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James 4:1-17 - Who Is Your Best Friend? By Pastor Lee Hemen October 27, 2013 AM How many close trusted friends do you have, not family, who stick with you “through thick and thin”? A number of years ago, an interim pastor read the opening verse of Philemon where Paul wrote “our dear friend.” He stopped reading and inquired: “If I asked you how many true friends you have—friends you can count on—what, would you say?” He paused for a few seconds and then shared how many intimate friends he had. Slowly, he held up two fingers. He had two friends to whom he could go at any time and share anything with the assurance of total acceptance and support! Folks want friends and would gladly welcome even more friends in their lives. This is also true of God. God desires everyone to be His friend. The first step is to become one of His children. Some folks are unwilling to make this commitment. Some do not care about being known as God’s friend, and do little to confirm they are! They never nurture ...

How to sail through life! - James 3:1-18 By Pastor Lee Hemen October 20, 2013 AM All Christians must deal with the issue of self-control. Many refuse to practice it, because they find it difficult. They do not like to be controlled, and they show this by refusing to control themselves. The recent events where Senate leadership accused their opposition of being "terrorists" and "anarchists" is an example where some will say and do anything in order to get what they want. Even when believers try to practice self-control, they often speak hurtful words and perform wrong actions. However, for Christians such control is a critical matter. Everything we say and do should reflect our relationship with Jesus Christ. On the PBS show Nova, they showed how we are trying to make things go faster, everything from the Internet to sailboats. In fact, the man who owns Oracle just recently won the America's Cup with a newly designed sailboat that uses a carbon fiber wing for its...

Show me your faith! - James 2:14-26 By Pastor Lee Hemen October 13, 2013 AM Some adult believers have the wrong idea about faith and works. Some feel good works are necessary to maintain their Christianity. Thus, they always try to keep busy doing something good and feel guilty if they feel they are not doing enough. They do not understand their salvation is secure on the basis of faith, not good works. For other Christians, this security creates a different problem. Their attitude can be, “I don’t need to do anything I don’t have to do.” They are content to enjoy the blessings of salvation now and to look forward to heaven one day. They do not understand genuine faith always leads to good works. James understood that believers who perform good works for the wrong reasons and those without good works need to evaluate themselves to see whether their faith is real. God wants us to do good works that demonstrate our faith in Christ. Some Christians are far to content to let others perform...

Let’s be fair about it! - James 2:1-13 By Pastor Lee Hemen October 6, 2013 AM I’ve noticed that even some four or five-year-olds have low self-esteem. Helping them build a healthy self-image as an important part of a parent’s task. It involves more than handing out stickers; it also involves nurturing them. All children need fair, impartial, and caring treatment to instill the self-confidence they need as they mature. Every child should be treated as a special gift of God. Although we can treat some people as special, that does not mean we should do so at another’s expense. Favoritism results from using superficial means to evaluate others and making that evaluation the basis for how we treat them. Favoritism is being kind or courteous to some but not to all. It is showing mercy to and forgiving some but being unmerciful and unforgiving to others. Even Christians can fall into the trap of showing partiality in their families, workplaces, and churches. They are drawn to people with whom...

How genuine are you? - James 1:19-27 By Pastor Lee Hemen September 29, 2013 AM Sadly, some Christians look genuine; but on close examination, they do not measure up. They talk a lot about how much they love the Bible. They may brag about how they have memorized Scriptures. They may claim to believe the Bible from cover to cover. They may itemize how much time they spend daily in reading it, taking notes on it, and doing research. They may declare they are qualified to teach Bible classes or even to challenge others' biblical interpretations, including those of their pastors. The real test of loving the Bible, however, is none of these. Regardless of how much people say about the Bible, none of it matters if they do not live by it. What makes a believer's faith genuine? In the case of manuscripts, carbon dating and chemical analysis of the inks used in them can help determine their age. Manuscripts can be compared with earlier verified discoveries to match identifiable cha...

When common sense isn’t! - James 1:2-18 By Pastor Lee Hemen September 22, 2013 AM Jack was one of the smartest people I have known. However, while Jack was “book smart” he was pound-foolish. He did not use his knowledge to make himself wise. Ken, on the other hand, while not highly educated, used his godly wisdom to meet life’s challenges and to serve his Lord faithfully. Among God’s good gifts, He provides wisdom to help believers endure trials, resist temptations, and put material things in proper perspective. It is more than common sense it is Godly wisdom. When people face trials, they may wonder, “How can I handle this situation?” People without wealth may wonder why they have so little. Individuals with great wealth may congratulate themselves on how much they have and concentrate on getting even more. When people face temptations, they may succumb and blame everyone including God. All these thoughts, however, reflect earthly wisdom rather than wisdom from God. People who think l...

Be Responsible! - Galatians 6:1-18 By Pastor Lee Hemen September 1, 2013 AM As a young boy, I went to work for my Uncle as he took care of my grandmother’s house and garden. I had to weed, water, and take care of a huge garden. It was a daunting task, but he expected a lot out of me and my age did not matter. I found that as I had more responsibilities, my earnings went up as well. I was rewarded for my consistency and willingness to be responsible to do the tasks at hand. Many Christians give little or no thought to biblical admonitions to live in a responsible manner. In fact, not all believers are responsible Christians. They may not realize all the ramifications of following the Spirit’s guidance in how they live. Perhaps they shield one or more areas of their lives from divine guidance. Perhaps they have never thought about other ways they need to exhibit they are responsible Christians. Other possibilities are they do not know how to meet some expectations; they do not like some ...

Follow the Spirit! - Galatians 5:16-26 By Pastor Lee Hemen August 25, 2013 AM I like some of the new features of smart phones, especially the ability to use them as a GPS whether you are walking around town or driving to a destination. However, one has to be careful not to completely trust in the directions they give, because they still can lead you down someone’s driveway or to none existent places. Kind of like the car commercial a few years ago where the guy was following the vocal directions from his in-dash GPS and it tells him, “Turn left…” he immediately does and runs into a building, a then as the dust and debris settles the robotic voice continues, “…in 500 feet.” Not all guidance is necessarily good guidance. Christians have access to the best possible guidance as they exercise their freedom in Christ. Unfortunately, many believers sometimes confuse Christian freedom with the liberty do anything they want, and then garner God’s forgiveness. They do not know—or th...