Jimbo
James 1:1a
Pastor Jerry Koller

Who is James? In the New Testament, there are a number of different ‘James’ mentioned.
• James the son of Zebedee (brother of John - fishing partner of Peter and Andrew)
• James the son of Alphaeus (one of the 12 Apostles called by Jesus) Some scholars believe that this James was also refereed to as ‘James the Less/Little.’
• James - the father of the Apostle Judas/Thaddeus
• James - the 1/2 brother of Jesus.

James grew up with his family in the town of Nazareth along with his brothers and sisters.

From this passage, we see Mary and Joseph’s family consisted of at least 5 boys and a number of girls—although we have no idea how many there were.

The closest Scripture gets to describing how Jesus’ siblings may have viewed Him is seen in John 7:5.

The brothers Luke is referring to are Jesus’ actual siblings.

Their statement to Jesus doesn’t mean they opposed what He said or denied the miracles He performed. It simply shows they did not understand what Jesus said or the purpose of His miraculous deeds.

The closest timeframe we can determine, as far as when James first believed in Jesus, is sometime after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Perhaps it was when Jesus appeared to him after His resurrection.

James calls himself a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The term bondservant comes from a very common word that can be translated slave, servant, or bondservant.
• A literal slave was someone who is legally owned by another and whose entire livelihood and purpose are determined by their master.
• A servant was a person who is hired to do work for wages.
• A bondservant is a person who voluntarily chooses to serve someone.
• They do not serve against their will, nor do they do so for renumeration.

James chooses to describe himself in a very humble way. His desire is to serve Jesus.

• We still came to Christ in the same way that James did.
• We come to Jesus because He calls us to Himself.
• He frees us from slavery to sin.
• He makes us into new creations.
• All who are in Christ are saved by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ.

• Miriam Bryant & Family upon the loss of her sister, Edna Fruge, on 4/16.
• Vincent Bryant (Miriam Bryant's son) is hospitalized due to a foot infection.
• Tabitha Goodale (friend of Stan & Jean Robinson) has been diagnosed with thyroid and throat cancer.
• Carson & Bailey Finch who are celebrating the birth of their first child, Charlotte Jane, who arrived on 3/28.
• Marialice Quinn (former FBC member) has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
• Jeremy Price is recovering from back surgery.
• Bill Foskett Sr. (Bill Foskett's dad) was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, a rare aggressive cancer in muscle cells. Praise God that surgery to remove the cancer is all that is required for treatment.
• James Thomas (friend of Bruce & Vasha Ferguson) has been diagnosed with ascites; a very serious disease often associated with cirrhosis.
• Louann Pranger (Tracy Marshall's mom) continues to recover from a C Diff infection
• Derrick (grandson of Bruce & Vasha Ferguson) is recovering from a stroke.
• Curt Bales has returned home and continues to recover from a broken knee.
• Vasha Ferguson is recovering from parathyroid surgery.
• Miriam Bryant is having difficulty with both of her hands being numb, tingly, and extremely painful. Please pray that her doctor can find something to help alleviate the discomfort.
• Beth Bocock continues to recover from ulcerative colitis.
• Judy Jones (wife of Pastor Grady Jones/friend of Pastor Jerry) is recovering from a successful surgery and doctors believe they removed all of the cancer. She is waiting for biopsy results to decide how to proceed with treatment.
• Lennon McKamey (son of Kyle & Sarah) needs surgery on his shoulder. Please pray that preparing for surgery goes smoothly.
• Check out our monthly prayer card on-line at southhavenfbc.com under “Weekly Bulletins” for a list of those with on-going needs.

First Baptist Church
1635 76th Street
South Haven, MI 49090
269-637-1291
southhavenfbc@gmail.com