Joy From James

When we come to FBC on Sunday morning, we may not know exactly what will happen. but we can be sure that the service has been prayed for beforehand and is being prayed for by a different deacon every Sunday as the service progresses that everything we do and say during the grow groups that precede the service and the worship service itself will bring glory and honor to God, that it is all firmly grounded in scripture and that God's truth will be boldly preached!  This morning we started our service with a congregational song, but after the opening prayer the congregation was blessed by the choir, which has returned from the July sabbatical. singing "King Of Kings"  We, then, returned to congregational praise and worship that took us right up to the sermon where Pastor Wes began a series in the book of James which is written to believers who have been scattered from Jerusalem by persecution and who are in need of encouragement and strength for the various difficulties they find themselves in because of their faith.  He assures them that they will encounter various trials, but they can take joy in the fact that their testing is not for nothing, because they can  be strengthened by the testing much like athletes who keep training and doing what is difficult.  If you only do what is easy and comes naturally, you will never develop endurance.  Not that we should seek suffering, but when it comes(and it will come) we can choose to be refined like silver or gold.  There is much more in these first four verses for us to think about and understand and Pastor Wes does a wonderful job of making it clear and plain if you watch the Live-stream, that all the trials we encounter and strengthening and testing is to make us more like Jesus so that we can be His witnesses in this world and reflect the joy and love of God to help others come into a personal relationship with Him!