Favouritism on the church board

2 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?   James 2:1-7  NASB

James is warning against the sin of favouritism or partiality.  The example he gives is quite stark – giving the prime seating to a rich man while relegating the poor man to an uncomfortable or awkward location.

I wonder if there is another area where we show favouritism.  Do we assume that the businessman – or even the professional – is the ideal person for the board or for that committee?  Is our respect for them based on their success or on their spiritual wisdom?

The ones we need are those with the understanding of Christ’s kingdom – whatever their social standing.

– SSXG

 

 

Slow to anger

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.   James 1:19  NASB

When I was younger, there were stories of people pouring out their feelings on paper and mailing the letter before calming down and regretting what they had expressed in anger.

Today it is even easier to dash off a quick email response.  If sent in anger the recipient has documented proof of both our anger and our foolishness.

James gives a reason for being slow to anger…  He says that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.  This seems to leave no room for ‘righteous indignation’.

Perhaps it is possible for us to feel the burning anger of the prophets against sin and evil.  Yet I fear that so often what we call ‘righteous indignation’ is a result of feeling hurt because we think that someone has stepped on our toes or shown us disrespect.

– SSXG

 

Taking sin seriously

41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.   Luke 22:41-44  NASB

If you are reading this post, it is not likely that you are one who revels in your sin.  However, it is still possible that you and I do not always take our sin seriously.

Think of some of the excuses we make to ourselves:  There are a lot of people who do worse…   At least I don’t do…  It’s not my fault; I can’t help it…  It’s not such a big deal…

We should grieve over the sin we discover in our lives – grieve and then turn from it to accept his forgiveness.  We know that Jesus took our sin seriously.  Our sin took him to the cross.

In the garden of Gethsemane, just the anticipation of the suffering of the cross caused Jesus tremendous inner agony.

– SSXG

 

Blessing and temptation

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 11 and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

12 Immediately the Spirit *impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.   Mark 1:9-13  NASB

To have the Holy Spirit descending on him in the form of a dove and the Father expressing his pleasure in his beloved Son – surely this was the high point of Jesus’ life to this point!

What follows next is arguably the worst temptation Jesus would experience in his life and ministry before the cross…  Does this surprise you?

Where do we ever hear of God’s blessing being followed by temptation?  Surely we expect that such a marvelous expression of God’s blessing would be followed immediately by fruitful ministry!  Perhaps we have been misguided…

These events in Jesus’ life do not prove that God’s blessing will be followed by temptation in the life of his followers.  That would be more than we find in this scripture.  But surely we can say this:  God’s blessing and times of temptation are not mutually exclusive!

– SSXG

Attacking the messenger

17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7 It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.  I Kings 17:1-7  NASB

It must have been tough being a prophet.  King Ahab knew right well that he had done wrong by marrying the wicked Jezebel.  He knew right well that he had done wrong by abandoning the worship of God for the worship of idols.

Yet it wasn’t politically correct to speak the truth to a powerful king.  In fact it was downright dangerous.  It fell to the prophet Elijah to tell King Ahab that God was about to punish him with drought.

There are consequences to telling a powerful king that God is about to punish him.  The king cannot hurt God – but he can go after the messenger.  So God sent Elijah to hide by the brook Cherith.

It’s still tough being a ‘prophet’.  Our society that has by and large abandoned the worship of God for the worship of the secular idols of humanism, materialism and hedonism, among others.  Those in positions of power and influence cannot hurt God, but they can and do go after those who call them back to truth and godliness.

The appropriate response would be to heed God’s messenger.

 – SSXG

Good intentions aren’t enough

9 When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it. 10 The anger of the Lord burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. 11 Then David became angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzza; and he called that place Perez-uzza to this day. 12 David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” 13 So David did not take the ark with him to the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 14 Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months; and the Lord blessed the family of Obed-edom with all that he had.  I Chronicles 13:9-14  NASB

David was offended with God.  Uzza had been struck dead for touching the ark to steady it.  Surely God understood that Uzza meant well!  Surely God wouldn’t hold it against Uzza that he tried to prevent the ark from falling off the cart!

Looking at it from another point of view, God had already been very gracious with those who were moving the ark – it was supposed to be carried on poles by the priests.  They had no business putting it on a cart.  Touching the ark to steady it (as it bounced along on a cart that never should have carried it) was ‘the last straw’.

Later, David would read the instructions and move the ark to Jerusalem correctly.

Are we offended with God when he doesn’t act and respond as we think he should to our best intentions?  Perhaps – like David – we will eventually read the instructions and do things God’s way.

– SSXG

God as teddy bear?

5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.   Genesis 6:5-8  NASB

I’ve spent many hours reading fiction to young children.  Animals are popular characters in these stories and bears are among the more popular animals.

The ‘bear’ of children’s literature often looks like a teddy bear.  It may have relational problems with family and friends much as the children experience in their own lives.  It often has hopes and fears that echo the children’s own hopes and fears.

As a teaching tool, this ‘bear’ is very effective – but it is nothing like a real bear.  A real bear has teeth and claws.  Its bites and blows are potentially deadly.  It can easily outrun a man or a woman.  It is definitely not the cuddly ‘bear’ of the children’s story book.

There is an attitude that says, in effect, “I couldn’t believe in a God who would do that…”.  By that they may be referring to some punishment that God inflicted – such as the Flood – or they may be referring to warnings of eternal judgement.

The god they apparently can believe in is something like a teddy bear or the tame bear of children’s literature.  But surely this is just wishful thinking.  A person who encounters a bear in the forest may wish or hope that the bear is like the ‘bear’ of the children’s storybook – but preferring the storybook ‘bear’ does not change the reality.  Believing in teddy bears does not make real bears any less real.

You or I might prefer a tame god, a non-judgemental god – but we still  have to reckon with God as he is.

– SSXG

James the Humble

1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.   James 1:1   NASB

I find it significant that the author of this letter identifies himself as ‘a bond-servant… of the Lord Jesus Christ…‘

This is James, the half-brother of Jesus.  James could have said so in his introduction.  Reminding his reader that he was the Lord’s brother would have given him status – would have given his words more authority.  Yet he does not do so.  Why not?

The only fact that counts is that James has put his trust in Jesus the Messiah.  His relationship to Jesus is that of bond-servant to his Lord.  Any other person in Christ’s kingdom has likewise put his or her trust in Jesus Christ the Messiah – as a bond-servant to the Lord.  James has no greater status because he happened to be born to Joseph and Mary.

I believe that this speaks to James’ humility.

Would that all the leaders of the Christian church today showed similar humility.

– SSXG

 

What’s in a name?

 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”  Matthew 1:21  [NASB]

According to the footnote from the NASB, Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua or Joshua.  This means that Jesus (his name in Latin and English) was named after the ancient Joshua.  But his name also has a meaning.

According to the same footnote, his name means:  the LORD saves.  Joseph was told to call him ‘Jesus’ because in the plan of God, he would be Saviour.  Although we (who read English) don’t look at the name Jesus and see Saviour – that is the meaning of his name.

The LORD saves us by the One that the angel said will “save His people from their sins.”

– SSXG

 

Ritual or righteousness?

14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16 [If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”]

17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He *said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”  Mark 7:14-23  [NASB]

The Pharisees had been criticizing Jesus because the disciples didn’t wash before eating.  Jesus rebuked them for focusing on the unimportant for the sake of tradition while undermining the important.

Then Jesus went on to say – in the form of this short parable – that people are not defiled by what goes in but by what comes out.

It is an ‘earthy’ parable, very straightforward.  It is not what is going into us that makes us unclean, but what is eliminated.  However, for the disciples, the application was not so straightforward.

Jesus was saying that we are not defiled or unclean because or failure to be ritually clean by what we put into our mouths.  We are defiled or unclean because of the evil – the sin – that proceeds from our hearts.

While Jesus was making a point rather than a list of possible sins, it is worth looking at the list to see what God regards as wickedness.

Notice that these sins range from thoughts and attitudes (envy) to words (slander) and deeds.   Notice also that these sins range from what anyone would agree is evil (murder) to things that many people think are innocuous (foolishness) or even good (pride).

– SSXG