Real Talk – Page 4 – The Center City Christian

Real Talk – Faith and Deeds

James 2:14-18 KJV

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

When I first read James, I thought to myself, oh snap, did I give misinformation!? I take that very seriously. I’m not a teacher. Nor am I ordained in any office of the five-fold ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12). But I do believe that just by posting this, I will be judged more strictly (James 3:1).

At first, it seems James’s teaching in the verses above and Paul’s in the following verse contradict each other:

Romans 3:28 KJV

28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

But if we look more closely, we see that they complement each other.

Intellectual assent is an agreement with a set of Christian teachings. If we only agree with these truths, our faith is incomplete, and our lives will remain unchanged. Because if we truly believe, it will transform our conduct and our thoughts. That’s major!

It’s one thing to read God’s Word, to understand, and to agree. But it’s something else to believe faithfully and not waver (James 1:6).

Our good deeds will never earn our salvation. Instead, a changed life and good deeds are the results of true faith. Paul teaches to those who try to be saved by deeds instead of true faith. James warns not to confuse intellectual assent with true faith. “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19 KJV)

In summary, we cannot earn our salvation through acts of loving service or our obedience. However, these actions do demonstrate our real commitment to God. Good deeds do not replace but rather prove our faith in Christ.

Interesting Fact: Jesus’ brother James, a leader in the Jerusalem church, wrote this letter. Not the apostle James.

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Real Talk – Marketing 101 (A.D.)

The apostle Paul once studied under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel was an honored Jewish teacher of the time (Acts 5:34). Therefore, the apostle Paul possessed an extensive knowledge of the law.

With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, he also understood his audience, which is a crucial aspect of present-day marketing. When speaking to a Jewish audience in Acts 13:13-52, he began with themes that were familiar to them. And when addressing a Greek audience in Acts 17:16-34, he understood that Jewish history would be meaningless. So he pointed out what they believed about their god. But in both cases, he centered the rest of his sermon around the resurrection of Christ.

In the same way, understanding our audience will help us introduce the Good News. And that is only one small detail I find most interesting of the apostle Paul’s enormous, yet humble, character. A man stoned and beaten (both in and out of prison) (Acts 14:8-20; 16:16-40), shipwrecked (Acts 27:1-44), placed under house arrest (and still wrote letters to all the churches) (Acts 28:16-31), and finally faced death in a cold Roman prison (2 Timothy 4:6-8)—all for the sake of the gospel.

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Real Talk – God’s Got This

John 16:33 KJV

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Oh Lord, what we are facing in our nation and all over the world right now! But from the words of Jesus to His disciples, “take heart!” (John 16:33 NIV) We will inevitably face struggles, but we are not alone! Let us remember that Jesus is with us and the ultimate victory is ours to claim (Revelation 1:17-18)! “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7 KJV)

There is also this verse: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3 NIV) So what does it mean to be “hidden with Christ”? The meaning of hidden here is that a believer’s life is covered and safe. We need not hope only for the future; eternal life begins when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior (1 Peter 1:3)! Once again, we can take heart that our salvation is secure, and we can be free to live for Christ each day!

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Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Real Talk – Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God . . .

“. . . and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33 KJV)

Okay. So what does that mean, right? Lately, I have been curious. So I took a look.

To “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” means that we should seek God first when we need help. We should try our best to make His character our own. We should think His thoughts, thinking of things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (Philippians 4:8). And in everything we do, we should be sure to serve and obey Him.

In this day and age, just about everything else we encounter in a typical day can distract us from God. We must actively seek Him, or any of these things can become what is most important. What is it that is most important to you?

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Real Talk – Trustworthy in Handling Worldly Wealth

Luke 16:10-11 KJV

10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

Last week’s Real Talk post was The Secret of Being Content, and this week I would like to write about managing money. I used to be reckless and irresponsible with my finances. It wasn’t until I hit rock bottom that I thought to myself, it’s a good time to start over! And because I never want to be in that position again, whenever my spending begins to accelerate, I hit the brakes and ask myself a few questions:

Is this a wise decision?
Is this a responsible decision?
Is this purchase a necessity?
Is there a better time to purchase this?

