GRINDIT podcast

The church at Ephesus was a great church with many great qualities. It was made up of both Jews and Gentiles and stood strong against false teachers. Paul had a great relationship with this church and we can see their love for Paul in Acts 20 as he is on his way to Jerusalem but takes some time to meet with the elders from that church in Miletus. Jesus himself had many great things to say about this awesome church but he also had a major issue with it. Despite all of the encouragement from Paul and Jesus, this loving church was losing their first love—Jesus! They had become so focused on doctrine and fighting against false teachers that they forgot the very one who gave them the doctrine and their salvation to begin with! May we learn a great lesson from this church that is nonexistent today...stay focused on Jesus and keep him the main thing, the focal point of everything we do and say.

We dive into the Book of Ephesians starting out this podcast with an introduction to the book. Paul is the author and, more than likely, this was written from prison in Rome along with three other letters. Going through the introduction we learn Paul gives the church at Ephesus an identity and purpose. It's great for today's culture, especially here in America that seems to be confused when it comes to identity and purpose. Paul makes it clear that our true identity is found in Christ and our purpose is given through him as well. Are you confused with your identity? Do you know your purpose?

James has been hammering the rich and addressing the poor but at the end of his letter he is pulling them all together and saying, “We are one and it’s time to act like it.” Then he goes through a series of “You” questions... If any of you...then...and he gives a solution to each one. He had just said we should be patient waiting for the Lord’s return and now he says while we wait, act like this. One thing James mentions specifically is the sick should call for the elders of the church to pray for them and they will be healed by their prayer in faith because the Lord will heal them! We either believe that or we don’t and the way most churches operate today, we don’t! God hasn’t changed at all so what’s the problem? We are. We want to be in control and as long as we are in control, God cannot work. It’s been James’ message from the beginning...Seek God and His wisdom, and let Him have control.

We are a society that wants what we want yesterday. We don’t want to wait for anything. We get mad at red lights when they change to red and there isn’t a car in sight and we yell and make gestures to those who cut us off and glow slow. Why? Because we are in a hurry to get to a place that isn’t going anywhere yet we think it can’t make it without our presence. We have all the information we could ever need at our fingertips and we get it in a instance, at the push of a button but yet we have to wait patiently for something we have no control over whatsoever—the return of Jesus. And as we wait patiently for Jesus’ return, we are to be patient with one another and not grumble about one another.

James calls out the rich people in the congregation and absolutely hammers them because their money is controlling their thoughts and actions. Remember, he is writing this letter to those who have made the choice to make Jesus their Lord and Savior, not people in the world. James tells them that their money they have hoarded up over time is corroding, wasting away, and come Judgment Day it will testify against them. The problem is not the money because we need it to live, the problem is how the people have put their trust in their money, their riches, to take care of them instead of God. They believe they are in control of their lives, they make plans to acquire more money, and the way they get it is by being dishonest. They aren’t being the example of Jesus, the one they follow and James says, “Get with the program or you’re going to pay the price because that money won’t get you into heaven!”

Many people take what James says out of context and say we shouldn’t make plans and set goals but that is not what James is saying at all! The context of this passage is how people think they are in control, they have stepped in God’s role thinking they have power to control people and situations when we actually have nothing. It is good to make plans but the bottom line is, if God didn’t allow to carry out those plans, we couldn’t. Therefore, it is God who is in control, not us; He sees the heart and the true motives of a person, not us, therefore God is the only One qualified to be Judge...not us. What we can control is how we respond to the law, or how God wants us to live. We can only control us, what we listen to, what we allow in, how we respond to people and things. So, worry about what you can control and that is YOU! Allow God to take care of everything else.

We revisit some strong language James used for his readers when he calls them, "Adulterers" and he tells them if they continue to be a friend with the world, then they are enemies of God. They, as well as we, cannot have it both ways. We are called to be holy, we have been washed in the blood of Christ, our sins have been forgiven, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Why then do we continue to live in sin? James says we are committing adultery and we need turn from our sin, draw near to God, He will draw near to us; that we should let our laughter turn to sadness, that we should have tears because of our sin, and our joy turn to gloom. The problem is, we are like Israel in Jeremiah 2! They couldn't admit they were in sin and their hearts had become callused! God even tells Israel they are worse than a prostitute and that they can teach a prostitute lessons. We have to realize who we are in Christ and live like it!

Why do continue to sin after we are washed in the blood of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit? Because we have a choice: we can choose to continue to live for God and what He desires, drawing near to Him, or we can choose to give into fleshly desires, give into temptation that separates us from God. It takes humility and self-discipline to follow God and to do what He desires for us and far too often, we fall short and allow temptation to win out and we give into sin that separates us from God. It’s a daily struggle and the struggle is real. Paul even wrestled with it claiming he was the chief of all sinners. But we have help because God has given us His Spirit as a helper and He promises us that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle and He also promises a way of escape. We have to make the right choice: flee from sin and run to God!

James has been writing his letter to confront the followers of Jesus who have been scattered abroad because of persecution to quit sinning. He is trying to get these believers to realize who they are in Christ and who lives inside them, God’s Spirit, therefore, they need to live like it! Their problem is they are trying to live for Jesus while living for the world too! Instead of doing what God desires, they are giving in to fleshly desires, which is sin, and they don’t even show any remorse for their choices. James tells them to do a heart check and get back where they belong...separated from the world and close to God!

Before breaking down James 4, we interview James Seiler, pastor of Authentic Church, 322 Lindsay Street, Alcoa, TN....where we worship! Come see at 10am on Sundays!