Beltway Weekend Services (Audio)

Pastor David McQueen continues through the book of James, breaking down James 5:7-11 over patience in suffering. James, brother to Jesus, tells us to wait like the farmer for the precious fruit of the earth, begin patient about it. The Father wants everyone to reap a harvest of precious fruit with our lives. God is bringing about the harvest, but facets of that harvest happen over time. It is why...

Geoffrey Turner challenges us to look carefully at how we are walking and to seize the day. When the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he told them to “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-17. We don’t want to look up and wonder where the time went, wondering how we spent it. James 4:13-17 naviga...

Geoffrey Turner discusses healthy conflict. Conflict is inevitable. We often experience conflict in unhealthy and negative ways by withdrawing, escalating, negatively interpreting, or invalidating. Proverbs 18 speaks a lot on conflict. While conflict is inevitable, unhealthy conflict is avoidable. Paul says in Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Not on...

David McQueen shares how we can be confident and secure in SAVING faith! The crux of Christianity is wrapped up in one word: Save (Luke 19:10). Different from Paul writing about faith from God’s perspective, the book of James, written by the half-brother to Jesus, addresses faith from a human perspective. James 2:17-19 tells us how faith without works is dead… for even the demons believe and shudd...

Geoffrey Turner explains how we consciously or unconsciously form opinions when immediately seeing someone based on surface level attributes. These formed opinions leave us showing favoritism or partiality. The book of James highlights this judgement as sin and explains how partiality opposes the gospel and blocks its spread. As believers, we have to strive to never live our lives in such a way th...

David McQueen highlights how James 3:6 is a warning of how our words, the language we use, can set a fire of destruction in our lives. Words wield a power greater than we can imagine. In verse 8, James tells us that no human can tame the tongue. But in Luke 18:27, Jesus tells us what is impossible with men is possible with God! Jesus came to do for us and in us what we cannot do ourselves – includ...

James 1:19 tells us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. James wants us to know to be quick to hear, not just to hear. Hearing is an active process, not a passive action. Being quick to hear changes our relationship with God and with others. We miss out on the life God has for us when we don’t hear Him. We cannot truly walk in relationship with the Father without hearing His voic...

Everyone is tempted by something. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 tells us that no one is immune to temptation. But it also tells us that God is faithful, He will not let us be tempted beyond our ability and He will always provide a way of escape. James 1:14-17 also tells us that we are all tempted by our own desires. Desire however, is not the problem. How we choose to fulfill those desires can be. Satisf...

Heavenly wisdom is guaranteed if we don’t doubt (James 1:5-8).  Wisdom is having the faith and courage to apply the principles of God’s Word to our lives. It’s the ability to go beyond merely surviving each day to building a life of abundance. While earthly wisdom says an individual determines what is true for themselves, heavenly wisdom encourages us to renew our minds by seeking out God’s good,...

God uses trials to increase faith in our lives (James 1:1-4).  The book of James – written by James, the half-brother of Jesus – makes it clear that God wants us  mature and complete, not lacking anything  (James 1:4). That maturity produces abundance in our lives. At the beginning of the book, James establishes that part of maturity is learning to find joy when we face challenges and difficulty....

Living God’s way will come at a cost (Matthew 5:10-12).  Scripture is clear that all who desire to live a Godly life in Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). When we align our hearts, desires, choices, and actions to Jesus and His kingdom, we stand in direct opposition to the world and culture around us. We begin to spiritually  stink  (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). If we do not spiritually  stink ...

God goes to extraordinary lengths to bring peace to our chaos, to heal our brokenness.  Part of our response to how God works and moves in us to bring peace is to testify to what He has done, to share with others how He has brought wholeness (Psalm 107:2; Mark 5:18-20). Another part of our response is carrying the peace God has given us into the chaotic, fragmented situations and environments of t...

Blessed homes do not wish for peace; they make it (Matthew 5:9).  Every person experiences conflict in their relationships; it is inevitable, especially in our homes with those we are closest to and spend the most time with. Even mature followers of Jesus can have disagreements and struggles (Acts 15:36-40). It is a reality that if we are pursuing Jesus diligently, peace in relationships does  not...

