James 2 - How we should treat each other

Hey Vibers!  Just wanted to recap a little of what we talked about a week ago when we talked about the 2^nd chapter in James.  God’s really been teaching me a lot about just how important community is in our lives.  

The need for relationship with others is one thing that drives all of us whether we are Christian or non-Christian. We, by nature, understand that we need each other.

James wrote to a church where division was starting to happen, and people were starting to act in ways that contradicted what they said they believed.  One way this played out was favoritism.  Certain people in the church were starting to show distinction to the people above them while neglecting the poor, and treating them as if they were inferior.  James launches an attack against this, and brings up two great points that I think we can even learn from.

One, why are we judging those “below” us when they are the very people who will inherit the kingdom of God as Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount?  Why should we dishonor the very people God is going to honor?  It doesn’t really sound like a good idea to deliberately hurt and take advantage these people now does it?  My question for you is this: Who are those people in your life that you’re taking advantage of?  You probably think they’re below you, and James flat out tells us that we have “become judges with evil thoughts” when we treat them differently in this way.

Second, James points out that they’re trying to please the very people who are oppressing them.  Why do we want to impress and gain the approval of those people who take advantage of us?  Do we so desperately want to be part of the “in-crowd” that we’ll do whatever it takes to get there?

James taps into one of the most common struggles I know of, and that is people pleasing.  

Chances are these people were trying to gain the approval of those above them, because they could gain something from it.  Whether it was a ticket into the in-crowd, or to be able to say they know someone in a high place, they were nonetheless seeking the approval of man over God.  Are you doing this in your own life?  I know I’m prone to do it at times, and chances are that you are too.  Take a little bit to evaluate your life and make sure you’re seeking to please and glorify God rather than gain the approval of man.  It’s one of the easiest pitfalls to struggle with, and we need to constantly be wary of it.

We all fall short, but fortunately a trusting belief in Christ’s sacrifice allows us to become Christians and move under the law of liberty that James mentions in 2:12.  We are now free to obey God, and we gain rewards in Heaven for doing it as James points out in that same verse. (Also see 2 Corinthians 5:10).  In the end mercy is going to triumph over judgment, so we need to be willing to extend mercy to everyone.  This is the way James calls us to act.  Rather than be judgmental and think of ourselves as better than others, we need to learn to love and show mercy to everyone we come into contact with.

We ended the night with a song talking about our need for each other, and you can watch it below.  In the song “We Need Each Other,” by Sanctus Real, there’s a line that says, “if we’d only learn to love.”  That is so true!  Loving others does not come naturally.  It’s not our default.  It’s easier to love ourselves before God and others.  We talked about it briefly, but our actions need to line up with our faith.  Do people look at you and know that you love others.  Your actions are going to show what you truly believe and value.  A faith that does not produce works is a dead one according to James.  

If we’re going to say relationships are important, it’s time we stepped up and showed it.  We need to LEARN to love and SHOW others that we love them!

~Kyle Davison

Life Hurts God Heals

Hey Vibers!

This year we started with a series of talks that talked about some tough stuff, like bullying and gossip. Things can make any teenager's life hard! And last night, Kyle talked about our identity.

Anger, Lonely, Depressed, Afraid, Guilt, Shame, Failure, I could go on and on with examples of things we might identify with or have identified with at one point. Kyle talked about how these names we think of for ourselves are NOT who we are, nor are the names that others think of us. It is not about what you've done, but about what's been done for you! We can see what exactly has been done in Ephesians 1:4-5, "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure."

Did you get that? He loves us, He loves you, He loves me, and it has nothing to do with what we have done. And the Bible says there's nothing that can separate us from God's love. Look it up, it's in Romans 8:38-39. So what does that mean? He not only loved us before we were even born or before the earth was created, but He loves us still! Nothing we have done or anything else will ever even get a chance to separate us from the love of God!

Check out this music video from the band Tenth Avenue North for a song called You Are More.

