Greetings, Brothers and Sisters!
Imagine a child coming out of their room and telling their parents that their room is clean. But when their parents follow them back to the room… there were some obvious oversights! The parents didn’t even need to look under the bed to find there was more work to be done.
James is like that parent who notices some oversights, not in the cleanliness of our rooms, but in the maturity of our lives. Christians often think we’re more mature than we are. James writes so that we have a clear picture of maturity and evaluate ourselves appropriately.
In James 4.13– 17, James exposes the uncleanness of something that sounds so normal: our confidence regarding our plans. In fact, when you hear, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit (v.13),” you may not notice anything wrong. And that’s why James writes. There is a better way to view the future.
We spend a lot of time in the future. Google calendars is our constant companion. You may have every night planned out for the next month. But which of those events do you enter (or revisit) with a prayerful and dependent, “Lord willing”?
James’ goal is not that we weep in self-pity at how far we have to go in our pursuit of Christ-like maturity. We are not to throw ourselves on the floor wailing because there are piles of dirty clothes! Instead, James writes so that we humble ourselves and look to our Lord for grace!
God has grace for the humble. And, in God’s grace, James is an expert at revealing the areas of our room which we may not have swept, dusted or picked up in a long, long time!
Grace and peace,
Isaiah
Have your kids listen for the words plan and boast. Melissa will have candy for the kids with notes. Thank you for encouraging the kids to be good listeners!
CBC Outing! Angels vs Astros, Wednesday July 13th at 6:30pm. Here is a link to a google form set up by Polus Ting where you can reserve how many tickets you’d like. Tickets ($8) can be picked up on Sunday. This is an excellent opportunity for your eternal family to meet your neighbors and coworkers!
Men’s Ministry. Saturday, July 23rd, at 7:30am. Enjoy breakfast, fellowship and a challenge from God’s Word!
Backpack Drive for Foster Youth. If you would like to bless our local foster youth, please sign up here to donate items. This year we are aiming for 60 backpacks and supplies. Please RSVP to let the Yangs know if you can make it to the backpack stuffing day on July 23 from 11 AM – 2 PM (pizza potluck lunch and swimming). RSVP here for the backpack stuffing day. Please contact us with questions.
Inviting the Neighborhood to VBS: After service on Sunday, July 24th, we will be going into the church neighborhood to invite neighbors to VBS... and have Gospel conversations, if the Lord allows! (Please bring your own lunch.)
Vacation Bible School. Sunday, July 31st to Wednesday, August 3rd, 6–9 PM. Registration is open at the church website. Please invite your friends! (For children Pre-K to 6th Grade this fall). Invitations will be available at the church this Sunday.
Cornerstone Bible Church Missions Conference! Saturday, August 20th, 8:30 AM-12:45 PM. Our missionaries Joshua Lee and Marcus Denny will join Pastor Joshua in preaching on the Great Commission. Save the date!
Service Teams. If you are interested in serving on the Welcoming Team, the Communications Team or the After-School Tutoring Team, please contact us and I’ll forward your contact information.
Bible Reading Project will resume later this summer.
Communion and Church Lunch. Next Sunday, July 17th, we’ll remember Jesus’ death in our place by partaking of the Lord’s Supper. We will also enjoy church lunch together.
We’ll discuss Chapter 5 of Before You Share Your Faith; practice our Two Ways to Live rote presentations in pairs; and discuss the Two Ways to Live tracts to highlight what’s important in a Gospel presentation. (You could prepare by highlighting or underlining in both your tract and book.) On the 17th, we’ll divide up in pairs to try a more thorough conversation using the six drawings as launching points.
July Children’s Ministry Schedule:
Pebbles (Infant to Pre-K): 9 AM childcare will resume on Sunday, August 7th. Childcare will still be offered during the main service (10:30 AM).
Rock (K–6th): Children’s Ministry will meet on July 10th and 17th. There will be no Children’s Ministry on the 24th and 31st.
VBS Volunteer Meeting: On July 31st, there will be a volunteer meeting for everyone serving at VBS.
Order of Service
Welcome and Call to Worship
Singing
Announcements
Scripture Reading: James 4:10–17
Pastoral Prayer
Preaching of God’s Word: “Confidence and Calendars” – James 4:13–17
Singing
Link to Outline and Questions