Opening Up James

by Roger Ellsworth

Publisher:

Day One

, 2009

Overview

Is there any useless religion around today? Do we see evidence of people merely going through the motions of religion, professing faith in Christ without any evidence of it showing up in their lives? If so, these are indications that we need the epistle of James today. Written by the half-brother of Jesus, this letter helps us attack stale, humdrum, useless religion. Among the many practical issues that James deals with are: suffering, the gap between hearing and doing, controlling the tongue, and resisting the world. Roger Ellsworth’s studies in this letter draw out the challenges for us as believers in the twenty-first century—here are lessons we badly need to hear today.

Contents

Top Highlights

“First, a word about wisdom. What is it? We must not confuse it with knowledge. Knowledge is information; wisdom is application. Knowledge is comprehending facts; wisdom is handling life. Knowledge is theoretical; wisdom is practical.” (Page 27)

“The problem is not with God. Rather it is with a mistaken understanding of faith. Faith is not believing that God will do what we want done. Rather it is believing that God will do what he has promised to do.” (Page 30)

“The trials of life often shake our faith and cause us to let up in service. In other words, hardships and difficulties can diminish the reality of religion. James wrote to help his readers have such reality.” (Pages 18–19)

“The word ‘meekness’ tells us that we are to come to the Word with a soft, gentle, teachable disposition, recognizing the authority of God’s Word and submitting to it.” (Page 58)

“The crucial thing is to remember that such suffering comes from God’s hand. Nothing is clearer in Scripture than the truth that God sends trials and difficulties into the lives of his children because he has certain purposes to achieve.” (Page 21)

Product Details

• Title: Opening Up James
• Author: Roger Ellsworth
• Publisher: Day One
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 174

About Roger Ellsworth

Roger Ellsworth is a retired pastor, active in ministry and writing. After coming to the knowledge of Christ at an early age, Roger Ellsworth began preaching at age 11 and pastoring at age 16. He has served as pastor of churches in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri. He currently lives in Jackson, Tennessee. Roger has written numerous books on the Christian faith, and has exercised a preaching ministry for over fifty years. Some of this books are Come Down, Lord!, Standing for God: The Story of Elijah, and Is There an Answer? published by the Trust. He is also a regular contributor to Evangelical Times and GraceTrax magazines. He served for two years as President of the Illinois Baptist State Association and for 10 years as trustee of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, for two of which he was the chairman of the board. He and his wife, Sylvia, have two sons, Tim and Marty, and they have three grandchildren. Roger and Sylvia love the message of the Bible, and they enjoy sharing the wonderful counsel of the Word of God in language that ordinary people can understand and appreciate.