We've reached the final part of the letter of James, and next week we'll be finishing the series with a summary of the letter's main themes. In this final section of chapter 5, we are given a picture of what a church community should look like.
1) In a church community, people should be reliable. James writes about swearing oaths (5v12), and we find a very similar passage in Matthew 5v33-37 where Jesus deals with the same issue. Religious people appeared to think that if they swore an oath by a less important name than God's, it didn't matter so much if they then broke that promise.
But James says this isn't so. Instead, Christians are to be reliable. We're not to make vague promises that we don't really intend on keeping, but instead we're to keep our word - "yes" should mean "yes", and "no" should mean "no"; otherwise, James says we will be "condemned".
For example, you may know someone to whom you've lent something, and they didn't return it. Then they borrowed something else, and they didn't return that either! Eventually, they become "condemned" - you know that they cannot be relied on to return something. So James writes, if you don't keep your word, you will be condemned in the sight of others.
In order to be reliable, though, you might need some practical help. For example, I use Google Calendar to remind me to ring my parents each week! You might also need to reconsider your limitations. Being reliable doesn't mean always saying "yes" when someone asks for help; sometimes, people need more knowledgeable help than you're able to provide.
2) In a church community, people should be expressive. Suffering can be expressed in prayer, and joy can be expressed in song (5v13). James clearly considers the sober prayer and the praise-filled song are both reverent ways of approaching God, and are not activities for a select few, but for all the church. Whenever the church gathers, it is appropriate to provide opportunities for open prayer and corporate singing.
James then describes a process by which an ill person can receive prayer from the elders (5v14-15). The individual is to call for the elders, and the elders are then to pray for God to heal. They anoint the person with oil, a symbol of God's blessing which the disciples had used previously when healing (Mark 6v13). There is also an opportunity for repentance and forgiveness (5v15).
What is "the prayer of faith" (5v15)? It is a prayer that combines a conviction of God's ability to heal with submission to His will. The only type of effective prayer is the prayer of faith - without faith, we should not expect to receive anything from the Lord (1v6-7) - and this faith in God is expressed through the words "if the Lord is willing" (4v15).
This private scene of healing and forgiveness is then developed further, as James instructs the church to confess their sins and pray for each other's healing (5v16). Here is a good reason for church communities to meet in different contexts during the week, rather than only once on a Sunday morning. Large public meetings aren't the easiest situations for people to be open about their struggles and to ask for prayer. Smaller groups (especially in someone's home), where people have grown to know and trust each other, provide more appropriate and safer opportunities for confession and heartfelt prayer for healing.
James emphasizes the power of prayer (5V16-18). He has already said that faith and works will be found together (2V17), and so I believe the "prayer of a righteous person" is the same as the "prayer of faith". Faith and holiness will grow together.
3) In a church community, people should be gracious. James closes his letter by highlighting the importance and blessing of bringing back believers who have wandered from the truth (5v19-20). Jesus Christ is our greatest example of this, as he came to find the lost sheep and bring them home. Just as he prayed for Peter (Luke 22v32), so he also prays today that his people will not fall. When we see fellow believers begin to wander, rather than behaving as judges (5v9), we should behave as brothers and sisters, and seek to bring them back into the church family.
Showing posts with label Epistle of James. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Epistle of James. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Wednesday, 29 June 2016
Some Words for Wednesday - The Misery And The Madness (James 5)
James is writing his letter to believers who had been forced to flee their homes because of persecution. They had left everything, and were now poor and vulnerable to exploitation. In chapter 5, we find out that rich landowners, some of whom were attending church meetings, were withholding wages from their poor workers. What does James teach in these circumstances?
1. The misery and the madness (v1-6)
James tells the wealthy people that there is a day of misery coming, a day when they will weep and howl (v1). Why would they be miserable? Much of their wealth would have been tied up in their crops - James says that this wealth will have rotted! Expensive clothes were a sign of riches (2v2), but their clothes would be moth-eaten (5v2)!
In other words, a day was coming when their goods would have no meaningful value. They would discover that their treasures were temporary, and they had made no provision for eternity. Just like the rich man in the parable Jesus tells (Luke 12v13-21), they had planned for days they could not predict, but failed to plan for the one day they could not avoid - that last day, when they would face eternity.
James continues by stating that their silver and gold would also have no value. Instead it would be corroded, and the corrosion would eat at their flesh and condemn them (v3). As an illustration, have you ever been tidying one day, and found a voucher for something, only to discover it had passed its expiration date? You kick yourself for wasting something valuable, and it eats at you. The more valuable it was, the more it eats at you!
