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 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:July 25 is the day that has been set aside in the church calendar to commemorate James the Elder or James the Greater. Calling him the elder or greater differentiates him from James the Younger or James the Lesser. There are two men named James in the New Testament who are rather important. The James who is commemorated today is one of the twelve apostles. The other James is known as the brother of Jesus. He ends up becoming the bishop of the congregation in Jerusalem. This other James is also the author of the book of James. But today we are focusing on James the Greater. Let's begin by briefly reviewing what we know about James. James was one of the twelve. He was also part of that inner circle among the twelve who were with Jesus on a few occasions where the other nine were not. The other members of this inner circle were John, his brother, and Peter, his cousin. Peter, James, and John were all called to be apostles at the same time as we heard several weeks ago. They were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus ushered the fish into Peter's nets so that they began to break, it was James and John whom Peter called out to in order to help him. After that all three of them dropped their nets and followed Jesus. James and his brother, John, were sons of a man named Zebedee. They also got the nickname of being sons of thunder. It is believed that they got this nickname because they were exceedingly earnest and zealous. One time when they came upon a village that did not receive Jesus they asked him if they should call down fire upon it. Also in our reading today they ask Jesus if they can sit at his right and his left—a rather cheeky thing to do, which we will speak more of in a minute. Obviously these two were not wilting daisies. In our first reading today, from the book of Acts, you heard about how James died. James was the first of the twelve who was martyred. He was executed by King Herod. This might have been as soon as only a couple years after Pentecost. Jesus had asked James whether he was able to drink the cup that Jesus drank, and to be baptized with the baptism Jesus was baptized with. So it happened. James died because he testified that this world is evil, God is good, and Jesus is the Savior of sinners. For disrupting the party, which all the Herodians seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed, he was put to death. And yet, even though he has died, he lives. Whoever lives and believes in Jesus never dies. Whenever the Christian church commemorates the saints it is different than when the world remembers someone. For the world, when someone dies, that's it. Fiery James, faithful unto death, is alive with his soul with Jesus. His body awaits the great Day of the Lord. Whatever fame or recognition he might have from men is unimportant. He has received his reward from God. There is nothing better that any creature could hope for than to hear these words from the Creator: “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your master.” Now let's turn to our Gospel reading where we heard about this interaction between Jesus and the brothers James and John. Mark tells us that James and John came to Jesus with an unusual request. Let me quickly note that Matthew adds a significant detail. Matthew tells us that James and John came to Jesus by sending their mother—which is what the art on the cover or our bulletin depicts. Sending your mother as an ambassador only makes the situation more unusual when they say: “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask.” Whenever a conversation begins that way, you can be sure that something unusual is about to happen. “Make it so that we sit at your right and your left in your glory,” they say. Something we might expect is that Jesus would not be pleased with such an idea. The world is always hungry for glory and honor. The Bible teaches that this honor and glory belongs to God. We are told over and over again in the Scriptures that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Here James and John are asking to be seated at the best spots. Jesus does not rebuke them, however. Jesus had a fine sense for what people were actually after. He must have sensed that James and John were not thinking in a worldly way. Jesus asks them if they are able to drink the cup that he is going to drink and be baptized with the baptism Jesus is going to be baptized with. They answer, “We can.” The way that Jesus then responds shows that he is not like us. Proud men are fond of asking rhetorical questions of those they deem unworthy. Proud men ask others whether they think they can do their job. Proud men believe that only they can do their job. Everybody else is unqualified or inexperienced. So if proud men ask whether someone can do their job and the other says, “Yes, I can,” then proud men say, “Ho, ho, ho! You think so do you? You'd better have a second thought coming!” If there were ever a situation where this lording it over others seems to be appropriate, it might be this situation. When Jesus speaks of this cup and this baptism he is speaking about his suffering and death. By his selfless love, Jesus was going to drink the cup of suffering and be baptized in blood. He would not be put to death because he was a criminal and evil doer, but precisely because he loved God and strove for what is good. Jesus's suffering and death would redeem all people as justice is carried out upon him for the sins that you and I have committed. When James and John say that they can do what Jesus does, it seems like the more accurate answer for Jesus to give would be, “No, you can't.” But Jesus is an unusual person. When there are differences among us, we always want those differences to remain so that we look good. If we are better looking than someone else, we want it to stay that way. If we have more money than somebody else, we want it to stay that way. If we are more morally upright, we want it to stay that way. With Jesus, even though he is vastly superior in every respect to everyone else, he does not use this difference to glorify himself, to magnify how terrible everyone is compared to him. He uses his immense power to lift others up so that they become like him. He doesn't laugh at how others don't measure up. He wants others to be better. If it were possible, he would even have others be better than himself. So Jesus says to James and John, “You're right. You will drink the cup that I'm going to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I'm going to be baptized with.” He wonderfully does not domineer over these disciples, who probably don't know what they are saying. It's like he's looking on them as a kindly father might deal with his young son. The father knows that the son has a long way to go before he can do what the father does, but he wants to help his son, not humiliate him. He wants to encourage him. So he tells the son that he's going to be just as good as he is, if not better. Here James and John were wanting to follow in the footsteps of their master, Jesus. Here is a greatness and a glory that is good to strive after. Striving to have your name written in the history books, or to have everyone wish that they were you, is sinful pride. Luther called pride the queen of sins. It was sinful pride that came before the fall into sin. They wanted to be like God. This is the kind of pride that angers God so that he becomes an iron wall. But striving to become more like Jesus is no sin. This kind of glory is beneficial to others, because the goal is to make other people better—even better than yourself. It is not the one who has a lot or who is receiving a lot who is great. It is the one who gives who is great. But if this endeavor is genuine and Christian, it will always be a kind of glory that is utterly hidden and even repulsive to the world. Jesus died in shame. He was bruised, covered in spit, and mercilessly mocked. This is what the world always does when their works, that they are so stinking proud of, are pointed out as evil. That would be the way that the apostle James died too. People thought that he was judgmental and insubordinate to the Jewish authorities. I'm sure he made no secret of what he thought of Herod's abominations. He was too religious, too zealous. Perhaps you noticed in the reading that his arrest and execution pleased the people. They were  glad that he got what was coming to him. The people didn't like James. Do not romanticize the cross that Jesus gives us to carry. The cross is ugly and offensive to the world and to our reason. It appears to be unnecessary and fruitless—like someone is just throwing his or her life away. Christian suffering is not just when our money, our business, or even our lives are taken away. These are things that people might be willing to bear because there is a kind of glory that our reason can recognize as being great in that. No, Christian suffering includes even having our good name taken away. In this we follow Jesus. Nobody was better than Jesus, but what did people say of him? The Jews thought that he was a dangerous heretic, the worst of the worst, destroying Moses's Laws and leading people into hell. To this day the orthodox Jews see Jesus as the worst of the worst. The Romans thought that he was a total nutjob. He claimed that he was a king. He claimed to be important. When he was hanging on the cross they came up with some pretty funny jokes about that. Even Jesus's own disciples, by and large, abandoned him. They thought that he must have been an imposter when he said that he was the Christ, because there he was—condemned and dying. Only those who have eyes to see and ears to hear can perceive the glory of God in such things. But if this is the glory that you would like to strive after, then blessed are you! If you want to drink this cup and be baptized with this baptism, then you should be encouraged, just like Jesus encourages James and John here. Having the ambition of loving more, serving more, suffering more gladly, blessing those who curse you, loving your enemies—these are the best of things. These are the things that the Son of God did. God loved his Son and everything that Jesus did. Every moment of Jesus's life was precious to him as he loved and loved and loved even to the end. You may be sure that God is well pleased with you, as his good and faithful servant, when you are following in the footsteps of Jesus. And when we follow in the footsteps of Jesus we don't need to be too worried about falling into pride. The cross will see to that. When the other disciples heard about James' and John's request they were indignant. “Who do they think they are?” they wondered. But Jesus cleared that up pretty quickly. Worldly people are always wanting to be the best and sit at the best seats and have everybody wish that they could be as good as they are. “That's not how it should be among you,” Jesus says. “Instead,” he says, “whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Here we do not have a race to the top, where we are stepping on whomever we have to in order to get there. This is a race to the bottom if you will. Who can serve more? Who can put others ahead of themselves? That one is the great one. And so the apostle James was made great. He walked in the good works that God had prepared beforehand for him to walk in. He did not despise the cross and seek to be rid of it. He was not ashamed of the name of Jesus or of the Gospel. He was faithful unto death and has received the crown of everlasting life. He is an example for us to follow. God approves of his Son, so you should strive to drink the cup he drank, and to be baptized with the baptism with which he was baptized.