A pure heart is a vital ingredient to a blessed life and home (Matthew 5:8).  In fact, the condition of our heart – that place of our desires, emotions, choices, and motives – is so important that we are taught to guard it above anything else (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus is clear that those with a pure heart not only receive blessing, but they will  see God . The challenge, however, is that there is no...

Christ-centered homes are blessed (Matthew 5:6).  Though most people desire happiness (or blessing), it seems exceptionally elusive. Experiencing circumstances that are consistently pleasant and a life relatively free from trouble is nearly impossible. In contrast, Jesus teaches that blessing has more to do with being on the right path than good circumstances. Even if the road is challenging, Jesu...

Surrender to God imparts resilience (Matthew 26:36-39).  We daily navigate the chaos and uncertainty of the world around us, leaving many hopeless, worried, and anxious. Jesus experienced a similar struggle, saying to some of His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane that His soul was  overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death . Despite this mental and emotional distress, Jesus still had the r...

Communion connects us to the resurrection power of Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:17-30).  The practice of communion is a great equalizer and unifier. It reminds us that we all need a savior, regardless of our socio-economic status, nationality, race, or history. We take communion together simply as a community of the forgiven. When we engage in it, we are experiencing the  presence of Jesus  in a...

Jesus gives us a clear guardrail on the narrow road that leads to abundant life: beware of false teachers (Matthew 7:15-20).  Jesus gives this warning because He knows how susceptible we are to the teachings and influence of false teachers. When we embrace false teachers and their ideas, we begin to make small, subtle decisions that eventually lead us significantly away from the life God has for u...

Carefully examining our lives and minimizing distractions protects us and acts as a guardrail on the narrow road that leads to abundant life (Ephesians 5:15-21).  One of the primary tools the enemy uses against us is distractions, which often lead us to choosing what is good over what is best. We know with confidence that we are prioritizing what is best and eliminating distractions when we are se...

Growing in both grace and truth acts as a guardrail on the narrow road of following Jesus (Mark 8:14-21).  Jesus warns His followers to  watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod  (Mark 8:15). Jesus is saying that there are small, subtle yet sinful ideas and beliefs that can carry significant influence in our hearts and run us off the narrow road that leads to life. The yeast of H...

The fear of the Lord is a guardrail keeping us on the narrow road (Matthew 10:17- 30). Though we are created for relationship with God and with others, sin has drastically affected our God-given desire for acceptance. If we are not careful, we will want human praise more than praise from God. Without guardrails, we will seek the approval of others by obsessively trying to please them, by performin...

God’s abundant blessing as we live generous lives is tied to our hearts (Mark 12:41-44).  Jesus makes it clear to His followers, when He highlights a poor widow who gave all she had (two copper coins) into the temple treasury, that the amount of our giving is significantly less important than the condition of our hearts when we give. In seeking to live a life of generosity, it is not just the act...

To be truly Christ-like is to excel in generosity (2 Corinthians 8:7). Jesus is (and has been) generous beyond what we can imagine. Out of His incredible love for us, He set aside His heavenly place to enter our sinfulness and messiness so that we could know Him and have eternal life (John 3:16; Philippians 2:5-8). Though He was rich, for our sake He became poor, so that by His sacrifice we could...

We cannot outgive God (Acts 20:32-35). Though it seems upside down from what is normal in our culture, we find provision and abundance when we embrace firstfruit generosity with our finances. From Malachi 3:10, firstfruit generosity means tithing 10% of our personal profit or income to the storehouse (e.g., your local church where you go for spiritual provision and mission). The giving of our fina...

Every follower of Jesus is a tool – used in tandem with other Jesus followers – to be the church and reach people for Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:12-14).  Or as Paul wrote, we are the body of Christ, made up of many parts. Each part as God’s workmanship has a significant role to play, created intentionally to accomplish good works. When any part does not function as it should, it affects and hurts the...