Sermon Transcript
James 2:14-22. What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, What good is that? So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe and shudder.
Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.
I might be slightly biased, but my favorite Scripture reader right there, so. Thank you, Casey. I was realizing as I was sitting down there this morning and as we’re sharing about Andrew, there’s been a lot of changes here at Bridges Community Church over the last couple months. And I realized some of us are kind of in and out, or we have some visitors here today and some people, where, where are they going? Why are they leaving?
And what are some of these changes? And why is that guy up there and not the really tall guy instead? So just real quick, some updates here about Bridges Community Church. My name is Nate. I’m one of the pastors here on staff.
I am not Dan. Dan is our lead pastor and he is out on sabbatical right now, hopefully getting a ton of rest, but he keeps texting me for some reason. But we would love your prayers. Pray for Dan and Beth and their boys that they can have a great sabbatical and get some rest. Some of you probably remember a few months ago we launched one of our long-term pastors, Steve and Shannon.
They are on mission now in Brazil. They’re there, they are serving, and we are excited for the things that will be happening in his life. And we will be welcoming Joshua Smith and his wife Katie and their 4 kids in July. Joshua will be joining our staff as the pastor of young adults and compassion ministries. So lots of changes.
And then today we shared Andrew and Amelia, we are sending them out. They are moving up to Roseville, I think technically the Sacramento area where Andrew has accepted a position teaching at a Christian middle school. We have no doubt that he will continue his ministry and they will do great things in the years to come. But all this shuffling around is happening this summer. So if you’re here one week and then all of a sudden someone different is standing up here, don’t worry, we’re still here.
We’re just shuffling around a little bit and excited for what God has in store for us over the next season. Today, we are continuing our series, This Is My Story, showing how God works the same today as he has always worked. The principles that we find in Scripture are principles for our lives. Today, we will hear from Mandy Schneider how service has helped to deepen and enrich her faith. The passage she’s gonna be referencing today is the one that Casey just read from James.
Without works, our faith is dead. This is one of the most discussed passages in the New Testament, James 2:14-22, because it appears at first glance to conflict with Paul’s teaching that we are justified by faith apart from works. James asks, what good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works. He goes on to argue that faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Yet, Paul clearly teaches that salvation is a gift received through faith and not earned by works.
So, how can both be true? The key to recognizing that James and Paul are addressing different problems. Paul is confronting people who think they can earn God’s favor through obedience to the law. His answer is that no one can be justified before God by their own works because all have sinned. Salvation comes entirely through the finished work of Jesus and is received through faith and faith alone.
James, however, is confronting people who claim to have faith but whose lives show no evidence of it. His concern is not how a person becomes saved, but whether the faith they claim to possess is genuine. James begins with a practical example. If a believer encounters someone who is hungry and poorly clothed and simply says, go in peace, be warmed and filled, But without helping them, those words are empty. In the same way, a profession of faith that produces no change in a person’s life is also empty.
James is not saying that works save us. He is saying that true faith inevitably reveals itself through action. Abraham serves as James’ primary example. James points to Abraham offering Isaac on the altar and says that his faith was active along with his works and faith was completed by his works. This can sound as though Abraham was justified by his obedience.
However, Genesis tells us that Abraham was declared righteous long before Isaac was offered. In Genesis 15:6, Abraham, believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Abraham was justified before God through faith. Years later, his willingness to offer Isaac demonstrated the reality of that faith. His work did not create his faith; they revealed it.
A tree is not alive because it bears fruit. Rather, it bears fruit because it is alive. The fruit does not give the tree life. It proves that life is already there. Likewise, works do not create saving faith.
They are the evidence that saving faith exists. This passage also points us back to the completed work of Jesus. James highlights Abraham’s obedience, but Abraham’s obedience was never perfect enough to save him. Neither are our works sufficient to earn salvation. The entire Bible points to our need for a Savior who could accomplish what we could not.
Jesus lived the perfectly obedient life that none of us have lived. He fulfilled God’s law completely, died for our sins on the cross, and rose again in victory. His work is finished. When we trust in Christ, we are counted righteous because of his obedience, not because of our own. Yet the same faith that unites us to Christ also transforms us.
Since Jesus has completed the work necessary for our salvation, believers are freed to obey God out of gratitude rather than fear. God— good works become the fruit of Christ’s life within us, within us. They are not the basis of our acceptance before God, but the evidence that we have been united to the one who perfectly obeyed on our behalf. James 2:14-22, therefore, do not teach salvation by works. It teaches that saving faith is never alone.
