James: Religion That Works

When I was in Seminary, I got the privilege to work along side my dad for a few years. He was the head pro at Salem Golf Club, and had been so all my life. And everyone at the club loved my dad.  So that meant that almost everyone also knew who I was and what I was like before I met Jesus.  But they also knew that I had become a Christian who was now preparing for the ministry.  So most of the people who came to the club respected what I was doing and were very supportive.  But there were a number who wanted to see if my new-found faith actually made a difference in how I lived.  So they were watching me, but they would also question me.  And one of the questions I got a lot of early on was about the TV preachers they’d seen and heard.  Even though they weren’t Christ followers, they saw right through these guys.  They saw that some of these preachers were just in it for the money.  And they saw their hypocrisy, because at that time (the mid- to late eighties) a number of TV preachers had been disqualified from ministry – some for infidelity, and at least one prominent televangelist, for conning thousands of naïve Christians out of their money.

So I knew I was constantly being watched to see if my life matched up to who I now followed. Even today, I’m aware that people look to see if my life matches up with what I believe.  And whether you are aware of it or not, they are watching you too.  And what they are looking for is to see if your faith actually makes a difference in how you live. And the reason they do this is to see if you have a religion that works.  For some, they’re looking to see if you’re the real deal because they’re curious about Christianity.  But for others, they’re looking to see flaws in your faith, so they can discredit Christianity and feel better about their own unbelief. So what are they looking for?What makes areligion that works? Well, that’s precisely what God reveals to us from the book of James. So if you brought your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to find James 1:26-27, where we’re going to unpack three factors from these verses that reveal for us a religion that works. And the first factor is found in verse 26.

But before we look at that first factor, let me make a disclaimer about the term “religion.”  Normally, you hear me say that we don’t have a religion, but a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.  We define religion as man’s attempt to earn favor with God through religious ritual and religious behaviors.   However, to the rest of the world, when they see we worship God as our Father, and follow Jesus in how we live our faith – that’s our religion.  That’s Christianity.  So that’s how the term religion is used in this context.  To the watching world, then, its how we live out our worship of the Father is what qualifies as our religion.  And that’s what we see from our text today.

So then: A Religion that works will make a difference in what we say Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. James 1:26  James goes straight to the point.  And he uses pretty convincing language to tell us that how we speak to one another can derail our faith.  And once again he pulls no punches, saying that rash speech, gossip, slander, or angry words can render our faith as worthless. James says, that when you tear someone down with your words, your religion might as well be nonexistent.  When you speak poorly of someone, James says your faith is futile.  And he makes it pretty clear that we must reign in our tongues if we’re going to have a religion that works.  How important is it that we learn to make a difference in our speaking?  Listen to these Proverbs bout the use of our words:

The words of the recklesspierce like swords,
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.  Proverbs 12:18

Those who guard theirlips preserve their lives,
    but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.Proverbs 13:3

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.Proverbs 15:1

The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
    but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.Proverbs 15:4

Words have power, they can crush the spirit, they can damage to the soul, they can stir up anger, and they can bring to ruin the one who abuses his words.  It’s not news that we live in a day where damaging language is the tone of our times. And Christians are not immune.  In fact, James’ warning is timely to us.  It could be that the very person whom you have political differences with, may be looking to you to see if there’s hope – not looking to you to hear your disparaging remarks.  If I understand James correctly, he’s saying that our conversations, whether they be about politics, sports, lifestyle choices or any other multitude of opinions, say a lot about us.  You see,  the way we use our words can either enhance or damage your reputation as a Christian. So don’t be deceived.  How we speak matters. And James wants you to feel the magnitude of just how much it matters.

If we know Jesus, if you worship Jesus, if your life has been changed by His mercy and grace, then this change should be reflected in your conversations.  I like how Paul describes this in his letter to the Colossians.  He says:  Be wise in the wayyou act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.  Colossians 4:5-6  Are your conversations always full of grace?  Are they kind, gentle, considerate and encouraging?  Or are they on par with the tone of the day? Are they harsh, critical, judgmental and opinionated?

Listen to what Proverbs says about the good potential of our words: Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.Proverbs 16:24  Our words have the potential to bring life and healing.  So then, if we are going to have a religion that works, we will be disciplined in our conversations.  We will refrain from the way the world speaks, and instead show another way – the way of grace. For when we show restraint, when we refrain from being critical,condemning, harsh or rash, and we will show we have a religion that works. It’s easy to be critical. It’s far more difficult to hold your tongue. But if you follow Jesus, if you let Jesus reign over your tongue; Jesus can transform your conversations.  And if you can do that, you will not only show that you have a religion that works, you’ll show another way to speak – the way of grace, the way of Jesus. A Religion that works will make a difference in what we say.  That’s the first factor in a religion that works, now the second:

A Religion that works will make a difference in who we serve Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. James 1:27a

If we worship the One True God, and desire to become like the one we worship, then we will begin to reflect His heart to the helpless.  This is what Scripture says about God’s heart for the helpless: “He defends the cause of thefatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.” Deuteronomy 10:18 and The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, Psalm 146:9  In other words, anyone who has a true religion, will have the same kind of compassion as God our Father, for people who are on the margins of life. We will look after the disadvantaged and the disenfranchised, the rejected and abandoned. Its not just widows and orphans that God is referring too here: He’s referring to anyone who is distressed, down and out and needs some help.

