Aftershock.org.uk Christian devotional mp3 podcasts for young people. » James

The Circle Of Life – James 5 13-20

admin — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 20:13:57 +0000

Lost your dog? Pray. Is a friend dying? Pray. Got a maths test? Pray. Simply feeling rubbish? Pray. After everything else James says his final piece of wisdom is, “actually whatever you do pray.” James has spent his entire book, saying do this, do that, and don’t do that, now at the end we are told to pray, pray, pray. He tells us that our prayers will be heard, but they will be all the more effective if we pray and live the life Gods wants us to. If we go about school or college being the best disciple we can be then our prayers will be all the more effective. But actually if we spend our day praying to God, then as we go then we will not be able to do anything other then be a great witness for God. If we talk to God all day long asking him for help here and wisdom there, then we will become so close to our Father God that we will never want to do anything he wouldn’t want us to do. So pray and you will be a great disciple, and be a great disciple and you will pray. It’s the real circle of life.

MP3: 00181_James_5_13-20.mp3
PDF: 00181_James_5_13-20.pdf

Yes No Yes No – James 5 7-12

admin — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:52:46 +0000

To be honest, I promise to tell the absolute truth in everything I do. Opps that’s what James is on about isn’t it. There’s no need for me to say I promise or I swear in Gods name. If it is true I should just say yes and if it’s not no. If your mate comes over and says look you said you would help me and you haven’t, there’s not need for you to say I promise Ill do it this time, just do it. If you have mucked up in the past no need to say Ill never do that again, just don’t do it again. So how does this effect the way we handle ourselves at school or college? It simply means doing what we say and no less. It also means not doing what we say. All too often we actually want to help everyone and we say things like ill help out at youth group, Ill get that home work project done, Ill listen to aftershock, Ill do the shopping for that old lady, Ill, Ill… and the list goes on and on. If we get involved with everything then our yes will never we our yes because we couldn’t possible have the time. Far better to commit to help in a few things and do them well, then to let many people down. So when someone approaches you and asks you to help, just pause and ask your self does this need to be a time when my yes is yes or does my no have to be no this time?

MP3: 00170_James_5_7-12.mp3
PDF: 00170_James_5_7-12.pdf

Fashion Victim – James 5 1-6

admin — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:30:09 +0000

You see that’s the thing about James is he doesn’t say what’s on his mind! Hmm, I don’t think we could ever accuse James of not saying things like they are, could we? So just because James is being blunt, does that means he isn’t telling the truth? Well I can tell you something I have never exploited and cheated any workers, so phew at least I am safe. Or am I? I like a bargain like anyone and when I buy a shirt from the local supermarket for under a fiver, do I know that I am not exploiting and cheating workers. Tearfund are a charity that ask us to think about whose hands have touched the clothes we wear. When I buy a shirt someone has ploughed the land, planted the cotton, picked the cotton, turned the cotton into cloth, sewn the cloth into a shirt, packed the shirt and then shipped it around the world. It seems a little strange that I could then pick that shirt up for under a fiver, without anyone being exploited. And that ties in with what James is saying, I may not be a powerful landowner who can exploit workers in the fields, but I am a well off guy who can buy shirts for less then a fiver where the people who make it, get exploited. Is that right? Is that what God would have me do? And it seems that paying lots of cash for that shirt may not exclude me from this problem, you see it’s all about where the money goes. It’s down to me to find out more about the food I eat, the gadgets I buy and the clothes I wear. It’s down to me to lift the label and find out where they come from and who gets the money. Thanks to Tearfund I can go to www.tearfund.org and click on the lift the label link to help me find out the truth.

MP3: 00169_James_5_1-6.mp3
PDF: 00169_James_5_1-6.pdf

The Day After Tomorrow – James 4 13-17

admin — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 23:08:25 +0000

What are you going to do tomorrow, next week, next month? Straight talking James says it like it is, he says, “You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow!” Man that’s right isn’t it. What do we know about tomorrow, what do we know about the next ten minutes? We hear all the time about people saying things like, if only I knew that was going to happen. But we don’t get to see into the future, that’s Gods domain. We can only do what James talks about here. He says when ever we plan, pray that we will plan something that is Gods will. Are you planning to go to university? Pray that you will go where God wants you. Whenever you plan something pray that you are doing what God wants.

MP3: 00168_James_4_13-17.mp3
PDF: 00168_James_4_13-17.pdf

Slap – James 4 1-12

admin — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:33:06 +0000

I love the book of James, it’s down to earth, straight talking, get on with it advice. James could say, “I know you trying your best, but could just try to do better in this area.” James could say, “it really doesn’t matter just go to Church on Sunday and say sorry you will be OK.” But James isn’t that kind of person, he shoots from the hip. James says things like, do this, do that, don’t say these things, do say these things. Some times when someone is plain talking they leave the person they are talking to slightly bruised. If you feel slightly bruised from reading the book of James, then maybe you need reminding why James is chucking out all this fantastic advice. Your God, the one that created you, sent his son to die for you on a cross, so that you can party forever in a place that is beyond your wildest dreams. Now I don’t know about you, but I can put up with the odd Bloody nose, knowing that the guy delivering the words is just trying to help me receive a humungous reward in Heaven. You see our God isn’t a god of do’s and don’ts, he isn’t a God that says you have to follow these rituals to get into Heaven. No our God has done that on the cross already. Actually our God gave us only one thing to do, and if we do the one thing Jesus said to do then actually we will be doing all the other stuff anyway. Oh yes that one thing. Well simply really Jesus says, that we are to love each other as he loves us. Try doing that and you will do OK.

MP3: 00167_James_4_1-12.mp3
PDF: 00167_James_4_1-12.pdf

Big Guy – James 3 13-18

admin — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 21:44:28 +0000

You know guys at college who are always boasting. Maybe there is someone at school who can always beat what you’ve done. You know the type of thing, you say you have a new MP3 player and suddenly they say they have the biggest iPod you can get. You spend the weekend surfing, they tell you they did a parachute jump. Older people are no different. They get a new car; their neighbour gets a bigger car. The pastor asks them to head up a team, and they tell everyone they meet how the pastor and they are best mates. What is it that we want to seek other people’s approval by being better then they are? What is it that makes us think that just because we are different to someone else we are better then them? James tells us straight, if you want to be wise, if you want to be better, then don’t go around shouting about how great you are. James reminds us that God looks at the heart of a person; he is not interested what they look like. It’s all about actions. James hits us between the eyes. If we want to be better then we shouldn’t make other people feel small by telling them about what we own and what we do. No we become the big man, we become the big woman by making others feel good about themselves, by treating each others with dignity and honour.

MP3: 00166_James_3_13-18.mp3
PDF: 00166_James_3_13-18.pdf

You Naughty Money – James 3 1-12

admin — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 18:06:14 +0000

Do you listen to your mates and take what they say about God as being the absolute truth? Do you listen to your pastor and take what they say as being the truth? Do you listen to what we say here as Aftershock and know that it is the absolute truth? Hmm that’s interesting. Ok here is a quick pop quiz, which of these sayings is not in the Bible?
1. God works in mysterious ways.
2. Cleanliness is next to godliness.
3. Money is the root of all evil
4. The eye is the window to the soul
5. Spare the rod, spoil the child
Well did you guess? The answer is none of them. None of those sayings are in the Bible, yet there are millions of people walking around speaking those sayings with authority as though they are fact. Sometimes they are twisted versions of verses from the Bible, other times they simply do not exists, but how would you know? You would know because you should question everything your mates say about God, everything you pastor says about God, everything Aftershock says about God. James reminds us in this passage that being a teacher is hard and we often get it wrong. So when you hear someone say something like money is evil and the Bibles says so, go and find out for yourself what God really says in his Bible. If we say that you must live the be true, actually it is true, but you will believe it all the more when you read it in Gods owners’ manual, the Bible for yourself.

MP3: 00165_James_3_1-12.mp3
PDF: 00165_James_3_1-12.pdf

Ticket To Heaven – James 2 14-26

admin — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:59:26 +0000

Two guys eating lunch in the canteen. One says, I’m Ok, I go to youth group, I listen to Aftershock, I go to church on Sunday, I even go to CU, yep I’ve got my place in Heaven booked. The other guy says, I help out at the old peoples home, I’m nice to smelly kids at youth group, I send money to charities, yep I’ve got my place in Heaven booked. Who has got their place booked in Heaven? And the answer is………. Neither. Sorry but the bible’s pretty clear unless you accept Jesus died for you and me on the cross for the selfish stuff that you and I do then we don’t get into Heaven. It doesn’t matter how good we are, it doesn’t matter how many times we go to Church, it doesn’t matter how many nice things we do, we don’t get into Heaven. Right that’s OK then, now we’ve got that sorted we can just spend all our time praying to Jesus. All we have to do is sit in a room with a Christian worship CD on in the background and read our Bible all day long. Ahhhhhh Noooo. James points out that it’s not just about believing in Jesus, even the demons believe Jesus exists. If we have asked Jesus to be our friend and thanked him for dying for us then it is going to change the way we act. We won’t do good stuff to get into Heaven, we will do good stuff because Jesus has paid for our ticket into Heaven. If Aftershock is about anything it is about taking what Jesus has done for us and making it change the way we are in our day to day lives. Jesus will change the way you are to your mates, your parents, your brothers and sisters, those you don’t know, and yes even those who you don’t like.

MP3: 00164_James_2_14-26.mp3
PDF: 00164_James_2_14-26.pdf

Smelly Kid – James 2 1-13

admin — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:24:51 +0000

Does this passage mean anything to you? Is there a situation when James might be speaking to you? No? Let me rephrase some of it for you. Are you ready?

Hey my mate how your going. Don’t worry what your school or college mates think, you have got to do the things that Jesus would. If a rich kid with the current iPod and Play Station comes into your youth club at the same time as a smelly kid wearing hand-me-downs what do you say to them? Do you say to the posh kid, hey come and join in our pool game over here, and ignore the smelly bloke? Do you think God loves these guys any different? Listen mate, can’t you see that God would act differently? He would speak to the smelly kid, clean him up and invite around for a party and a meal. God promises heaven to anyone who loves God, and here you are being horrible to one of the people God loves. More often then not, it’s those who think they have all the iPods and clothes that are horrible to people like you. You would be better off remembering that Jesus said treat others with love in the same way you want to be treated with love.

Hey I’m not getting at you the same is true of me. I would rather speak to people that are like me, that would be the easy thing for me to do. But as we often say, when we asked Jesus to be our mate we didn’t sign up for the easy life. So next time this happens to you, say a quick prayer and do the Jesus thing not the easy thing.

MP3: 00163_James_2_1-13.mp3
PDF: 00163_James_2_1-13.pdf

Stick And Stones – James 1 13-27

admin — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:06:16 +0000

Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me. That’s may be a very old saying, but it is also the biggest load of rubbish you will ever hear. Words do hurt, what people say to us does have the power to hurt us. What we say to other people does have the power to hurt them. I can tell you now there are words that people said to me twenty years ago that echo in my head today. Have people said words to you that wound. Has someone told you that your rubbish has someone told you that you are can’t do something? Well the good news is that these things are not true, but that didn’t stop them hurting did it? James tells us in this passage that the tongue is a very powerful weapon both for good and for bad. James says if you consider yourself a Jesus follower but don’t watch what you say to people then you have missed the point. So in the same way that we can be hurt by what people say we too can hurt others. If we get angry quickly and says things to hurt other people; then we are doing to them what others have done to us and that is not how we Jesus followers should be. Wow sometimes it’s hard to be a Christian, but James reminded us early in this chapter that ultimately we would be rewarded for living the Christian life, for doing the right thing not just speaking the right words.

MP3: 00162_James_1_13-27.mp3
PDF: 00162_James_1_13-27.pdf

When The Going Gets Tough – James 1 1-12

admin — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:14:28 +0000

Anyone can give up when the going gets tough. That sad song from years gone by says when the going gets tough, the tough get going. So when the going is tough and you are being hassled at college or school how do you get going? I bet those times when you get home, slump onto your bed and you have had nothing but hassle, you might want to smack someone who says, “well just get on with it.” That’s not what you need, and the good news is that is also not Biblical. Here in James, God doesn’t say, shut up and get on with it. Actually in James, God says speak up and get on with it. God says, “If you don’t know what to do ask me to give you the wisdom, because that’s what I want to give you.” In His instruction manual God says ask me what to do and then be convinced that I am going to help you. Don’t doubt God when he guides you, go for it. If God uses a friend to guide you, take on board the advice and run towards the goal. If God uses his Bible to give you examples, take on board that example and do what you need to do with full confidence. Actually the song should be, when the going gets tough, the tough turn to God.

MP3: 00161_James_1_1-12.mp3
PDF: 00161_James_1_1-12.pdf