Sermon preached on James 3:1-12 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/28/2021 in Novato, CA. Sermon Manuscript Today’s passage develops what James introduced in chapter 1, verse 26, when he said that a person’s professed religion is worthless if someone doesn’t bridle his tongue. Here James ... Read more

Here James applies his teaching at a personal level. With all the categories that he's been dealing with, he now comes down to the level of particular, the personal, and the individual.

Sermon preached on James 1:22-25 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/14/2021 in Novato, CA. Sermon Manuscript Last passage called us to meekly receive the Word of God which God has implanted in us. Here James further elaborates on what that means. To receive the ... Read more

Welcome to THE BARBELL STRIKES BACK! On this episode James debuts a new segment of the show: Training in Pop Culture. As you no doubt already know James is a huge movie buff, and loves to read. These episodes will involve discussions on the training, exercise, coaching, and nutrition that are depicted in movies, t.v. shows, and books. This inaugural segment features a scene from the best selling book, written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: Reliquary. Here James talks about the exercise described in the text, how the workout results are accurately depicted, how those who train can pull more enjoyment from text like this by having shared the same experiences as a book or film's characters, coaching advice he would give this character from the Reliquary book for future workouts, and how Hollywood can get things wrong in their depictions of exercise and training. Thank you for listening. Enjoy! ------------- If you enjoyed the show please consider leaving a review and 5-star rating. @thebarbellstrikesback | @jamesamcdermott | @albanycrossfit | @albanycrossfitbarbellclub ------------- Song: The Mandalorian Theme (Metal Version) Music provided by Mat Graham of Artificial Fear Listen to Artificial Fear on Spotify & iTunes Subscribe & Watch: https://youtu.be/Wa6j9QqkaQE

In this episode, we are joined by James Parker from Stonewood Canterbury to discuss the common problems that occur with new build investments. Here James walks us through the process of how new build defects are picked up, and the most common ones he tends to spot. He then walks us through some of the biggest mistakes he's made while building new houses and what he's done to fix them. If you've got a topic idea, or a guest you think we should have on the show, send us a text. Our number is 5522. It would be great to hear from you.

READ: James 5:19,20 NLT 'My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.' Churches are not made up of perfect people. Far from it! This surprises the kind of people who assume that Christians live lives of near perfection. For such people there is great consternation when the organist goes off with the youth leader, or the treasurer embezzles the church’s money. We should always be shocked and disappointed by such behaviour – but never surprised. Churches are well compared with hospitals, composed of people who are far from perfect but who, by God’s grace and in the power of his Spirit, are becoming stronger and more mature in their Christian lives. Sadly, there have always been people who wander away from the church. It is always tragic when this happens and churches need to have a clear strategy for reaching out to such people. Here James finishes his letter by inspiring his readers to be proactive when someone sadly backslides. He wants them to know how important this restorative ministry is. In bringing someone back within the church they are doing nothing less than saving this person from spiritual death. In recent years large numbers of people have sadly slipped away from our churches. It may be because of sin, but often it’s because they became disappointed or disillusioned with the church. This means that it is vital that every church prays earnestly for those who have slipped away, and has a very clear plan as to how they can reach out to these people with love, understanding and forgiveness. We can never force people to return and wouldn’t want to do so. But we can reach out to them with open arms knowing that the Lord is always willing to welcome them back. QUESTION: Can you think of anyone who has slipped away from your own church and, if so, is there anything you could do to encourage them to return? PRAYER: Lord we thank you that when we sin you never give up on us. Thank you that your desire is always for us to be restored. Amen.

READ: James 1:5 NLT  'If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.' Life constantly throws challenges at us. Should we move house? Should I move to a different job because I’ve seen one that pays more? How can I resolve the dispute that I’ve got with my next-door neighbour? Should I tell my colleague that he’s annoying me? How should I go about telling my daughter that I think she’s seeing the wrong people? And a thousand other questions!  The Bible focuses a lot of attention on the subject of wisdom in both the Old and the New Testaments. Wisdom is very different from knowledge. You can have all the knowledge in the world but it will do you no good at all if you are not wise. Here James points to God as the source of wisdom and encourages his readers to understand that God loves sharing his wisdom with us.In the Old Testament we learn a lot about wisdom in the book of Proverbs. There we find down to earth guidance for life in a way that is absolutely straightforward. At times it’s a struggle to believe that it was written 3,000 years ago because it speaks so directly into our lives. Solomon speaks of Wisdom as being a woman who has built her house with seven pillars. And for him the fundamental truth was that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).  Writing about 1,000 years later, James agrees with Solomon. Wisdom comes from God and so anyone who wants it needs to get to know him better. That doesn’t mean we will immediately become wise when we become Christians. Far from it! But it does mean that we have a personal relationship with the One who is the source of wisdom, together with an assurance that he can’t wait to share it with us. The Bible is never in the business of giving us easy answers, but it does point us to the One who promises to accompany us as seek to find the wise way forward.  QUESTION: What do you need wisdom about today?  PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, that you are so keen to share your wisdom with me. Please help me to seek your wisdom with greater determination. Amen. 

Welcome to THE BARBELL STRIKES BACK! On this episode James launches a new on going series on the show called "Seminar Notes." Here James will share what he learned and discuss his thoughts on cues, lectures, progressions, and other topics from the countless seminars and certifications taken over the years. This episode pulls from notes taken on the jerk at the CrossFit Weightlifting seminar, the Jeff Wittmer Weightlifting Seminar, the Biomechanics of the Jerk Course taught at the NY Weightlifting Academy, and the Klokov Weightlifting seminar. Topics include breathing on the jerk, the difference between push and power jerks, different phases of the lift, and dipping deep to better use the legs. Thank you for listening. Enjoy! ------------- If you enjoyed the show please consider leaving a review and 5-star rating. @thebarbellstrikesback | @jamesamcdermott | @albanycrossfit | @albanycrossfitbarbellclub

This episode is a chapter taken from James Levesque's Book entitled Fire! Ignite the FIRE within you. Here James has taken one of the twelve biblical principles to help you lift your faith. Here we have taken one chapter and sent it to you. Enjoy. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/vickitro/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vickitro/support

It was 1987 and Merchant Ivory (with help from Channel 4) embarked on an adaptation of EM Forster's novel Maurice - a story of forbidden gay love in Edwardian England. It had an all star supporting cast including Simon Callow, Denholm Elliot, Billie Whitelaw, Barry Foster and Ben Kingsley, A landmark movie for Merchant Ivory (producers of, among others Room With a View and Howard's End), it launched the careers of three young stars - James Wilby (as Maurice Hall), Hugh Grant (as Clive Durham) and Rupert Graves (as Alec Scudder). Here James reminisces with Ashley Byrne about playing the lead. The Distinct Nostalgia theme is owned by MIM Productions and composed by Rebecca Applin and Chris Warner. From now onwards you can enjoy 4 NEW Distinct Nostalgia shows every single week ...Tuesday is specials day and for the next few weeks it's the home of Kelly's Heroes with Queer as Folk star Craig Kelly.Thursday is now Distinct Nostalgia soap day. Loads of retro soap chat with the actual stars who were there ... The regular Distinct Nostalgia programme moves to Saturdays with a variety of shows celebrating all our tv and film yesterdays.And of course we’ve also got the Distinct Nostalgia Mind of the Month Quiz with Andy Hoyle.Distinct Nostalgia - 4 Times A Week plus a treasure trove of programmes to listen to any time at DistinctNostalgia.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/distinctnostalgia)

