Being a Godly Testimony

Romans 14:10–12 (KJV 1900)

But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Because we're believers doesn't mean we will always get along perfectly with other believers. But since we are united in Christ, we can always be deaf with our differences in loving, godly ways. Jesus said the world will know us by our love for each other. Since the world is full of hatred toward Christians, often accusing us of judgmental attitudes, our witness to nonbelievers is vitally important.

Read James 4:11-12; James 5: 1-12; The passages covered in this lesson remind us that regardless of the extent of our disagreements, we must not speak judgmentally or grumble against each other. Not only does this violate God's command, but when nonbelievers see and hear us participating in such behavior, they will use it as an excuse to dismiss Christianity and hate believers.

Teens want and need to build solid relationships with Christian friends. In efforts, even Christian teens sometimes feel pressure to ignore other teens, judge them, or speak about them in unkind ways. This lesson will help students guilty of these sins to understand the importance of relating to others with Christlike love. Students who are being mistreated will receive encouragement to respond with patience and forgiveness. Urge all of your students to work at building stronger relationships with others.

Build It Up

Gather

• Straws, craft sticks, toothpicks, clothespins.

• Clay or Play-Doh.

• Any other "building" materials you wish to add.

Steps

1 . Organize students into two or more teams. Give each team a supply of items. Team members work together within a given time limit to construct a house with their building supplies. Encourage teams to make their house as sturdy as possible. When time is up, allow students to vote on the best-looking and/or sturdiest-looking house.

2. Discuss the activity.

ASK: What techniques did you use to make your house stronger?

ASK: Can you make any comparisons between building your model house and building strong relationships with other believers? Both take thought and effort. Building a model house is a one-time task; building a relationship is an ongoing process.

Building a right relationship, even with another believer, isn't always easy. But we are commanded to pay particular attention to those in the household of faith. We are to love them actively by doing good to them.

John 13:35 (KJV 1900)

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Galatians 6:10 (KJV 1900)

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

ASK: What are some specific situations when it might be difficult to love a fellow believer?

3. Transition to the Bible lesson.

James wrote to believers who needed a strong reminder that we are to strive for good relationships, especially with others in the "household of faith." Some in his audience were tearing down relationships rather than building them up. They were directly violating Jesus' command to love each other. Today's passage might give you some insight into your own behaviors and help you to build better relationships with other believers.

James 4 and 5 address relationships between fellow believers.

I. Instructions for Church Members

A. Love fellow believers

Earlier in his epistle, James addressed those who claimed to speak well of God but cursed their fellow believers (3:9). James narrowed his focus in chapter 4 by warning his readers not to speak ill of fellow believers.

James 4:11 KJV 1900

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

James addressed a problem that was already in progress. The command means "stop speaking evil of one another." What the believers were saying about each other could have very well been true, but they spoke with harsh and unkind criticism. They pridefully and self-righteously pointed out when another believer failed to live up to God's standard.

ASK: Why might believers like to bring attention to another believer's sin problem? It distracts them from their own sin problems; it makes them feel better about themselves; it makes them appear better than their fellow believers.

Even if the believers were speaking the truth, they were doing it with hate in their hearts. They spoke intending to hurt and damage the person. They were lobbing shots at their team members so others would think of them as the best member of team church. Logically, that makes no sense.

ASK: Have you ever been on a team where members became so competitive that they hoped their teammates would perform poorly? How did such actions affect the team?

To "speak evil" means to humiliate and discriminate (James 4:11). It is related to the word backbiter" (Rom. 1 :30). Instead of talking about people behind their backs, the believers needed to speak to encourage and edify each other,

ASK: When have you been on a team with supportive teammates? How did the mutual support affect the team's success?

B. Respect God's commands

James 4:11–12 KJV 1900

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

People who judgmentally speak evil of fellow believers violate God's law. Specifically, they break Jesus' command to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:29—31; cf. Lev. 19:18). Those who harshly criticize other believers love themselves but not their neighbors.

To knowingly break God's command to love one's neighbor while maintaining a sense of spirituality is to judge the law as invalid or deficient. The person sets the Word aside and says it isn't for him and that he somehow has an excuse for not obeying the command. They may even think they are improving God's commands by their actions.

Only God is qualified to know and judge a person's heart. Christ will judge every believer, rewarding them for serving Him well.

ll. Warning for Rich Oppressors

Chapter five begins with a warning to rich unbelievers who opposed the church and abused some of its members. James included the warning to help the church see the importance of treating each other with love. The church members were facing enough opposition in the world; they obviously needed each other's support.

A. Their coming judgment

James warned the rich that the miseries of God's judgment were coming upon them.

