Kempsey Baptist - The rich Person and the Kingdom of God

Kempsey Baptist Church

Sunday 11 October 2015

The Rich Person and the Kingdom of God

Good morning, let us come to God in Prayer.

Heavenly Father and maker of us all - bless the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts - help us to grow, show us your ways and inspire us to live by your truth.  Amen

Bible Reading: Mark 10:17-31

Introduction
The story of the rich person and the Kingdom of God as recorded no less than three times in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark and Luke and has tremendous lesson for us to take note, sit up and listen. The commandments Jesus listed makes up our duty to our neighbours. There are three lessons we can glean from this passage.

·        The self-ignorance of man (our heart and mind attitude)

·        The love of Christ towards sinners

·        The immerse danger of the love of money

Mark’s passage speaks more than about a rich person; it talks about the treatment in carrying the commandments towards others. It is about our social compassion towards others but let us go on a journey back in time and how fourth century CE Christians view of this passage. Then we will look at the passage and view the concept of self-sufficient, security and self-assurance. The end of the passage deals with what we are doing now will determine our hope and future assurances. Is it us or Jesus?
I am taking you on a journey back in time to when a form of Christian religious saintliness existed as desert monasticism in Palestine around the fourth through the seventh centuries CE. We no longer say “AD” but “CE” which stands for Common Era – reference to Jesus is no longer seem valid, only that we live in the common era after the Jesus event.
You are part of the group and drawing on stories of Elijah, John the Baptist, and Jesus. You are one of many people in the thousands of devoted Christians journeying into the wilderness to seek the presence of God in solitude.
This journey into the wilderness occur when the Roman Empire declare that Christianity become the official religion. No longer are the need to hide because of your faith in God, no need to struggle for survival to live your faith but you are now worrying because of the suffocation brought about by the commonplace of an official, politicised religion.
Through the monasticism lifestyle, among your fellow Christian held that you could engage in the imitation of the life of Christ. The literal acceptances of the Scriptures underscore some of Jesus’ teaching and the reading we had plays a role; to abandoned all their possessions and families to live a life of chastity, fasting and self-denial in the desert. Our time was spent in prayer, meditation, ritual worship and study, eking out a sparse existence in the desolate wastelands. It was all about self-existence within the confines of the community and some of our Christian travelers formed communities that had castle like fortresses for protection. Not all communities sever ties with civilisation and actively engage in discussion about religious and political issues that was facing us in our living. Some of our communities established hospitals for the sick and motels for pilgrims. These are positive developments of journeying into the desert.
Everything was okay then an invasion occurred by the Arab Muslim in the conquest of our country Palestine from the Roman Empire in the 7^th Century CE. Some of our desert monasticism decline under the pressure which saw people converting to Islam.
Certainly in the minds of the people who choose to live as desert monasticism that verse in the Gospel of Matthew 5:3 rang like a bell in the tower.

God blesses those who are poor and realise their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. (NLT)

Some translation renders the beginning as “poor in spirit”.
The perils of the poor are well established and so are the riches have their perils. It is more easily to have a false sense of security, self-assurance and self-sufficient. In our capitalist society we do go after these things to ensure our survival as a member of the community. Our government and its politics is promoting self-sufficient against dependence. The early Church in Acts 4 see part of their obligation as a community to look after the needy and in Acts 6 the Apostles established social services towards those who were neglected. The church was growing and commission leaders for the care of the people while they focus on the preaching the Word of God.
In the story of the reading, we have a rich person going to Jesus, questioning how he could inherit eternal life, to have an authentic life. This person is an example of one in the community eking a lifestyle, does all the right things, pay his dues, a good role model and the community looks up to him. He doesn’t have problems with the assumption of needs to live and has a peace of mind. Who doesn’t want that lifestyle, no worrying about the next meal or to get through today?  
The passage of Scripture in Mark is an incredible “passage which stresses the importance of the commandments and their relationship to a concern for social justice, a view rooted in Scripture”. (Crossley. 2005)
Jesus replies to this rich person in a way that he wasn’t expecting.

Looking at the person, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven”. Then come, follow me. Mark 10:21 NLT

This person had put his life together, to be told to “go and sell, give away”.

