FOUNDRYcast

This week Foundry is reading the book of James together. It is an exciting look into what Early Christianity was like and was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus. Each day we will post the scripture reading and a short audio commentary. Make sure to tune in each day.

Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. 4 For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven's Armies.

5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.

7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

9 Don't grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!

10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

12 But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 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.

I remember what finally convinced me an acoustic guitar was an acceptable instrument in rock and roll. After a steady diet of late 80's glam rock and early 90's grunge music, I finally heard Guns N' Roses song "Patience". I immediately remember (the significantly nice) acoustic guitar I had laying around and played it in favor of the $35 electric guitar I typically played.

All We Need is Just a Little Patience

James makes his final appeal to Christians to understand the power of world-making. Our own emotions of self-control and anxiety don't create the peaceful world God has designed for us and asks for our help in creating. The anxiety we can lead from leads to our own hoarding, dysfunction and lashing out in hurt at other people. When we allow chaos to reign, we rise above on the backs of those around us.

Authentic Believers Exhibit Authentic Patience.

James lifts up two Old Testament leaders, Job and Elijah. Both lived in the midst of suffering and pain, but through their own endurance and prayer, created worlds of comfort and patience around them. Patience is a mark of the kingdom. Patience is defined as "remaining tranquil while waiting." Patience doesn't mean pacing. It doesn't mean nervousness. It means insisting on the vision of a community made up of holy peace.

Reflection Questions

1. How has your faith been changed and challenged reading James?
2. How do you need to grow in patience?

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This week Foundry is reading the book of James together. It is an exciting look into what Early Christianity was like and was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus. Each day we will post the scripture reading and a short audio commentary. Make sure to tune in each day.

James 4 (NLT) What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. 4 You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. 6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. 11 Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? 13 Look here, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone. 15 What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." 16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. 17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. Humble and Focused James goes for the jugular in this chapter. He immediately begins building a case against our own broken decision making. He calls us adulterers. Not because of sexual misconduct, but to use an Old Testament metaphor for people who willfully choose to disobey God. James begins developing a distinct theology of grace and sin, combined with human participation. He calls us to have one simple behavior. To be humble. And we can breathe deeply because the ball is totally in our court and Jesus gives us the ability to practice exactly the sort of humility the Father is looking for. I love verse 8. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8 I've loved that verse since the first day I remember reading it. All we have to do is remain focused. Focused on the promise that God will draw near to us. Reflection Questions 1. How have we refused or neglected to come to God and thereby lost our ability to see and live the measure of grace He wants to give us? 2. What does idolatry look like in your life currently? 3. Where are you comfortable not being humble and instead living divergent to the will of God?

This week Foundry is reading the book of James together. It is an exciting look into what Early Christianity was like and was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus. Each day we will post the scripture reading and a short audio commentary. Make sure to tune in each day.

James 3

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, an d you can't draw fresh water from a salty spring.

13 If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Words (Without) Friends

Is anyone else good at putting their foot in their mouth? We've all done it. Some of us are habitual and other simply get caught in an odd situation. We are entering the portion of James where he really begins looking at the parts of our life that have the ability to absolutely control us, good or bad.

Some of us might immediately write off this passage because we don't see ourselves as teachers. But what if we changed this word to be "influencers"? Because if we take the call to discipleship seriously, we can all place ourselves inside of this call. Yes, James is outlining a greater requirement for those in religious leadership, but he is also setting a different level of expectation for all of us who consider ourselves disciples of Christ.

Our words have the ability to either prove us or ruin us. And we need to take them seriously.

Reflection Questions

1. Think of a situation where your words have gotten you in trouble?
2. Can you remember a time when someone else's words have hurt you?
3. How can your words narrate your journey with Jesus better?

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, "You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor"—well,4 doesn't this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren't they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn't it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren't they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?

8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws. 11 For the same God who said, "You must not commit adultery," also said, "You must not murder." So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.

12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well"—but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

17 So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

18 Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds."

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can't you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

21 Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

What does it mean to be wise? Is it different from smart?

