To study the letter of James is to learn much about the Christian life. Probing questions and penetrating illustrations are masterfully employed by James to draw the reader into the sobering and exciting call the gospel brings to the everyday life of a believer. None as practical as the Christian’s speech. 

James cared about the tongue. He knew, because he learned from his brother Jesus (Luke 6:45), the tongue is tied to the heart.

His theology of the tongue was simple: If my heart is right, my tongue will show it. If my heart is wrong, my tongue will show it.

Of course, James’ instruction on the tongue flowed from four realities: 

1. Holiness of God

2. Sinfulness of man

3. Redemption in Christ

4. Priority of cross-centered relationships

As sinners, we have been saved from the eternal wrath of an infinitely holy God. How? Only through the perfect life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this all by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Now, reconciled and restored to God and one another, our lives, including and especially our tongues, are to be a fountain and reflection of the redemption we have graciously received. Sounds nice, right? But what does that mean, and how does that look?

In his outstanding article, Speaking Redemptively, Paul Tripp tells us. Using Galatians 5:16-6:2, Mr. Tripp draws ten implications with clear gospel focus and everyday relevance. I encourage you to take a few minutes this week and review the list below, then click here to read the full article. May God be glorified, and our Savior exalted as our speech increasingly reflects the redemption we have in Christ! 

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1. Speaking redemptively begins by recognizing the war within.

2. Speaking redemptively means never giving in to the desires of the sinful nature as we talk.

3. Speaking redemptively means refusing to speak in any way that is contrary to what the Spirit is seeking to produce in me and others.

4. Speaking redemptively involves a willingness to examine how the fruit of the sin nature is present in my talk.

5. Speaking redemptively means saying “no” to any rationalization, blame-shifting, or self-serving arguments that would excuse talk that is contrary to the work of the Spirit, or that would make this talk look appropriate or acceptable for a kingdom citizen.

6. Speaking redemptively means speaking “in step with the Spirit.”

7. Speaking redemptively means giving no place to the passions and desires of the sinful nature.

8. Speaking redemptively means having a restorative view of relationships.

9. Speaking redemptively means speaking with humility and gentleness.

10. Speaking redemptively means other-centered living and other-centered communication.

The Book of James teaches believers how to live by faith in a fallen world. Responding to trials, obedience to Scripture, humility in relationships, and taming the tongue are just a few of the contexts James exhorts us to walk by faith, in holiness, for the glory of God.

Speaking of the tongue, no place in the Bible do we find more comprehensive teaching on the importance of our words than the Book of James. The words we speak can seem so ordinary and harmless. They are not. James knows this. James knows our words matter. They can calm an anxious heart or create a raging war. Our words matter because the tongue is tied to the heart.

For this reason, we recommend Paul Tripp’s War of Words as a worthy addition to your summer reading list! Take a moment to consider what others have to say about War of Words (pay close attention to the last one!).

 An important and biblical book about our words and our God. Few of us really think about the power, the blessing, the gift, the effect, and the danger of our words. This book will make you think before you speak—Steve Brown

 Paul Tripp does not offer superficial solutions to our failures of communication. He recognizes that the spiritual quality of our words emanates from our hearts—Tremper Longman III

 Until our hearts are completely purified by God in heaven, we must set strong guards at the gates of our mouths and fight daily battles to restrain the overflow of our sinful desires. I have never before read such helpful insights and practical tools for this battle—Ken Sande 

 Most of us are quickly sobered if we give any thought to Jesus teaching about giving an account for every word we speak (Matt 12:36-37). What is one to do? I'd encourage you to give yourself to an in-depth study in God's Word about His agenda for our words as His children. You won't find a better resource than War of Words—Timothy Lambros

War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Resources for Changing Lives)

By Paul David Tripp

Buy on Amazon

Child dedications. What are they? Should the church have them? Should I dedicate my child on Sunday morning? These are good questions. As Christians, we should never do something because it is what we have always done or everyone else is doing it.

