The Perfect Gift

People are looking for the perfect gift. Whether it be Christmas, a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, or whatever the occasion, people want to give (and receive!) the perfect gift. In this message from James 1:16-18, The Perfect Gift, we will heed the warning of Scripture to not be deceived, and to realize that good and perfect gifts come from God. When we understand these truths, we will see what the best gift of all is. Listen to the message here: http://www.lpbaptist.org/ThePerfectGift.mp3

The Man Who Endures Trials

God has a design in every trial you go through. He never tempts you to sin. But He is constantly at work in your life, allowing you to experience things and learn things and grow. His ultimate desire is for you to stand before him, ready to receive the crown of life promised to those who love Him. Part of getting from where you are today to where He wants you to be includes going through some trials. Like or not, we are all stronger because of our trials. In this message, The Man Who Endures Trials from James 1:12-15, you will learn the source of temptation, the stages of temptation, how to have success over temptation, and the blessing of enduring trials. Man, woman, boy or girl, God wants you to know this: in Christ you are victorious, and therefore you can endure every single trial you go through! http://www.lpbaptist.org/TheManWhoEnduresTrials.mp3

Bragging Rights

Everyone is tempted to brag and boast. People brag about their sports teams, their summer vacations, everything. While some people brag about their situation being the best, others brag about theirs being the worst. In James 1:9-11, we read about how the poor and the rich should respond to their situations of life. And, we learn what it is OK to boast about. Most of all, we learn how a relationship with Christ changes everything.

Bragging Rights. You may not ever brag the same way again. http://www.lpbaptist.org/BraggingRights.mp3

Need Wisdom?

Do you Need Wisdom? Ask God! Some people don't ask God because they feel unworthy, or they think He is too busy with other people and bigger problems than their own. You will find that God wants you to ask Him, and that He will give you all the answers you need. This message is from James 1:5-8. God will guide you to the right answers, the right path, the best route to take. He has more resources than Google! Ask Him. http://www.lpbaptist.org/NeedWisdom.mp3

Whenever You Face Trials

Why does God allow trials in your life? And what is your response to those trials? In this important message from James 1:2-4, you will learn how to respond with joy to every trial that you face. God doesn't waste anything that you go through, and He uses it all to grow you to maturity in Christ. This message will encourage you to "hang in there" Whenever You Face Trials. http://www.lpbaptist.org/WheneverYouFaceTrials.mp3.

Greetings!

How a person says "hello" can tell you a lot about them: their cultural background, their personality, what's important to them. In James 1:1, James sends Greetings! to a group of people who are scattered around the world. The words he sends them are still encouraging for us to hear today. In this message, you will learn how we know which James wrote the Letter of James in the Bible (the answer may surprise you). You will learn how a letter written to twelve tribes of people dispersed from a region still applies to us today. You will also learn three essential criteria that the early churches used to determine which books should or should not be included in the Bible. Finally, you will learn at least three ways to practically apply the first verse of James' letter to your life today, so that your greetings show that you are a follower of Christ. http://www.lpbaptist.org/greetings.mp3

Did Jesus Believe In Ghosts?

In our world today, many people are fascinated with ghosts, spirits and paranormal activity. The same was true in the days Jesus walked the earth. Fascination with ghosts and spirits can lead a person to live in fear, distraction, or danger. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus comes to give us life - abundant and everlasting! In this message, we examine key Bible passages to understand what the Bible teaches about this controversial subject of ghosts. From Luke 23:36-43 and other verses, listen to this message entitled Did Jesus Believe in Ghosts? http://www.lpbaptist.org/DidJesusBelieveInGhosts.mp3

Three End Times Realities

In Matthew 24:32-51, we learn from Jesus about the end times. We hear His heart for people to be prepared, to be faithfully working to advance God's kingdom. Will you be ready when He returns? Are you ready to stand before Him? When you do, will He know you as your Savior or as your Judge? In this message, you will learn Three End Times Realities that are extremely important. In this message you will not learn what date Christ will return. But, in this message you will learn how to be ready for that day, whatever day it may be. http://www.lpbaptist.org/ThreeEndTimeRealities.mp3

Connect, Encourage and Build Up

In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, the apostle Paul encourages the believers to continue to encourage and build one another up in their faith, just as they had already been doing. We believe that is what God wants Christians to do for each other, to encourage each other and build each other up in the faith. We are beginning community groups called Connect Groups to help people to connect with God, connect with each other, and connect with their community. But, whether or not you are part of a Connect Group, we want you to hear what the Bible says about how we as Christians should Connect, Encourage and Build Up each other in the faith. http://www.lpbaptist.org/ConnectEncourageAndBuildUp.mp3

[Note: on the Sunday that this message was delivered we arranged the sanctuary chairs into many small groups so that at certain points during the sermon the groups would read Scriptures and discuss them as a group. You may notice references to that as you listen to this message. It was a really powerful day of all of those who were in attendance digging into and interacting with the Word of God. However, we have removed the "group discussions" time from the sermon to help this podcast flow more smoothly. As they say, "You just had to be there!"]

God's Healing Grace

Have you faced discouragement? Have you ever been rejected or put down by others? Sometimes life can beat you up. The Bible has hope for you. Jesus gives you hope! In this message by Pastor Jeff Gray, we examine Psalm 147:3 and many other verses in the Bible to learn five important truths from God's Word to help you understand the depths of God's Healing Grace. http://www.lpbaptist.org/GodsHealingGrace.mp3