Message Series: Blueprint

James 5:19-20 // Church is a Life-Saver

James uses the final two verses in his letter to highlight the importance of our roles as Christians in the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters. According to James, our involvement in each other's lives could be a matter of life or death.

Christmas: The Love For All People

God loves you so much He came into this world to save you. That love is what Christmas is all about.
*Note: I (BJ) made an anatomy mistake in this message. In one of my illustrations I confused the number of kidneys we have with the number of livers we have. For the record, we only have one liver. I hope that slip up doesn't distract you from hearing the good news I share in this message. Bless you. And Merry Christmas!

Christmas: The Joy For All People

On the first Christmas day an angel appeared to some shepherds nearby and declared that the birth of Jesus was good news of great joy for all people. In this message we take a look at how the birth of Jesus can produce joy in our lives today. 

Christmas: The Peace For All People

Our world is full of chaos. On Christmas day Jesus Christ was born to bring us peace. 

Christmas: The Hope For All People

Jesus was born into our world to secure for us something much more valuable than a couple extra days off work and school each December. Jesus was born into the world to bring humanity hope. In this first message of a four-part Christmas series at Gospel City Church we explore what hope is, the reason we can put our hope in what God has promised us, and how anyone can access this super-sized hope that we have in Jesus. 

James 5:13-18 // Pray

"Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit." - James 5:13-18

James 5:1-12 // Jesus is Coming Back

"Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Armies. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who does not resist you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door! Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about—the Lord is compassionate and merciful. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment." - James 5:1-12

James 4:13-17 // Is God in Your Plans?

"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.
- James 4:13-17