Longsuffering means patient endurance and steadfastness under provocation, offense, hardship, suffering, abuse, insult, mistreatment, and in the face of adversity. The word is made up of two Greek words meaning long and temper so long-tempered. God has a long fuse when He is stirred to anger. God is patient with sinners and He uses tremendous self-restraint. He does not fly off the handle and immediately retaliates based solely on emotions and without forethought. We should never think of God as succumbing to or being reckless in His anger. God’s attributes of mercy and love are an intertwining part of God’s longsuffering nature. [Ex 34:6] The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. NIV says many verses like this with similar wording are the great self-characterization of God which runs like a golden thread through the OT. [II Peter 3:8-9] “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Because God lives in eternity, He waits patiently. His delay is not because He doesn’t care or is indifferent. Quite the contrary, verse 15 says, “bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.” James 5:7-8 Be patient, therefore brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Here James is using creation, farming in particular to show how we should patiently wait for the Lord’s return.Jesus definitely demonstrated longsuffering. He was persecuted, mocked, insulted, scorned, blasphemed, rejected, betrayed, attacked, arrested, falsely accused, beaten, and murdered. Why did it have to be that way? Why did He have to suffer so to bring us salvation. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked the Father if there was another way, he know nothing was impossible with God. But He said not my will but yours. That is a longsuffering statement. Heb 2:9, He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. He endured it all gracefully, without retaliation, for you and for me. And on that cross after all the mistreatment, He said Father forgive them for they know not what they do. I Pt says, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.Rom 5:3-4 – More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. It is a process and an order. It appears that character is produced after suffering and endurance takes place. We want to just skip to good character and not go through the prior.Longsuffering and patience are fruits of the Holy Spirit. He wants it so much produced in you. They are His qualities. There is a famous funny saying that goes: God, I want patience and I want it right now! But fruit is not grown over night. To have the fruit of patience you must learn it through experiences and exercise it through situations and circumstances. It is like a muscle you use to become stronger; it takes time.