James tells the wealthy that they will discover they wasted a lifetime accumulating treasures that had no eternal value, and this will condemn them - the corrosion will be evidence of a wasted life, and will eat their flesh like fire (v3).
James now points out their madness - he writes "you have laid up treasures for the last days!" (v3) They were hoarding as though they had forever, but actually time was running out! They were like turkeys enjoying extra food in the weeks leading up to Christmas (v5)! Their behaviour was causing the death of people, and those being exploited could not resist them (v6).
But they could not hide their sins from God - he heard the unpaid wages crying out to him, and the cries of the exploited harvesters(v4)! It is madness to hoard temporary treasures when facing the eternal judgment of God.
James now turns his attention to the poor believers, whom he refers to as his brethren.
2) Be patient and persevere (v7-11)
James encourages them to be patient - the Lord is coming, and there will be justice. As field labourers, they would have understood James' illustration of the patience of a farmer who waits for the seasonal rains (v7)
In Britain, we might respond, "You can't trust the weather!" However, the return of Christ is more certain than the seasons. He is not temperamental - he will not fail his people. So James tells the believers to establish their hearts (v8). The faithfulness of Christ is to inspire our faithfulness.
So this is not a time for fighting each other. We are brothers and sisters, not judges. The Judge is coming - he is at the door (v9)! James warns: if you don't behave as a member of God's family, you might discover you aren't one! If you behave as a judge, you may be the one judged!
James then tells the believers to persevere (v10-11) and uses the prophets and Job as examples. We can see that their perseverance leads to the fruition of God's purposes and promises (v11).
It's not easy to persevere. Often, it involves a lot of unspectacular obedience - simple, daily disciplines such as praying and reading the Word. But let's not forget the example of Christ. He lived for about 33 years on earth, yet there is very little we know about most of that life! He was about 30 when his ministry began, and people asked: "Isn't that Joseph's son?" They didn't know him as the Creator of the universe, but as the son of a construction worker.
Christ lived 30 years of unspectacular obedience before 3 years of spectacular ministry: 30 years without being noticed; perfectly steadfast and obedient, but in unspectacular ways. If you trust Christ as your Saviour, you are clothed in his righteousness - not just those 3 years of teaching, healing and ministry, but also those 30 years of unrecognised, unspectacular but absolutely unwavering perseverance!
Let us not dismiss the importance of unspectular obedience. Often, it is unspectacular obedience that leads us into the spectacular plans of God.
As we trust in the perfect perseverance of Christ, let us patiently persevere, knowing he will one day return. We will all face a final day. James writes that for some, it will be a day of rejoicing at the harvest. For others, it will be a day of misery because of what they have wasted.
What kind of final day are you anticipating?
1. The misery and the madness (v1-6)
James tells the wealthy people that there is a day of misery coming, a day when they will weep and howl (v1). Why would they be miserable? Much of their wealth would have been tied up in their crops - James says that this wealth will have rotted! Expensive clothes were a sign of riches (2v2), but their clothes would be moth-eaten (5v2)!
In other words, a day was coming when their goods would have no meaningful value. They would discover that their treasures were temporary, and they had made no provision for eternity. Just like the rich man in the parable Jesus tells (Luke 12v13-21), they had planned for days they could not predict, but failed to plan for the one day they could not avoid - that last day, when they would face eternity.
James continues by stating that their silver and gold would also have no value. Instead it would be corroded, and the corrosion would eat at their flesh and condemn them (v3). As an illustration, have you ever been tidying one day, and found a voucher for something, only to discover it had passed its expiration date? You kick yourself for wasting something valuable, and it eats at you. The more valuable it was, the more it eats at you!
James tells the wealthy that they will discover they wasted a lifetime accumulating treasures that had no eternal value, and this will condemn them - the corrosion will be evidence of a wasted life, and will eat their flesh like fire (v3).
James now points out their madness - he writes "you have laid up treasures for the last days!" (v3) They were hoarding as though they had forever, but actually time was running out! They were like turkeys enjoying extra food in the weeks leading up to Christmas (v5)! Their behaviour was causing the death of people, and those being exploited could not resist them (v6).
But they could not hide their sins from God - he heard the unpaid wages crying out to him, and the cries of the exploited harvesters(v4)! It is madness to hoard temporary treasures when facing the eternal judgment of God.
James now turns his attention to the poor believers, whom he refers to as his brethren.
