Tom Schmidt's BlogJames 3:13 calls us those who are wise ‘by their good conduct to show their works in the meekness of wisdom.” This phrase is surprising at first, but I’ve appreciated Douglas Moo’s comments on the concept of “meekness” and wisdom from his commentary on James: “Humility, or “meekness” was not usually prized by the Greeks. […]
James 3:1-12 “The TONGUE” Intro: 16,000 Words; Insignificant/sig; Regret/glad; kind/harsh; patient/impatient; sad words/joyful words; clean/foul -Our words have great power—power to wound/heal and change people and situations for the better and worse -Something wrong in our talk: we don’t use our words that we ought to. -But, in the gospel, we can be made new […]
2 Passages to Help Guide Sunday Morning Pastoral Ministry Here are two passages from Corinthians to shape how we ought to think about Sunday morning ministry. These ministered to me this week and I want them to continue to shape how I think about Sunday mornings in the future. 1 BUILDING UP 1 Corinthians 14:3b […]
From Jeff Robinson’s book “Taming the Tongue,” here are 9 categories of sinful speech (pg 33-60) 1. Gossip and Slander. Gossip: Sharing something about someone that wouldn’t say in front of them; Slander: “open, intentional sharing of damaging information another person” 2. Critical Talk: ungodly criticism. 3. Sarcasm: Mockery and scorn of another (not to […]
James 2:14-26 “A Faith that Works” (Preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville on 7.13.25) Intro: “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you believe something” –Wrong: 1. CONTENT: Matters What you Believe In; 2. MANNER: Matters what your Belief is like (real or fake) -James shows us there is a kind […]
Douglas Moo has really helpful insights on James 2:14-26 in commentary on James (Pillar). Here’s a few quotes from him: “James is not arguing that works must be added to faith. His point, rather, is that genuine biblical faith will inevitably be characterized by works… James, in a sense, proposes for us in these verses […]
James 2:1-13 “Partiality, Prejudice, and the Gospel” (Preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville, Illinois on 7/6/25) Intro: Centennial Beach Discrimination (age, weight, income, race, background, education); Public outcry (media) -GOOD human longing for justice and equality in society (Christians and Non-Christians both want this!) -Evil of racism, sexism, agism, and prejudice against some […]
James 1:19-27 “Hearers AND Doers of the Word” (Preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville, Illinois on 6/29/25). Intro: ‘I could never become a Christian; there’s too much hypocrisy in the church!’; How do we respond? -Jesus was also against religious hypocrisy; James, Jesus’ half-brother, was against religious hypocrisy -This portion of the letter […]
“I could never become a Christian; Christians are a bunch of hypocrites!” This is a common objection to Christianity. How could I believe in something where so many of its supposed followers do not practice what they preach? Yet the sentiment behind this—an opposition to religious hypocrisy—is actually rooted in biblical conviction. Jesus himself calls […]