April 12, 2020 Today we will look at some of the most well known and poorly applied verses in the Bible. Everyone knows what these words mean, but most of us still struggle with applying these words. How many of us have experienced someone making a harsh or critical judgment against us? How many of us have been harsh or critical against others? Let's see what Jesus has to say about this. Matthew 7:1--5 (ESV) --- 1 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Do Not Judge (7:1) Jesus tells those who would be his disciples to stop judging others so harshly. He actually tells his disciples to stop judging to avoid being judged. This is a favorite text for our society. Many think that this means: As long as we don't judge anyone for anything they do, we won't be judged. Hopefully, we can all see the foolishness in that idea. Jesus has just spent two chapters telling his followers the difference between truly righteous living and unrighteous hearts. His whole purpose has been to establish the standard by which men will be judged. Jesus is not destroying all moral standards. He is establishing a moral standard about judging our brother or our neighbor. Maybe we are tempted to throw verse one out of the Bible after we say that it doesn't mean what the world thinks it means. But why does Jesus say this? When Jesus says, "Judge not, that you be not judged," he is talking about people are harsh in their judgments. The scribes and Pharisees were some of the most judgmental people. They condemn people throughout the gospels for reasons that have nothing to do with God's law. They would condemn anyone who believed in Jesus so that they were kicked out of their synagogues. These were some of the harshest people in the Bible, and Jesus openly condemns them for their hypocrisy. Do we ever resemble them in our judgments? Do we make judgments that are a heaven burden for other people to bear while we refuse to lift them? We may look at these men and be tempted to say, "We are nothing like them." But think about how easy this is to do. As we learn something true in the Bible and we go to apply it, we may think, "Everyone should be doing things the way I just learned to do it, or they are not faithful to the word." We all come up with a standard of judgment and want to use it against those around us. We often fail to see that everyone around us is growing at a different rate and learning different truths from the scripture. It is true that some may have become dull of hearing and refuse to change, but Jesus tells us to be careful Using A Standard For Judging (7:2) Jesus' purpose is not to condemn all judgment. He says later that his disciples must judge with righteous judgment. But he is trying to make an important point here about judgment that we need to take very seriously. The words that come out of the mouth of Jesus next should scare us all. We will be judged by the same judgment we pronounce toward others. We will be judged by the same measurement we use to measure others. Think about this for a minute. Jesus' standard is perfection in the Sermon on the Mount. How many of us are crying out for perfection while falling short of it? Preaching on the Sermon on the Mount and expressing these truths is a sobering thing to do as a teacher. I am often reminded of the words of James. James 3:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. Here James says the same thing that Jesus said. Those who teach have to be careful as they hold up the standard of perfection or as they teach against a particular sin. It is so easy for us to forget what we have said and contradict the truth that we have given to others. James will go on to say that our tongue is a destructive force like a fire. So what should we do? Should we stop teaching altogether? Our teachings must be stated with compassion and mercy. Even the most passionate plea for faithfulness to God must be filtered by the understanding that we are all failing to attain the perfect standard of Christ. We must also be careful not to speak out against others as though they are more evil for doing the same things we do all the time. James 4:11--12 (ESV) --- 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? What we don't realize as we share the truth with others is that it is very easy to speak evil against them. It is very easy to apply that law to others and tell them what they are doing wrong while assuming evil motives. That makes us harsh and judgmental, but when we are harsh and judgmental, we are rebelling against the law that we are proclaiming. If I boastfully and hatefully command others to obey a commandment, I have failed to keep the law that says I must love my neighbor as myself. Specks and Logs In verses three through five, Jesus gives an illustration that is meant to help us understand the right perspective. This is a vivid picture for us to think about. One person has a splinter in their eye while the other has a log in their eye. The one with the log is trying to take the splinter out of his brother's eye. He relates having sin in our life to a speck and a log in our eye. It is ridiculous and comical to think about this illustration. Notice that both people have something in their eye, but the one with the worst eye wants to help the other out. This always does more harm than good. Why would anyone do that? Do we see the pride and arrogance of this person? This is a picture of someone who is completely blind to their sin and completely focused on the sins of other people. We would never do that, would we? Have we ever spoken about the way someone is raising their kids while our kids are also a complete mess? Have we ever judged the spiritual failings of another without first considering our own spiritual failings? What Do We Learn? As a preacher, I try really hard to apply the text we are studying to myself first. I do not select what I'm going to preach on to preach at you. If I use the word "you," I feel like I have failed as a preacher. We have problems, and we are searching the Bible together to find solutions. First, I let God's word tear my own heart; then, I try to share it with others. I always try to use the word "we" because I have the same issues and problems as all of you. Preachers have not been hit with the righteous bus that makes them free from temptation and sin. As I knew this lesson was coming, I felt a sudden dread because I knew that this one would hurt. As if Chapters 5 & 6 weren't bad enough, talking about self-glorification, putting trust in this life, and being anxious. I knew that speaking about judging a brother would really hit home for me, and I have been looking for help. I like to think that I have removed all of my pride and stopped being overly critical of people. Now I am just critical enough. I am the perfect amount of critical. But this is a constant battle. Don't we all tend to be a little too critical at times? Maybe we have grown to the point where we are very gracious and compassionate 90% of the time, but what about the 10%? How do we rid ourselves of a judgmental attitude entirely? We Need To Ask "Why?" and "How?" Jesus brings up this illustration while asking the question, "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?" Then he asks, "How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is a log in your own eye?" These two questions are intended to help us stop being foolish and to see that we are being ridiculous when we do this. Notice the two things he is teaching us. What Should We Do? 1. Constant Self Evaluation Ask yourself the question, "Why am I judging someone else and ignoring my own sins?" Jesus encourages us to stop looking at the person next to us (Spouse, children, coworker, brother, etc.) and to start looking at ourselves. He wants us to stop dwelling on the mistakes of others and start considering our own weaknesses and flaws. James 1:22--25 (ESV) --- 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. When we study our Bibles, we must study with a desire to see our own sin. The temptation, especially as teachers, is to study to figure out what I need to teach them. But if our Bible study doesn't affect our hearts, we may be hearers of the word without being doers of the word. To overcome this sin, we have to see what the law says we are doing wrong and persevere in changing our ways if we want to become like Jesus and receive a blessing. We have to ask ourselves, "Why am I so focused on other people's problems when I have all of these problems I can't figure out?" If we want to be blessed, we must stop focusing on what other people are doing. I guarantee that if we look, we will find something wrong with someone else. That is easy to do. But condemning other people will not make me more righteous or pleasing to God, and if I do not make changes to my own heart, what right do I have to judge others? 2. Helping Our Brethren Then ask yourself the question, "How could I think I am good enough to condemn this person for their sin after all that I have done?" The next thing he talks about is trying to help our brother while we have a significant problem ourselves. Correcting someone else seems like a noble cause, but it's actually reckless if we have a plank in our eye. If we can't find God's solutions to our own problems, we will not be any good at helping anyone else. We aren't really helping anyone if we haven't taken the time to understand and apply the word of God in our own lives. We are pumping them with information without assisting them in overcoming the difficulty. Saying, "You should not be doing that," is not helping them stop. We are probably hurting them instead of helping them. So Jesus says, "First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." He does not say, "Stop trying to help your brother get specks out of his eye." He does not say, "Mind your own business and forget about him." He wants us to evaluate ourselves first, making the proper changes in our own hearts, and then share what has helped us overcome our sins to help our brother make a change. I have said this before, and I will repeat it. When I first became a Christian, my goal was to tell everyone else the truth about their sin. My brother came up to me and asked me about a few things I was doing. He started to point out some sins that I was committing. He helped me adjust my attitude so that I spend more time on understanding my sin than on telling other people what they are doing wrong. We like to make other people's sin into a log, and we like to think that we are experts in removing logs. Jesus wants us to see our failures as logs and their failures as specks. He wants us to have humility instead of pride and arrogance as we approach others to try and help them. We should have the attitude that says, "Who am I to say this to them after all that I have done wrong?" But also notice that this attitude shouldn't prevent us from trying to help others. If I believed I should only work on myself, I wouldn't be preaching to other people right now. Teachers are needed, but there is a greater need for humility. Dogs and Swine The last part of this section speaks to the other extreme. Matthew 7:6 (ESV) --- 6 "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. Doesn't this seem like a contradiction from verses 1-5? He has just said not to make judgments against people, but then he calls some people dogs and swine. Jesus recognizes that judgment and discrimination are necessary when teaching. He is not oblivious to the fact that some people are like the Pharisees and Sadducees, while others are like the common people. He wants us to see that some are so judgmental and blind that they couldn't see the truth of Jesus when it was backed up with clear miraculous signs. He knows that this teaching of "Judge not" could be too open and accepting of everyone regardless of their attitude. To them, he says, "Be careful and use discernment with this principle of 'Judge not.'" The dogs and pigs in this society represent the unclean animals who are filthy. They do not value what is holy. They place no significance on a pearl. If we were to give them something holy or precious to us, they would be angry with us because all they want to do is eat, get fat, and enjoy life. They have no higher love or sense of something greater. Why does Jesus use these animals? Jesus is using this to say that some will not value the truth of the gospel. We will try to help some people, and they will attack us for it. When we compare an animal like this to a human, we see a difference in perspectives that is very obvious. Give a pig a pearl, and he will spit it out. We see this often as Paul is teaching in the book of Acts. In Antioch of Pisidia, the Jews rejected Paul's teaching. Acts 13:45--46 (ESV) --- 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles." As we try to help people see what the Bible says, many will reject it. They will not accept the change that is being commanded and humble themselves to submit to the word of God. They are taking these beautiful pearls and throwing them away. Jesus had plenty more to tell all of the people who were following him, but he couldn't because they did not understand the value of it. They were struggling with the few principals he was giving them. That doesn't mean that they will never obey the truth. Paul himself was sought out by Jesus, although he was stubborn and rebellious. But we must be careful not to shove the truth down their throats because they may attack us for it. Jesus is telling us to use discernment when we do decide to help people. We must approach them with humility and respect, recognizing that we have many failures of our own. But if their response to a little truth is stubborn and rebellious, we must consider whether hitting them with more truth is good for their heart. If they refuse to listen to the truth, we probably should not continue to force it down their throats. But Jesus is also giving us some insight into our hearts. What if we are the dogs and pigs? Maybe the reason why we are so judgmental is that we refuse to listen to the teachings of Christ. We are using those teachings as weapons against others, but failing to learn ourselves. We might be trampling underfoot what is holy and what is precious that has been given to us. How many times do we trample over the person who criticizes us without considering that they may be right? Peter used these two animals in his second epistle to talk about false teachers and those who follow after false teachers. 2 Peter 2:21--22 (ESV) --- 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire." Is this what we do after hearing the truth? Do we reject it and attack those who speak the truth to us, or do we believe what is false so that we can eat our own vomit and wallow in the mire? What a graphic image! Conclusion Why should we stop judging people? Because Jesus had the most humility and the purest heart as he revealed all of these things to us. He did not come to enjoy condemning the world. He came to save the world. Think about what he has done for us. We were completely filthy animals, and he made way for us to be made clean. He gave us something more precious than we could understand. We rebelled against him and may have even attacked him, but he still offers us the most precious pearl. Will we value it enough to become doers of the word? Let's be sure that we evaluate our hearts and develop humility as we consider how we might help our brethren to attain and find what God has given us.

Why does God bring suffering, difficulty, and trial- How are we called to respond- Here James calls us to embrace a heavenly perspective on our trials, knowing that such affliction is for our good and God's glory.

