Life 101: Lessons for a Practical Christian Life  
A study in the book of James
lesson #6: Real wisdom is peaceful.
James 3:1-18

Scripture:

Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment. For in many things we all stumble. If anyone doesn’t stumble in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. Indeed, we put bits into the horses’ mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide their whole body. Behold, the ships also, though they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, are yet guided by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires. So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest! And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.  For every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and thing in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind. But nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God. Out of the same mouth comes forth blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James 3:1-18      (World English Bible)

[.]

Life 101: Lessons for a Practical Christian Life  
A study in the book of James
lesson #6: Real wisdom is peaceful.
James 3:1-18

Bible Study:

When I was younger, I read this chapter with some of my high school friends. And these words stood out from all the rest of the book of James.

Don’t rush to be called a teacher, because leaders and teachers and people with responsibility in the church are all judged more severely.

To understand this, it might be helpful to understand what a teacher is. In our society, we don’t always honor our teachers. They work for rather low pay, and they are servants of the community. At least that’s how we treat the teachers who work with children and young adults.

It’s an entry-level position.

But in the church of James’ time, a teacher was a leader. It was a position of authority. They understood the gospel, which was the reason the church gathered in the first place. Teacher’s explained the word of God, and they clarified the will of God. So depending on how they taught, the church would either prosper or fade.

Because it carried a great responsibility, the position of a teacher also carried with it a measure of honor. So if you wanted to rise up within the church, you would aspire to becoming a teacher. It would be a noble calling, but it would also attract people who weren’t really ready for the task.

That would be one reason for the warning, so that people would think twice about their qualification for the job. But there is another theme here, one more basic to leadership in general. It applies even to the good teachers, to those who are qualified and trained and ready.

Be careful, because those in authority will face a much more severe scrutiny. We aren’t talking about public opinion here. We are talking about the way God looks at a leader. If I don’t have any particular responsibility, then I might be able to excuse a few of my faults. We all have faults, after all. And mercy is the way God overlooks some of those faults, even as he works to clean them out of our life.

But when you place a person in a position of authority, those little faults become more important. You can make a regrettable remark when you are in a small group of close friends, and they might just forget about it. But say the same unthinking or insulting words on a platform in front of strangers and you are toast.

You can have an envious thought when you are watching television in your living room, but when the same envy is combined with power and prestige, people tend to act on their thoughts. And that leads to scandal.

No opportunity? No problem. But a small thought or word can eat away at the character of a leader and drive them to make a tragic mistake.

So God sets a higher standard. Even for a teacher. Even for a teacher in our culture, in our church.

Let’s look back a bit at the last lesson. The point of that lesson was that faith works. If you say you have faith, show me. Do something.

This lesson just picks up where that lesson ended. James is still talking about the same thing. If you want to teach, you have to show that you know what you are talking about. And there are two places where your faith will be particularly noticeable. Two different types of actions.

One: your words.

Two: your gentleness.

A teacher who is qualified to teach in the church, or lead in the church, will show two characteristics, according to James. They will choose their words carefully, and they will work in an atmosphere of peace. They will use words that build the church, and they will make peace in the church. Their teaching will flourish in an atmosphere of kindness, encouragement, and peace. 

This lesson seems to go in several different directions, and I’m struggling to get an adequate title for it. So I’m going to go with the one point that surprises me above any other. It’s a personal decision, and you may be able to design a much better title. But for me, this is a point that is so often missed in church business meetings and sermons.

Real wisdom, the kind of wisdom that God gives, will always lead a church toward peace. Real wisdom is peaceful, gentle, and considerate. It is not territorial or bombastic. It is submissive. It is wimpy. It is always looking for the good in others and always seeking to create an environment where God can grow his church.

I’ve been through way too many church squabbles. I’ve even caused some, and I always thought I was doing a good thing. But it never led to anything good.

Here in James, there is an unmistakable warning. Ambition and envy lead to conflict in the church, and conflict creates a perfect environment for sin. And I don’t think James is talking about ridiculously sinful people. In my experience, he is talking about people who are trying to do the right thing. They want to serve God, and they want the church to be righteous.

But there is something about authority that feeds our ego, and pastors and teachers and deacons all find it too easy to get caught up in our own plan for the good of the church. We want things done a certain way. We want the statement of faith to be worded a certain way. And when it doesn’t happen, we lash out.

And then you have conflict.