And that could mean widows and orphans.  In James day, those who were widowed had no means of support. There were no governmental systems in place to help them.  So God moved in Christ followers to fill that void, and they did.  They did the same with orphans.  But today those who fit this description of being distressed and helpless are many:  They are the refugees with no one to help them. They are the thousands of children in the foster care program.  They are the homeless, the drug-addicted and broken.  They are the single moms and children on food stamps.  They are the poor.  Much like many of those who live just down the road in Eloy.  So what James is saying to us here is this: the kind of religion our Father accepts as pure is a religion that looks after the neediest people in our community.

Its like the post I saw the other day from a Pastor on Facebook. He told a brief story about Michelle Lussier, general manager of Little Caesars restaurant in Fargo, North Dakota.  She noticed people were eating leftovers from the store’s dumpster. Her reaction was to put this sign in her store window.  It reads: “To the person going through our trash for their next meal:  You’re a human being and worth more than a meal from a dumpster.  Please come in during operating hours for a couple of slices of hot pizza and a cup of water at no charge.  No questions asked.”

It’s like what Jesus will say one day to those who followed Him as King: ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’    

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:34-40

That’s the point God’s Word is making about a religion that works. Every person struggling to survive are human beings made in His image and likeness, and therefore they are worth more than a meal from a dumpster.  They need help.  And James says, if your religion is real, you will give them the help they need.  You will “look after” those in distress.

So what does this command to “look after” actually mean?  To look after means “to go and visit,” to come alongside the one in need and help them.  This is personal.  God wants us to be His hands and feet of mercy.  So this may mean helping a single mom with food or clothing, transportation or shelter.  This may mean helping a young father get clean and sober.  This may mean helping an unemployed dad get the proper paper work to get a job.  It may mean even helping to train them to get a job.  You see, those in distress don’t have a normal support system.  So what James is calling us to see is that looking after “orphans and widows” – those on the margins of society is not an option for the church; but an obligation.

It’s like what John wrote in 1 John 3:17-18, If anyone has material possessions and sees abrother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Remember what James said previously:  Become doers of the Word, and not just hearers only, and so deceive yourselves. James 1:22  So this is what God is calling us to do. And this is how were going to put our “looking after” into motion:  Over the next weeks and months we are going to create an Eloy Mission Team.  And what this team is going to “do,” is to come alongside the people of Eloy to learn who is in need, who is currently caring for those in need, and ask God to show us what role He wants us to play in “looking after” the marginalized and distressed of Eloy. This is going to be a long-term approach, not a short term fix. And so we are looking for people who will be committed to being God’s hands and feet to the people of Eloy.  If that is you, you can either fill out a Connect Card and write Eloy Mission Team.  Or you can talk to me personally.  But here’s the deal. God’s Word says, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.  So we want to take this seriously and do what God desires: to come alongside those in need and help them.  That’s a religion that works. A Religion that works will make a difference in who we serve.  And God is calling us to make a difference!

That’s a key factor in a religion that works. But as great as it is to have conversations  full of grace, and as great as it is to serve the less fortunate, God has one more factor that He wants to see in our lives, and that is this: A Religion that works will make a difference in how we live  so James adds this little reminder about what’s to make us different: and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27b

God’s Word has already given us much to process today.  But we can’t leave without addressing the negative impact the world can have on our faith.  What James is saying here is that the world wants to pollute your faith.  The world wants to stain your reputation, compromise your character, and nullify your distinctiveness as a Christ follower.  So the world seeks to squeeze you into its mold by influencing the way you think and relate in the world, so that you are just like everyone else- so that no one can look at your life and see you are any different.

Now let me give you a brief definition of “the world”as God’s Word defines it. The world is society without God.  So in a world without God, man and his desires are exalted over God.  So the world by its very nature stands opposed to God.That’s why John wrote this command for us to obey: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Fatheris not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:15-16

Now Jesus prayed for us that we would be in the world, but not of the world.  That’s the  point James is making here.  We are not of this world.  We belong to Christ.  And now in order to keep ourselves from being stained by the world, we must hold onto the new way of living Jesus has brought to us.  We must embrace the way of the kingdom, not the way of the world.  For the way of the kingdom is a way of surrender, not exaltation.  The way of the kingdom is humility, not pride.  And the way of the kingdom is sacrificial love, not a self-centered give me everything and make everything revolve around me kind of life.  There is a distinct difference between the way of the world and the way of Jesus!   That’s why people are looking at our lives.

What are they looking for?  They are looking to see if there really is another way to live, than what the world has to offer. That’s why James says, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  They’re looking to see if our words, our works and our lives truly reflect the One we worship. They’re looking to see if Who We Worship changes how we live.

They are looking for a religion that works.  They are looking to see if we have a faith that produces gracious conversations.  They are looking to see if our faith produces hands on compassion.  And they are looking to see from our lives if there’s an alternative way to live.

So what might God have you do with what you’ve heard today?  Well, let me share with you and old-fashioned word.  It’s called repentance.  And it’s a word that speaks of change.  Perhaps God is calling you to change how you speak in your conversations, or maybe He is calling you to stop isolating yourself from people who could use a hand up. Or maybe He’s calling you to change how you live in the world.  Whatever, He is calling you to do, remember the theme of James:  Become doers of the Word, and not hearers only and so deceive yourself.  God is calling you to do something with what you have heard today.  But remember, you don’t have to do it alone, that’s why He’s made you part of His family, connected you with others in His body, so we can become doers of His Word together – to be the people God has called us to be – to be a blessing in our world.