Element Christian Church
James: Part Sixteen: Suffering and Hope
Locations & Times
Element Christian Church
4890 Bethany Ln, Santa Maria, CA 93455, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
Welcome to Element
We strive to ensure the biggest thing people think when they hear about Element is Jesus! Our aim is to glorify God by teaching and living out the Scriptures, transform community into Gospel community, and planting churches.
New to Element? Need prayer? Just want to connect?
Click the link to fill out our Digital Connect Card so we can know you were here and send you a "Welcome" email.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/295918Gospel Community Meet and Greet TODAY
Tired of hearing about these "GCs" and ready to find out what they are really about? Join us on the Patio following the 10:45a service (about 12:30p) on May 1st and meet some of our GCs and find out how you can join one.
Baptisms
May 15th @ 1p<br>Here's the info you need to prepare:<br>Element will provide drinks, chips, lettuce, taco meat and cheese for a nacho/ taco salad bar! We need your help with the rest!<br>Last names:<br>A-H please bring s dessert to share that does not require utensils. Think cookies, brownies, cake pops and bars!<br>I-Q we need you to bring toppings! Jalapenos, onions, olives, sour cream, other types of protein toppers.<br>R-Z can you please bring a side of some sort like fruit, beans, bread or some sort.<br><br>Also bring sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, lawn chairs, blankets, swimsuits and towels if you would like to swim after the Baptisms have finished.
Baptism Sign Ups
Our next baptism celebration will be taking place Sunday, May 15th! If you are interested in being baptized, please fill out this link!
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/282489Youth Trip to Strawberry Festival
All Jr High and High School students are invited to grab some friends and meet at the Strawberry Festival today at 4pm. Email highschool@ourelement.org for details.
Church Center - the app
Free in your phone's app store and a huge resource to stay in touch with Element! Download today!
All the things
We mention all sorts of links throughout service, this is a summary of all of them in one place! Find our YouTube, current sign ups, ways to connect and more!
https://linktr.ee/ourelementSuffering and Hope
Patience is one of the fruits that the Holy Spirit brings when we are filled by and led by God. Today our whole society is built around not being patient, yet James says it is vital in the life of those who follow Jesus. Patience enables us to stand with God in situations we do not understand.
Trust God - His timing, His schedule, His wisdom.
-OR?-
Trust ourselves and our own wisdom. Our assessments, our schedule, our timing, and what we think should happen.
Trusting God in the midst of hard times means we remind ourselves that God is good, and He is trustworthy. Elisabeth Elliot once wrote that if we don’t learn to trust God in the hardest places, we will never find any rest in our lives.
We develop and grow in patience in the present by looking to the past and the future.
• The past teaches us to look to the Cross, the Gospel. James says Job was blessed because the Lord Himself was full of mercy. Job is forgiven for his impatience for the same reason we are: Jesus went to the cross, died for our sins, and took the punishment we deserve.
• The future teaches us to think about what He is going to do. This comes out of the Gospel as well, what Jesus did in the past but also in what He’s going to do in the future. He’s coming again.
Be patient, the Lord is coming. God tells us the end so we can handle the turmoil of the middle, the present. Life in this world can be difficult, but in the end justice will be done and God will make all things new.
Read James 5:7-12.
• What is patience?
• Do you tend to think of patience more as a personality trait or as a fruit of the Spirit?
• What does it mean that patience is available to all of us?
• What is grumbling?
• What does impatience reveal about your heart or your attitude toward God?
• How is impatience a form of giving up on another person?
• When was a time you were not patient and it led to broken relationship with someone?
• In what areas do you find yourself grumbling (against people or situations)?
• Why is it important to learn to forgive and be gracious with others?
• How has your heart deceived you?
• How has it led to self-pity and anger?
• How can we develop patience by looking to the past and future?
• Do you want to develop patience?
• What is our present hope?
• What is our future hope?
• Do you believe Jesus is worth trusting?