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I know, I skipped, but I'll get to it in the next day or two, I promise... This year has been as crazy as last year was quiet for me in terms of social engagements and responsibilities. Although as of this past week, I'm down one on those for the foreseeable future. But I know it will work out as it needs to. In the meantime, it frees up more time for me on here or reading other spiritual materials. (I bought "Mere Christianity" by CS Lewis earlier this year and have yet to open it... All in God's timing...
So last Sunday's message covered the beginning of James 2 in warning against favoritism. There's just such a strong pull toward following the American (and others) cultural norms of money equaling power. It's really difficult to resist it because it's what we've mostly grown up with as being "normal". But that's the beauty of the Gospel, it calls us to a higher level in order to show us God's love and spread it to others in our turn. More on that when I actually watch that message and blog it... And now to our "Feature Presentation" as it were -- lol
I don't know the ages of most of you readers, but if you grew up in the 70's-80's like I did, you've probably heard the "amazingness" that is U2. TBH, I really wasn't that familiar with them myself until later on. I then found out that I had been seriously missing out!! That being said, their most famous song (as far as I know) is, "I Still Haven't found what I'm looking For". What does that have to do with Scripture?? Literally everything!! If you read Richard Stearns book, "A Hole in our Gospel", Bono is quoted at the opening of one of the last chapters, speaking of the need for a ministry that embraces both Spiritual and Physical needs. That is what Bono was looking for when he wrote the song. The second portion of James 2 instructs us to do exactly that.
Let's read it together --
James 2:14-26
New International Version
Faith and Deeds 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
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This is another passage that can "burn some rubber"* in our hearts. Let's look at it in some detail --
So this section presents the "age old" question of Faith vs Works and reveals that the answer is a loud, resounding, adamant, and ultimately encouraging, BOTH!! Since the author* was writing primarily to the scattered Jewish people, he uses examples from their history to illustrate his point. Abraham's and Rahab's actions made their faith complete. (more on them later) God's continuing encouragement and instruction to them, and to the Gentile believers of the day was intended as a tool for shaping their new identity in Him. And, of course, a part of anyone's identity lies in their lifestyle; so it only made sense to pattern their lives after His own and put "boots on the ground" by instilling His love in them to be shown to others. Because God is essentially Spirit, He requires our hands, feet, and voices to share His life to our fellow man.
As Pastor Matt phrased it this morning, God's love is, "crazy, ridiculous, and radical; it defies 'common sense'". The "common sense" referred to here, obviously, is the brokenness of our society's 'modus operandi' if you will. In reading several of the latest Sermon Summaries on here, you'll notice an emphasis on the issues of 'tribalism' or division that is so prevalent in our society today, and sadly, all to much of a problem in some of our Churches as well. I'm sure many of you (if you grew up in Church at all) experienced an environment of "like-mindedness" in terms of not only the Theology of the denomination, but also of social/political issues. (if you were aware of it at all) While agreement of theology within a Church body is fairly important, agreement on the rest really is not. I know, the idea may be "mind-blowing", but it's the truth. In all honesty, I've been rather "blind-sided" by it myself in recent months. That being said, I've grown to appreciate it and realize more and more how little the "ways of men" really matter as compared to the Way of Jesus*. But it comes down to God's revelation of the Ecclesiology our Churches should truly be embracing. Unity in Him as opposed to divisiveness on social issues. What are we allowing ourselves to be shaped by, Discipleship or Social Norms??
So what does our passage tell us about faith and works, exactly?? I think the first question in response to that is this, What is faith?? I mean, we "have faith" that our furniture will hold us up, so we take action to sit in/on it, right?? We believe and trust in it's ability to support our bodies in the expected capacity and method. It's really the same thing with our faith in God. Number 1, we believe He exists, but as verse 19 reveals, "even the demons believe and shudder." So we see that belief alone is not enough. But you have to believe something/someone exists before you can trust them, so at least it's the right starting place. Number 2, you trust. How does that go?? well as with any relationship, it comes with experience. With time spent together. It doesn't matter whether we're talking couches or Coaches... experiential knowledge is a key to building trust. You see other people sit on the couch, you trust it to hold you. You see a winning team, you trust the Coach. Likewise, time spent with God and His people will aid you in developing your own trust in Him*.
As Pastor Matt presented it (more succinctly) "The faith that saves you is the faith that moves you." From the opposite direction, a faith that doesn't move you is empty and pointless. It's not that we are saved by works (see Eph. 2:8-9), it's that sincere, true faith in the One True God, will compel us to works. After all, think of your loved ones, it's only natural to want to serve them in whatever ways are necessary/appropriate. How much more should our desire be to serve God?? A faith that truly saves will always bear fruit. If there's no fruit, then that faith has no capacity to save. It's important to realize/remember here that grace is not something that can be earned, God gives it freely out of His love for us.
Another way to view faith is to define it as "love lived out loud". Even today, God is still shaping a community of love for Himself and through us, to others, empowered by His Spirit. Love, properly expressed, always looks to the good of others. That's how God's love for us is. It saves us from ourselves and seeks to raise us up above the petty squabbles of humanity to a higher road of peace and abundant love in Him. We cannot be selfish in our love for God or for others, and really, selfishness is not love, it's simply using others for our gain*. The fact is, we are one family, whether you're looking at humanity or a single Church or denomination. The needs of one equal the needs of all. As indicated above, doctrine is good, it has it's place in the list, but the fact is, doctrine by itself is not enough to succeed as a Church to the point that God wants us to. James was inspired by God to tell us that, so I would say it bears some attention.