Treating life as grace-as a gift to be given away, a gift available without price-threatened the essence of his being. So he turned away. After all, if it is all a gift, there is no entitlement. Sharing, passing on to others, humility and thanksgiving replace hoarding, self-sufficient arrogance and smug pride, wrote a commentator.  (Carder. 1997)

The story doesn’t stop there with the person turning away sad. Jesus continues to teach his disciples.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is hard (for those who trust in riches) to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23-25 NLT)

The use of terminology “a camel to go through the eye of the needle” by Jesus suggest three possible scenario.
First scenario there is a “wicket gate or other entrance into Jerusalem that was commonly known as the Needle’s Eye for it narrowness,” as Matthew Henry write in his commentary, (Henry.1662-1714) the camel would need to be unloaded to pass through. So the idea of being unloaded with no package are left behind to enter through the Needle’s Eye and the second scenario is the translation of the word “a camel” sometimes refers to a strong, thick rope or that John the Baptist vestment of clothing, made from camel hair. The idea is the rich is like a thick rope trying to be threaded through the eye of the needle while the poor are a single thread, easy to go through. If the camel hair is entwined and twisted will be difficulty in trying to go through the eye of the needle. A third scenario is simply accepted what one reads, a camel and a needle as a comparison for “some who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God” (v25). The picture of the needle’s eye and the camel, there is nothing we can do to make it happen, no matter what programs we run to support the camel to go through, it will not happened by us.
The imagery of whichever view we adopt, requires us to be unloaded of our cares and concerns, our luggage need to be left at the cross of Jesus. Jesus is the only person who has made it possible for us to enter the Kingdom of God.
This teaching that Jesus was implying shook the disciples in amazement and stirred Peter to asked a question, “Then who in the world can be saved?’ (Mark 10:26 NLT)
Can we save ourselves or others? We would like to think that it was our involvement in presenting the Gospel message but we are reminded that it is the Holy Spirit who stir and convict a person to repentance and not us. All glory belongs to God through Jesus.  Clearly Jesus answered them and to a certain intention of Mark was the future hope for mankind through the works of Jesus on the cross, where he bored our sins, to provide a way forward, to be restored to the Kingdom of God.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God, Everything is possible with God.” (Mark 10:27 NLT)

Life is a gift to be humbly and joyfully received, not a commodity to be purchased or a prize to be earned. (Carder.1997)

That is our assurance; with God nothing is impossible, for he is the Creator. There is nothing in the disciples’ hand that they can do; it is only God who can bring us into the Kingdom of God, to have eternal life.
There is a contrast here, when Peter pipes up and says to Jesus, “We’ve given up everything to follow you.” (v28)
Let us hear the words that Jesus answered;

Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age – houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” (Mark 10:29-31. NRSV)

If we are fulfilling our duty to Jesus and the Gospel message being central, we will receive a hundredfold now, and in the world to come eternal life. Jesus doesn’t dispute the disciples have given up everything “but his statement in verses 29-31 contains both the assurances of God’s favour for those who make such a sacrifice and warnings that there is more testing ahead to be faced before  a final judgement is given by God.” (Hurtado. 2011)
The needs of the disciples now and the future will be supplied by God but persecutions will happen now.
This story about the rich person is not about having wealth but the attitude towards wealth and the use of wealth to alleviate the poor but let us think about wealth.

Wealth becomes additive, luxuries becomes necessities. As one who remembers; life without indoor plumbing, no television, no computers, no telephones, no VCR’s (video cassette recorders) and no microwaves. I know how easily things once considered luxuries of the few became necessities for the masses…. Satisfying our appetite for more has devastating consequences for those who have less. It depletes their resources and relegates them to life’s margins.” (Carder. 1997)

Another commentator reminds us:

Let us watch against the love of money. It is a snare to the poor as well as to the rich. It is not so much the having money, as the trusting in it, which ruins the soul. Let us pray for contentment with such things as we have. The highest wisdom is to be of one mind with Paul, “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11 (Ryle. 1977. Pp210-211)

Conclusion
As I said at the beginning, this passage of Mark teaches us a lot more than the rich person walking away after being called to follow Jesus. It goes on and lays the foundation upon which to enter the kingdom of God, to have eternal life. The early Christian choose to live in the desert to enable to have fellowship with God in a solitude lifestyle but communities grew and began to be a social service unit in providing care through hospitals for the sick and motels for the travelers. The passage teaches about the kingdom of God and what we should be doing for Jesus and the Gospel’s message with the assurance that with God all things are possible. Jesus must be centre, the focus of our life and to bring others into a relationship with him. We must entertain the sick and the traveler in a caring, compassionate relationship and in doing so, we will receive our reward in the life to come.  Through this, Mark shares with us the valuable lesson of receiving eternal life and who is the giver.
Let me pray:

Resources

Crossley, James G. The Damned Rich (Mark 10:17-31). The Expository Times (2005): 397-401, doi: 10.1177/0014524605056801

Kenneth, L. Carder. 1997. "The Perils of Riches." The Christian Century, (Sep 24-Oct 1): http://0search.proquest.com.prospero.murdoch.edu.au/docview/217208773?accountid=12629.

Hamblin, William and Daniel Peterson. 2012. “Monastic Life in the Judean Wilderness.” Deseret News, (Jun 30): http://0-search.proquest.com.prospero.murdoch.edu.au/docview/1022695148?accountid=12629

Hurtado, Larry W. 2011. Mark: Understanding the Bible Commentary Series. Grand Rapids: Bakers Books. Pp 159-169.
Ryle, J.C. 1977. Ryle’s Expository Thought on the Gospel: Matthew – Mark. Volume One. England: Evangelical Press.

Kempsey Baptist - Jesus reply on Divorce

Kempsey Baptist Church

Sunday 4 October 2015

Jesus Reply to Divorce

Good morning, let us come to God in Prayer.

Creator and maker of us all - bless the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts - grow thou in us and show us your ways and inspire us to live by your truth.  Amen

Bible Readings: Mark 10:1-12 (New Living Translation)

Introduction
The portion of scripture Mark present to us is a contentious issue of divorce which was challenged to Jesus by the Pharisees. Before this encounter Jesus and his disciples journey from one place to another place which had different customs and practices.
To set the scene, they leave Capernaum, goes across the mountains of Samaria to Judea, on a normal pilgrim’s route to Jerusalem, and ends up beyond the Jordan in Perea (William Lane, The Gospel of Mark, p353). What’s significant about that? It puts him in the territory of Herod the tetrarch, where John the Baptist conducted most of his ministry and condemned Herod and Herodias for entering into an adulterous marriage. And you’ll recall John lost his head for his trouble.
Here in Australia, we hear about one person splits with their partner and today on the home page of NINEMSN is this update.
Pia Miller splits with AFL great husband Brad (in bold print and in very light print is) Reports actress is dating music and film producer. When click onto that headline, you are taken to a new page – it is like reading a newspaper, the main page carries the headline then indicates which page to turn to. So displayed on the next page we have the story, the reporter Bianca Soldani of Daily Mail Australia outline her report.
Home and Away actress Pia Miller where she plays a police officer  is a devout Christian and a mother of two sons, Isaiah from a previous relationship and Lennox with her current relationship Brad Miller. She is now 31 years old and now after being married to Brad for ten years in reflection, they have decided to separate. “We are, and always will be a family” she said and they will be co-parenting the children together.
This account about Pia will bring many thoughts across our mind, as a Christian shouldn’t Pia try to remain united as one but in her period of reflection Pia and Brad came to agreement to separate and remain as a family to their two sons Isaiah and Lennox. The definition of family, they are still providing the role of mother and father as co-parent but not husband and wife to each other.
Let us go back to the passage of Scripture before us, Mark 10:1-12 which pick up the gospel of Jesus, a transitional statement in verse 1 as indicated previously.
What does divorce mean in ancient Judaism and how did they interpret Moses commandments. We need to understand how the Pharisee thinks when they are Jesus the question, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” (v2)
The question is very much male dominated and no allowance by his wife. Under ancient Judaism, divorce is seen as a right only for husband and where women legally seen as the property of their husband, with no power to end the marriage. The husband issued a divorce certificate and handed this to his wife as a means of dissolving the marriage. However the divorce certificate could only be issued under two difference school of thoughts held by ancient rabbinic as legitimate causes.

·        One school of thought, the followers of Shammai, the unique true reason was because of sexual impurity in the wife

·        The second school of thought, the followers of Hillel, was that the wife could be sent away because the husband grew tired of her. This was more appropriate and ruling for the husband. This is how custom or common law came into practice.

