Why is suffering pivotal to growing spiritually? How should faith in God impact my decisions and behaviors in where I work, live, and study? With so much information out in the world, how do I find wisdom to make healthy choices or follow God’s will? In a world that values pride, how do I live with humility?
Over the past year at Browncroft, we have walked through the book of Daniel, which highlighted God’s power amid a culture against His ways. Then we walked through the book of Ephesians, which highlighted God’s saving grace in the Gospel, to redefine our purpose as individuals and a church. In the Resurrection Faith series in April, we encountered a faith rooted in the testimony and transformation of those who saw the risen Christ. And our missions series this past month focused on the theme Blessed. Broken. Given. as the pattern of God calling us to live and share the Gospel in the world.
The book of James carries on this thread and journey we have traveled this year. Like Daniel, James gives us practical wisdom on how to live the way of Jesus in a world that doesn’t value Him. Like Ephesians, James assumes that experiencing the Gospel leads to living differently. Like our ministry partners demonstrated to us this past month, the book of James teaches that our values and callings reflect the life of Jesus and compel us to share the Gospel in the world through our words and deeds.
Most scholars point to James, the brother of Jesus, as the author of this book. During this series, you will see how his book connects directly to Jesus’ teachings, especially the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, like Proverbs. The BibleProject outlines the structure of the book, categorizing them as James 1: The Wisdom Jesus Offers and James 2-5: Twelve Teachings on Devotion to Jesus. At its heart, this book calls the reader to not just have a faith that stores doctrine and theology in the mind, but a faith that is lived out as Jesus taught and modeled.
At its heart, this book calls the reader to not just have a faith that stores doctrine and theology in the mind, but a faith that is lived out as Jesus taught and modeled.
James meets us at an intriguing time in our culture. He calls us to move out of the four walls of the church on Sunday mornings and into a radical life of the way of Jesus on Monday through Saturday. He challenges our assumptions about how we should plan for the future, how we should treat people of different statuses, and how our words carry far more power than we often recognize. Surrendering our lives to Jesus involves taking an introspective look at what we value in our lives in both healthy and unhealthy ways.
Three theological themes emerge from James– a theology of faith (belief leading to practice), a theology of suffering (assuming we will suffer as Jesus did), and a theology of wisdom (deciphering the way of Jesus instead of the way of the world).
I want to challenge you to immerse yourself in the book of James this summer. Since it has five chapters, you could read a chapter a day each week for the whole summer, completing it 10-14 times. You could also read one section of verses at a time. Often, we try to read fast through a book of the Bible. Reading through a book of the Bible slowly allows us to see the different intricacies. I have been reading through James since April and it’s impacted me in meaningful ways.
James journals available this Sunday!
Another unique way you can engage with this book is through the Filament James Journal we’re offering for free while supplies last. We chose this journal because it has additional resources to help you go deeper in your understanding. Pick up your copy in the lobby this Sunday, June 7th.
As a part of this series, we are also asking you to complete the NextStep for Church assessment, which will open this Sunday and be available through June 21st. This anonymous survey will coincide with the book of James by helping us see a holistic picture of discipleship, including beliefs and practices. Your participation will help our leadership know what areas of discipleship we can grow in to best serve you. Stay tuned for an email with the survey link this Sunday.
Our next Baptism Sunday on August 9th will also take place during this series. If you think you are ready for this step or want to talk through it with someone, you are welcome to start the baptism process by going to browncroft.org/baptism.
Many of you have inquired about who is preaching over the summer. Here’s a schedule:
Sunday Sermon Schedule – Book of James
- June 7 — Peter Englert — James 1:1
- June 14 — Peter Englert — James 1:2–11
- June 21 — Peter Englert — James 1:12–18
- June 28 — Melvin Cross — James 1:19–27
- July 5 — Sherwin Damdar — James 2:1–13
- July 12 — Trisha Smith — James 2:14–26
- July 19 — Cody Foster — James 3:1–12
- July 26 — Peter Englert — James 3:13–18
- August 2 — Cody Foster — James 4:1–12
- August 9 — Cody Foster — James 4:13–17
- August 16 — Jason Harris — James 5:1–6
- August 23 — Rob Cattalani — James 5:7–12
- August 30 — Rob Cattalani — James 5:13–20
Lastly, many of you have asked about additional resources. I wanted to offer you some (linked below) that you can check out to go deeper in the book of James by yourself or with others:
I look forward to learning alongside you this summer. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!
Peter