2) Be patient and persevere (v7-11)
James encourages them to be patient - the Lord is coming, and there will be justice. As field labourers, they would have understood James' illustration of the patience of a farmer who waits for the seasonal rains (v7)
In Britain, we might respond, "You can't trust the weather!" However, the return of Christ is more certain than the seasons. He is not temperamental - he will not fail his people. So James tells the believers to establish their hearts (v8). The faithfulness of Christ is to inspire our faithfulness.
So this is not a time for fighting each other. We are brothers and sisters, not judges. The Judge is coming - he is at the door (v9)! James warns: if you don't behave as a member of God's family, you might discover you aren't one! If you behave as a judge, you may be the one judged!
James then tells the believers to persevere (v10-11) and uses the prophets and Job as examples. We can see that their perseverance leads to the fruition of God's purposes and promises (v11).
It's not easy to persevere. Often, it involves a lot of unspectacular obedience - simple, daily disciplines such as praying and reading the Word. But let's not forget the example of Christ. He lived for about 33 years on earth, yet there is very little we know about most of that life! He was about 30 when his ministry began, and people asked: "Isn't that Joseph's son?" They didn't know him as the Creator of the universe, but as the son of a construction worker.
Christ lived 30 years of unspectacular obedience before 3 years of spectacular ministry: 30 years without being noticed; perfectly steadfast and obedient, but in unspectacular ways. If you trust Christ as your Saviour, you are clothed in his righteousness - not just those 3 years of teaching, healing and ministry, but also those 30 years of unrecognised, unspectacular but absolutely unwavering perseverance!
Let us not dismiss the importance of unspectular obedience. Often, it is unspectacular obedience that leads us into the spectacular plans of God.
As we trust in the perfect perseverance of Christ, let us patiently persevere, knowing he will one day return. We will all face a final day. James writes that for some, it will be a day of rejoicing at the harvest. For others, it will be a day of misery because of what they have wasted.
What kind of final day are you anticipating?
Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Some Words for Wednesday - A Peacemaker, Not A Peacekeeper (James 3)
We're continuing our series in the letter of James, having looked last time at James' instruction: "Not many of you should become teachers" (3v1). He gives three reasons why this is the case:
a) The high level of scrutiny - "You will be judged with greater strictness" (3v1)
b) The high level of difficulty - "No one can tame the tongue" (3v8)
c) The high level of responsibility - "The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things" (3v5)
So the question we might then ask is: Who should become a teacher? I believe James anticipates this question, and asks it in a different way: "Who is wise and understanding among you?" (v13). He then goes on to describe the person who should be considered for the role of teaching the church.
1) What you hear is what you get
James describes the characteristics that a person with wisdom will demonstrate. He says "let him show his works" (v13). Wisdom is not just invisible head knowledge - it is visibly applied understanding. In other words, when God gives us wisdom, the purpose is not simply to give us the answers that are needed, but to make us into the people that are needed - needed in the church and in the world.
Godly wisdom has a sanctifying effect upon a person. It makes them more like Jesus.
James writes that the first characteristic of this person is that they will be "pure". In other words, the teacher should not be like the fountain James describes earlier, producing both fresh and salt water (3v11). Rather, he should only produce fresh water. This person will not change when they step out of the pulpit - he will not be a compassionate preacher, but an unapproachable person. He will aim to live what he teaches. In other words, what you hear is what you get.
The Christian writer, E M Bounds, puts it this way in his book The Power of Prayer: "The man is the message. It takes 20 years to make the message because it takes 20 years to make the man."
The wise teacher will have no hidden motives. There'll be no jealousy or selfish ambition (3v14). If someone only wants to promote himself, he should not be teaching the church. The effect of his teaching will be the opposite of what God wants for a church community. There will be disorder and every kind of evil practice (3v16)
What does James mean by "evil practices"? Consider the sinful activities he's already mentioned in his letter: being double-minded; avoiding responsibility for sin; hearing the Word but not acting on it; favouritism; ignoring the needs of others. These activities won't make the headlines of the local paper, but they will greatly hinder the work of the church.
2) You'll find a door, not a wall
James goes on with his list: "peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere" (3v17). A teacher will be "quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger" (1v10). They will be someone you will not only want to listen to, but also feel able to talk to.
The teacher's purpose is to "equip the church for ministry" (Ephesians 4v13) so that the church can mature as a community. He will help people to explore new responsibilities and opportunities. When you approach him, you'll find a door that reveals possibilities rather than a wall that discourages you. The status quo is not an option for a church - change is a necessary part of maturing. A wise teacher will support the church to embrace that.
3) He'll be a peacemaker, not a peacekeeper
We have four children in our family. One way to avoid conflict between them is to "divide and conquer". If you keep them apart, they can't argue!