[Below is the chapter on which this episode was based. Click here for books by Dr David Petts] Lessons about healing from the epistles - James The passage in James 5:14-15 provides the clearest instruction to Christians who are sick to be found in the New Testament:   Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned he will be forgiven.   These verses clearly offer a high expectation of healing. In this chapter we’ll consider: the general context in which the verses are set the precise intention of the verses themselves reasons why healing may not result immediately. The general context in which the verses are set As we will see when we come to consider James 5:14-15 in more detail, it is quite clear that James intends us to understand that if a Christian who is sick calls for the elders of the church[1], and if the elders pray in faith, the sick Christian will be healed. However, to understand the full significance of these verses, it is important to consider first some of James’s earlier teaching.  We begin by looking at a passage where, perhaps surprisingly, James talks about the uncertainty of life itself. The Uncertainty of Life - James 4:13-16 The general sense of these verses is extremely clear.  Because of the brevity of life we cannot be certain of tomorrow.  Therefore in all our plans we should recognise that their fulfilment is entirely dependent on the Lord’s will.  Verse 15 indicates that even the question of whether we shall be alive tomorrow is subject to the will of the Lord. Our life is just a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. This aspect of James’ teaching must not be disregarded when we seek to understand the statement in 5:15 that the prayer of faith will make the sick person well. Everything is subject to the will of the Lord. The Last Days - James 5:1-9 In the first six verses of chapter 5, James condemns people who misuse wealth.  He says that they have afflicted their employees (vv. 4-5) and killed the righteous (v. 6) and as a result misery is coming upon them (v. 1).  This, together with the reference to the last days (v. 3), suggests that the day of judgement is in mind. This appears to be confirmed by the mention of the coming of the Lord (vv. 7 & 8), and the Judge who is standing at the door (v. 9).  When we come to consider the passage about healing, therefore, we need to remember that the thought of the return of the Lord is very much in mind. Patience in suffering - James 5: 7-12  In the last section James used the coming of the Lord as a threat to the wicked. But in this section he uses it to encourage Christians – James calls them brothers (v. 7).  He tells them to be patient (vv. 7, 8, 10) until the Lord comes (vv. 7, 8).  This appears to be because they are suffering (v. 10). But what sort of suffering is James talking about?  Perhaps he is referring to suffering inflicted by the rich oppressors mentioned in verses 1-6. The use of the word then (which here means therefore) in verse 7 certainly suggests this. However, it is interesting that James mentions Job as an example of suffering and patience (vv. 10-11). Bearing in mind the wide range of disasters – including sickness – that Job went through, it seems likely that James has in mind any form of suffering that may come our way as Christians. This should clearly be borne in mind when we consider the full significance of the passage on healing, to which we will turn shortly. Before doing so, however, we need to consider what James means by trouble when he says in verse 13, Is any one of you in trouble? The meaning of Is any one of you in trouble? (v. 13) The Greek word that James uses here is the verb kakopathein which literally means to suffer anything bad. This is also the word[2] that he uses in v. 10 when he talks about patience in the face of suffering. The use of the same word here seems to link the passage about patience in suffering with the passage containing the promise of healing. This confirms what we said in the last section, namely that sickness should be understood to be included in James’ use of suffering (kakopathia) rather than distinguished from it[3]. If this understanding is correct, then the promise of healing for the sick in verse 15 must be balanced by the teaching on patience until the coming of the Lord in verse 7-12.  Verse 13 encourages any who are suffering to pray and any who are cheerful to sing praises.  Verse 14 encourages any who are sick to call for the elders of the church to pray over them anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. But if we are right in saying that sickness is included in James’s understanding of suffering, we need to explain why James gives different instructions (i.e. to call for the elders to pray for you rather than pray for yourself) to those who are sick. The explanation for this is that James is probably referring to someone who is seriously sick, as will become clear as we turn now to the precise intention of the verses themselves. The precise intention of the verses themselves In this respect I suggest that four factors indicate that James has in mind here someone who is seriously ill.  These are as follows: The sick person is to call for the eldersrather than go to  This may well indicate the person is so ill that they are incapable of going. The eldersare to pray over This is the only time in the New Testament where the verb to pray is followed by the word over. It probably suggests that the elders are standing over the sick person as they pray, which may well indicate that he or she is lying down. Furthermore, the statement that the Lord will raise him up clearly implies that the sick person is lying down[4]. Finally, the fact that they need the eldersto come and pray for them points to the possibility that the sick person is too ill to pray for him or herself.   So I conclude that the sick person James has in mind is seriously ill and that the exhortation to call for the elders for anointing and prayer should not be taken to apply to minor ailments. Thus, although sickness would be included within James’ understanding of suffering, some sickness is so serious that it makes people feel unable to pray for themselves, or at least of praying in faith[5], and that it is why they must call for the elders. Indeed, it is important to notice that the sick person in verses 14-15 is not required to exercise faith – only to call for the elders of the church.  It is the elders’ responsibility to pray the prayer of faith and anoint the sick one with oil in the name of the Lord. But what is the significance of the oil?  Most commentators acknowledge that, although oil was frequently used for medicinal purposes, the context in James 5 demands that the oil be understood to be of some religious significance[6].  Indeed, even if James knew that oil was of some medicinal value, he would hardly have believed that it was a panacea for all illnesses! Besides, James tells us that it is the prayer, not the oil that will make the sick person well. It is probably best, therefore, to concentrate on the word anoint rather than the word oil. In both the Old and New Testaments, anointing is associated closely with the work of the Spirit in healing (Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:18ff.) and it is therefore reasonable to understand the anointing with oil in James 5 to be symbolic of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. As such it might well quicken the faith of the sick person. But anointing with oil and the prayer of faith are not the only things that James mentions in this passage. He talks about the confession of sins (vv. 15-16). The important thing to notice here is the word if  –  If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. We have already seen, from both the Old Testament and the New, that sickness may sometimes be the result of personal sin. We have also seen that very often it is not. James’s statement here is completely in harmony with this teaching. The sickness might have been caused by sin. If that is so, the sin should be confessed and then prayer offered for healing. But if the patient is unaware of any sin that might be hindering their healing, confession would clearly be inappropriate. Reasons why healing may not occur immediately The clear promise of verse 15 is that the sick person will be made well. But what if no immediate healing results?  Careful examination of the passage suggests the following possibilities: The sickness has been caused by sinthat needs to be confessed The eldershave failed to pray in faith There needs to be more earnest and persistent prayer The healing will take place when the Lord returns. We have already discussed (1) in the previous section. With regard to (2) the view that the elders have failed to pray in faith seems perfectly reasonable, especially in the light of James’s insistence earlier in the epistle that prayer must be in faith and that he who doubts will receive nothing from the Lord (James 1:5-8). Another possibility is that (3) the healing, though not immediately manifested, will be gradual or delayed. James goes on to talk about the power of prayer in verses 16-18 and uses Elijah as an illustration. What is significant about Elijah is that he prayed earnestly (v. 17) and he prayed persistently (cf. 1 Kings 18:41-45 where he prays seven times until his prayer is answered). The reference to Elijah here, therefore, is almost certainly intended to imply that sometimes persistent prayer is needed for the sick to be healed. If we are sufficiently earnest we will be persistent. Finally, with regard to (4), I have already indicated that the statement that the prayer of faith will make the sick person well (5:15) must be balanced by James’s statement that we only live if the Lord wills (4:15). As Christians our lives are in the hands of the Lord and, if he chooses, he may take us to be with himself at any time. In Part Two we will see how the ultimate healing takes place when Jesus comes again and our mortal bodies are clothed with immortality (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). We have already noted that in James’s understanding the coming of the Lord was very near. It is, therefore, at least possible that when he says, the Lord will raise him up (v. 15), he has also in mind the fact of the final resurrection. This view is supported by the fact that the verb James uses in this connection is egeirein, the word that is also used in connection with resurrection. Of course, James’s primary intention was undoubtedly to indicate that an immediate miracle of healing should be expected. However, it is possible that we may discern within his statement a secondary intention which, based on the earlier analogy with Job (James 5:8-11), suggests that if immediate healing is not the will of the Lord then the sick must be patient until the Lord’s coming at which time they will undoubtedly be ‘raised up’[7]. Indeed, as Moo has argued ....the days when God’s promises are to be fulfilled have begun, but a climax to that period is still expected. It is in the eschatological tension of the ‘already..... not yet’ that James’ ethics are to be understood[8].   If this understanding is correct, then the prayer of faith is not a prayer that insists that healing must be immediate but a prayer that commits the sick one to God knowing that his will is best[9] and that he can be trusted to ‘raise up’ the sick whether it be immediately by a miracle of healing or ultimately at the return of the Lord. In short, although the passage indicates that the sick may expect to be healed, there is no guarantee that the healing will be immediate.  The apparently clear promise of a miracle of healing must be tempered by James’ earlier teaching that prayer must be offered without doubting (1:6-8), that no-one can count on tomorrow but recognise that the length of life is as the Lord will (4:13-17), and that Christians must, like Job, be patient in suffering (5:10-11) for the coming of the Lord is at hand (5:8).  Then healing is guaranteed! [1] Church leaders are given a variety of titles today. Here James simply refers to them as elders. For more detailed explanation of the role of elders in the New Testament church, see:   Petts, D., Body Builders – Gifts to make God’s people grow, Mattersey, Mattersey Hall, 2002, pp. 71-88. [2] In v. 10 he uses the noun kakopathia whereas in v. 13 it is the verb kakopathein. Both forms are part of the same Greek word group. [3]Cf. Job 2:7 and passim. [4]For discussion that in this passage a fair degree of illness is present, see Motyer, A., The Message of James, Leicester, IVP, 1985, pp.193-194. [5]For James’ emphasis on the importance of praying in faith, cf.  James 1:5-8. My suggestion that the patient might be so ill as to be unable to pray in faith is based on the psychologically debilitating effects produced by certain physical afflictions. [6] Cf. Adamson, J., The Epistle of  James, Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1976, p. 197 Mitton, C.L., ‘The Epistle of James’, London, Marshalls, 1966. p. 199. Moo D.J., ‘James’ Leicester, IVP, 1985, p. 178. See also Shogren, G.S., ‘Will God Heal Us - A Re-examination of James 5:14-16a’, Evangelical Quarterly 61, (2, ‘89), pp. 99-108. [7] One passage in Job is highly significant in this connection. In Job 19:25-27 he says:   I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I and not another. How my heart yearns within me!   [8]Moo, op. cit., p. 44. [9]ibid p. 186.

