Servant Influencer

Opening

Look at this! We are in our new space! We are together! Lots of new things happening. Can you believe it? I know that it seems bizarre to you guys, because we left the EC and then you left and did camp and family vacations and all of the things. But this has been quite the process for our team. We’ve gone from the EC to no offices, to kinda having an office, to no office again, to new offices, while watching this thing come together in real time. And if I can pull the curtain back just a bit, not all of you know this, but our very own Lisa Bodkin played a huge part in getting all of this done. She wasn’t alone, and she’ll be the first to tell you that, but as the design lead for the church, a lot of this is here because of her keen eye for style and her influence and drive to get things done. Not just the picking of colors and stuff. Many a day this summer I’d come out of my office and she’s sanding a door outside, painting a wall or telling the custodial staff where to take things. I just want you to know that we are all grateful for you and the work that you do for our church.

Now, that I’ve firmly earned myself a couple side eyes and maybe a jab tomorrow, let’s jump into this series. Can I just say that I’m excited about this book? I have read through this book so many times over the past 4 or 5 months, and I have felt all the feels. I’ve felt confident in who I am, I’ve felt totally overwhelmed. I’ve felt comforted, I’ve felt lost and in need. All of that to say that I am convinced that this series is for you guys. We are in a unique place with an opportunity to be a real light in this city. We have been through quite a bit as a country, as a state, a city, and now more than ever we have a chance to shine the light of Christ in the darkness.

Key Statement

Non-Christians don’t read the Bible first, they read other Christians. Think about that statement as I say it again. Non-Christians don’t read the Bible first, they read other Christians. How does that statement register in your mind when you hear it? Is it scary? Is it exciting? Do you think, “holy crap, that’s a lot of pressure”? If you’re here and you aren’t a Christian, is that true of you?Keep that thought in the back of your mind for right now.

We are going to be looking at how our faith and actions impact the world around us. James is known as a practical book, one that gives us a pretty clear view at what we should and shouldn’t be doing as we walk with Christ. But this book isn’t a list of dos and don’ts. It really is here to encourage us and strengthen our relationship with Christ. And when our relationship with Christ is strong, others will notice. One of our roles as Christians is to live in a way that helps other people experience Christ as well. So, we want to live a life worth watching. We want to have a faith worth watching.

Let me also say this. When our relationship ISN’T strong, others will notice. That’s actually when they notice louder. That’s when they point out how bad you are at doing the thing you said you could do. Has anyone ever been caught up in a situation where they said they could do something, only to get asked to do it and then it’s found out that you can’t actually do that thing?

Background

What is an epistle? (Look to new 9th graders first for answer) This should be a review for the new freshmen, for I know that Jon taught drilled this over last semester’s series in Titus. But for those of you who aren’t freshmen and may have never had this described, an epistle is a letter from an Apostle. This is a letter that James wrote and it for Christ followers. We will get into what the Dispersion is a little later, but that’s who this was written for.

Who Is James?

There are a lot of thoughts about who James is, but it is widely decided on that he is Jesus’ brother. I always think that it had to be super stressful to be the brother of Jesus, but that’s beside the point. He is a follower and has a front row seat to who Jesus is, and now is writing a letter to the followers. The thing to note about James is that he calls himself servant. He could have EASILY used his position as Jesus’ half-brother, or the fact that Paul called him an apostle to gain some instant clout and credibility. But he says, ‘James, a servant of God’. He wants it to be known that he is doing the work of Christ, nothing of his own. Right from the start he makes sure to keep the correct perspective.

This is important, because whatever influence he has, he’s using it to direct people towards a life in Christ. He is there to instruct and encourage. He’s not pumping up the latest sandal or system for gathering grain. He’s not using his IG just for likes, or his secret IG to post thirst trap pics that he doesn’t want anyone else to see. He has just the one goal.

Main Point 1

Who is James writing to?

This group called the Dispersion, who are they? Where are they dispersed from? How did they get where they are? A little church history tells us about the twelve tribes of Israel. They have traveled through the desert, been exiled, returned home, been through some stuff. Then in Acts they get persecuted again and then they scatter all over for the sake of survival.

So he’s writing to Christ followers who have gone through some things. It hasn’t been an easy road. It was important to James that everyone be encouraged, and we will see that right off the bat next week.

I want to make sure that I don’t gloss over this point. The Dispersion was in a rough situation. And throughout the story of the Israelites, they have gone through some tough situations. But their resilience is to be recognized. I was reading a book that said it this way.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume James 1:1

True Christians should not be the less valued for their hardships. It was the desire of this apostle’s heart that those who were scattered might be comforted—that they might do well and fare well, and be enabled to rejoice even in their distresses.

So James is using his influence to comfort and encourage. He’s using his platform to lift up others. He uses his own shine to brighten to path for others. He understood the assignment.

Main Point

What is he calling the people to?

This seems like a simple question. For me, this is where the specifics turn this book for me. Growing up, this book has always seemed like a book of rules. A long list of do’s and don’ts. As we go through over the course of this series, it can be easy to look at it through that lens. But this is an encouragement letter. Write that down somewhere. THIS is an encouragement letter. Being scattered all over the place can be p difficult. You’re probably alone. You’re not with your tribe. You’re most likely in a town where people don’t do the things you do, or believe the things you believe. You’re probably hiding your identity a little because you don’t want to be found out. Next week we are going to look at James’ first real encouragements. he wants to Christ followers to lean into God. Draw close to him when things are less than ideal.

Main Point 3

How does this apply to me?

I’m glad you asked that question. I believe that we fall into one of the two categories of people in this book. We are either in a position to be like James, encouraging those around us to lean closer toward God when the battle rages around us. Or, we are the ones needing the encouragement. Throughout the course of this fall you’ll probably flip back and forth between the two. That’s totally normal. You probably switch between these two a different times throughout the course of a day. That’s normal too.

One important thing to keep in mind is that people are watching. That is not meant to put pressure on you, even though it seems like it. So let me set the record straight now. This is not a call to perfection. This is not a challenge for ultimate purity and bragging rights for how great you are. We are talking about being real. Letting the highs be the highs, and letting the lows be the lows. So then what are people watching? People are watching how you respond to the struggle. People are watching how you lean into the hard stuff. Are you going to crumble because it’s too hard? Are you going to lean with confidence because of who God is? How are you going to use your influence to sift through the mess?

Goal

What are we hoping to gain from this book?

Our goal for this book is simple. Take a dive into who God is calling us to be, and the steps we can take to get there. Secondly, it’s accepting the fact that people are keeping an eye on those that call themselves Christians, waiting for us to fall. Hopefully they can see that we weren’t really standing as high as they thought we were in the first place. But more crucially, they should see what it looks like when broken people run toward a perfect Father. And maybe, just maybe, they will start running with us.

I hope that we gain confidence that God can handle any problem that we may face and that he wants us to depend on him to make it through. The steadfastness and the confidence and things we talk about later all are based on our dependence on him and not ourselves, lest we should boast as it says in Ephesians 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Takeaway

When I give my devotion to Jesus, people will see a life well lived.

Small Group direction