But that's not a great model for family life. It's great to have a peaceful mealtime, but not if everyone is sitting in different rooms! Ideally, you want your children to learn not only how to tolerate each other, but also to appreciate each other and even enjoy each other's company.
"Divide and conquer" is also not a good model for church life. Sometimes, a church leader will keep people apart to keep the peace. But a wise teacher doesn't keep the peace; he makes peace (3v18). He is able to draw people together as he draws them to a better knowledge of God. This is so that, as a body, the people are able to grow together.
What is the result of this? "A harvest of righteousness". The fruit of wise teaching is righteousness, or holiness. We looked last time at holiness, and recognised that it describes the boundaries within which our relationship with God flourishes. So the fruit of wise teaching is a community of people whose relationship with God is flourishing.
What does this fruit taste like? It tastes like peace (3v18): a community of people at peace with God and with each other.
So how do we recognise a wise teacher?
1) What you hear is what you get
2) You find a door, not a wall
3) He'll be a peacemaker, not a peacekeeper
a) The high level of scrutiny - "You will be judged with greater strictness" (3v1)
b) The high level of difficulty - "No one can tame the tongue" (3v8)
c) The high level of responsibility - "The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things" (3v5)
So the question we might then ask is: Who should become a teacher? I believe James anticipates this question, and asks it in a different way: "Who is wise and understanding among you?" (v13). He then goes on to describe the person who should be considered for the role of teaching the church.
1) What you hear is what you get
James describes the characteristics that a person with wisdom will demonstrate. He says "let him show his works" (v13). Wisdom is not just invisible head knowledge - it is visibly applied understanding. In other words, when God gives us wisdom, the purpose is not simply to give us the answers that are needed, but to make us into the people that are needed - needed in the church and in the world.
Godly wisdom has a sanctifying effect upon a person. It makes them more like Jesus.
James writes that the first characteristic of this person is that they will be "pure". In other words, the teacher should not be like the fountain James describes earlier, producing both fresh and salt water (3v11). Rather, he should only produce fresh water. This person will not change when they step out of the pulpit - he will not be a compassionate preacher, but an unapproachable person. He will aim to live what he teaches. In other words, what you hear is what you get.
The Christian writer, E M Bounds, puts it this way in his book The Power of Prayer: "The man is the message. It takes 20 years to make the message because it takes 20 years to make the man."
The wise teacher will have no hidden motives. There'll be no jealousy or selfish ambition (3v14). If someone only wants to promote himself, he should not be teaching the church. The effect of his teaching will be the opposite of what God wants for a church community. There will be disorder and every kind of evil practice (3v16)
What does James mean by "evil practices"? Consider the sinful activities he's already mentioned in his letter: being double-minded; avoiding responsibility for sin; hearing the Word but not acting on it; favouritism; ignoring the needs of others. These activities won't make the headlines of the local paper, but they will greatly hinder the work of the church.
2) You'll find a door, not a wall
James goes on with his list: "peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere" (3v17). A teacher will be "quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger" (1v10). They will be someone you will not only want to listen to, but also feel able to talk to.
The teacher's purpose is to "equip the church for ministry" (Ephesians 4v13) so that the church can mature as a community. He will help people to explore new responsibilities and opportunities. When you approach him, you'll find a door that reveals possibilities rather than a wall that discourages you. The status quo is not an option for a church - change is a necessary part of maturing. A wise teacher will support the church to embrace that.
3) He'll be a peacemaker, not a peacekeeper
We have four children in our family. One way to avoid conflict between them is to "divide and conquer". If you keep them apart, they can't argue!
But that's not a great model for family life. It's great to have a peaceful mealtime, but not if everyone is sitting in different rooms! Ideally, you want your children to learn not only how to tolerate each other, but also to appreciate each other and even enjoy each other's company.
"Divide and conquer" is also not a good model for church life. Sometimes, a church leader will keep people apart to keep the peace. But a wise teacher doesn't keep the peace; he makes peace (3v18). He is able to draw people together as he draws them to a better knowledge of God. This is so that, as a body, the people are able to grow together.
What is the result of this? "A harvest of righteousness". The fruit of wise teaching is righteousness, or holiness. We looked last time at holiness, and recognised that it describes the boundaries within which our relationship with God flourishes. So the fruit of wise teaching is a community of people whose relationship with God is flourishing.
What does this fruit taste like? It tastes like peace (3v18): a community of people at peace with God and with each other.
So how do we recognise a wise teacher?
1) What you hear is what you get
2) You find a door, not a wall
3) He'll be a peacemaker, not a peacekeeper
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