Springfield First Church Of The Nazarene Podcast

The way we view others, particularly our spouse, is an indication of whether we acknowledge and admire the image of God in humanity and ultimately in our marriages.

No sermon - in response to the devastating 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan this week, and in solidarity with our church member Kei Matsumoto and her mother Fusae and other family and friends in Japan, we offered urgent and heartfelt pastoral and congregational prayers to the Lord on behalf of the people of Japan.

We address an important issue facing society today in this new series exploring not just the specialness of marriage but also the sacredness of marriage in a culture that continues to devalue the significance and meaning of marriage.

This epistle is concluded by James reminding the church of its missional nature - to be a praying, worshiping, healing, confessing, and restoring community of faith.

James addresses important concerns that the conscientious church should speak to even today - the wealthy who cause suffering and the sufferers who await their wealth.

It has always been the affirmation of the Scriptures that God's will for His people is perfect and that anything contrary to the perfect will of God leaves us lacking and lost.

Perhaps the single greatest quality that can be exhibited by God's called out ones is their humility expressed in a desire to reflect the peace and grace of Christ.

If the church has a message to proclaim, and it most certainly does, it would do the church well to make sure it proclaims the very words that God would have the church speak.

Why is it that the church historically and currently always seems to struggle with a polarization when it comes to faith and works when the apostle James strikes the perfect balance between what the church is to be striving for?

The church is a representation of the kingdom of God where the poor in all actuality are rich and the wealthy are answerable for their riches.

We continue our look at the original "manifesto" on how to be the church as we explore what true, vital religion offers those among us who are most in need of what a pure and faultless religion provides.

The church today needs a Biblical perspective on what it means to truly be the church found in the epistle of James, leader of the first century church in Jerusalem, and written not to any one particular individual as we all too often misread and apply James, but rather "to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations."

The culmination of this particular Advent prophecy is that with the coming of Messiah He will establish and oversee what all other kingdoms and nations throughout history have failed to do - His perfect kingdom marked by justice and righteousness.

In celebrating the immanence of God (the nearness of God) we attempt to identify the conditions that must exist which enable us to become more fully aware and responsive to His divine presence.

Messiah is not specifically named in this Advent prophecy, rather, He is referred to by the identifying characteristics and qualities that will be to humanity everything we need to live as His peaceable children.

The tension between what God has declared and the ways in which we continue to persist in our warring ways speaks so much less of the goodness of God and more of the hostile nature of humanity.

The Biblical record reveals that preceding the great and mighty acts of God are His declarative words of pronouncement. May we hear what the Lord Almighty is saying as the precursor to what He will do.

Compassionate Ministry is truly the heartbeat of any church. The heart of Springfield First Church of the Nazarene has never been healthier in large part because of the servant's hearts of those who volunteer their time in service to others. Compassionate Ministry Sunday reminds us why we are followers of Jesus in the first place. We will hear the stories of those who invest their lives in service to the Lord by serving others in the community.

When God with His unlimited and endless supply of love dispenses His love in our hearts, we are lifted to heights that we could never achieve on our own.

Our special speaker for the day is Mark Andrew Gudmunson. He is the Youth Pastor at the Colfax Church of the Nazarene in Washington State. He is also the author of the newly released book entitled, "Priceless." You will be inspired as Mark shares his life changing testimony and how God is using him to touch the lives of others.