Sunday Morning Preview - November 1, 2015

I hope you will join me this Sunday morning at DCC as we continue our journey through the Epistle of James with Part 5 of “Pure Religion”.

What does James mean when he says Christians are to keep themselves “Unstained from the world”?

Most of us are personally acquainted with at least one believer who has taken this verse as the foundation to support all kinds of legalistic nonsense.

Are Christians meant to understand this verse to mean that we are not to:

• Watch television, go to movies, or listen to the radio?
• Attend sporting events or view cultural displays such as art exhibits, opera, or the theatre?
• Frequent dining establishments that serve liquor or feature live music?
• Participate in politics, public education, or the market place?

Join me this Sunday for a sober look at worldliness; and what it means to avoid it.

Sunday Morning Preview - October 25, 2015

I hope you will join me this Sunday morning at DCC as we continue our journey through the Epistle of James with Part 4 of “Pure Religion”.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27)

When you see the helpless, the poor, the destitute; when you encounter the sojourner, the immigrant, the addict, the sick of mind or body, do you typically ignore their plight? Is it your usual practise to simply make excuses to justify consuming all you have on yourself?

Do you count your intelligence, your strength, and your position in life as something of your own doing; or do you recognize that you are a mere steward of all that belongs to God?

I hope to see you Sunday for a frank discussion regaurding worthless religion.

Thanksgiving 2015 at Dakota Community Church

As you may have gathered from the picture above I have decided to change my sermon plans for the next few weeks. 

Although I had previously announced a special Thanksgiving sermon followed by a couple of weeks in our Judges series I have instead decided not to interrupt the flow we are on in the Book of James in order to complete the “Pure Religion” series.

We are just getting into the characteristics James lists as evidences of pure religion as opposed to “worthless religion.” These include: a bridled tongue, caring concern for the helpless, and the avoidance of “worldliness".

In this first of the three characteristics we are looking to see if James is teaching us that Christians have “creative power” in their words and that we are to be making positive declarations and/or avoiding negative confessions in order to fulfill our God given dream destinies… or if these passages, (James 1:19-20, 26; 3:1-12; 4:11-12) taken in context, are actually revealing something entirely different?

I hope to see you all Sunday!

October 4, 2015 at Dakota Community Church

I hope you will join me this Sunday morning at DCC as we continue our journey through the Epistle of James with Part 2 of a message I have entitled “Pure Religion”.

How are we to conduct ourselves around weaker brothers and sisters who have overly developed sensitivities regaurding various rules and regulations that do not actually apply to christians in light of the freedom that we have received in Christ?

What are the marks of “true religion” according to James 1:26-27?

Is James teaching that Christians have “creative power” in their words and that we are to be making positive declarations and/or avoiding negative confessions in order to fulfill our God given dream destinies… or are these passages, (James 1:19-20, 26; 3:1-12; 4:11-12) taken in context, revealing something else?

I hope to see you all Sunday!