Wisdom is a pretty big thing in scripture. In fact, an entire section of the Old Testament (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and Job) are known as "wisdom literature." Many of us think only more "experienced" people in life are wise, or that someone can become wise through intentional learning or education.

Wisdom doesn't belong on the campus, high rise or ivory tower.

It belongs to each of us.

This week, we are diving into the concept of wisdom as it relates to human experience. We will find out primary scripture from James. James talks about wisdom coming from a particular direction.

If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. James 3:13-18

Did you catch the idea that true wisdom isn't something we can come up with on our own? Wisdom also relates to how we are able to navigate a broken, sinful world. And wisdom doesn't just belong to those chosen few…but is a necessary part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Creating chaos or calmness

Being wise means bringing in an alternate reality to the chaos. James speaks of "bitter-envy, jealousy, and selfish ambition." He is calling out when we create chaos. If we are truly wise, we will be creating calm.

In fact, the more we try to pull off wisdom on our own, the more we expose our own lack of wisdom. Ever hear the phrase"digging their own hole…?"

So come have this conversation about wisdom with us. Find out how each of us are supposed to be wise.

This week Foundry is reading the book of James together. It is an exciting look into what Early Christianity was like and was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus. Each day we will post the scripture reading and a short audio commentary. Make sure to tune in each day.

Find the shownotes at wearefoundry.com/james1

James 1

James 1 (NLT) 1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am writing to the "twelve tribes"—Jewish believers scattered abroad.

Greetings!

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

9 Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. 10 And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. 11 The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.

12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

16 So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

22 But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

26 If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James writes to the believers scattered throughout the world. This most likely happened after the martyrdom of Stephen. When broke across the entire Roman empire, life got pretty tough. Instead of the support of thousands of believers in one city, the early church was now living in nearly every location around the Mediterranean. James digs in deep into the idea of consistency in this chapter.

Our Actions Matter

James drills heavy into us realizing our outward actions reflect the state of our inward heart. He doesn't advocate for righteousness because of good deeds. But James does tell us that our outward actions need to line up with the state of our heart.

Reflection Questions

1. What does stability in life look like for you?
2. Have you ever thought your own external stability the absence of chaos is a marker of your internal spiritual and emotional health?
3. How can you be more single-minded today?

What are thing things in life you just simply won't budge on?

I refuse to eat any beans and I believe that sugar in cornbread is horrible. I believe Waylon Jennings is the single greatest country western singer to ever live. I will always pick the Stones over the Beatles.

But I am honest with myself, I also have very broken truths I refuse to budge on. I make assumptions about people and things. I will live completely in my own sinful state because of refusing to make decisions. I won't change my mind. My own hard-headedness will ultimately ruin me.

This week we are talking about the mind. Last week, we talked about the heart. The two are inextricably linked together because they help us to see and express what it means to truly be human. And as disciples of Jesus, our heart and our mind come together to tell a larger story about our lives and the way we live in the Kingdom of God.

We are spending time in Phillipians 2 with Paul's famous words about unity and reading an early hymn of the church.

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The interesting thing about our mind is that we think it is an absolute, never moving. But the way we read about the mind in scripture doesn't show immovability, it shows an insistence upon the mind moving from something we control to something we allow Jesus to control.

The heart is a funny thing. We can't live without it. We are obsessed with it from a medical perspective, yet also talk about it plenty of cultural terms. It shows up on t-shirts, emoji's, Instagram story drawings over our favorite food and plenty of other things. The heart is serious business.

The heart is also serious business to God. It is referenced over 350 times in scripture and you'd be surprised how folks thousands of years ago spoke and communicated about the heart in many of the same ways we do? The heart is the center and seat of our emotions and our focuses. This Sunday, we are going to talk about the Habits of the Heart. It isn't just about ourselves, but our hearts serves as an indicator with the ways we interact with the whole world!

What we manifest in the world always begins with our heart.

So we are going to look across scripture at the habits of our heart and dive deep into a particular promise from God found in the book of Ezekiel.

I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. 24 For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.

25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.

28 "And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36:23-28

God promises to change our hearts. This change refocuses our first line motivations and our first reactions. it means better relationships, attitude and outlook.