Faith Under Fire James 1:1-12 Faith Activated Faith Under Fire James 1:1-12 James’s letter to the early Christians is this term’s topic as Toby tgld us last week. Anyone had a root canal procedure? Why? Did you know about it beforehand? What knd of experience? Did you consider it ‘Pure joy’? Short term pain for long term gain – that is today’s subject.

Historical Background 1) Israel is under Roman Occupation 2) Claudius is considered (by Rome) to be a ‘God Emperor’ 3) The Jewish Religious authorities live in fear of Rome 4) Christians acknowledge only one God – Jehovah We are in Israel (specifically Jerusalem) probably about 45AD. It is under Roman occupation. Traditionally the Emperor is the official ‘God’ of the country. AS well as its secular leader. The Roman army controls by fear and the Jewish religious authorities are frightened stiff1 Rome will not tolerate unauthorised gatherings of people (a bit like Hong Kong today!) – fearing riots. Into this mix we throw ‘the Way’ as the newly formed Christian movement was called. They loved meeting together regularly and worse still, they would only acknowledge one God and he was definitely not Claudius! Trouble was obviously coming, and James wants to prepare Jesus’s followers to face it and deal with it. Think of today’s Christians in Syria, India, Nigeria etc, having their homes and churches burned down, families kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed all because of their worship of Jesus. However, persecution can take many forms and much of it in our lives is more subtle and insidious than this. We still need to deal with it.

What response will this persecution mean for Christians? Enduring perseverance under Trial Unwavering belief in God and His available help Believing that anyone (poor or rich) can call on God’s help So what should be the Christian’s response to trial and tests of any kind? James lists three essentials; Perseverance under trial, Belief in God and his help, and Belief that God will help anyone.

What about perseverance? Everyone faces trials and tests. Why persevere in facing them? How do we tackle them? We all face trials and tests, both voluntary and thrust upon us So WHY persevere in facing them, why not avoid them? Patricia and I now go to the gym Why? Medical recommendation to do exercises - me after my Hip replacement and Patricia for her tendonitis. In old folk, muscles are stiff, joints creak and groan and movement is slow, but we’re told it will strengthen our muscles, increase flexibility, improve balance, and increase our well-being. (In short, It’ll do us good!!) That’s the WHY answered. So, if we keep on doing our exercises with increasing speeds, weights, inclines and repetitions, that’s HOW we develop the process. Perseverance and keeping on keeping on, is the secret to what we are doing. Then we can better face what life throws at us. I will say, we are feeling better already after a few weeks and although visits to the gym are not yet pure joy, that is a great encouragement to persevere even further.

Perseverance produces maturity? PAUL ON PERSEVERANCE (Romans 5) Sufferings produce perseverance Perseverance produces character Character produces hope through the Holy Spirit But how does this apply spiritually? I was told many years ago that faith is a muscle that needs use and exercise to develop it. James is exhorting his followers to persevere in facing their trials and not to give up. One Christian group in India had their church burnt down by a group of Hindu extremists. In spite of the risks, they decided they would rebuild it them selves - and they did!! They obviously had well-developed faith muscles and real trust in God.

What response will this persecution mean for Christians? Enduring perseverance under Trial Unwavering belief in God and His available help Believing that anyone (poor or rich) can call on God’s help

Unwavering belief in God and His available help I’ve run out of ideas, what next? Ask God for the answer Listen, wait and believe Expect it to come (Hope!) Don’t dither and doubt!

What response will this persecution mean for Christians? Enduring perseverance under Trial Unwavering belief in God and His available help Believing that anyone (poor or rich) can call on God’s help

Anyone can plug in to this power Rich and poor alike have this power from God The poor person can be proud of having this power of God to help The rich person can be proud that this power is enough – riches are not needed!

The Result? Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the Crown of Life that God has promised to those who love him.