James, the brother of Jesus, confronts us with strong words designed to call us to live out a bold and active faith in Christ. In this sermon by Pastor Seth Winterhater, we examine the entire third chapter of the letter of James. Here James speaks of the tongue and what is spoken with it reveals the inward realities of the heart. As John McArthur said, the tongue, "is a tattletale that tells on the heart and discloses the real person." From this text Pastor Seth argues that we need not just change our words, but must also change the source of them, which can only be done through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Coming out on June 18th on DVD & Bluray is Black Fawn's Film Bed of the Dead. It is also available now on Black Fawn's VOD service. Here James and Rob present their View & Review of Bed of the Dead. Grab your copy, cue it up and enjoy!

118 Draw Near To God and He Will Draw Near to You, A Guided Christian Meditation on James 4:6-8 I’m Chaplain Jared and I work as a hospice chaplain and an ICU chaplain, my purpose in making this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and to be more open for your heart to be changed by the Spirit of God. By using centuries old form of Christian Meditation named Lectio Divina: Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. We have our guest back today! We have been working hard this week to make a meaningful podcast episode together so I hope you enjoy. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing. If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes. Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation: Breathe and direct your thoughts to contacting God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate, deflate. Bible verses for Meditation: NIV James 4 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. NABRE James 4 6 But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. Meditation on scripture / bible verse meditation: Something that I work on both professionally and personally perhaps more than any other thing is forming and improving a personal relationship with God. I talked with a woman this week who told me of her son who is always praying but never receiving an answer from God. I would never supposed to declare that all people who experience this have the same problem that causes it all, but if you find yourself in a place where you feel you don’t feel God’s presence in your life then it is natural to wonder why. Ultimately we cannot expect God to do the magic of salvation to us passively. He does it “with” us. James knows the value of Grace. He clearly states it here. I don’t think James and Paul would disagree about grace when talking together. Perhaps in presentation but not in the concept that we are saved by God. Here James says that grace is poured out on the humble. For a moment consider this question. What is the difference or similarities between humility and faith? The way that humility is portrayed in scripture seems to be very close to faith. We trust God. We believe what He says. We trust His desires for us more than our own will. To draw near to him we cleanse our hands. We leave behind our double mind and join with the mind of God. Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling being patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Updates: Final Question: Are you truly humble before God. Final Thought: When we don’t get the response from God that we want our natural human response is often laced with rebellion. The more we can let that part of our nature go and truly draw near to God, the greater we will feel his presence in our life. If we want him near we need to be willing to repent of our sinful nature and humble ourselves before God. Not because He wants to make us feel inferior, but because the process of his grace is learning to trust him, to have faith in Him. We cannot separate these two things. Faith and a humble heart are the process by which we receive God’s grace. We trust to follow God and God does the amazing work in us that we cannot. FIND ME ON: Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/ChristianMeditationPodcast Youtube.com/ChristianMeditaitonPodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod  

Today we're studying James 3:13-18. Here James gives us the picture of two kinds of wisdom-God's & the world's. Let's talk about it!

Today we're studying James 2:18-26. Here James challenges us to see the true faith acts in faith on the calling of God. Let's talk about it!

This sermon defines worldliness. This is part two of three directed to the sin of worldliness. -Here James calls it 1- Adultery 2- Friendship with the World 3- Opposition to God.

We get dark with comedian and writer James Hoenscheidt over some Chipotle BBQ wings from BDUBS. We talked about comedy, culture, family, and his new podcast: Is it Dark in Here- James partners with Kristofer Royer and Nolan Ross for a smart, hilarious and clever take on life's darkest subjects.

