State of the Church Address
Jan 4, 2026 • Pastor Jason Smith
Let’s talk about credibility. Not the kind you earn with a résumé—but the kind your faith earns when people watch how you live.
Anyone can say, “I believe.” But James asks, “Can anyone tell?” Few verses in the New Testament have started more arguments than these—this was one of the battleground texts of the Protestant Reformation.
James is not picking a fight with Paul.
He’s picking a fight with hypocrisy. James is not discussing how a sinner is declared righteous in God’s courtroom.
Instead, he is showing how a believer’s faith is proven genuine in the courtroom of life—before a watching world.
Because real faith doesn’t sit in the recliner and cheer from the sidelines—it rolls up its sleeves and gets in the game.