Emmanuel Fellowship Church

Believers who have teachable hearts will have greater understanding and wisdom in this life because they depend upon the Holy Spirit when facing each new situation that comes their way. Scripture Passages: James 3:17-18; 1 Cor. 2:3; Heb. 5:13-14; Ps. 34:14; Heb. 12:25-27; Mat. 13:27; Prov. 11:18; Hos. 10:12; Gal. 6:8-9

The Wisdom of this World vs. the the Wisdom of Heaven. Scripture Passages: James 3:13-16; Rom 13:13; 1 Cor. 2:14-15; Mat. 16:22; Gal. 5:15-16

Wherever your heart is, there will be what you treasure most. If your primary focus every day is on earthly things like making more money, becoming more successful, buying more things, worrying about what people think of you, stressing about life... basically anything unattached to Jesus or the Kingdom of Heaven- then your heart is not with Jesus. Cause we can only serve 1 master. And where you spend your time and focus is either preparing you for Heaven or preparing you for Death. Scripture Passages: James 3:13-14; Mat. 6:19-21,33; Prov. 4

Are you pouring too much salt into others lives? Learn to find the balance, or else your salt will turn to bitterness. Scripture Passages: James 3:10-12; 2 Kings 2:19-22; Mt. 5:13; Mark 9:50; Col. 4:6; Heb. 12:14-18; Luke 19:41-42; 1 Sam. 15:23

Every time you speak a negative thing about someone, you are speaking that negativity towards God and His Creation (for we are all created in His image). Scripture Passages: Prov. 18:4; 10:11, 13:14; James 3:8; Mark 7:20; Ps. 51:10; Rom. 12:1-2; James 3:9; Gen. 1:26

Our tongue is like a fire, and once we say something that puts another human being down, the fire is ignited and will destroy what is before it. Scripture Passages: James 3:5-8; Prov. 26:20-21; Ps. 39:1-3; Acts 2; James 3:6; Col. 4:5-6; Mat. 12:34

"If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless." Scripture Passages: James 1:19, 26; 2:12; 4:1; 4:11-12; 3:1-12; Prov. 18:21; 15:1; 10:19; 12:22; Ps. 141:3-4; Mat. 12:34

Can you believe that a prostitute is in the genealogy of Jesus' lineage and was considered righteous and spoken highly of by biblical heroes such as Paul, Matthew, and James?! How is that possible? Because she had dynamic faith! And that's the kind of heart God is seeking. So if a prostitute was held up as an example of great faith for ages to come- why do you doubt that God couldn't use you as well? What legacy will you leave behind? Scripture Passages: Joshua 2:1-21; Ruth 4:13; Heb. 11:31; James 2:25; Mat. 1:5

If there is no action that comes out of our faith- we cannot claim to have dynamic faith. And therefore our "faith" is merely based in the intellect and emotions (which is a dangerous place to be...for even the demons have that kind of faith!) Scripture Passages: Gal. 5:22; James 1:18; Rom. 8:17; Gen. 15:5-6; Rom. 4:1

"You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror" (James 2:19). Yes, even demons have faith! Which begets the question: Could the faith of demons be greater than my own faith? For they recognize and submit to God's authority every time He speaks. Do you always do the same? Or do you sometimes ignore/question/doubt His existence, authority or what He asks of you? Scripture Passages: Luke 8:26; Mat. 17:15; Mk. 1:34; Mat. 12:24; Mk. 3:11; Lk. 8:31; Deut. 6:4; Eph. 2:1-10

"This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Christ to death by nailing Him on the cross" (Acts 2:23). Part of "God's Plan" (even today) is to use any man or government that He puts in place to bring about HIS Government and Authority for the betterment of HIS people! Though you may not understand it now, God has a plan- Trust in Him! Scripture Passages: Isa. 55:8-11; Isa. 46:8-13; Acts 2:22-24; Dan. 2:17; Dan. 3:26; Rom. 13:1; Dan. 4:23-27; Isa. 55:12-13; Isa. 56; Philip. 4:8

Just because you have faithfully gone to church, or have done many good works for God, doesn't necessarily mean that you have salvation, or that you have a relationship with Jesus. All it means is that you have "church". Scripture Passages: Mat. 7:19; 1 John 3:14; Gal. 6:10; Mat. 25:40; Gal. 5:6(b); Lk. 10:25-37; John 3:16; 1 John 5:12

Faith is not a feeling. Faith is a confidence that God's Word is true and a conviction that acting on His Word will bring His blessings. Scripture Passages: Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 11:6; Rom. 14:23

Our conduct will reveal our convictions. Scripture Passages: Ps. 119:41, James 2:12; Jonah 4:1

God calls us to be merciful to others, and we are to do this because of the mercy He has shown us. We may not feel like being merciful to someone we don't like. However like love, Mercy is NOT a feeling - its a choice you make to do what Jesus calls us to do- and will probably be at first an act of the will. But as we give mercy, we will experience freedom! Scripture Passages: James 2:12-13; 2 Kings 6:8; Mat. 18:23; Mat. 9:12

Did you know in the end there will actually be 2 Final Judgements from God? The one we all know about - will judge your salvation (if you believed and accepted Christ as your Savior or not). The other you might not know about, and is different from the "salvation judgement". It's based on your WORDS, DEEDS, and ATTITUDES. So, everything you've ever said, done, and thought will be put through the Refiner's Fire. And yes, believers will have to go through this as well! Scripture Passages: John 5:24; Rom. 8:1; Rom. 14:10-12; 2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; James 2:2-4; Mat. 12; Mat. 5:21-26; Mat. 7:1-5, 21-23

The doctrine of God's grace forces us to relate to people on the basis of God's plan and not on the basis of human merit or social status. This is the 2nd of the 4 basic Christian Doctrines: "The Grace Of God". Scripture Passages: James 2:5-7; Eph. 2:8-10; Acts 15:5-11; Rom. 10:4,9-13; 1 Tim. 6:17-18; Col. 3:11; Gal. 3:26

Ask yourself- is there anyone in your life that you hate? Or even strongly dislike? Or perhaps someone that just annoys and bothers you to the point that you treat them differently...in a not-so-loving-way? In either case- God has a word for you... "If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." Wow. Those seem like some harsh words from God. So how am I supposed to rectify that? How are we supposed to love them if their disfunction, brokenness, or sin keeps getting in the way and that's all we see? Introducing the first of the 4 Basic Christian Doctrines that will help you in this struggle - "The Deity of Christ." Scripture Passages: 1 John 4:20,21; 1 Cor. 13:4; James 2:1-13; Luke 14:7-14; Mat. 23, 22:16; Isa. 53:1-3

The way we behave toward others indicates what we really believe about God. Scripture Passages: James 2

Keep yourself from being polluted by the world! Scripture Passages: James 1:27b; John 14:30; Luke 16:1-8; John 17:18