THE TONGUE IS A FIRE

James 3

“Is Jack and Jill’s marriage in trouble?” she asked me.

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s all over the church. You were talking to another counselor down at the counseling center, and he told you they were going to split, and the whole church would be shocked.”

“Nonsense,” I replied. “As far as I know their marriage is fine, and I have no clue that they are going for counseling anywhere. Besides, counselors don’t talk to each other like that, and if they did, neither would have disclosed the confidence to anyone else.”

THE TONGUE IS A FIRE!

Somebody made that story up out of whole cloth. The only possible way I could think of

That it arose was from a divorce recovery class I had been leading the last few weeks. At one class I pointed out that when a couple separated, they often felt everyone was staring at them,  and it just wasn’t so. It might remind a lot of people of the problems in their marriage, and that a lot of unions that looked solid were privately falling apart. I suspect a world-class gossip in that group took that material and wove a full-blown tale out of it. Why they picked Jack and Jill, I have no clue.

I hate gossip and have seen it tear up friendships and churches and all sorts of clubs. Apparently, James did too, for a great deal of his book is about various sins of the tongue.

DON’T TEACH! – This may be a bad time of year to present this lesson, because churches are often stretching their resources to complete their Bible teaching staff. Nevertheless, the warning is there. Often as a pastor, I have been frustrated at getting the best teachers in the right place. For example, a common problem was an adult who wanted to teach youth so he could “straighten them out.” That’s exactly the kind of person you DON’T want teaching youth, because they close down if you try to lecture to them. If you teach, the Lord holds you accountable for what you teach, whatever the age group.

Remember if you are a teacher, you are called to teach both the Bible and the people. I’ve had a number of people become Baptist because we are teaching the Bible specifically. They tell me their lessons might be good morality, but they are not coming directly from the Bible.

>One of our biggest weaknesses, however, is the misconception that we are teaching only Biblical content and we have to “get through” the quarterly lesson every week. We are teaching the Bible, not the quarterly. And if the Holy Spirit leads the class to focus on one part of the lesson, and you never get to the rest of it, celebrate that the class was involved and truly learning.

>Another necessity is that we teach to change lives. If the class has a perfect grasp of Paul’s itinerary on all four missionary journeys, but has no faith that the Lord can lead them every bit as much as He did Paul, the teacher has not done very much.

>Some years ago, a school teacher brought me an article on “giving invitations” in teaching. This caught my attention, of course, because at the end of every sermon I gave an invitation. But this writer expanded the idea to the classroom. Challenge the kids to do a little more, to take another step in learning. And we can certainly do that in our Bible studies. A popular idea currently floating around in the self-help scene is seeking to improve any of your skills by just 1% a day or a week, or a month. Just 1% a month would total over 10% better for a year – not bad. If you told one more person a month what God is doing for you, how would that impact your witness over a year? In keeping with today’s lesson, if you sought to encourage your spouse, children, or friends once more each week, how would the extra 50 you have boosted make a difference?

And that’s just scratching the surface of verse 1!

Verse 2 – We all stumble in many ways. I often hear people say, “I have many faults.” Sometimes a wag will pop up, “Name one.” That’s correct, actually, though meant as a joke. Don’t be among the people who publicly pray, “Lord, bless all those whose duty it is we pray for.” Instead, name two or three. James goes on to point out the tongue as among the most significant.

In fact, James believes you have control over your entire life if you can control your tongue. He says one who is never at fault in what they say is perfect! Perfect? This can mean one of three things or some combination.

            >The Greek word can also be translated “mature.” A perfect fruit is one that is ripe and ready for eating. Or perhaps in maturity it can produce seeds to reproduce. As a Christian grows to maturity, our ability to control our speech is a major area of growth. How does the 1% principle apply to you here?

            >The word can also imply fulfillment of purpose. Something that is perfect or mature in this way fulfills its reason for being. How often have you “blown” an opportunity by saying the wrong thing or failing to say the right thing? 1%, remember.

            >In this context, James could mean perfect the way we do – without a flaw. He specifically says, control your tongue, you control your life. By that standard, how’re you doing, Christian?