the great tenets of the Christian faith surrounds the person of Jesus Christ. We proclaim that He is all God and all man. Somehow, through the miraculous power of God, Jesus received humanity in the incarnation.

Today, let us think about the one who came to identify with us. He felt the emotions we feel and Christ experienced life as we experience it. Let us look as some examples.

**He became hungry.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.  Matthew 4:1-2

**He became tired and rested.

So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.  John 4:5-6

**He was thirsty at times.

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

John 4:7

**Jesus cried.

“Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.

The mystery of the incarnation is deep and profound. Jesus experienced the entirety of humanity and yet remained without sin for us. He loves us today. And He understands because, He’s been there.

Tony French

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November 16, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Process

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

James 1:14-15

In this section of Chapter 1, James get to the heart of the sin playbook. If we can learn how this process works, we can learn to recognize and defeat it. Let’s examine the process of sin for a moment.

Desire—All sin begins with desire. Not all desires are evil. Often, wholesome and good desires can be perverted to lead us into sin. Desire is not sin, but, desire can be used to begin the temptation process in our lives.

Deception—Once desire is established in our minds, temptation moves to deception.  When we are deceived, we have a tendency to get a skewed outlook on life. Our desires lead to us to believe the wrong things about God, about the Bible, and about ourselves. We begin to believe that we know better than God and that we can ignore the Bible. Deception is dangerous and deadly.

Disobedience—The next step is outright disobedience to God’s Word and commands. Sin leads us away from God and towards ourselves. Sin allows us to become our own god! What a terrible sequence this process of sin reveals.

Death—The final stop for the sin process is death. All sin leads ultimately to death. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, it lead to death. They lived for many years after their sin. Yet, eventually, inevitably, they died. Sin leads to death and destruction. (Romans 6:23)

How do we overcome sin and temptation? Realize that God’s Word and God’s ways are best. When desires well up within you, remember what God’s Word tells us. Remember His commands and avoid deception in your life. Recall that God gives us commands and boundaries to protect us and help us to live Godly, peaceful lives.

And then fight it! We are not helpless in this matter. God’s Spirit lives within us (1 Corinthians 6) and He helps us overcome. Trust God to help you endure the temptation and overcome by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Tony French

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November 13, 2023 · 9:00 am

In Christ

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:3-12

In Christ Jesus, Believers have…………………

**Redemption. We are forgiven and set free from sin in order to live for Christ. We are forever and always redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

**Inheritance. The Believer’s inheritance is safe forevermore and eternally secure. The promises of Heaven and the hope of the presence of God are wonderful beyond measure. Jesus is preparing a place for us (John 14:1-4) and we will be with Him for always.

**Sealed.

The sealing of the Christian makes our salvation secure. No can take it away. Paul tells that this truth; “you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20) We are His eternally and our life with Him is everlasting.

In Christ, Christians have redemption, inheritance, and the promise of security through the seal of the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!

Tony French

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