Unlike Matthew parallel account (Matt 19:1-12) which focus on the Jewish community deal with the husband divorcing his wife outside of unchastely (engaging in sexual activity outside of marriage) and remarries commits adultery. Whereas Mark is focus on both husband and wife has rights to divorce because of the Gentile setting according to the commentator.
Now that I have shown you the context of where this passage of divorce is located, we will now venture into the principles that Jesus is showing and reinforcing to the Pharisee and the disciples.
Jesus engagement with the Pharisees is mostly when they asked a question and he reply with a question for further clarification to them. It is no different this time, you ask about divorce, he say? As always Jesus points to Scriptures: what about Moses (v3)? Their focus was on Duet 24:1-4 and the Pharisee return a quote as a giving sanction, a command that allow the husband to issue a certificate of divorce.
But Jesus reply according to Hurtado implies that the certificate of divorce is “not a reflection of the will of God but instead reflects the stubbornness of the Israelites.” So the intention of those verses of Moses was permission because of human sin (v5).
Jesus took the Pharisees and the disciples back to the first principle in the creation story of Genesis, God’s original design of bringing two people, male and female together. Jesus declared to the Pharisees that God made humanity male and female (Gen 1:27). This is the foundation stone of God’s creation male and female humanity. Remember this is Jesus take about divorce and to understand divorce is to understand marriage as was created from the beginning.
In our contemporary society, the churches as part of the society are in discussion and dealing with arguments about same sex marriage and civil partnership. These relationships existed for a long time and in ancient Judah times with surrounding nation but in the eyes of Jesus do not envisage marriage as anything other than between a man and a woman – the context here is marriage and divorce. Jesus is pointing to that God made male and female, two different sexes but equal together.
Jesus then shifted our focus to Genesis 2:24:
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
The creation account tells the story of how two sexes’ male and female have been created by the will of God. Jesus treats this superior to the Law of Moses and to be proper guidelines. We see the importance of woman in marriage and where equality existed through respect. Marriage reaffirms that man’s forsaking of others for the sake of his wife and the union for by the marriage. God is the one who joins together husband and wife (v9). This is the view that many uphold that marriage in God’s eye cannot be dissolved (except by death).
Jesus defines marriage as a relationship which involves both husband and wife are responsible to each other and to God for maintaining its sanctity. God intended it for life.

·        It isn’t about whether or not marriage ‘works’ as many people are wont to say. It isn’t that ‘we just drifted apart’. It isn’t that ‘things were fine when we were living together, but the moment we got married everything went wrong’. All these are false understanding of marriage. (Faulkner. 2006)

The marriage service that I was married to my lovely wife Maria was in Narrabri Uniting Church in 1986 on October 6 and part of the marriage ritual, contrary to popular myth – ask whether we the bride and groom wasn’t to say “I do” but to say “I will” – which is both a promise and an act of will. The heart of marriage is love will not always be something spouses feel like giving. To be one takes energy and at time through gritted teeth to achieve the union.
Marriage and divorce should never be discussed in some detached environment. People lives have deep convictions and painful experiences are involved. We do not live in a bed of roses, incidents do happen, we are human and were born into sinful environment. In Jesus response to the Pharisees we see Jesus elevates marriage as a creation of God: it is a covenant commitment of unity and faithfulness.
We have reached a crossroad, Jesus has been addressing a culture where it is male dominated and only men could institute divorce. In our culture, we have plenty of friends who are Christian; they have separated and remarried to another person. How does this strong statement of Jesus against divorce?
What Jesus was warning against was an easy exit among men – either for trivial reasons or because they want to bail out (v10)
The Pharisees have departed and the disciples have moved on with Jesus into a house. Alone they ask Jesus again about this matter.

“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her” (verse 11)

Why? The Jewish Law doesn’t see an unfaithful husband as committing adultery against his own wife, only against the husband of the woman with whom he slept. Again as I alluded to earlier Jesus is “striking a blow for the dignity and equality of women in marriage” (Faulkner. 2006).

“And if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (Verse 12)

The accepted rule or common law within the Gentile nation was the rights of party, husband or wife could bring divorce proceeding under Roman law.