We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone, but the faith that saves always produces a changed life. Our works do not contribute to Christ’s finished work. They testify that his finished work has truly taken root in our hearts. Would you please help me welcome up here Mandy Schneider.
I’m gonna pray for you and then they’re all yours. Oh, thanks. Lord God, I thank you for this day and for this opportunity to draw in near to you through your word. God, I thank you for the Holy Scriptures, the words that you have given us to reveal yourself to us so that we may know you more clearly clearly, and we may be in relationship with you. God, I thank you for Mandy.
I thank you for the incredible work that you have done in her life. I thank you that the incredible work that you have done through her. God, I pray now that you speak through her today, that her testimony is encouraging and inspiring to many. We thank you for all you have done. We thank you for who you are, and we thank you in Jesus’ precious In your holy name, amen.
Amen. Thank you, Nate. Thank you, Casey. Good morning. If you haven’t met me yet, I’m Mandy, Mandy Schneider.
Um, I belong to Bob and Leslie Schneider, right over there. I have one older brother, Bobby, who is married to Suzanne, and they gave me 2 amazing nephews, Taylor and Tanner, 11 and 8. Who do a great job at keeping life interesting. I live here in Sunnyvale, and I just bought a townhouse, which has consumed my free time and my bank account. I work at Stanford Hospital, and I’ve been there for almost 10 years as an occupational therapist. Why an occupational therapist?
Well, I first wanted to be an actress, then I wanted to be a pop star, on the road with NSYNC, then a teacher, then a nurse, but quickly found out I don’t do well with needles. And then my mom said, why not OT? As a kid, I had physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. You see, I was born with cerebral palsy, which is a neurological disorder that affects body movement, muscle coordination, and posture. Luckily, my type of CP only affects my right side.
At the time of my diagnosis, though, the doctors told my parents I wouldn’t walk or talk, which I’m sure at times they wished the doctors were right.
But because of my time in therapy and my very competitive spirit, I was able to become an athletic tomboy that wanted to be the best at everything. I was involved in sports, and I mean all sports. And yes, well, my main one was softball. And yes, I was a band geek. I played flute and baritone with piano lessons on the side.
I think through my positive experiences with therapy, I felt what it meant to have people invest in me, encourage me, and help me succeed. Seed, which is what I wanted to do for others. And every day I try to make someone smile during one of the worst times in their lives. And as I was preparing to speak with you today, I can see that God was shaping me to serve others from a very young age. And you’ll hear throughout my story that many of the ways He grew my faith came through opportunities to serve, teaching me the truth of James 2, that faith is not just something we believe, but something we live out.
I was incredibly fortunate to be born into a Christian home. My parents did their best to guide me along the right path and teach me about God at a young age. I’ve pretty much been at Bridges my entire life, back when it was still called First Baptist Church of Los Altos. In fact, I like to tell people I’ve attended this church for 39 years. For the record, I’m 38.
Had to think about that one for a moment, huh? My dad started attending this church when he was in 3rd grade, and my mom started coming shortly after graduating from college. They met here, and they were even married on this stage. My mom went on to serve as the director of children’s music for 47 years, and my dad presently works in the finance office. So you could say this church has always been a part of my story.
Over the years I’ve done a little church shopping here and there, but no matter where I went, something always seemed to draw me back. I don’t think it was the campus or the programs. I think it was God continually reminding me that this was where He wanted me to grow, serve, and be a part of a church family. I became a Christian when I was 5 years old, and I was baptized right up there when I was 8. Were y’all aware there’s a baptismal tub up there?
It resembles a hot tub, but I’m just saying, like, cold ocean water, hot tub, warm water, up to you. Anyway, one of the things that grounded me early in my faith was children’s choir here at church. I was involved from age 5 through 8th grade, and then I had the opportunity to continue volunteering with the choirs through high school. It was amazing how much theology I learned through music. I learned Bible stories, biblical principles, and lessons about God through songs that have somehow stayed in my head for decades.
In fact, I learned the Ten Commandments through children’s choir. 1, love the Lord your God with all your heart. 2, don’t look down on others. That’s not smart. 3, never take the Father’s name in vain.
4, keep the Sabbath holy. 6, remain. 5, honor father and mother. 6, don’t take a life from another. 7, don’t be a louse.