James 5:1 KJV 1900

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

James didn't tell the rich to confess their sins and get right with God. He wasn't addressing believers but rather those who opposed and abused some of the church members with their practices. The abusive rich were to weep and howl when they considered God's coming judgment against them. They would experience misery for being miserly!

By raising an alarm about coming judgment on the unjust wealthy, James caused the church to consider God's hatred of their own sin. And they must have recalled that God poured out His wrath on Jesus to pay for the sins they had yet to give up.

James said the rich needed to hear about Jesus and see Him lived out in the believers' lives. The church members, however, were too busy knocking each other down to have an effective testimony and witness. They looked and sounded more like the rich than like Jesus.

We must remind ourselves often of God's coming judgment on the lost. Their desperate state should motivate us to use our words and our treatment of each other to shine the gospel light before them.

B. Their criminal acts

James outlined four crimes for which the rich were facing the miseries of God's judgment.

James 5:2–3 KJV 1900

Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

The abusive rich had so much wealth that is sat around and began to waste away. Their fine garments served as a form of currency. They traded them for other goods. But they already owned so many goods that the garments sat unneeded until they were ruined by moths. Same with their gold and silver. It became corrupted by tarnish and began to lose its value.

ASK: What could the rich have done with their excess wealth? Used it to support widows and orphans or others in need.

The ruined goods would stand as " Exhibit A" in the testimony against the rich. The moths and tarnish which ate away at the wealthy's goods pictured the coming destruction on the wealthy. Their lives, though promising, would be worthless in the end.

For " Exhibit B" James exposed the wealthy's practice of not paying their employees. Those who labored hard to bring in the crops for the rich never got paid their full wage.

James 5:4 KJV 1900

Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

While the money sat, the poor labored on. The employers sinned against their employees by defrauding them of their wages. The laborers' cries reached God, Who wouldn't ignore their trouble. To make his point even clearer, James used a name for God that means He is almighty. The rich would be powerless to stop God's just judgment.

James gives a few more examples or exhibit’s of this waste that made the bad testimony against the rich in verses 5-6.

James give this warning to the rich Oppressors or we could even apply this warning to bully or better off people of our day or look down their noses at others around them. But what about the oppressed? James goes on to given them some encouragement as well.

III. Encouragement for the Oppressed

A. Be patient

James encouraged the poor believers to be patient as they looked forward to the coming of the Lord.

James 5:7 KJV 1900

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

" Patient" means to be "longsuffering" or to "burn long." The word specifically means to be patient with people as opposed to being patient with circumstances (cf. 1:3). While the mistreated employees were victims of injustice, the day was coming when God would distribute rewards righteously.

James even pointed to the abusive rich farmers as an example of patience. Despite their corruption, they waited on the former and latter rains to come so their crops might reach maturity. The unpaid workers then harvested the crops so the rich might enjoy the bounty.

James 5:8 KJV 1900

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

In the meantime, the believers were to establish their hearts by becoming spiritually strong. But what a difference there will be when the Lord returns to bring justice and reward. They will be glad they patiently maintained their testimony.

James 5:9 KJV 1900

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

Instead of grumbling, the believers were to behold the Judge (Jesus) standing at the door ready to enter and bring justice to their situation. And it wasn't as if the Judge stood outside a door wondering what was going on inside. We could imagine the door wide open, for the Judge observed all that transpired, even what happened in the believers' hearts. No amount of grudge or bitterness in a believer will escape Jesus' attention.

ASK: When do teens tend to grumble against others?

James 5:10–11 KJV 1900

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

The believers were to take their cues from the Old Testament prophets who manifested their patience and confidence in God, even during the most serious times of suffering. James cited Job as a role model.

God showed compassion on Job and blessed him greatly in the end. That doesn't mean God will make us rich on earth for patiently enduring. But it does mean He will bless us abundantly in Heaven.

B. Be honest

James 5:12 KJV 1900

But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

Finally, the suffering believers were to be people of the Word and people of their word. They were not to give up hope but rather cling to the promises of God. They were to maintain their integrity by performing in accordance with their promises. This final note may seem ironic to some. James wanted them to continue working in accordance with their contract. They were to give a day's work for a day's pay even though the day's pay for their day's work may have been delayed in coming to them!

James admonished his audience to maintain good relationships with their fellow believers. He warned against behaviors that directly violated Jesus' command to love one another. Despite disagreements, believers were not to speak evil against others. Only God can judge a person's heart. James warned of God's righteous judgment coming upon rich employers. They had withheld the poor workers' pay while hoarding material riches for themselves. The believers who had been victims of the rich were to be patient in trials. They were to build their faith, refrain from grumbling against each other, and be persons of their word. When Christ returns, He will make all things right.