Why Study James? 

Building a STEADFAST FAITH in This Fall Season

“Some things never change.” So sang Princess Anna and Olaf the Snowman at the beginning of Frozen 2. The irony is that even as they sing about what has changed and what won’t change, their world is about to be changed dramatically by a new adventure.

Our lives can seem the same. We cling to what we hope never changes even as everything changes, shifts, or falls apart around us. We’ve faced a lot of change over the past several years. Ever since COVID, it seems like things have shifted dramatically. Our world, our country, even our local area is not the same as growth in population and growth in fear seems inevitable. What happened to the good ol’ days? Can’t things just stay the same? 

Certainly, we as a church have faced change this year as we look for a new Lead Pastor. And that’s not to mention the personal changes in our lives. Relationships have frayed, age and weariness have crept upon us more and more (don’t bother looking at old Facebook pictures – it’s often discouraging!), and all around us technology advances, often leaving us feeling left-out, forgotten, and behind.

Nature itself confirms the unrelenting certainty of change as the seasons ebb and flow around us. Autumn falls upon us and the trees remind us that even the natural world is constantly changing.

And yet it’s still true – some things never change! Some things remain steadfast, secure, and unmoving. Like what? Well, as James 1:16 says, there is a “Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” God remains the same, no matter what the world or our lives do, and He has given us truths in His Word that we can build our lives on. Because of those truths, we too can live lives that are steadfast, secure, and faithful. We can live with STEADFAST FAITH. 

That is the message of the book of JAMES, which we’ll be studying this fall in our sermon series.

James Overview

Here are a few “fast facts” on the book of James:

• Who? And where? The book was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus who initially doubted Him. After Jesus appeared to James post-resurrection, however, he was converted and became a key figure in the early church. He was sort of a “Lead Pastor” of the Church in Jerusalem, and he writes to a group of Jewish Christians scattered throughout the surrounding lands.
• What? The book of James is sometimes called the “Proverbs of the New Testament,” since it is full of quick and simple “wisdom tips” for daily living. These teachings can seem random at times and yet the book is well-connected throughout, with a common theme of living out our faith (Faith must “work,” says James in chapter 2!). It’s the kind of book that gives a Christian Life 101 class to a new believer – and great reminders for every believer! James hits on sins that are all too common in churches even today: favoritism, rude speech, disagreements, and more. 
• When? This short book was likely one of the earliest New Testament books written, although we can’t be certain. It certainly seems intricately tied to Jesus’ teachings when on earth, especially the Sermon on the Mount. 
• Want more overview info? Watch this short video from the Bible Project for a helpful overview of the whole book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY&t=3s 

How Can I Get the Most from This Sermon Series?

We want to challenge you to not just show up on Sundays and listen to the messages, but to be intentional about this series, seeking to grow in your steadfast faith in this season. Here are a few ways you can do this:

1. Take notes you can refer back to. You can buy a James journal and take your sermon notes in it (they are available for just $5 from the Resource Center) or dedicate a notebook to this series. Consider reading the passage ahead of time and making your own notes in your journal (the sermon schedule will be published ahead of time in the reading plan). Then come prepared to hear God speak.
2. Follow along in our reading plan. We’ve put together a reading plan (as we’ve done for our Sunday Class series in the past) that ties into our sermon schedule. You’ll be reading not only James, but also various passages that connect with the sermon that week, from Proverbs to the Sermon on the Mount to Old Testament stories referenced in James to encouraging Psalms and passages on steadfastness. The Reading Plan will be available in printed form this Sunday and starts Monday, September 11 – with just one or two chapters per day! We will also email a copy and post the weekly readings on social media. You can download a digital copy here.
3. PRAY! Along with our reading plan, we’ve provided a topic to help you focus your prayers for each week,  tying in with the James passage we’re studying. Make that topic your “theme word” for the week and ask God to work that characteristic into your life, into our church, into our pastoral team and search committee, and into the next Lead Pastor. Incorporate it in your personal prayer time, in prayers as a couple or family, or in prayers with other church members. Pray also for the next person preaching in the schedule that Sunday, that God would grant him wisdom and clarity as he prepares to preach.
4. Look for overlap. Each of our discipleship programs follows its own curriculum, but it’s amazing how God often weaves them together. If you encounter a verse or truth in multiple places, you can guarantee that God wants you to learn more about that. That’s often what He uses to encourage and guide us, so commit to attending Community Groups and seeing how God uses 2 Timothy and Titus to prepare us for our next Lead Pastor and encourage our steadfastness. Be present in Sunday Class as we study Systematic Theology and see how those truths connect with what we’re learning in the sermons. From Sunday evening classes to Re|engage to our men’s and women’s Bible studies, God is working in our midst. Let’s put ourselves “in the way” of the truth He wants us to hear. Let’s be a place to grow!

A Ship and a Harvest: Steadfastness in Faith

Some things never change. Or more specifically, Someone never changes: our great God who showers His steadfast love over our lives and calls us to show patience under the “various trials” and temptations of our lives (James 1:2). 

James uses many word pictures to depict the endurance and steadfast faith he calls us to, but two stand out:

1. We are not to be waves of the sea, driven and whipped to a frenzy by trials, but rather to be single-minded in our faith, asking God to grant wisdom (1:5-8). Picture a ship in a storm – the waves beat on it, the wind whips the sails, and yet it remains steadfast, plunging through the waves and carrying its cargo onward.
2. Or picture a plant or tree – the rich who rely on their success will wither and fade (1:9-11), but the Christian can be like a tree planted by streams of water. Come fall or winter or springtime or summer, the tree is unmoved. Like a palmetto tree whipped by hurricane winds, the Christian remains firm, clinging to our unchanging God. We wait patiently, like a farmer for the fall harvest (5:7-8). And we keep growing, thriving, prospering in wind and rain, snow and heat, drought or flood. 

That’s what we desire to be like – not panicking at every news update or life change, but grounded in truth, able to weather the storms of life. That’s our prayer for all of us in this season of change – will you join us in praying for God to grow us in STEADFAST FAITH through James this fall?