Conclusion
Mark encapsulates Jesus teaching as a high view of marriage. Marriage between one man and one woman is exclusive of all others. Creation story unfolds God’s design from the beginning. The rights of divorce under Moses was a permission but was not a command for a certificate to be issue as a protection the weaker party (women, in his culture) and those who would suffer as a result of breaking the union. Divorce is a concession to human “hardness of heart”.
The road of divorce can be savage and I cannot comprehend to understand the trauma of separation. This is a contentious issue where separation does occur and how the restoration begins to heal the wounded and broken-hearten. This is a hard passage of scripture but we must not bypass as if it is not there. The ideal is lifted up before us by our Saviour Jesus for marriage.
As we have said marriage is a partnership between a husband and a wife but when separation occurs both sides are affected. 

But above all, let us pray for and give practical support a those in our midst who are married; to those who suffer the ongoing pain of divorce; to those who have lived through faithful marriages but now miss their spouses; to those who are not married – some happy with that situation, others not so; some who yet marry and others who never will. For the love of God in Christ makes each dearly valued and esteemed by him. (Faulkner. 2006)

Let me pray:

Resources

Faulkner, Dave. 2006. http://bigcircumstance.com/?s=Jesus+on+Marriage+and+Divorce

Hurtado, Larry W. 2011. Mark: Understanding the Bible Commentary Series. Grand Rapids: Bakers Books. pp159-169.

Soldani, Bianca. 2015.  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3258408/We-shared-ten-wonderful-years-Home-Away-s-Pia-Miller-announces-split-former-AFL-star-husband-Brad.html

Kempsey Uniting - Discipleship Issues

Discipleship Issues

Kempsey Uniting Church

Sunday 27 September 2015

Bible Readings in the Good News Bible

Gospel Reading – Mark 9:38-50

Second Reading – James 5: 13-20

1.    Introduction

Folks I will be taking you through the Gospel of Mark and the Epistle of James, to explore the first issue of group identity issue that the disciples had with Jesus reply to their query. The second issue is a warning about causing someone to lose faith and what does the Kingdom of God and Hell mean that Jesus teaches us about. The third issue is what it is meant by the salt of friendship, to live in peace, prayer and the forgiveness of sins. The aspect of wonder away, slips or lapses from faith.

2.    Group Identity

a.    Disciples query

In verses 38 to 41 of Mark 9, we pick up the concerns of the disciples when they observed, noticed that there was a group not part or belonging to the Twelve but where operating in Jesus’ name. Today we have a number of protestant persuasions, orthodox churches, Anglican, Baptist, Catholics, Seventh Day Adventist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal movements and ourselves in our community. There was a time not too long ago, we question is it possible to be united for the common good but let us listen to our Saviour teaching about the makeup of the group identity. Do we have anything in common with our indigenous people or Islam or one of the Asian believers? 

b.    Jesus reply

Jesus reply to the disciple was, “do not try to stop him”. One commentator suggests that this person may have been a wandering exorcist, we do not know but here he is performing healing in Jesus’ name. The thrust of Jesus’ answer is that anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus must be made welcome and as verse 40 reminds us, “For whoever is not against us is for us.” Again I pose the question of Islam believers, they accept Jesus as a great prophet and who has not died but sits in heaven, they believe in the God of Genesis who they called Allah. The Torah and the Gospels are part of their sacred scriptures.

Jesus’ teaching is more about advancing the Kingdom of God and restoring people into communion with God.

3.    Losing Faith

To lose faith in the Greek is cause someone to fall from faith.

a.    Those little ones

This is an interesting ploy that Mark use, “those little ones” is also mention in verse 37 where Jesus places his arms around a child but here in verse 42 indicating a child of faith as if they are a new believer. Jesus warns us about causing someone to fall from faith and that person, “it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea.” A millstone is a cylindrical stone used in the mill for grinding grain, a very, very heavy object unable to carry by yourself and by the weight it would take you to the bottom of the sea. This is a very drastic measure that Jesus is warning here, the result of causing someone to fall from faith.

b.    To ourselves

The next part of the story that Jesus taught is directed to ourselves as disciples of Jesus and to quote the commentator Larry Hurtado suggest about verses 43 – 47, “the parts of the body mentioned here are really symbols for various types of activity, for example the hand that grasp for things it should not, the foot that goes where it ought not, or the eye that desires what it ought not.” If we compare these verses in Matthew gospel, the teaching of Jesus from the sermon on the mount about adultery in 5:27-30 where it talks about severing the things that cause you to sin, in order of not being thrown into hell is the same here.

c.     Kingdom of God and Hell

As disciples of Jesus, we have decisions to make and those things warned not to cause as believers. In the final verses of Mark’s reading, we are confronted with the Kingdom of God where Jesus would prefer that we are heading to and hell if we cause or allow happening by choice of our own to others and ourselves. Jesus gives us a definition of what hell is in verse 48, there ‘the worms that eat them never die, and the fire that burns them is never put out.’ Is a quotation from the book Isaiah 66:24?

