The Call to Spiritual Maturity

Introduction

James 1:1 “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”

James, the brother of Jesus is the writer of this book. He introduces himself, however, not as the brother of the risen Christ, but as his servant. He did not use his familial ties to claim superiority or garner greater influence. James, in his own humility, understood that his greatest influence in life was to be the servant of Jesus Christ. He was not vying for position, or power, or prestige. He was wanting to encourage persecuted Christians to grow in the Lord. In the places that these Christian Jews now resided there were infightings within the churches. They were positioning themselves for positions, gossiping about one another, living in worldliness, talking one way and living another, while being emersed in materialism. James sent this letter to tell these Christians to grow up and begin to chew on some spiritual meat instead of drinking milk like new born babies. James begins the book by identifying characteristics of a mature Christian.

Joy in Trials

James 1:2 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;”

Temptation and Trial share the same Greek word, periasmos. This means that they can be used interchangeably and given the context we understand that it can be applied to both trials and temptations. The reason we can gather this understanding is that from trials of life come temptations from the evil one to tempt us to sin and embrace worldliness instead of allowing God to work in and through our lives in the midst of what is happening to us.

So, here James calls us to spiritual maturity to respond to trials and temptations with joy; a joy that only can come from the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are to be spiritual Christians we are going to have to embrace the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is not for sale nor is it up for grabs to those that persecute God’s children. God’s joy cannot be stolen. To express God’s joy in the midst of trial and temptation is to show spiritual maturity. If you are not a joyful person then you have some work to do in your life and the way to do that work is to submit to the principles of the Word of God. Realize a problem and respond with a solution and in this case the solution can be found in falling in love with God all over again.

Patience in Persecution

James 1:3 “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. ”

Many times in the midst of persecution we are tempted to cut and run. Sometimes that means that we give in to temptation from the devil and live worldly to alleviate the persecution that you are experiencing. Sometimes that means that we do not speak out for the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to have patience. It is very difficult to go through the persecution that we sometimes experience for standing for what is right. It is the reason why many churches are filled with worldly people. They give in to the world because they do not want to take the heat of persecution. Be patient friend. God will prevail. You may suffer loss. You may suffer personally. You may suffer physically. You may suffer financially. You may suffer in a number of different ways, but God will prevail in the end. Staying faithful to the Lord in the midst of trial works patience in your life so that you persevere to end and share in the victory that God has already secured on your behalf.

Contentment in Hardship

James 1:4 “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

Wanting nothing is equivalent to contentment. Hardships is what these Christians were facing. When a person faces persecution, hardship, and trials they often begin wanting things. It is human nature. We want to be protected. We want to be secure. We want to be comfortable. A Christian that desires these things over persevering in the Christian faith is one that is showing weakness rather than maturity. A mature Christian is content in Jesus Christ. To have Jesus is to have everything. To abandon faith in Christ to get temporary protection, security, and comfort is to show great immaturity as a Christian. A mature Christian trusts God in the midst of great hardship.

Conclusion

James writes to the Jewish Christians scattered abroad that under persecution, trial, and harships they should stay true to their faith, patient for victory, and content in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what a spiritual Christian does. Do you want to be a mature Christian following the Lord Jesus Christ or do you want to live worldly, sacrifice integrity, and yield to Satan so that you can feel comfortable?