Okay, so if our "almighty doctrine" isn't good enough, what else do we need?? Simply put, we need action. You could actually say, "put your money where your mouth is*." We saw back in James 1 the kinds of people God places in priority for our help. Those on the margins of society. The passage mentions "fatherless" and "widows" because those were the lowest levels of that society during that time. Our focus today would more likely be the homeless, or other groups in need of our compassion (and God's). We cannot continue to divide the work between us and God by assigning Him the Spiritual Work while we keep ourselves busy being "good doo-bies" and volunteering at the Food Pantry or Soup Kitchen in our turn of the schedule. It's not right because it's not good enough!! We need to realize as well, that poverty doesn't just involve money, it may just as easily involve positive fellowship. We can't just do a shift of volunteer work and go home. We need to spend time developing relationships with those in need and hear their stories and struggles. That's the only way to show that we truly care about them as people and not just another mouth to feed or soul to save. There have been Aid Societies of one type or another since Ancient times. Some for the nourishment of the body, others for the soul. The problem lies in the fact that there are not enough that do both. As I mentioned in my "message intro", a balanced ministry is exactly what Bono was looking for and hadn't found. I also understand that it can be scary to connect with people one on one. (I'm primarily Introverted) We may be concerned that the person will take advantage or scam us. We also may not think we are skilled enough or have the right background, etc... But if we remember to pray and ask God for wisdom and guidance, and know that He led us to that person for a reason, all will go well. And really, no matter what else, you're trying, and that alone may be all someone needs to see God in you.
At this point, Pastor Matt shared his "side-story" of the week. Last Tuesday morning, he woke up with a migraine. He hadn't had one in quite a while, so wasn't sure of the source. Especially since they have been more of a trend on Monday mornings after a long Church day. He joked about how getting older can bring injuries in some crazy ways... maybe he had yawned too big, or hit the pillow wrong the night before?? LOL In any case, he recovered himself decently enough to show up in his office at Church and his secretary, already knowing the situation, had a casserole dish of homemade Macaroni and Cheese, (or "Heaven in a dish", I believe is how he phrased it) and a hand-held massager, purchased just for him. He felt very cared for and loved in that moment. Just an example of faith in action there...
Getting back into our Scripture passage, let's look at verse 23. Here James reminds the Jewish believers how Abraham's obedience directly affected the completion of his righteousness. He had the faith to move to a distant land, going where God led him. He had faith to eventually have the son God actually promised to him, and now his faith was strong enough to support the willingness to kill that son in obedience to God's direction. Isaac probably had concerns, (and had every natural right to them) but Abraham trusted God to provide the true sacrifice because he knew it was his willingness and obedience that mattered most. Pastor Matt encouraged us to review the story of the Wise and Foolish Builders* and how the Wise man built his house on the secure foundations of faith and obedience.
Then in verse 25 we are reminded about the huge risk Rahab took in hiding the Jewish spies in her home in the wall of Jericho. First off, she was a woman and a Canaanite. Secondly, she was unmarried. Thirdly, she was a prostitute. (legally??) Finally, as the head of her household, she risked the rejection of her family and friends by her bold actions. But just look at what God did for her!! She and her entire household were spared in the ensuing battle, and we find out later that she was in the lineage of Jesus!! It just goes to show how powerfully God can use people we may not expect to carry out His will. (I'll hush on that now)
As humans, it's normal to have some concerns around approaching new people. That's true no matter what the circumstances are -- work, school, Church, or making a new friend at the homeless shelter, etc... We fear judgement by friends, family, co-workers. We may also fear the changes forgiveness can bring. Long-standing feelings of anger and judgement toward others become an all-to-comfortable "haven" for us. If someone forgives us, all of that "security" goes away and we have to change our hearts and minds toward the situation. That can be scary, I'll grant you that, but the rewards far outweigh the perceived dangers.
Finally, we can gain confidence in, or become convinced to embrace our new direction by reviewing the passages in 2 Cor. 8:8-9 where Paul was testing the sincerity of their faith by challenging them to act. And Eph. 2 where he reminds them (and us) of Jesus' ultimate example of love and servitude that included death on the Cross. So remember, my friends, it's not just doctrines and pretty buildings, it's about being marked as Christians by our love via the Cross, being strengthened by our unity in Christ despite our differing opinions on man's issues. -- God Bless!!
Music -- I don't own the rights, just in case it's necessary to say so each time...
(I actually saw this last guy in person!! He's from the Northeast Kingdom of VT and was doing a New England tour some years back)
Footnotes --
"Burn some rubber" -- See message 1 of series for context
Message 1 again
"ways of man vs God" Not to say social action is not important, just less so. I highly appreciate the Edmund Burke quote, "All that is necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing." Balance is the key....
"time spent develops trust" It should. If it doesn't, look for another source of either company or worship. Remember in terms of Church, not to worship the man or denomination, but follow God.
Review 1 Cor. 13
Our Church recently started a new outreach program as part of City Hope. Look at the site at -- CityHopenh.org
Have you ever noticed the connection the story of the Three Little Pigs has here?? Just a thought... lol
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