Be faithful to your spouse. 8, don’t take things that don’t belong to you. 9, don’t say anything that is not true. 10, when you go into your neighbor’s home, don’t start wishing that it was your own.
It’s really catchy, right? It’s really amazing how music can teach us things that stay with us for life. I also remember learning about the Trinity through a musical called Don’t Be Afraid, Brigade. They explained it using water. Water is a liquid, the compound H2O.
At 32 degrees, it freezes into ice, you know. At 100 centigrade, it boils into steam. But liquid, solid, or gas, it still is the same. Pretty good, huh?
Even though I loved being in choir and performing on stage, I found more fulfillment as a high school helper. In that role I had many duties, and one of those was being in charge of candy time. During candy time, students received a candy reward for earning points throughout rehearsals. I had the special privilege of interrupting the director and announcing which kids had earned their reward. The best part was I had complete freedom to make it entertaining.
Now, I could have just walked up, handed out the candy, and then walked back out, but that wasn’t nearly as much fun. Some days I would rollerblade into the room. Other days I would walk in singing a parody to one of the musical songs— just something silly to make a grand entrance because I enjoyed seeing the kids smile and laugh. I would like to believe it helped create an environment where they felt encouraged, valued, and eager to come back. After 4 years of being a high school helper, I did have to pass the baton and graduate.
As I moved into my adulthood, I headed off to Sonoma State University to study kinesiology. I had every intention of finding a Christian community there. I attended meetings, gatherings, Bible studies, and church-shopping events. But honestly, the group I found wasn’t very welcoming. I felt judged because I had friends that weren’t Christians, and instead of feeling encouraged, I felt uncomfortable.
Going became more of a chore than a joy. Eventually I stopped attending. And unfortunately, when I stopped attending, I also stopped feeding my faith. I wasn’t getting much soul food anymore, just food and that— gaining that fun freshman 15. I stopped reading my Bible, I stopped going to church, I stopped intentionally growing my relationship with God.
It wasn’t that I stopped believing, I just slowly drifted. My faith moved further and further into the background. After Sonoma, I attended graduate school at Loma Linda University. And for those of you who are not familiar with Loma Linda, it is a private Seventh-day Adventist university where Bible classes and chapel are woven into the curriculum. Despite being surrounded by opportunities to grow spiritually, I invested very little in my relationship with God.
I often treated chapel as a convenient time to catch up on homework, and maybe take a quick nap. I poured my energy into weekend getaways, time with friends, and everything else that life had to offer. God was still present in my life, but I’ll admit He had been pushed to the furthest corner of my priorities. After graduate school, I moved back home to save money and start my career, like many in my generation did. I attended Bridges with my parents, but I had become what I would call a Sunday Christian.
I showed up, attended service, went home, and that was about it. Now, my story doesn’t have that exciting turning point like being blinded on a walking trail or being swallowed up by a big fish. No, God used something incredibly simple to begin drawing me back. A friend of mine, Carrie Miller— Morrison at the time— encouraged me to volunteer with the youth ministry. Just an invitation to serve alongside a friend.
God didn’t suddenly grab me by my shoulders and spin my life around. Instead, He quietly invited me back one small step at a time. So I joined the high school ministry as an adult leader, and I jumped back into helping with children’s choir. I wasn’t suddenly stronger in my faith, and I didn’t have all the answers. But I had purpose again.
I was showing up. I was investing in people. And through serving others, God slowly began rebuilding things in me. This reminds me of James 2. As I put my faith into practice by loving and serving others, God used those acts of obedience to strengthen my relationship with Him and shape me in ways I never expected.
Winston Churchill once said, We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. And that’s exactly what I experienced. One of the fun things about children’s choir was getting to watch the kids grow into young adults. And Andrew was one of those we got to watch grow into a young adult. He was always fun in choir.
There was one student who was as shy as they come. She barely spoke. She was the definition of a wallflower. One year she auditioned for a lead role in a musical and was cast as a superhero. The only problem was she didn’t feel like a superhero.
So Ms. Less asked me to work with her. We practiced standing tall and doing the superhero stance. Y’all know the one, right? The bum ba da bum! We practiced speaking loudly and demonstrating confidence.
Slowly, practice after practice, she transformed. By the time the performance came around, she wasn’t just acting like a superhero anymore— she was one, and she nailed the role. Years later, God continued His work in her life in an even deeper way, leading her to become a teacher. The same girl who once barely spoke now spends her days speaking life into elementary school students. A fun fact about God: He is always at work, often behind the scenes, shaping us in ways we don’t immediately recognize.
Just as God was helping her grow into someone she never imagined she could become, He was quietly doing the same thing in me. While I thought I was helping students grow, God was using those same opportunities to strengthen my faith. My time spent in the high school ministry meant leading small groups attending camps, and trying my best to be a good mentor. Now, I’ll admit, high school students can be incredibly intimidating. They have a way of asking questions that make you realize very quickly what you do not know.
But one of the things I loved most about working with them was their curiosity. They asked thoughtful questions about the Bible, faith, and the world around them. Those discussions challenged me in the best possible way because students would come with questions that I couldn’t always answer, so I’d go home, dig into the scripture, do some research, and come back ready to continue the conversation.
Sorry, I lost my place. I’m the worst millennial in the world. I use paper, not technology.
Their questions pushed me to go deeper into my understanding of scripture, and their curiosity reignited my own desire to learn and grow. I enjoyed leading those studies so much that I eventually started a Bible study for some of the high school students—the high school helpers—from children’s choir. Without even realizing it, God is drawing me back into regular Bible study, prayer, and a deeper relationship with Him. As my involvement in ministry continued, God began opening doors beyond the Bridges campus. One of those opportunities was serving at Old Mill Camp with Paul Standen and Doug Valenzuela in Naples, Italy.
The goal of the camp was to provide local youth with an American-style summer camp experience while sharing the gospel through worship, teaching, team activities, and fellowship. The camp also partnered with local Italian churches so that the relationship and discipleship could continue long after the week had ended. My role was a little different than what I expected. I was responsible for creating videos throughout the week. At first, I thought this didn’t sound much like a ministry role, but it quickly became a memorable experience.
Throughout the camp, I captured moments of the kids participating in activities, building friendships, worshipping together, and simply having a good time. At the end of every day, we would show a 5-minute video to the campers of that day’s activities.
They really loved the worship, and it. It surprised me that they were able to sing in English. However, when we sat down to meals, there was no English spoken at the table.
Doug always said that watching those videos made them feel like celebrities, and he was right. The kids absolutely loved seeing themselves on screen. But it was more than just a fun highlight reel. The videos became a reminder of everything they had experienced: the friendships they formed, the lessons they learned, and most importantly, the gospel message they had heard. It was a way to help carry those memories and truths with them even after camp was over.
The experience opened my eyes to what God was doing outside of my little corner of the world and awakened a curiosity in me to learn more. I wanted to find more opportunities to serve and be a part of something bigger than myself. In hindsight, I can see how God was growing my faith through the opportunities to serve. Just like James 2 said, faith comes alive through action. And with each step of obedience, God expanded my perspective, deepened my trust in Him, and showed me more of His heart for others.
The growing passion for missions eventually led me to an opportunity that would stretch me in ways I never expected— a mission trip to Brazil. I joined the mission trip to Brazil to work with our missionary partners, Restoration Ministries. I thought I was going to help kids with instruments and maybe work with an orchestra, but like my trip to Italy, I was discovering very quickly that my experience was not going to be what I expected. Instead, I had the opportunity to visit families in the favelas, help run day camps for kids with in those favelas and participate in an overnight camp for kids from the same neighborhoods. For those who might not be familiar with what a favela is, they are a dense, informal, low-income urban settlement that is often self-built and most famously found on the steep hillsides of São Paulo.
During one of our family visits, I remember meeting one woman who shared her health struggles with us. As a healthcare worker, hearing her problems hit me really hard, and I wanted to do so much for her. I wished there was more I could do for her, but all she asked for was prayer. One of the pastors asked me to lead the prayer, and I immediately felt panic because praying out loud has always made me nervous. I don’t know why.
But in the moment, because of the connection I felt with her, I stepped forward and prayed. It wasn’t polished or perfect, but it was sincere. Looking back, I can see how God was beginning to stretch me in new ways, quietly giving me opportunities to pray out loud even when it felt uncomfortable. Another part of the trip, as I mentioned, was spending time with the kids through day camps and an overnight camp. Many of these kids came from incredibly challenging backgrounds, and they were so excited just to have a safe place to play, learn, and be loved.
I had the honor of running games with Betsy Carroll at the camps, and we used one of my favorites from survival camp called the brown bag challenge. The concept is simple: there are not-your-everyday food items in a brown paper bag, and the team players take turns pulling out something out of that brown paper bag and eating it as a part of a relay race. When I did this in high school, the bags had things like baby food, sardines, Spam, jalapeños, saltine crackers— you get the picture. But in Brazil, we adapted the game using American snacks that we didn’t think were that bad— Bugles, fruit snacks, Rice Krispie Treats— and the kids absolutely hated them. The Bugles got the most complaints, but let’s be honest, Bugles are pretty gross.
Now I know this doesn’t like your typical VBS game, but hang with me for a second. We actually renamed it Bring Me Your Lunch, and we tied it into the story of the day that was about David and Goliath. Because in that story, David ends up on the battlefield to defeat Goliath simply because he was bringing his brothers lunch. So in a very roundabout way, we took a silly game and connected it to the Bible story of the day. We thought it worked well.
That trip left a lasting impact on my life. A takeaway for me was realizing that the people we met and the Restoration team didn’t have much by what— by the world’s standards, and yet there was something unmistakable about them: an incredible joy, gratitude, and faith that I believe came from what God was doing in their lives through Restoration ministries. It really challenged my perspective. There are times when things go wrong in my life and I find myself frustrated or discouraged, but seeing their circumstances reminded me how blessed I am and how faithful God remains even in difficult situations. If you ever have the opportunity to go on a trip like this, I highly recommend it.
After returning from Brazil, I joined the Missions Committee for 2 reasons. First, I realized even though I attended this church for For nearly my entire life, I knew very little about our missionary partners. Within my first month on the committee, I learned so much about the people we support and the work God is doing through them around the world. It gave me a deeper appreciation for missionaries and a greater desire to pray for them intentionally. Second, my experience in Brazil had sparked a passion for missions that I didn’t want to lose.
I knew I might not always be able to participate in mission trips because of work and other responsibilities, but I still wanted to be involved. Serving on the mission committee gave me a way to stay connected and continue supporting God’s work even when I couldn’t be there in person. So once again, God is growing my faith by giving me an opportunity to put it into action, whether that be serving across the world or faithfully supporting those He has called to go. One of those He called to go is a former children’s choir student, Erin Su. She serves with EPIC Movement, which is a suborganization of Cru, in Kyoto, Japan.
I met with her this past Thursday to hear about her past year, and she shared with me that she has been able to use the skills she learned through choir as a part of her ministry. That’s another rewarding aspect of serving. Seeing the fruit of time invested in others. It was really encouraging to hear how God is using the gifts and tools she developed as a student for His purposes today. I hope you’ve had a chance to explore the touchscreen in the lobby of the Worship Center.
It’s a great resource for learning about our missionary partners, where they serve, and ways we can be praying for them. Most recently, I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the Deaconess Board, with a wonderful group of women. It’s been a privilege to get to know them and work alongside them. They care deeply about our church, our community, and I’ve learned a lot just by serving with them. Through the Deaconess Board, I’ve helped with special services, church events, outreach activities, and other projects throughout the year.
There are always details to take care of, things to organize, people to connect with, and last-minute needs that pop up. What I’ve realized is that I actually enjoy being the person behind the scenes. I try to use this opportunity as a way to bless others, and what’s funny is every time I think I’m blessing someone else, I end up feeling blessed myself. That’s been one of the biggest surprises of serving— the blessing often goes both ways. As I reflect on my life story, I can see that God was working long before I realized it.
He was working through my cerebral palsy, children’s choir, youth ministry, Bible studies, and camp, through Italy and Brazil, and even now through the mission committee and deaconess board. None of those things— experiences changed me overnight, but together they changed me. Looking back, I don’t think my faith was dead during my college years. I just think it was dormant. I still believed, but I wasn’t growing, I wasn’t serving, I wasn’t actively walking with God.
Serving others gave my faith room to grow. It moved faith from something I knew in my head to something I experienced in my heart. Faith became real for me when I started serving. In the book of James, it is written that faith without works is dead.
And it became real to me, but not because serving earns God’s favor, Not because serving makes me a better Christian, but because serving brought me closer to Jesus, and for that I am incredibly grateful. And as you now know, praying out loud is still something that I’m working on, and I would like to keep stepping into that with you, so let’s pray. Dear Lord, thank you for today. Thank you for those who have come today and their willingness to listen to my story. I pray that James too inspires all of us to live out our faith through action.
Thank you for the opportunities you give us to show the world your love. Help us to recognize those opportunities with open hearts. And above all else, Lord, thank you for your love for us. And in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
