Faith that works - The problem with making our own plans

·53 min·5 clips

Pastor Joel shares that 80% of God's will is revealed in Scripture, urging listeners to start living it out now.

The episode begins with Pastor Joel welcoming attendees and sharing church announcements, including a Christmas box party at Archer Glen gym targeting 1,000 boxes and a baptism service for a young mom who engages online. He introduces the sermon series 'Faith That Works', focusing on James 4:13-5:12. Joel explains that the passage addresses worldly thinking, where people make plans without God, boasting in arrogance. He reads James 4:13-17, highlighting the metaphor of life as a mist and the call to say 'if the Lord wills'. The host contrasts this with seeking God's blessing on personal plans. Joel discusses how to know God's will, noting that 80% is revealed in Scripture, such as living holy lives and giving thanks. He references biblical figures like Moses and Peter to illustrate the mysterious will of God seen in hindsight. The sermon then shifts to James 5:1-6, condemning the rich for oppressing workers and hoarding wealth, with vivid imagery of corrosion. Joel emphasizes that God hears the cries of the oppressed, citing Exodus and Psalms. He concludes with James 5:7-12, calling for patience in suffering until the Lord's return, using examples like farmers and Job. Practical takeaways include keeping God at the center, not using people, acting with integrity, and learning patience. Joel invites a response through communion, encouraging realignment with God's purposes.

As heard by us

A pastoral challenge to place personal plans under God's will, with mortality and suffering kept close to the surface.

Personal plans become the pressure point as Joel, one of the pastors at Crossridge Church, treats planning as a spiritual question shaped by James's counsel to say, if the Lord wills, people will live and do this or that.

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Why you'd press play

When your calendar starts acting like a rival deity, press play to remember whose plans come first.

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