Dear Brothers and Sisters,

You are invited to come to the Wednesday evening prayer meeting and pray. (7:00 PM LHF time, Wed., Dec. 5, 2000)

Text: James 1:19-21

"He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created (v18).

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

God chose to give us birth through the word of truth. That is, it was his will for us to be born again, to be born from above, to be made alive and to be new creations through the word of truth, that is through the truth of the gospel. 'Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.' (Rom. 10:17) When God gave us birth (that is, when he begot us) through his word we had eternal life. We were no longer condemned. And we are still no longer condemned and we will remain no longer condemned. Once you have eternal life, it is really eternal. If it is eternal, there is no possible way it can disappear. Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me HAS eternal life and will NOT be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24)"

Now in today's passage, James is not only speaking to the 'twelve tribes scattered among the nations' (v1b), but also to us. He is speaking to his dear brothers (v19). We are his brothers in Christ because we have been given birth by God through the word of truth. The Holy Spirit, speaking through James, tells us that the word has been planted in us. He is telling us to humbly accept the word planted in us, which can save us. (v21) God has planted his word in us. As a seed, when it is planted, begins to grow and eventually produces a plant which can bear fruit, so the word of God planted in us by the Holy Spirit of God will grow and bear fruit. We are saved through it. And 'saved' in this case, I believe, means sanctified. In this verse, James is not talking about receiving eternal life, but rather about the ongoing process of becoming like Christ (and then finally seeing him face-to-face). The word which has been planted in us is able to make us like Christ. What James is telling us in today's passage is also the word of God which can save us.

Now here's what this word of God says: "Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Get rid of all moral filth and the evil which is so prevalent." The Holy Spirit will use this word to make you like Christ. If you don't listen and are quick to speak and quick to become angry, it generally means you are self-centered. Jesus was not self-centered When Jesus was among us, he looked up to his Father in heaven to know his will in everything he did and he looked out to us in order to serve and save us. He didn't look at himself at all. He gave up his life for us. Sometimes he rejoiced at his Father's work to save and give life. Other times he was sad because of men's stubborn hearts. He cried when they were mourning over Lazarus's death. Finally, he had to overcome his own will and go to the cross. It was not easy for him, but he did it for the 'joy set before him,' the joy of pleasing his Father and the joy of saving us. It doesn't seem as though anyone would want to follow Jesus and become like him (even in his death, as the apostle Paul expressed). But God has planted his word in our hearts and so we want to follow him and to become like him. Let's pray for each other even according to these few words -- to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, and to get rid of everything dirty and evil.

Come and let's pray for each other as well as for the whole church. Come and encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

Love in Christ,
Dean

PS: If you absolutely can't make it to the prayer meeting, send your prayer requests back to me by e-mail and we'll pray for them.