Bridging The Gap

Today, Lloyd will bring us another message from his series in James. As we mentioned at the beginning of this series, James is one of the most practical books in the Bible. It speaks of taming the tongue, the importance of putting our faith into real action, and dealing with the hardships of life. When we suffer, we so often ask God to take the pain away!  But the Lord has something greater in view, than our comfort.  He wants to conform us into the image of Christ! 

If I asked you to name a character trait that seems to be harder and harder to find these days, I think a good answer would be “integrity”. People seem to just be doing whatever they feel like doing, without any thought of anyone. Lying seems to be an accepted part of life in 2024.  Today on Bridging the Gap we're encouraged toward a life of honesty and integrity… in all that we say and do. 

We'll continue our study of the book of James today, and if you'll recall we left off in chapter five. It's exciting to think that Jesus could return at any time.  All the signs suggest He's at the door, and that His return is soon.  And that should radically impact how we live.

Today on Bridging the Gap, we're reminded that Jesus is coming soon and how that truth should impact the way we live.  Our current series is focusing on the epistle of James, and as you know, James doesn’t beat around the bush! Pastor Lloyd Pulley visits James five, and verses seven through twelve on this broadcast, as we get ready for the return of Christ.

There was a group of people who apparently weren't living as they should back in the first century A.D., and this prompted a sharp rebuke from James.  Not unlike many Americans, these people misused their riches, and we'll see what James has to say about them - and perhaps us. 

Perhaps the most famous gold strike in American history occurred in January 1848 when a man named John Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill in northern California. The find set off a gold rush that reached a frenzied pitch, but it ruined Marshall and John Stutter, the man who owned the land. Sutter's land was overrun by gold seekers, his cattle stolen, and he was driven into bankruptcy. Marshall died drunk and penniless. Seeking riches and misusing them was a topic James spoke about quite forcefully.

Who really knows what’s best for us? Most of us, of course, think we do. However, James, in a very bold and uncompromising way, shows us in chapter four of his epistle that reliance on God is the only way to go! It’s been mankind’s problem since the garden of Eden - we think we are sooooooo much smarter than God!

Today we’ll continue our journey through one of the most challenging books in the bible, James. Many in our day and age pride themselves on their independence.  They want to do their own thing and be their own king, have their own way, day and say.  But the Christian is to live quite differently. Our lives must be totally dependent upon God. 

Our Heavenly Father wants us to present our requests to Him.  And often times, the reason we don’t have some things is because we haven’t asked!  And material “things” are not what we are necessarily talking about!  Pastor Lloyd Pulley will explain in just a moment as we return to our study of James.  We’ll be in chapter four here on this edition of Bridging the Gap

When we were kids, one of mom and dad’s main functions was teaching us the things to avoid. That’s James’ topic too. If we want to walk in the spirit, there are things we definitely need to avoid. And I think as we go along in today’s study, you’ll notice that God’s “hands off” list is very similar to the world’s “go ahead and do it” list.

Today on Bridging the Gap, pastor Lloyd Pulley contrasts the wisdom that comes from below with the wisdom that comes from above.  Obviously, the greater of the two is the one that comes from God, and so that’s the one we’ll spend the majority of our time talking about over the next two broadcasts, as we continue our pursuit through the book of James.

Pastor Lloyd is  leading us verse by verse through the epistle of James.  We’ve all experienced saying something that later we wished we hadn’t... whether it be a curse word, or something that hurt another a great deal.  It’s amazing how such a small part of the body can have such a large impact.  No wonder James likens it to a fire!  Let’s see now how we can use it for good rather than evil, in James three. 

Since our early days in Sunday School we’ve heard over and over again that we are saved by grace and not by works.  We’ve committed verses like Ephesians two, verses eight and nine to our memory to reinforce that belief.  Then we run across verses in James chapter two that at first glance seem to contradict the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone.  “Faith without works is dead.”  But today on Bridging the Gap we’ll see that these passages are actually complimentary. 

As we study James chapter two today, we’re going to discuss a subject of some controversy. The relationship between faith and works. James says faith without works is dead, while Paul said we are saved by faith, apart from any works! Is there a way for these two statements to coexist? We’ll find out today on our broadcast. 

Bigotry and racism are front page items in today’s world. The upcoming election is proof of that. Can you recall a time in history when this country has been more racially divided?  And our national media seems intent on stoking the racial fires unceasingly.  On today’s program, we see James underscore the sin of partiality.   We’ll soon see that when it comes to the law of love there is no room for prejudice.

On today’s broadcast, Pastor Lloyd Pulley returns to our study of James.  In our day and age, we’re encouraged to have favorites... from our favorite ice cream to our favorite sports team.  We have our favorite restaurant, and favorite friends too.  On today’s program, we see James underscore the sin of partiality.   We’ll soon see that when it comes to the law of love there is no room for prejudice. 

Today on Bridging the Gap, as we return to our study of James, we’ll be reminded of the power of words. They have the power to motivate millions of people to hang tough in a difficult situation, and they have the ability to cut a person to ribbons. Pastor Lloyd Pulley is our teacher, and on today’s program, he’ll show us what James has to say on the subject of the unbridled tongue.

Today on Bridging the Gap, we continue our series in James by taking a look at the end of chapter one. Here’s pastor Lloyd Pulley with a message titled “True Religion”.

If you pay much attention to current events today, you may have noticed a trend among many people - a trend toward resignation. I don't mean quitting jobs, I mean being resigned to living an incomplete life. People walking around without purpose - just running out the string. It doesn’t have to be that way!  Today we’ll continue a look at the epistle of James, and a message on growing spiritually. That should be the goal of every believer!.

If there’s one concrete lesson to be learned in the second half of James chapter one, it’s the fact that there’s a huge difference between saying you’re a Christian and living a life that reflects that you’re a Christian. We find here that we are to be “doers of the word”. That’s a pretty hefty responsibility, and we most certainly need divine help in order to accomplish the task.