Forget trying to build the church. Conflict ruins everything. It hurts people and scars churches. In the end, you will have to admit that you didn’t want the best for the church. You wanted your own plan, at any cost.

You can tell a good leader. Look to see what is following after them. If the church becomes more peaceful because of that person’s ministry, they may have the kind of character needed to be a teacher in the church. If they have conflict at every turn, they may be the reason for the conflict.

Pastors have extolled the virtues of standing firm for our faith in the face of opposition and ignored the benefit of doing everything in a gentle, considerate, polite way. From the pulpit, the picture of a courageous warrior makes a much better sermon than a polite, respectful builder.

But as a result, a lot of Christians are fighting their battles in the congregation, railing against the very people they should be encouraging. That kind of wisdom may seem like a good idea, but it isn’t God’s way of doing business, and it isn’t God’s wisdom.

So many times, the secret to the Christian life is ignoring what your brain tells you and doing the exact opposite. It isn’t natural. It’s spiritual. Very simply, God’s wisdom makes peace.

If you don’t understand that, don’t teach. Don’t lead. Don’t become a pastor, because your church will suffer the chaos and conflict that comes from normal, earthly, devilish wisdom.

I said that there were two indicators in this passage. The first indicator is just a small thing. Hardly worth mentioning.

Just words.

Even James says they are little things. Actually, he talks about the tongue being a little thing. But it gets attention here, because it has a huge impact. Like a spark that comes before the forest fire. Like a small poison that kills. Little things can be very important.

The specific example seems to be a coarse or angry form of speech. James says: you praise God and you curse people, all from the same voice. You can’t have it both ways. If there is a little salt water in the spring, the water is all bad. Drill another well. Find another source. That water is bad.

In the same way, a little praise and worship can’t clean up a cursing, foul language. If you want to talk like a merchant seaman, go ahead. Just don’t pretend that your words are anything but garbage.

Just don’t pretend.

Do you hear an echo all through the words of James? Be one thing. If you are going to praise God, then make your whole language a voice of praise. If you are going to serve God, then make your entire life a life of service, of peace, of righteousness.

You can’t be both, and you can’t teach if you haven’t decided which you are going to be.

So decide.

Choose your words. Be wise. Serve God. Encourage the church.

He doesn’t say that we shouldn’t teach.

He just wants us to clean up our lives, so that when the opportunity comes to teach, we’ll be ready.

[.]

Life 101: Lessons for a Practical Christian Life  
A study in the book of James
lesson #6: Real wisdom is peaceful.
James 3:1-18

Paraphrase:

It’s only normal to want to prove how great your faith is, but be careful. When you claim to be a teacher, your life will be examined much more closely. Everybody makes mistakes, but watch your words. If you can control the things you say all the time, that will be quite an accomplishment.

Our words influence us, like the harness on a horse or the rudder of a ship. A big ship can be turned by a simple little rudder, and words have the same effect. They are like the first spark of a fire that spreads throughout the body, corrupting our thoughts and actions. We have tamed all sorts of animals, but nobody seems to be able to control their own words. There is always the chance that evil words will jump out, as if they have been just waiting for a chance to spread their deadly poison.

Sure, we praise God with our words, but then we turn right around and curse the people around us, who have been created in the likeness of God. That doesn’t make sense. You never see salt water and fresh water from the same faucet, so why would we allow praise and curses from the same voice? If you see a tree with figs, you know it’s a fig tree. Grapes grow on a grape vine. So when you hear a person cursing, don’t imagine that their heart is full of worship.

Does anybody understand this? If you do, show it by a good life that is filled with the humility that comes from wisdom. Don’t hold on to selfish ambition or bitter envy. That isn’t right. You’re just lying to yourself. The world may not have a problem with it, and the devil may not have a problem with it, but envy and ambition will only cause chaos and breed evil.

Real wisdom is pure, first of all. The wisdom that comes from God leads to a pure life, and it is always gentle, kind, considerate, and sincere. Real wisdom thrives in an atmosphere of peace. Real wisdom is impartial and merciful, and it encourages good actions. If you really want to show everyone your great faith, you will be a peacemaker. You must plant in peace if you want to raise a harvest of righteousness.

James 3:1-18         (paraphrased)

[.]

Life 101: Lessons for a Practical Christian Life  
A study in the book of James
lesson #6: Real wisdom is peaceful.
James 3:1-18

Story:

Betrayed

by Bob Freye   

The set was a collection of plywood and paint, dressed up to look good under the glare of the lights. Throw in the appropriate talent, overlay some music and special effects, turn on the cameras, and the corner of the soundstage came to life as the Channel 17 Action News.