What a cool ending! All those pains and hurts were washed away. We can also have them washed away. Jesus' death on the cross was served as a sacrifice for all of our sins. So when we believe in Him and accept Him into our hearts, we become children of God. John 1:11-12 says, "He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God."

So if we are indeed Christ-followers, we are His children! Instead of seeing your sins, God see His daughter or son.

Maybe you are interested in Life Hurts God Heals. The purpose of Life Hurts God Heals is to take students through a journey which helps them to process and discuss some of life's toughest issues. It is a safe place that meets at 201 on Tuesday nights.

Starts Feb. 1, email bfemrite@chaseoaks.org if interested.

Have a great weekend!

Nuggets or Strips?

Enjoy this footage from within the office of Matt Snellings as we discuss the important, ongoing discussion of which is better, nuggets or strips?

Tough questions - Theological issues

The Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil is an amazing sight. It stands over 100 ft. tall and overlooks the beautiful city of Rio De Janeiro. It serves as a beautiful reminder that God is watching over us as we stand there and look out at His beautiful creation. It amazes me how simple everything can look from that high up, but how complex it really is when you get up close. The same is true for a lot of theological issues we face. At first, we accept them as truth, but as we draw closer to God in our relationship with Him, we begin to realize how complex these issues can be.

Two of the most complex ones can be God Himself and Eternity. We all have some questions about those things that we want to know the answers to. A couple Wednesdays ago, we wrapped up our Tough Questions series where we answered some really great questions about those topics.

One question you guys had dealt with where God comes from? The short answer is nowhere. God has always existed, and always will exist. No one created Him. Revelation 1:8 tells us "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." This is a foundational truth for God's character and for who He is as our Lord and Savior.

Another great question y'all had was why did you (God) sacrifice yourself for me? What a great, loaded question that a jr. high student asked! Sin had to be dealt with, and it was dealt with by sacrifices in the Old Testament before Christ, but Hebrews 10:11 tells us that those sacrifices could "never take away sins," so Christ had to come and offer a one-time sacrifice for sins to make "perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:14) Second, He sacrificed Himself, because He loved us. John 3:16 could be the most popular verse in the Bible, and it's one that taps into God's heart for us. The context is a Pharisee, Nicodemus, is coming to Jesus in the middle of the night, and Jesus knows that he wants to talk about entering the Kingdom of Heaven. After a little discussion on that topic, Jesus says something to him that I hope speaks to all of us. He tells Him that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should no perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) What a great and powerful statement! God loves us enough, and wants to know us so much, that He is willing to put His own Son through intense agony knowing that it was the only way for Him to have an intimate relationship with us, and it was all because of His love for us!

Finally, there were a few questions about eternity. There was a great question about how Jesus can be in Heaven if He took our sins. It's because He took sins to the grave with Him and defeated sin with His death on the cross, and He defeated death when He was resurrected from the grave. Sin did not come with Him, "because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." (Romans 6:7) Next, there was a question about what our bodies will look like when we die. Well, if you're a Christian, 1 Corinthians 15:35 - 49 gives us a glimpse of that future body. Our physical body will be transformed into a spiritual body, just like a pumpkin seed transforms from a seed into a pumpkin rather than just growing into a larger seed. Finally, the last question dealt with what hell is going to be like. Between the lake of fire mentioned in Revelation 20:15 and the everlasting destruction mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 1:9, it doesn't sound like a fun place to spend eternity at all! However, the worst part of that is the end of verse 9 where it says that those who don't know Christ will be "shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power." The worst part about Hell is going to be not having the joy and pleasure of being in a relationship with God! These were all great questions asked by you, our very own junior high students! All of you are incredible, and I encourage you to keep asking these tough questions and keep seeking to draw closer to Christ and love and know Him more! It's an honor to be a part of your lives. God bless all of you, and I hope I get to see everyone this Wednesday after what I hope was an awesome Thanksgiving filled with a ton of food, family, and giving thanks to God for everything we have. See ya!

-Kyle