  If any of you are suffering, they should pray. If any of you are happy, they should sing. If any of you are sick, they should call for the elders of the church, and the elders should pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. Prayer that comes from faith will heal the sick, for the Lord will restore them to health. And if they have sinned, they will be forgiven. For this reason, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve. Elijah was a person just like us. When he earnestly prayed that it wouldn’t rain, no rain fell for three and a half years. He prayed again, God sent rain, and the earth produced its fruit.   William Hoffman, who was a writer and a professor at Hampton-Sydney College, wrote a short story called The Question of Rain, one I’ve shared a couple of times in the past, because, well, it really is one of my favorite short stories. Hoffman tells of a town and a minister caught in a theological tussle about prayer and its meaning, and especially the appropriateness of its use in asking God for those things we need/want/desire. In this short story, we have a well-meaning minister who is beset by his congregation to hold a worship service specifically calling for rain for the drought stricken farming land of his congregants. But Wayland, the minister, is reluctant, in good Calvinistic fashion, he’s simply reluctant to specifically ask God for rain, since rain may not be in God’s will for the people of that county, at least not at the moment – you see, classic Calvinists, followers of the Protestant reformer John Calvin, hold fast to the idea that God is sovereign, that God will do what God will do, and that humans have little real sway over this divine King – the spiritual world is not a democracy, but a kingdom with God enthroned as the all-knowing, all powerful ruler of the universe.   So, when Wayland was first asked by some members of his congregation about this possible prayer service, the minister promises to pray personally for rain but declines the suggestion to lead a prayer service for rain. In response to a delegation from the church, he says, “Bess, to repeat my position, let me state that I’m strong in favor of prayer, but I feel what people really want is a medicine man and I never rattle bones, do a rain dance, or wear chicken feathers.” And to another person, Wayland says, in a classic Calvinist vein, “Caroline, we can’t twist God’s arm, and all we have has is given us by His grace, and we are undeserving of even that.” Nevertheless, the congregation persists, and again and again he is asked by yet more members for a prayer service, and even people outside the church begin to ask him about a possible prayer service to ask God for rain. Eventually these request becomes a crisis of faith of sorts for Wayland, one that is echoed by an older member of his church, though he gently challenges Wayland by using the collective we when he asks Pastor Wayland, “are we afraid to put our faith to the test? “And if we fail?” Pastor Wayland replies. “Then it’s us, not God, whose failed,” the member says in turn. Now, I must say that this wiser, older member may have been wrong when he says such a thing, because I don’t know if it’s possible to “fail” at prayer – and blaming ourselves when God says “no” to us, to our good prayers, is not fair to human beings, and assumes that God will only answer our prayers if certain prayers are said in a certain way. A parent praying for the health of a child does not fail in prayer because the child never gets better. Still, there are haunting themes in this story, questions of whether or not Pastor Wayland believes that God actually does or does no intervene in the world – and his fear that if no rain comes, what will that do to the faith of his church members, and, perhaps to his own faith as well. And underneath that is a question about what prayer is for – what does it do, to God, to us, to the nature of the lived world?   So, in the text from the letter of James, we have the writer inviting us to do the very thing Pastor Wayland is reluctant to do, to ask God to do a specific thing, in hope and expectation that God will do what we ask, and in this case, a prayer for healing for the sick. Again, note the specificity of the text from James – if someone in particular is sick, they are told to call upon the elders of the church, the leaders of the congregation, and to have them pray over this person and anoint them with oil. Anointing is all over the Bible, from its use in cosmetics and its use in hygiene, to its use in a ritual where the oil is placed on the forehead, marking that person as one destined for change, in terms of status or identity, especially as seen when it comes to anointing a king to service to Israel. Here James says to anoint the sick, something that Jesus asked his disciples to do when he sent them out to share his message and be instruments of diving healing (Mark 16:17-18). And again, the specificity is all over the text – if anyone is suffering, if you and I are suffering, the elders of the congregation should gather and pray for us, for me, for you, in particular – not just a general prayer, but a prayer for Kevin in particular. And James is very confident that if we pray for those who suffer, for those who are in need of healing, God will hear that prayer and God will heal the sick and alleviate her suffering. James has great trust that what is prayed for will be given. He even uses a story of Elijah and rain, rain, where Elijah prays that God will shut the heavens up so that the people will be forced to repent and acknowledge the power of God’s messenger, the one calling the people to faithfulness and justice. Elijah prayed for no rain, and no rain came, and when the time was up, when the people were ready to repent, he prayed again, and the rain fell.   But, of course, in all honesty, texts like these, ones of that are so often put forth to show the efficacy of prayer, that if only we will pray the sick will recover, and the sufferer will cease to suffer, they come with some baggage, some complexity, something you feel in Pastor Wayland’s reluctance to pray so specifically for something. There is the reality that each of us can share when we prayed fervently for someone to be healed and it didn’t come to pass, something that seems to challenge James’ certainty about the power of prayer. And then there is the linkage between sin and health that is certainly problematic, at least partially. James is pretty clear here – he links health and confession of sin, assuming that somehow and someway our sin has caused us to become unhealthy, that sin has caused our disease. Now, to be fair, James does say that IF they have sinned they will be forgiven during the act of healing, so the connections between sin and health is not clear, though a few words later he seems to imply that if only we will repent and confess our sin, we will be healed, as if our sin was getting in the way of our healing. That is troublesome because it seems to blame the sick for their own sickness, the disabled for their own disability. Again, maybe is there is a sometimes a connection between sin and sickness, but it is rare – and frankly, there are clear indications that Jesus consistently disconnects sin and sickness because he simply he doesn’t believe they are, in fact, connected at all. In the Gospel of John, in chapter 9 Jesus is asked whether or not the blind man before him has sinned or have his parent’s sinned – you see the bad assumptions Jesus’ own disciples share with the writer of James. Jesus replies that neither the man’s sin or his parent’s sin have anything to do with this man’s blindness. And in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, Jesus says that the rain falls on the just and unjust alike, indicating that challenges that happen to people have nothing to do with their goodness or badness. Bad ideas are hard to shake, as you can see from James’ bad assumption in our text, even decades after Jesus was among his disciples, though I understand why we believe bad theology like this. These untruths help us navigate the world, poorly of course, but they help us explain why some get sick and others don’t, why some get well and others don’t. The truth is that the rain, well, it falls on good and evil among us, the kind and cruel in our midst, the believers and the unbelievers beside us, the ones who have no doubts and those who have nothing but doubts. Maybe James didn’t know of Jesus’ words – remember, there were only oral traditions about Jesus when this letter was written, and thus no written Gospel for James to check his assumptions against what Jesus said and taught, including being able to check their bad theology against Jesus’ better theology.   So, does prayer for healing make a difference? Does the anointing of the sick do anything for sufferer, the one in need of physical, spiritual and emotional healing? I think the writer of our Modern Lesson is trying to answer that question, the former Archbishop of the Anglican Communion, Rowan Williams. When we pray for others, often called intercessory prayer, we do something so obvious, so plain, that we often forget it – and that is we throw in our lot with the one we prayed for, we cast our lot in with humanity, in our prayer for them, we enter into their world of uncertainty and sickness. It is interesting that James calls for elders, plural, to gather around the sick one, plural – the leaders of a community gather around the one in need of God’s healing, and they, THEY pray for him or her. I’m very skeptical of the idea that somehow God responds more to twenty prayers for healing than one prayer for healing – this is not God won’t do a thing until a certain threshold is met and then finally God will relent because some sort of divine quota was met. But the gathering together, the praying that we do for each other, over the sick, during our times our joys and concerns every Sunday during worship, something about that we do it together, it seems to matter to us, and maybe to God as well. What Rowan Williams seems to be saying here in our Modern Lesson is that when we pray for others we create more and more space for empathy, for care, for concern – we become open to the crucifixions of others and somehow within us an empty space is cleared out where the world is not just not about me and my joy and my suffering, but a space within that can be filled with the Spirit of God that helps us recognizes that when you suffer, I suffer, than when a child is taken away from its parents at the borders, that is my child being taken from me. Somehow, when we throw in our lot with the crucified of the world, the hurting of the world, which includes all of us, at some point in our lives, somehow when we clear space in our lives to pray for others, the Spirit can change the world because we have been cracked open with our concern for this singular soul before us, this one who has asked for our prayers. We become God’s hands and God’s healing of others, when we allow our prayers for others to become embodied in our kindness and our passion for justice – and we do so as a people, as God’s people.   And, of course, we have to acknowledge that so often our prayers are actually answered the way we’d like them to be answered, more than we often recognize. It’s the ones that didn’t get answered that we remember so well, and which are so painful, so challenging and sometimes God just says no and sometimes the natural course of time and disease just take their course. Look, miracles are actually pretty rare – there is reason why people were so excited by Jesus’ ability to heal – it wasn’t something very common. Prayers for miracles do get answered sometimes, the anointing of the sick can have an effect, but remember that those prayers for others can change us, personally and as a people. You only have to look at how our story by William Hoffman concludes, because in the end the pastor says yes to their requests for a prayer service and so the community gathers and they pray together, together. And then, and then, well, let’s hear Hoffman end his short story.   [Wayland, the pastor,] would not anticipate. Rain wasn’t necessary. He and his congregation had acknowledged God’s fathership, which was the main thing. He turned his back to the window, so he wouldn’t be tempted to judge the quality of the afternoon sunlight edging the drawn shade. Yet he felt a stillness, the absolute hush of the day. Even the locusts were silent. A distant rumble had to be a truck. He stood, went downstairs, and walked out onto the screened porch where [his wife] Mims sat. She wore her lavender church dress in case of visitors, but had pushed off her white pumps so that her heels were free. The expression on her clean face was strange as she gazed upward. He looked at the sky and, tingling, saw the dazzling cloud growing, building rapidly into a thunderhead, the underside purplish, the crown of radiant whiteness seething as it mounted into a cathedral of a cloud. People came from their houses to stare. Then Wayland felt a coolness, a nudge of air, and knew rain must be close. In wonder Mims watched the sky. Wayland’s amazement gave way to rapture as the majestic thunderhead conquered the heavens. He realized his mouth had opened as if to catch the rain on his lips. The pressure of gratitude brought him near to weeping. During the slashing, luminous rain, he put on his shorts to walk in the yard. With his face uplifted, he gave thanks. Children, despite lightning, ran in the streets, and across glossy lawns. Adults too splashed through puddles. The artificial pond in his rock garden overflowed. The telephone rang so often that Mims, now wearing her pink bathing suit, took it off the hook.   Friends, I invite you to come forward if you are need of healing, any kind of healing, of any wound, emotional and physical, and receive the anointing from Pastor Megan and me. We will anoint your head with olive oil, but if you open your palm, we will anoint there instead. Come please come forward as you feel lead to.

