You Say You Have Faith? Show Me!

Mike Hosey, Elder

You don’t have to have walked the earth for very long to figure out that human beings are liars.  We lie to other people. We lie to God.  But strangest of all, we lie to ourselves. Almost all of our reasons for this have to do with either protecting ourselves from our own folly, or moving ourselves to some desired goal we don’t deserve.  But perhaps one of the biggest reasons is that our words are too often cheap or shallow. No one has time for shallow words.

Once, I worked at an institution that required a Master’s degree in order to fulfill a particular position. One year a young woman was hired who claimed to have a Master’s degree.  It was easy for her to make that claim. Her words were cheap. But when the company got around to checking on those words a couple of months after the hire date, the value of her words was tested.  They were found to be dead words. She had no actions to back them up. In fact, she only had a few hours of college credit – not enough to earn even the lowest degree. Of course, she was fired.  This isn’t difficult logic. If a man comes to you and tells you that he is an artist, you might believe him.  But if you never see him produce any art, you will likely question the truth of his claim. An artist who has produced no paintings, no sculptures, no poems, no works of literature, no songs, no music or no creative expressions is not an artist, no matter how strong his claims are and no matter how many paints or paintbrushes that he owns.

James understood this well. In his letter (James 2:14) he questions a person who claims to have faith but doesn’t have works behind it.  This is because faith produces works.  If you believe your car is safe and that there is food at the grocery store, you will act on that faith and get in your car and go to the grocery store when you need food. If you believe the brakes in your car are unsafe, and that the grocery store is empty, you will act on that faith and find a different car and a different grocery store.  Hebrews 11:1-40 is devoted to the men and women of the Bible who did great works because their faith in God was real – they didn’t have time for shallow words!

Do you have faith in God? If so, how are you showing it? Even the smallest bit can do very great things (Luke 17:6).

A Few Simple Ways to Give Anger a Beat Down

Mike Hosey, Elder

Everyone gets angry.  No one is immune. Even Jesus experienced it (Matthew 21:12).  Still, anger often makes for greater problems than what it solves.  In fact, it can be so much of a problem that the bible warns us to be slow to anger (James 1:19) and advises us that a human-centered kind of anger does NOT bring about the righteous life that God desires for us. No one has time for the wrong kind of anger – especially those of us seeking that righteous life.  So here are a few tips to deal with it:

1). Strive to imitate God: God is slow to anger (Exodus 34:6). But you might ask how does a human achieve this? Well James 1:19 gives us some hints.  That verse tells us to be quick to hear. What that means is that we should listen with a mind for discernment. God has perfect discernment, but we do not. So we must listen for facts (not feelings) to judge if what is happening is worth our anger. Then James tells us to be slow to speak.  What that means is that we shouldn’t say anything until we’ve listened well, and understand the facts, and have discerned if anger is appropriate and Godly.

2). We should shape our characters  toward meekness:  Depending on your translation, James 1:20-21 tells us that in order to fend off unrighteous anger, we are to either “humbly” or “meekly” accept the saving word that has been implanted in us. The Greek word for meek or humble here does NOT mean weak. Instead, a meek person is one who has developed his character so well that he is able to get angry at the right time, for the right reason, and express it toward the right person in the right way. It is a gentleness of spirit that flows from our character. It is actually a matter of strength! James tells us that in order to have that character we must get rid of evil and filthiness from our lives. When we do this, we won’t be as prone to the wrong kind of anger.

3). Be a doer of God’s word:  James 1:22-25 tells us that people who hear the word but don’t do it, forget that word. Therefore, it has no effect on their lives. In other words they are not shaped by God's word because they haven’t put it into practice. But those who study the word intently, and then do the good works found in it, will be rewarded. Proverbs 25:22 gives us a perfect example.  When you’re enemy is hungry or thirsty, give him food and drink. He might be changed, and God will reward you through doing those good works – probably by shaping you into a more Christ-like person.

Love in any Language . . .

Mike Hosey, Elder

Recently, a behavioral economist named Keith Chen discovered some interesting truths about how language affects our behavior. He discovered, for instance, that people who speak Chinese languages tend to save (significantly) more of their money than people who speak English.  He believes that this behavior occurs not because the two cultures are different. Instead, he believes that their cultures are different because their languages are.   Those Chinese languages do not have a strong future orientation like English does. They don’t make a big distinction between “the future” and “the now.”  When an English speaker says he needs to save for the future, he usually does not do so. This is because “the future” seems so far away, and his immediate needs or pleasures override any motivation to save. The speaker of the Chinese language, which can’t distinguish the future as distant, doesn’t suffer from that handicap.

Some Australian aborigine communities do not have words for “left” or “right,” instead they use compass oriented words like North, South, East and West.  Because of this, aborigines from these communities are able to orient themselves extremely well even when they are in buildings, rooms, or territories where they have little or no familiarity. Their language creates navigational competence. Click here to read a brief article about Chen, the aborigines and other fascinating language/behavioral links.

An understanding of this language/behavioral concept can be very useful to the Christian.  Take the Greek word, “agape,” for instance. This is a word that means “love” in English. But the English word “love” does not translate it very well.  In fact, it’s a purely biblical word. It doesn’t exist in classical Greek. Rather, it was revealed to the biblical writers. Agape love is love or commitment that is self-sacrificial.  1 John 4:8 tells us that God is this kind of love. Self-sacrificial love is part of His core being!  This self-sacrificial love is the kind that allowed God to commit His one and only son to save us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).  Unlike other kinds of love, like sexual love, or friendly love, Agape love is concerned with the well-being of the loved, and not necessarily the comfort or pleasure of the lover.

So in order to love like Jesus, it might help to redefine our language of love from that of a feeling, and to push us toward self-sacrifice where we commit ourselves to the well-being of others rather than any immediate emotional or physical desire we have at any given moment.  

How to Speak Like Jesus

Mike Hosey, Elder

Jesus did a lot of talking.  Everywhere he walked, he talked.  And if He is our example, we should talk like Him, too. So let’s examine some of the ways in which He talked.

Jesus seemed to always be speaking about His kingdom. In Matthew 18 He tells his disciples one very important way in which to inherit His kingdom.  He tells them that they should humble themselves and be like children (Matthew 18:1-4). In fact, He is so serious about it that He says unless you are able to humble yourself like a child, then you won’t enter His kingdom. Jesus spoke with His kingdom in mind.

But like every good teacher, he also spoke words meant to keep his students alert.  Notice how he alerts his disciples in Matthew 18:5-11. He warns them that that temptation is very bad, and that those who bring temptation are in significant trouble – perhaps more so than those who simply fall prey to it.  He says that those who tempt His children to sin would be better off having a large stone tied around their neck and then to be thrown into the ocean than it would be for them to bring that temptation to another! He alerted His disciples to the consequences of sin.

But He didn’t leave them without hope. In Matthew 18:10-14 He clearly explains to them that it is not God’s will that any of His children should perish.  He teaches them that God goes looking for even one of His lost sheep, and rejoices when any one of them is found!

Finally, Jesus spoke to his disciples about how to make things right. In Matthew 18:15-20, He explains how to mend a relationship with a brother or sister who has sinned against you. And he gives specific steps on how to execute that process.

So if you want to talk like Jesus, make sure that your speech is kingdom minded, that it warns about temptations and sins, that it provides hope, and that it gives folks an avenue to make things right with those who have wronged them.