"Scatter" Plot.

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. For human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:19-25)

As we close this week’s reflections on Dr. Hawthorne’s quote (“We have the pastor, the fellowship, and God as our Captain”), let’s consider the above passage from the epistle of James. James, in speaking to the Jews who lived among the Gentiles, gave counsel to the fellowship of believers which were scattered throughout the diaspora. For those who would heed James’s counsel, there would result three things: God’s righteousness (1:19-20), their souls’ salvation (1:21), and the Lord’s blessing (1:25).

What was James’s counsel?

Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. The community of faith is to be characterized by patience, gentleness, and self-control—that is, the faith community is to reflect the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23).

Put away all filth and evil excess. The community of faith is not to condone or harbor actions that run counter to God’s attributes. If we cling to evil, then we are not representatives of our Lord Jesus. Further, our misrepresentation hurts not only ourselves, but also our entire faith community.

Humbly welcome the message implanted within you. Our pastors are tasked by God to speak His agenda. Because we trust our pastors to speak as the oracles of God, we are tasked to receive what they speak. Some messages are encouraging; others are convicting. Either way, our mandate is to humbly welcome the message. God is using our leaders to help us grow up in Him.

Live out the message. Hell will be full of people who have attended churches and heard messages, yet never got around to obeying God’s word. We are to be hearers and doers (see James 1:22).

Peer into the law of the Lord. Gaze intensely! Faithful meditation on the word of God helps us to remain aware of what God has said. As we daily keep our attention on His word, we are reinforcing the messages we have heard from our pastors. This reinforcement empowers us to live in obedience to God.

A three-stranded cord is not quickly broken (see Ecclesiastes 4:12). As was shared by Reverend Gabbidon during our Wednesday night class, Christians were never meant to “go it alone.” We have a three-stranded cord: our pastors, our fellow believers, and Elohim, the triune God.

Let us humbly, and joyfully, embrace this God-given support system.