Remember hand- sanitisers at the entrance of Church? You may still have them. We spent a long period of time in a new season. We had never done it before. The closest we came to it was making sure people wiped their feet on the doormat as they came into the Church building. But the hand-cleansing was a whole new chapter. We were rightly wanting to make sure people were clean when they came in. We didn’t seem to be too bothered for them on their way out but coming in was different. Interesting that isn’t it?!
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” (James 3 v 9-12)
What needed cleansing was not only our hands but it was our hearts that God had been chasing after.
You can look clean but have a defiled heart. What good is that?
A person can look great and acceptable on the outside but if the heart is bad then it is all a façade.
Your profile picture may look sharp but it is your texts and statuses that follow that count.
Let me caveat something here: all forms of abuse are wrong and we need to stand against it. There is no place for it in the Church nor outside it. I am not speaking about that here. But James is saying something should not be happening: praise and cursing.
Mouths of worshippers of Jesus are bringing other Christians down. We no longer need persecutors we have our own persecution department. We do it ourselves. We used to do it behind their backs but now we do it on the social media platforms. We are becoming more courageous in our cursing of each other. I was taught not to point fingers because when you do there are 4 pointing back at you. That’s not the case now. Holiness has developed a hole. For we do it and in the background is our favourite worship song. We put our hands in the air on a Sunday in the presence of God and on Monday morning we are writing to the Pastor to complain their sermon was too long, too short or had an error in it. We do it and sign it off ‘Yours in Christ’. Where is the consistency? Where is the heart-sanitiser? Where is the consecration?
Fresh water and salt water do not flow from the same spring. A fig tree does not bear olives and a grapevine does not bear figs. James appeals against inconsistencies. We may complain when we hear blasphemy but then slander a member of the family of God who bears the image of Jesus Christ in their life. It is inconsistent.
The greatest need in the Church today is heart-sanitiser not to get into the Church but for the Church as it moves into the world. Hearts that are consecrated lead to tongues that are also. For our mouths speak the words birthed in our hearts. Oh for a new day!
Missions Paul 