In this episode, I interview James Reese, the creator of Bowhunters Of America on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/howyalikemenow/about/ Bowhunters Of America is the largest hunting group on Facebook. It is family friendly with adults and children posting in the group. The group is managed to make sure that everyone is respectful to each other and any of their legally harvested animals. While the site focuses on bow hunting, it is an inclusive group and you can post/discuss any legally harvest animal taken by any means. James was able to attend the 2018 ATA Show (Archery Trade Association). Here James was able to see some new gear coming. A number of items are discussed and below are links to all the companies discussed: Element Arrows http://elementarcheryusa.com/ Steady Form http://www.steadyform.com/ NAP https://www.newarchery.com/ Tooth of the Arrow Broadheads https://toothofthearrow.com/ Treezyn https://treezyn.com/ Bowtech https://bowtecharchery.com/ Excalibur Crossbows http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/ Double Bull Blinds https://www.primos.com/products/double-bull-blinds/ QAD Rests http://www.qadinc.com/ Bowshooters Station http://www.lahuntinggear.com/ Tree Stand Buddy https://treestandbuddy.com/ Skyline Safety System https://www.skylinesafetysystem.com/  Lakewood Bow Cases https://www.lakewoodproducts.com/hunting-cases/bow-cases/ Hickory Creek Draw-Loc Crossbow http://drawloc.com/ Plythal Technical Gear https://www.plythal.com/ Please feel free to follow any of these links. If you purchase anything, let the company know it was a result of this podcast Outdoor Adventures with Jayson and Bowhunters of America Facebook group.

In this episode, I interview James Reese, the creator of Bowhunters Of America on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/howyalikemenow/about/) Bowhunters Of America is the largest hunting group on Facebook. It is family friendly with adults and children posting in the group. The group is managed to make sure that everyone is respectful to each other and any of their legally harvested animals. While the site focuses on bow hunting, it is an inclusive group and you can post/discuss any legally harvest animal taken by any means. James was able to attend the 2018 ATA Show (Archery Trade Association). Here James was able to see some new gear coming. A number of items are discussed and below are links to all the companies discussed:   Element Arrows (http://elementarcheryusa.com) Steady Form (http://www.steadyform.com) NAP (https://www.newarchery.com) Tooth of the Arrow Broadheads (https://toothofthearrow.com) Treezyn (https://treezyn.com) Bowtech (https://bowtecharchery.com) Excalibur Crossbows (http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com) Double Bull Blinds (https://www.primos.com/products/double-bull-blinds/) QAD Rests (http://www.qadinc.com) Bowshooters Station (http://www.lahuntinggear.com) Tree Stand Buddy (https://treestandbuddy.com) Skyline Safety System (https://www.skylinesafetysystem.com) Lakewood Bow Cases (https://www.lakewoodproducts.com/hunting-cases/bow-cases/) Hickory Creek Draw-Loc Crossbow (http://drawloc.com) Plythal Technical Gear (https://www.plythal.com) Please feel free to follow any of these links. If you purchase anything, let the company know it was a result of this podcast Outdoor Adventures with Jayson and Bowhunters of America Facebook group.

Mark 10:38 NLT But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?” At school I played rugby. I was short but fast and a terrier in the tackle. My aspiration was to play in the first team and I slowly paid my dues and made my way onto the selection list. I remember the day I looked at the noticeboard to see who’d been selected, and I had. I relished my opportunity. The coach spoke of the size of the opposition and also their faultless winning run that season. I knew I would be just fine, even perhaps hoping for a moment of glory. I recall the coach questioning me about my capacity to manage such large and strong opposition. Still I was full of bravado. Apart from one try-saving tackle that nearly killed me, the game saw my opposite winger running through me, over me, seldom round me. I was battered and bruised, my pride more than perhaps my body. The match had not played out in practice as I’d rehearsed it in my mind. Reality can be a tough teacher. Here James and John are invited to consider the consequences of their bold request. Of course, they had no knowledge of what Jesus was referring to. However, the truth is that at Jesus’ arrest they were conspicuous by their absence. Their courage failed them, as I’m sure it would us. James did go on to drink the cup of martyrdom while John endured persecution through to a ripe old age. I’m quick to decide how God’s best course of action might look. This becomes the kernel of my prayer and eventually I become blindsided by my own perception. I lose the capacity to discern God’s voice since I am wrapped up with my own observations. Isaiah prophesied, ‘“your ways are not My ways’ [declares the Lord]” (55:8, HCSB). Still I imagine that my aspiration to serve God is sufficient for God to grant it through my fervent prayer. QUESTION: Have you promised God more than you can deliver? PRAYER: Lord, save me from my own bravado and help me trust your plans for my life.  

Mark 10:35 NLT Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “We want you to do us a favor.” In my early Christian faith, stumbling around to find how best to follow Jesus, I was well-intentioned yet ill-informed. There was still a distinct demarcation line between my Christian and secular personas; drinking heavily with college friends Saturday night, worshipping enthusiastically Sunday morning. I hoped my different social circles never met. I feared judgement and rejection. Certainly some behaviour in both spheres was dictated by this fear of rejection. I allowed my identity to lie in the hands of others. I often prayed like James and John. I knew what I wanted and God was its source. This was only an extension of the transactional relationships I’d always known. Be good at the dentist and Mummy will provide some reward. Work hard and secure exams to get ahead of the crowd in the jobs market. Be romantic and generous to win the favour of the girls I fancied. It was the politics of the marketplace transposed onto interpersonal relationships. Even today I find some spouses use the language of negotiation to describe how they navigate their marriage. As a young Christian I assumed God was there to answer my prayers. I served God who then opened the candy box. My choice was deserving of reward. However, this is to miss the point. It was a privilege both to be a beneficiary of God’s love and sacrifice and to exchange my life for Jesus’. In other words, my life was no longer mine but God’s. Here James and John seek to broker a deal with Jesus. They start from a hard position. Do for us whatever we ask. At this stage, nothing being offered from their side. They hope they can persuade Jesus out of his goodness and based upon their self-assessment of their worthiness. They no doubt came from a wealthy background, their father Zebedee owning a fishing business on the Sea of Galilee, and were used to giving direction. QUESTION: What’s the character of your prayers? Are you seeking to negotiate with God? PRAYER: Jesus, help me be obedient to your charge to seek first the kingdom.

This morning, we take a look at the next part of James 4...verse 17. Here James gives us a synopsis of all that he has just said...namely that since we have been told what we ought to do, we now need to know that to go and not do it (that is care for the poor, trust God, obey his Word, not show favoritism, watch our tongues, etc...) is sin. This morning we look at the sin of omission in our lives and how often we know the right to do and yet fail to do it anyway.

JAMES VAN PRAAGH: "This is the final conversation out of a series of four with medium James Van Praagh. Here James discusses what messages our deceased loved ones commonly try to communicate to us from the spirit world. I ask James how quickly our loved ones attempt communication with us after their passing, what affects our ability to recognize the signs and signals our loved ones in spirit send us, how long people should wait before getting a reading with a medium, and also why people in spirit might communicate to one person in the family (say in a dream) as opposed to other family members. We even chat about what people can do on their own (without the help of a medium) to communicate with people in spirit." ~ Bob Olson, Afterlife TV James Van Praagh talks about after-death communication.  James Van Praagh has been working as a medium and teaching people about life after death for over 30 years. His first book, Talking To Heaven, reached #1 on the The New York Times Bestseller list. Then he went on to write Reaching To Heaven, Healing Grief, Heaven And Earth, Ghosts Among Us, Unfinished Business, Looking Beyond (for teens) and his latest book, Growing Up In Heaven. He has also written a book on meditation. James Van Praagh had a daytime television talk show, Beyond With James Van Praagh, he produced a successful TV mini-series about his life on CBS entitled Living With The Dead starring Ted Danson (playing the role of James Van Praagh) and Mary Steenburgen, produced The Dead Will Tell on that network starring Anne Heche and Eva Longoria, and was Co-Executive Producer of the CBS primetime series Ghost Whisperer starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. You can visit James Van Praagh's website at www.VanPraagh.com where you can sign up for his online courses, purchase autographed books, view his calendar of events, and participate in his online chat rooms. James has officially been "Tested As Legitimate" and has earned his place on BestPsychicMediums.com.  

Here James closes out his epistle with important comments to us about the power of prayer.