The following are biblical truths: it should never be about spiritual pride or religious effort (“confidence in the flesh”) (Philippians 3:2-3 NIV). “And without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). False teachers (“those who reject the truth”) will try to persuade believers to base decisions more on human judgment (“myths or to the merely human commands”) than on discernment through prayer and God’s Word (Titus 1:10-14 NIV).

But personally, the financial responsibility comes from the desire for excellence before the Lord. It’s just something that I like to do for Him. I truly believe that He delivered me from my homelessness. I also believe that being trustworthy with the little I have is reassurance for the eternal. I can’t even fathom what the true riches of God’s kingdom will be!

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Real Talk – The Secret of Being Content

I have been buying new shoes at a discount department store lately. Before military school, I went to a public high school. And this is Real Talk, so let’s be real. Especially in high school, I cared about popularity. And I felt that being accepted at that school was related to wearing expensive clothing. And that stayed with me until I came to Christ. Anytime I bought clothes, everything had to be name brand.

But that’s not the reason why I went to military school. The reason is that I was a mess. The more I chased the acceptance of the in-crowd, the further it became.

The Secret of Being Content — ***Buying inexpensive clothing also contradicts the worldly view of materialism.***

The apostle Paul wrote about knowing “what it is to be in need” and “what it is to have plenty” (Philippians 4:12 NIV). And after reading his story (Acts 7:58—28:31) and his letters, this particular verse especially speaks to me.

There were times in my life, like when I was growing up, that I certainly had. And there were other times in my life, like in my testimony about being homeless, that I had not.

But I declare with great joy 😁 that the Lord has set me free and given me confidence in this area! To be content with maintaining a budget and no longer living beyond my means.

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Real Talk – The CCC

I remember when I first transferred to my four-year university. I changed my major to Public Administration (I graduated with a degree in Marketing 😂) and had aspirations to run for mayor of Allentown and rebuild the city. While working at a retail store, I worked with a retired engineer who told me about the CCC.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a program established as part of the New Deal during the Great Depression. It helped lower the unemployment rate by providing jobs for hundreds of thousands of young men on environmental conservation projects.

From then on, I wanted to start something that used that acronym. What I didn’t know was what it would be or if it would ever happen. It reminds me of this Scripture verse about being set apart:

Romans 8:28 KJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This verse is a promise that if we love Him and are “called” (have received Christ), God will work in “all things” for our good, even things far into the future. And to fulfill His purpose. The short story mentioned above certainly seemed like an isolated incident at the time!

Therefore, my only response is praise! 🙌

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Real Talk – Live Through Love

The Gospel of John shows Jesus as fully human and fully God and the Father’s unique Son—this is the foundational truth of Christianity. I realize it’s a lot to understand at first—that Jesus lived on the earth as a man, yet He is God.

To help put it into perspective, I previously wrote Giving the Glory to God. Genesis 1:1—2:3 shows us that God created the heaven and the earth. And I cross-referenced these verses in Scripture:

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17 NIV)

Colossians 1:15-17 shows us that Jesus is also our Creator. If we do not believe this essential truth that Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of all things who gives us eternal life, how will we have the faith necessary to trust in this promise?

God is love (1 John 4:16). Love is the reason why God creates, and He has created us to love. God cares for us even as the sinners we are because He loves us. Each person has a choice because God wants us to respond to Him out of love. Christ’s love for us caused Him to die on the cross because sin was a problem that needed conquering! And eternal life is an expression of God’s love that will last forever.

Jesus shed His blood so we could have new life. By accepting this wonderful gift, we live through Him and therefore live through love.

Real Talk – Giving the Glory to God

I wanted to pick a tagline that would be the theme of this blog. I began thinking about one of the most fundamental ways to ensure that a person of faith is moving in the right direction. And then it came to me: make sure that you are “Giving the Glory to God!”

In daily life, it is easy to attribute things to ourselves. Whether it’s creating a website, or maybe it’s a job promotion, or even riding a bicycle 🚲 without training wheels. But the following are only two of the many examples found in Scripture of why we should be giving the glory to God:

God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1—2:3). Take a moment to think about that. God is our Creator. He created the universe and everything in it, and He made us in His image as reflections of His glory.

God is worthy to receive the glory for creating all things (Revelation 4:11). In my opinion, the entire Chapter 4 of Revelation emphasizes the sovereignty of who God is in our lives.

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