Mouth Issues--Republished from 2016

This week we return to talk about the tongue. James, for all of his concern about how we live our lives in this world, speaks an awful lot about keeping track of the things that come out of our mouths. In chapter one, he speaks to us about the fact that our tongues can disqualify our religion. This is because we need to avoid hypocrisy...the leading killer of testimonies in the world. In chapter three, James picks up on this and really fleshes it out for us. He tells us that the tongue (or our mouths) can get us into so much trouble because we say we love God, and then we turn around and say we hate our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is not what should be going on in the life of the true believer.

Now James gives us some direct examples of the kinds of sins that we might expect from our mouths. Namely slander, judgment and presumption. All three of these are issues of the mouth that need to be addressed if we are going to be holy lights in an unholy world. But to keep from giving away my entire sermon for the week, I'd like to take us to a couple of the issues of the mouth that are not addressed in this passage in James.

Let's talk about gossip today. No, I don't have a juicy story about someone for you to pass on, because this is exactly the kind of issue that God wants us to avoid. Gossip tends to hurt the person who is being talked about. And it can also be cleverly disguised, especially by Christians.

"Hey, I want to share a prayer request about so-and-so." That's probably the most used in the church...perhaps you've even used that one yourself. It sounds so spiritual, doesn't it? But it's really gossip cloaked in a false veneer of piety. What should be your answer when someone says this? Here's my usual response: "Did they share this request with you personally?" If the answer is anything but yes, I walk away. And I also make sure to let the person know prior to their "sharing" that I will be contacting so-and-so to let them know that I am praying about this thing. That usually stops it in its tracks.

Another way we gossip is simply by talking about someone else's problems. If someone hasn't given you permission to talk about their problems with someone else, then it is gossip. So just don't do it.

Yes, our mouth can get us in a lot of trouble, and we can even candy-coat our sin to make it more "easy to take." But it is not good for us, for the church, or for the people we talk about. So let's make a commitment today to not gossip.

Share with me ways that you try to stop gossip before it starts. Comment below if you can, or shoot me an email at jim.augustine1970@hotmail.com and we'll talk. And we'll see you on Sunday!

Getting to Know James

Yesterday we looked at James in the context of being one of Jesus' half-brothers. We looked at an account from the Scriptures that showed us a moment in time when Jesus' brothers and mother were trying to get in to see Him, but Jesus shut them out. I'm pretty sure that Jesus did love His earthly family, but He also knew that their thoughts about Him were not the thoughts that the Father had for Him.

This Sunday we will look more in-depth at that, but today I want you to read John 7:2-9. These verse share the account of Jesus' interaction with His brothers just before the feast of Tabernacles. His brothers want Him to go show Himself to the world at this feast, but Jesus says His time has not yet come. There is something here that is troubling, and as you read it, see if you can pick up on what it is. Then come back and read the rest of this post...

Are you done? Good. Did you see what it was? Jesus tells His brothers in verse 8, "I am not going up to this festival." But then in verse 10, he goes up to the festival. So this begs a few questions. Did Jesus lie to His brothers? Was there ulterior motive in what Jesus did here? Did Jesus not keep His word? These are questions that we will discuss more in detail and try to resolve Sunday morning, but suffice to say, we know that Jesus does keep His promises, that He is not a liar and that His sincerity is unquestionable. So there is definitely something else at work here, and we will talk about it Sunday.

But for today, I want you to think about those who would push you to do things that you know God does not want you to do...or to not do something that you know God wants you to do. I had a youth who told me that he wanted to go to Moody Bible Institute and become a youth minister some day. I cannot tell you the joy that my heart felt when I heard him say that. But a few weeks later I found out that he had told his parents and they discouraged him from it because "there's no money in that". I wish I could tell you that this young man listened to God over his parents, but he did not. Today he is an agnostic and has nothing to do with the church, and very little to do with spirituality.

So when God is calling you to something, do not settle to do something else easier, or more comfortable. Do what God is calling you to do.

Please feel free to leave a comment or question. And we will see you on Sunday!

Who Is James?

Welcome to week 1 of our journey into making Sunday the focal point of our week. These times together will be short, but will (hopefully) help you to focus on what we will be discussing together on Sunday morning. It will also help you to identify with how you may be challenged to respond, thus giving you ample time to mull it over.

This week, we begin our study of the book of James...a study that will take us slowly through a book that demands our understanding if we are going to live out God's purpose for our lives. Our Scripture this week will be James, chapter 1, and verse 1. We will be looking at who this "James" really is, and what he was like. So today, I will ask you to look up three passages and read them in preparation for this week's sermon.

The first group of passages (Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; and Luke 8:19-21) all relate the same event. It is when Jesus mother (Mary) and His half-brothers (of whom James is one) seek to meet with him. As you read these passages, think about how you might have felt getting this answer from Jesus if you were trying to spend some time with Him...and He was your brother!

And what do you think of Jesus response in general? What does this say about His followers, and about you and me as we follow Him? Pray today and thank God for the spiritual kinship you have with His Son, Jesus.

Please feel free to leave a comment or question. And we'll see you on Sunday!