New Life Downtown

How should we think about riches? James warns the wealthy who hoard riches, exploit workers, live indulgently, and prey on the vulnerable. The problem is not wealth, but how it is gained and how it is used. Jesus redeems riches by redefining our relationship to wealth. Though this kind of life is impossible for us, with God all things are possible.

We are tempted to believe that we are in control of our lives. Preaching from James 5:13-17, Pastor Glenn Packiam shows how James warns us against presumption. But the opposite is not passivity. James invites us to surrender to the will of the good and faithful Father who gives good gifts. In doing so, we are neither presumptuous nor passive; we become participants in God's work.

What is the source of conflict among you? Pastor Glenn Packiam preaches from James 4 about how God diagnosis our destructive behavior by revealing our disordered desires. Our hearts are bent inwards on themselves. But God's desire for us is stronger than our desire for Him. His grace reorders our desires, redirects our affections, and restores our lives.

There are two types of wisdom: wisdom from below and wisdom from above. Pastor Jason Jackson preaches from James 3, helping us discern godly wisdom from the wisdom of this world. True wisdom leads us to pursue humility, holiness, and the peace Jesus brought the world through His death and resurrection.

What is the goal of Gospel proclamation? Preaching from the second half of James 2, Pastor Glenn Packiam helps us see that the goal of Gospel proclamation is faithful obedience. The Holy Spirit produces fruit in us for the glory of God and the good of the world.

James 2 speaks to our cultural moment of racial tensions by challenging us to see favoritism as a contradiction to the faith. Pastor Glenn Packiam shows that throughout the Scripture, the tilt of God's face is always to the marginalized and the oppressed. When we recognize our own need for mercy, we lose the need to judge or exclude others. On this Pentecost Sunday, we remember what a radical comm...

James relentlessly challenges followers of Jesus to live a life consistent with the Kingdom of God - to live a life that produces God's righteousness. This week Pastor Jason Jackson shows us how this actually happens. We don't grow in Christ by trying harder. We grow by welcoming God's word in our lives and then working in the same direction. As pay attention to the Spirit, embrace what God is doi...

Beginning a new series on the book of James, Pastor Glenn Packiam exhorts us to examine what this season of trial is for. It is an occasion for joy because it is an opportunity for maturity. The path to maturity means learning to seek wisdom at the source, to put our lives in perspective, and to see God as he truly is: the good giver of good gifts.

How do we find our way in a season of disruption and disorientation? Pastors Glenn and Holly Packiam share Biblical wisdom and practical ways to create rhythms and practices for abiding in Christ and bearing fruit for the glory of God and the good of others.

How does the glorious chapter of Romans 8 end? With a stunning vision of a God who does not withhold any good thing from us and who will never let us go. God is both the judge and our advocate, and the verdict is in: We are loved! God had bound Himself to us forever.

Have you ever felt not just on the outside but on the wrong side of God's story? Preaching from Joshua 2 on the story of Rahab, Pastor Glenn Packiam shows how she is not only named in the Bible but saved and integrated into the people of God. We discover how loyalty blends belief and obedience, and how God's generosity is greater than our faith or faithlessness.

What do we do in the 'meantime'? In today's reflection from Romans 8 (vs. 24-27), we explore what it means to wait with hope. Pastor Glenn Packiam begins by explaining that Christian hope is not an escape, or optimism, or progress, or even a return or restoration of how things were in Eden. We then turn to Paul's exhortation to embrace patience and prayer, with the Holy Spirit's help.

How do we make sense of our suffering? Expounding on Romans 8:18-23, Pastor Glenn Packiam shares how Paul wants us to know that this present pain cannot compare to future glory, how suffering is the result of creation's slavery, and why even our groaning is with eager expectation.

From on Romans 8:14-17, Pastor Glenn Packiam explores what it means to be no longer slaves but children of God. First, we look at why the phrase "sonship" matters, and what its resonances throughout Scripture are. Then, we examine how the Son of God made us all children of God. Finally, we examine three implications of living now as children of God.

Pastor Glenn Packiam examines Romans 8:9-13 and discusses what it means to be dead yet alive. We recognize a duality at work in us. Some have tried to explain it as being at once a sinner and a righteous person. But what makes better sense of Paul's words is to see ourselves as being at once dead and yet alive. We live in a body that is part of the old creation - it is corrupted and decaying. And...

Pastor Glenn Packiam continues these reflections on Romans 8 with a look at Romans 8:5-9. What does Paul mean by "the flesh"? How do two different mindsets lead to two different results? As we dive in, discover why the good news of Christians is found in the gift of the Holy Spirit.