Since James is the likely the oldest writing of the New Testament, it appears from James 4:1-17 that church conflicts have been around almost as long as the Christian church has existed. Instead of treating fights as a normal part of church life, this text exposes their causes and provides the solution. Some of the words are blunt, but they are necessary to drive us to God’s grace, which is greater than all our sin.
During three weeks, we will look at Matthew 6:1-18, moving from the outside toward the Lord’s Prayer in the middle. First we considered Jesus’...
In the earlier parables, Jesus left people wondering what he meant. In the latter parables, Jesus was often very direct. For example, in Matthew...
The model described in Colossians 4:2-6 of ministry to those outside the church is very simple: pray, walk, and talk.