 Some churches baptize infants, otherwise known as paedobaptism. We do not baptize infants because we believe Scripture teaches baptism is for believers (Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:11-14). This conviction is captured in our Statement of Faith:

Baptism is an initiatory, unrepeated sacrament for those who come to faith in Christ that pictures their remissions of sins and union with Christ in his death and resurrection.

So does the Bible say anything about baby dedications? Nowhere does Scripture command parents to dedicate their child to the Lord. That said, there are examples, specifically, Hannah vowing to dedicate her child to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:11) and Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to the Temple to be dedicated (Luke 2:22).

Scripture is clear on the parent's God-given call to teach their children diligently in the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:6-7), train them up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6), and bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Dedicating your child is not an act of salvation, baptism, or church membership. It is a symbolic way to communicate the Spirit-empowered intent to raise the child in a Christ-centered home according to Scripture.

In this way, child dedication is less about the child and more about the parents acknowledging their child is a gift from the Lord entrusted to them to raise for His glory with the hope that he or she will come to faith in Jesus one day. 

As for the rest of the church, through this encouraging tradition, we commit as a local family of faith to stand in prayer and support for the parents and their child.   

If you would like to participate in the child dedication on Mother’s Day, May 9th, please click here to register your child, and someone will contact you. 

I don’t watch many movies, but when I do, I enjoy a good mind-bender. Movies like Tenet, Inception, and Interstellar keep me thinking. They keep me engaged, and they keep me coming back because I never quite feel like I have figured out what’s going on. In this way, they keep me frustrated!

There are many aspects of the Christian faith that are mind-benders: God’s sovereignty and our responsibility, the knowability of an incomprehensible God, Jesus as fully God and man, the omnipresence of God (He is at all places, in all times, in His fullness). And oh yeah, there’s the Trinity. Or how about this gem from the Apostle Paul: 

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

When I am weak, I am strong. Mind-bender? You better believe it. Listen to Paul Tripp explain:

“God chooses for you to be weak to protect you from you and to cause you to value the strength that only he can give. In this way, the weaknesses that he sends your way are not impediments to the good life. They are not in the way of his loving plan. They are not signs of his lack of care. They are not indicators of the failure of his promises. They do not expose gaps in the theology that we hold dear. They are not indications that the Bible contradicts itself when it says that God will meet all of your needs. No, these weaknesses are tools of his zealous and amazing grace. They protect you from the arrogance of self-reliance that tempts us all. They keep you from thinking that you’re capable of what you’re not. They remind you that you are needy and were created to be dependent on one greater than you. They cause you to do what all of us in some way resist doing - humbly run to God for the help that only he can give.

So your weaknesses are not the big danger that you should fear. What you should really fear are your delusions of strength. When you tell yourself that you are strong, you quit being excited about God‘s rescuing, transforming, and empowering grace. Paul actually celebrated his weaknesses, because as he did, the power of God rested upon him. He didn’t live a fearful, discouraged, and envious life; he was content because he knew weakness is the doorway to real power, power that only God can and willingly does supply.”

A glorious facet of the Christian life is we never exhaust our knowledge, understanding, and experience of God.

Every day we keep coming back to know Him, love Him, and experience Him a little bit more. But unlike the frustrating effect of Hollywood’s mind-bender, coming back leads us to joy, wonder, and awe! May that be your reality today as you experience the mind-bending truth that when you are weak, in Christ you are strong!

James 4:21 clearly calls us to “receive with meekness the implanted word.”  Last Sunday we learned that when God saves us, He puts new desires for His Word within us by the Spirit. Then we were challenged with this thought – if you don’t have a desire for the Word something is wrong.  

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What if I don’t desire the Word?

Three possibilities come to mind.  All three involve some serious examination.