Hell is a fix identifiable place where the concept of never die or never put out but Jesus’ teaching moves straight onto being purified by fire. This fire is a different kind, it is of trials and testing in the life of the believer like a sacrifice is purified by salt.

4.    Salt of Friendship

a.    Live in Peace

The last part of Mark’s gospel reading talks about salt and as disciples of Jesus how can we be salt to others which Jesus informs us to be “salt of friendship” by living in peace with one another. This can be a tough order to be and may drain us and out James reading teaches us two important aspect of discipleship is prayer and forgiveness of sins.

b.    Prayer

Prayer is our communion with God and God likes us to be in conversation with him. Our reading jumps in and commentator R.V.G.Tasker summarise vv13-18 as “prayer under all circumstances.”

The habit of prayer allow us to draw near, a way of direct access to God and people not in communion with God, is without this privilege. This is what differentiates a Christian from other people.

Those in trouble – pray, is anyone happy – sing praises, is there anyone who is ill? Send for church elders. Words of cautions as Christian not to be “indulge in any introspective self-pity, but let him pray” the commentator suggest. Pray can be a healing in themselves.

There is a psychological advantage in having the present of elders attending and praying with the sick. The sick driven person hearing the prays are more emotive to be more heart-felt and passionate.

It is God who does the healing to bring about the restoration of the sufferer to health.

“Christian should always pray for one another, not only in time of illness but in all change in circumstances of their lives, so that healing, in the fullest and widest sense of that word, may be bestowed upon them” writes Tasker.

It is important in verse 16 to mention the word “sin” is not a wilful sin but “faults” and commentators Moulton and Milligan indicate a sense of “slips” or “lapses” See Gal 6:1

The phrase “so that you will be healed” is related to confession of faults to one another. The sharing of our spiritual struggle eases the burden and we can be uplifted. It is not a time to criticise or trodden on but to feel relieved, restored through the prayers of the receiver.

James gives us an identity of a good person in Elijah. In Jewish thought the character of the Old Testament prophet who is the prototype in preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah. In Mark 9:4 we see the encounter that Jesus had with Moses and Elijah. Remember Elijah never saw death but was translated direct to heaven. This image of Elijah has greatly impressed upon the Jewish community.

Elijah is the same kind of person as we are, suffering in the same things, inheriting the same nature, subject to the same emotions and liable to the same weaknesses.

The story of Elijah that James present is part of the sacred record of 1 Kings, where there demonstrate the achievement s and ups-and-downs of his experiences. Elijah present an image of faith in action which demonstrate God almighty is capable to achieve a prevention of natural events. See 1 King 17:1

c.     Forgiveness of sins

Not only we seek the forgiveness of sin from God through Jesus but it is equally important with one another as disciple of Jesus. The emphasis laid down by James on the privilege and duty of prayer in all circumstances.

Those who wander away, slip or lapses from the truth. By truth here is referring to the great doctrines of the Christian faith, the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles. It is by prayer and effort on our part is the duty of reclaiming the backslider. As a disciple of Jesus, as an expression of Christian love with the mind of Christ, we are entrusted in restoring those who have fallen away. Remember the backslider is in a dangerous position as that person is alone, in isolation from the community of believers and can easily be side-track from the path.

The forgiveness of sins that James mention is what our Lord and Saviour has done on the cross and cause a cover like a blanket so that God only see his son Jesus who is the sacrificial lamb.

5.    Conclusion

In closing as we have taken a look at the reading of Mark and James around discipleship issues on group identity, a warning about causing someone to lose faith and to understand salt of friendship that Jesus and James taught first century Christians, can help us in our journey.

Reference List

Hurtado, Larry W. 2011. Mark: Understanding the Bible Commentary Series. Grand Rapids: Bakers Books

Tasker, R. V. G. 1980. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: The General Epistle of James. 10th printing. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans