An authentic life

Introduction

Yesterday we have had a Mid autumn festival

I am proud of you to be serving in this church when so many of us can work together.

And we know that our efforts will not be in vain. May God bless you.

Please also pray for those who has come last night. May God work in their life.

So many of you has worked so hard

May be this is appropriate time we talk ask this question?

What is the mission of the church?

In fact, in Christianity so many years we have been trying to understand what our mission is

What are we supposed to do as a community

One of the events that happen in Evangelical world is the meeting of Lusanne convention

Many people discuss

In 1974, A group and

Some of the 4

We have Christain Mission is very important

It describes the understanding of the church about its own mission.

Now it is commonly understand

In the history the mission of the church is usually sway between the

Vertical dimension – Gods’ saving action in the life of individuals

horizontal dimension of mission – human relationships in the world

Now our renewed understand of the evangelical world is an integration between social and evangelical responsibility

It is the integration of the vertical dimension and horizontal dimension of mission.

It is not until the 8th centuries that we have an amazing paradiam shift of the understanding of mission and we are now in the time when we understand the mission of the church to be an integration of the horizontal and vertical dimension.

It is not an emphasis of either one dimension but and integration of both.

We are emphasing the integrity of the church

A church should have integrity in our proclamation

When we proclaim gospel to the others, we cannot just say

Jesus loves you but we have to actually love them.

We have to put our words into practice.

Our purpose is not only to share the gospel

But to be a faithful witness to the world in all areas

We cannot say we have a father who loves the world and we live a life that we do not love his creation,

We cannot proclaim a father who love creation but we do not love the creation.

We are to bring Shalom to the world

Shalom is very rich meaning.

It means fullness, wholeness that is resulted from a reconciliation of the relationship with God, with other people and with creation.

This is our role

We are not only to share the gospel but to change people’s lives because we are people of integrity

You are the bible that the world is reading

That means let the gospel affect our lives.

Be gospelized

Like magnetized

Today we look at the book of James

It is writing to a society where there was a social cleverage 社會階層，貧富懸殊

Primarily for the rich – relevant for us

And in the book of James we will look at a number of principles which a Christian should live

It is about living an authentic life

From the fruit we know

An authentic life produces fruits Living authentically

- True faith must be demonstrated by works

- In using our tongue (2:1-12) （2:9 Praising

- The father）

- Love your neigbour should be demonstrated in our merciful acts 2:8-2:13

A Living humbly

- Advice for the rich:

- do not hoard riches (5:2);

- do not live lavish life/self-indulgences (4:3; 5:5)

- Do not be greedy (4:2)

- Do not be proud (3:14; 4:6)

- Be mindful of the things to come (5:1;5:5)

B Living mercifully

- Towards the poor (1:27)

- Be merciful towards people (2:13)

C Living justly

- Impartially towards the rich (2:1-4)

- Do not look down the poor (2:2, 2:6)

- Do not mistreat the workers (5:4)

- Do not condemn and murder the innocent (5:6)

James cannot “St James cannot too often reiterate his warning, founded on our Lord’s, against anything that bears no fruit, an unfruitful religion, and unfruitful faith, and now an unfruitful wisdom. (Hort)

A faith with integrity leads to harmony, humility, just, mercy and wisdom, moral.

In a community if everyone is living out the gospel truth, that we would bear the fruits of hearmony, humility, just, mercy, wisdom, and morality.

This is the community that God desires of us.

惟願公平如大水滾滾，公義如江…

James is asking us to live authentically

Live out the meaning of gospel in all aspects of our lives

We are not about only to share the gospel

We are to live our life in a way that a Christian should live