First, examine yourself to see if you’re in the faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5 states this very clearly.  One evidence that God has regenerated your soul is the desire for His Word.  Many people can get involved in a Church, say and do all the accepted Christian external behaviors but inside not know God personally. (Matthew 7:21-23)  

Think about the closed Bible illustration. If I say I’m a Christian but have no desire for God’s Word, my life is stating I don’t want to hear anything from God.  I don’t want to hear about who God is and how I’m united with his Son Jesus Christ.  I’m not interested in God’s Word and what I’m called to do as one of His children. 

Examining yourself to see if you’re in the faith will be the toughest but most fruitful examination you can do. If you have any concerns in this area, contact your Pastors, a Community Group leader or a trusted, mature believer you know. 

Second, examine your desires.  I would submit that for most regenerated believers the desire for meeting God in His Word is there but possibly buried.  Buried down deep below other desires that dominate your life right now. 

That image of God’s Word being closed to us like an unopened Bible is powerful.  For most of us it’s simply examining our lives to see what else has taken desire into our lives.  Maybe multiple things have risen in our hearts so that what is most important - opening God’s Word on a regular basis- now is secondary or only occurs only when it’s convenient, etc.  Picture God’s Word closed yet you are zipping by it numerous times a day desiring/chasing other less important things that have captured your heart.

Third, examine your season.  If you are typically hungry for God’s Word yet sit under a message like James 1:19-21 and sense the Spirit say “you’re that person”, maybe you’ve simply drifted and allowed other desires to temporarily bury your desire for God’s Word.  We all drift, we need to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23- in fact just read all of Proverbs 4!) and grow to ruthlessly guard the desires of our hearts.

For every believer, God has not only implanted His Word in us but give us His Spirit.  The Spirit of God is there to help us grow in understanding what a gift His Word is to us and for us.  He will transform our desires and bring us to a place where we eagerly desire His Word.

If you read the first 2 chapters of Genesis carefully, you’ll quickly see that what makes us distinct from the rest of creation is our ability to interpret the facts before us and respond in ways that glorify our Creator (or not.)  We don’t just live by the facts, we live by how we interpret those facts as we see in Genesis 3 where Eve listened to Satan re-interpret the facts of what God said.

Fast forward to James 1 and now we are instructed how to respond differently to trials.

Christians who follow James’ wisdom can be transformed in how they respond to the facts of their trials.

What we have learned is that looking inward instead of outwardly blaming God is an important part of the process.  It’s not the only part we’ve learned so far but it’s an important part.

By the grace of God we can resolve to resist the temptation to outwardly blame God and spend much more fruitful time examining our hearts. As God instructs us to be steadfast in James 1:4, 12 , one aspect is to grow and learn to know when we are tempted and to avoid being lured away.  This is fruitful work especially as we grow to “count our trials” pure joy knowing God is at work.  

We heard last Sunday that temptations aren’t sinful.  They simply bring us to a point of decision (Galatians 5:14-16).  What fantastic imagery we get from God’s Word!  An untreated temptation can quickly be like a lure to a fisherman.  Most fish have God given instincts to be nervous Nellie’s as they seek to feed all day long.  Fish just won’t eat something that doesn’t look perfectly normal. When fly fishermen attempt to create a fly they go to great detail to make sure it looks organic and matches the bugs in the river.  If not, they will never “lure” the fish away.  Fish instinctively avoid flies that unnatural, inorganic, etc. 

That’s a great picture for us. As we heard on Sunday, we need to engage with our temptations allowing God’s Word to inform our response and like fish, be extremely careful so we aren’t being lured away into sin. That’s step one on the road to “let steadfastness have its full effect.”

Step two is for many of us who do get lured away.  God gives grace to those who realize they have been lured away and given birth to sin.

Repentance allows us to put off being lured away and turn to God in forgiveness.

What’s the key? Sobriety and intentionality (Hebrews 3:12-13) when it comes to examining our hearts and making sure we aren’t “enticed by his own desire.” Let’s not be lured away!