No matter how many times he had watched the transformation, Travis never lost his fascination. This was his dream, to become a part of the set at the very moment of the change, and to be transformed into something more than just Travis Wilfrig, college intern.    

Today he would get his chance. The 4:15 Action News Break. He would stand in front of the green board and point at a line of showers rolling in toward Moncton, and he would become Travis Wilfrig, talent.

That’s what they called them, the faces that presented the news and sports and weather from the fake plywood set. They were the talent. They appeared on camera and were loved by millions, or rather thousands of people.

That was his dream. He had put in enough time arranging donuts in the break room and driving people to the airport and writing mundane copy for others to edit and then read on camera as if the words were their own.

He had worked behind the scenes for weeks, and he was tired of being invisible.

Today was his chance. Jenny McCloud was sick. Barry Wittle was out of town at a convention for meteorologists. Ted Craft was on the other side of town chasing a story. He was news now, but he could step in for weather, in an emergency. Ted could do it all.

But he wasn’t handy, so Travis was going on instead. He had the training. He had experience at the college station, and even though no one watched that particular channel, it was still experience. So he was on at 4:15.

Lydia bustled around him to check his appearance. Clothing was just so. His features were accented so that his face would look totally normal under the lights. He was ready, so she handed him off to the producer, Landon Snit.

Landon wrapped an arm around Travis’ shoulder and reminded him, “Don’t be nervous.”

“Of course,” Travis said.

“Just watch your prompter,” Landon pointed to the machine that would feed Travis his script, “and hold your focus until we are out.”

“Until I’m out of the shot,” Travis echoed back.

“Until we go to commercial,” Landon corrected. “That’s important.”

Travis was staring at the set.

Sure, why not, he thought.

People were moving into position, and Travis wandered over to the weather set. He found his mark and waited, rehearsing his speech as the director cued the music and the title screen, and the cameras finally focused in on Amy Smart, afternoon news anchor at Channel 17.

Travis half-listened to the stories. A bus crash was blah, blah, blah. City council would blah, blah, blah. Coming up, an interview with blah, blah, blah. But first, a look at the weather.

The camera found him at the weather map, looking bright and eager and knowledgeable.

“So Travis, how does the weather look this afternoon?” Amy could make any scripted line sound like casual conversation.

“Well, Amy,” Travis said, picking up the same meter and mood in his voice, “a line of showers is moving toward Moncton from the Northeast. They should see rain by around five o’clock, which will put a damper on rush hour traffic. Nothing too heavy, but people should be careful on the drive home.”

Perfect.

“Any chance we could see some of those showers here in the city?” Amy asked.

“I don’t think so, Amy. It looks like the activity is fairly localized and should stay to the north of us.”

“That’s great,” Amy said, smiling at exactly the point where the script called for a smile.

And Travis smiled, too. The camera was off. He had made it. Nothing else mattered. Even the weather didn’t matter. It was no longer his problem.

Yep, no showers for us, he thought.

Amy was teasing the stories that would lead the big news on the hour.

We’re the important ones, he said to himself.

Amy was thanking everyone for tuning in to Action News.

“After all,” Travis said under his breath, “who really cares about Moncton?”

He heard the music, the little jingle that marked the end of the show, and a few long seconds later he heard the director’s voice.

“And we’re out.”

He walked off the set, past the glare of the lights, out to where the rest of the crew waited, those who weren’t talent.

They were all looking at him.

“Did that go out on air,” Landon asked no one in particular.

Somebody answered, “I’m afraid so.”

“Any way to get Ted Craft back here by five o’clock?” Landon asked.

Why did they need Ted? Travis had done his part perfectly. No mistakes.

The director pulled him aside, away from the rest of the crew.

“You don’t say anything on the set except what you see in the prompter,” he explained. “Your microphone was on.”

Travis stared with blank and empty eyes.

“What?”

Landon was striding across the soundstage giving orders.

“We’ll apologize to Moncton at the 4:30 break. Amy will do the weather herself from the desk. We just won’t use the green screen.”

“We can do a cutaway,” someone suggested.

“Lay it on screen over her shoulder,” someone else added.

“Do it,” Landon ordered. “And get Ted!”

Travis watched them swirl around him as if he was invisible once again. 

[.]