Passion Creek Church

In this message, we study James 5 and discover the meaning behind a "prayer of faith."

As James nears the end of his letter, one of the last encouragements he wants to give is a call to perseverance. In a world accustomed to anger, favoritism, slander, and ambition, it’s easy to feel the pressure to give up on the practices of Jesus, the truths of Jesus, or even on the way of Jesus altogether. But James reminds us that perseverance in our relationships with others and with God will...

As humans, we’re all accustomed to greed. By default, we strive to hoard and live extravagantly in order to build up wealth for ourselves and our families. But according to James, this lifestyle comes at a cost. Not only do we feed our greed at the expense of the poor and oppressed, but we also bring rot to our own souls. The more we indulge, the less like Jesus we become. But the gospel frees us...

After warning about the dangers of the world, flesh, and devil, James confronts us with two subtle sins that can easily pull followers of Jesus away from God and others: the sin of slander and the sin of sufficiency. Slander makes us judge and criticize others as we puff ourselves up, and sufficiency makes us prioritize our will over God’s. When we live by the way of the world, tempted to give in...

When most of us think of resisting the devil, we might imagine something like demonic possession, exorcism, or a dramatic and visible display of blatant evil. But the devil’s influence in the world is more subtle than that. Throughout the scriptures, Satan’s primary tactic isn’t force, it’s deception. From the beginning of time, Satan has used lies to distort God’s truth, turn people away from the...

In  James 4, we  learn that on some level, followers of the way of Jesus are at odds with the world we live in. While we have a responsibility to love the created world, steward our lives to make it better, and love the people in it, it’s clear that the cultural air we live in is becoming more and more hostile to the way of Jesus. From sexuality and gender to justice and violence, the world normal...

We live in a culture today that encourages us to satisfy any and all of our desires as we pursue our “true selves.” The only caveat the world gives us is that our desires shouldn’t hurt other people. Otherwise, those desires are good. But what if the people we really hurt in satisfying our desires is ourselves? In  James 4, we  learn that not all desires are good, fulfilling, or even authentic to...

One of the greatest dangers plaguing the church today is also one of the oldest — selfish ambition. Since the church was first established, the people of God have experienced conflict, disagreement, and division, and often times these circumstances provide an opportunity for us to become bitter, envious, and boastful. But  James 3  shows us what it looks like to endure conflict well. Rather than g...

Throughout the Bible we read that our salvation comes from our faith in God alone. The apostle Paul reminds us that we’re saved, declared righteous, brought near to God, and adopted into the family of God all by our faith, not by our works. It’s often people’s faith that Jesus commends, and at times, the disciples even ask God to increase their faith. All of this begs the question, what exactly is...

It’s part of our human nature to play favorites. We often move towards, look up to, and speak highly of those who have wealth or achievements while also looking down to, ignoring, or withholding mercy from those who lack these things. Christians aren’t immune from this sin of favoritism, and it goes back to the very beginnings of the church. James likely witnessed his half-brother Jesus correcting...

James 1  confronts us with a painful reality: life will be hard. We’ll be persecuted, gut-punched, and exposed as we continue practicing the way of Jesus in our everyday lives. But  James 1  also gives us a vision for the kind of people we can be if we endure these hardships with humility and patience. The church is at its best when we’re people who speak graciously, serve selflessly, and live hol...

Jesus’ half-brother James is first known as a mocker to Jesus and a doubter of faith. When we first see him, he’s trying to stop Jesus’ ministry and prevent him from fulfilling his purpose. But after witnessing the resurrection of his older half-brother, James’ life is transformed. He’s called an apostle by Paul, considered a pillar of the early church, and eventually gives his life as a martyr fo...

In  Mark 10 , Jesus interacts with a man who many of us can relate to — he’s wealthy, sincere, and desires to follow Jesus. But when he asks Jesus what else he can do to experience a joyful life in the Kingdom, Jesus responds by targeting the one thing he’s still clinging to: his wealth. Many of us struggle with the same issue today. We want to experience life and life in abundance, yet we’re unwi...

When most of us think of simplicity, we think of digital minimalism, materialism, and wealth. But few of us would consider the practice of simplicity as something that involves our speech and relationships. And yet, when we examine how often we use sarcasm, exaggeration, and flattery to manipulate people and get what we want, we might be surprised to see that our speech is not simple or wholesome...

As Americans our identities are often shaped by the quantity and quality of the stuff we own. Security, stability, and satisfaction are only possible when we buy and accumulate more wealth. And while we’re really after deep contentment, we falsely believe that the very joy we’re searching for is still on the other side of the next purchase. Cue our endless cycle of buying more so we can desire les...

We live in the age of the attention economy. From social media ads and online shopping to streaming and news, our hearts and minds are often cluttered and rewired for discontentment. We live chasing accumulation, or what Jesus calls “the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things.” And for most of us, this discontentment comes directly from our digital consu...