Faith at Work (5)
James 2:14-26
Are you God’s friend?
Introduction
Consider these two people. Michael grew up in a Christian home and has been going to church as long as he can remember. Now in his forties, he knows his Bible very well indeed, he is involved in various community service projects, and he lives a morally upright life. Secretly, Michael is proud of his reputation as a fine upstanding pillar of the community and he is utterly confident he deserves to be in heaven.

Faith at Work (4)
James 2:1-13
Are you merciful?
Introduction
We are in a series in which we are thinking about what it means to be a Christian in the cut and thrust of ordinary everyday experience.
In chapter 1 of his letter, James has been saying that if we are Christians, if we really have experienced the new birth, then we must live it out. So, in the midst of the trials and tests that are common to all of us, James wants us to demonstrate the reality of our faith by going the way of the Word and not going the way of the World.

Faith at Work (3)
True Worship
James 1:19-27
Introduction
Ever since the early church was established, Christians have had to wrestle with the problem of deception.
In his second letter, the apostle Peter says to the early church, “There will be false teachers among you.” So, although their methods may have changed, there is nothing new about people in the church claiming to be humble servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, when the truth is that they are not.

Faith at Work (2)
Dealing with Desire
James 1:12-18
Introduction
January is traditionally the time when the media is full of reviews of the year gone by and brave predictions for the year ahead. Most of these are entertaining and quickly forgotten. But there was one this year that captured my interest. It was by the former British Cabinet Minister, Jonathan Aitken, who became a Christian about ten years ago. Although his comments were about Britain, I think what he says may well be true for Cape Town.

Faith at Work (1)
The Truth about Trials
James 1:1-12.
Introduction to the series
When we are choosing a book to read, there are usually at least two things we want to know. We want to know what the critics have said about it and we want to know something about the author. And where the Letter of James is concerned it has to be said that the critics have not always been very kind.

Dead or Alive? (4)
Luke 15:25-32
Religious but Lost
Introduction
One of the most striking developments in the church over the last couple of decades has been the demand for Christian counselling. In part this is a reflection of what has happened outside the church, where there has been an explosion of interest in all forms of psychotherapy and psychology. I think its true to say that most of the larger churches in our cities have developed lots of ministries to help people with everything from divorce to substance abuse.

Dead or Alive? (3)
The Prodigal Father
Luke 15:20-24
Introduction
Our purpose in these four Tuesday lunchtimes is to try to get to the heart of the Christian message by looking at just one chapter of the New Testament. We are therefore only interested in things that are primary and essential. If you attend a church on Sundays, then these ought to be the non-negotiables.

Dead or Alive? (2)
Coming to our senses
Luke 15:11-20

Introduction
We are in a series where we are trying to answer the question “What is Christianity?” based on the three parables that Jesus gives in Luke 15.

Dead or Alive? (1)
Luke 15:1-10
What makes God happy?
Introduction

Looking for a Leader (11)
2 Samuel 15:1-37
King of Sorrows
Introduction
Last week we were talking about how lasting change takes place in the life of the Christian and we saw that confession is the key. Before we go any further, it’s worth emphasising that confession of sin is not a one time event that takes place at the beginning of our Christian lives.