Dr Paul Allen

James 2:1 - My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. A conversation about money and status in the church is often uncomfortable, but James discusses these issues often. James, the practical theologian that he is, urges believers to only make distinctions that God Himself makes.  We’ve all got some preferences that can become our prejudices and, if we don’t take James’ instruction to heart, we can discourage fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and miss out on some relationships that will help us mature as well.  Remember how James starts this letter? He calls himself a servant of God and Christ. Since then, he calls us his beloved brothers. Every Christian has been adopted into the same family with the same Father and occupies the same position of love and blessing because of the Spirit in them regardless of what we see outwardly (Romans 8:14-17). Understanding social dynamics does not require a degree in sociology. ...

The Apostle James focuses on religion as the practice of those who have true faith in Jesus, and he says that true religion demonstrates the presence of saving trust in the Lord (James 2:14–26). What true godliness looks like, he tells us, is not a matter of merely holding to right doctrine with our minds, though that is essential. No, true godliness means that doctrine shapes our lives to such a degree that we manifest the kind of life God wants us to live. And James gives us a succinct definition of true religion, of true godliness: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: To visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” James elevates the activity of caring for widows and orphans as the very essence of pure and undefiled religion. That strikes me as being very significant, and it’s an idea that is neglected in the church today. I want to focus particularly on widows . Widows and their care figure prominently in the ...

There's much that can divide us today, and there's no shortage of ways to express ourviews. The Internet provides instant access to varying ideologies and opportunities for sharing them, which often results in quarreling, at times unfortunately under the guise of Christianity .  Quarreling isn't anything new, and taking a stand for righteousness is, well, right But as those who have been washed with the blood of Christ , we must not take our cues from the culture as we engage today's issues. As has been said time and again, there's nothing new under the sun. I imagine James, the brother of Jesus , would have much to say to us today on this issue if he were living among us. Thankfully, we have God 's Word to direct us and James' letter for insight.  James, writing to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion (likely Jewish Christians ), understood how ideologies, practices, and the like ...

English: My mother took this picture after my car accident (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I think we would accuse God of being insane if we heard him respond to our cries for greater intimacy with our spouse, greater fruit in our ministries, or greater intimacy with him, by saying, “You want more life? I’ll tell you what will give it: a medical emergency . Or losing your job. Or a car accident .” We would think he’s out of his mind. But search your past and tell me if it isn’t true: Often the introduction of something difficult, and even dangerous, into our lives by the hand of God results in unanticipated, yet undeniable growth. Difficulty brings blessing. Hardship brings joy.  This does not mean we should court danger. What it does mean, however, is that we should pause before we accuse God of injustice or indifference when he allows hardship to enter our lives. It just might be the best thing for us. In fact, for those who love him, and are called according to his purpose...

English: Their are thousands of artworks created in the art world depicting St Paul. This painting was created by the famous artist called Rembrandt. It hangs on the walls of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Titus 1:9 says: "Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine , both to exhort and convict those who contradict." “Sound doctrine” does not refer merely to an accurate presentation of biblical data. Sound doctrine always has a practical application to godly living, with either a positive emphasis (“exhort”) or a negative one (“convict”). Titus 1:13 — … Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith .… So, if a follower of Christ is NOT following sound doctrine they are to be rebuked sharply. It’s no fun to “rebuke” someone “sharply”—at least, it shouldn’t be; the apostle Paul often did it “with tears” ( Phil. 3:18)—but sometimes it’s necessary. When it becomes...

Paul seems to assume that believers will know what their spiritual gifts are. He simply tells those in the church at Rome to use their gifts in various ways: “if prophecy, in proportion to our faith … he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:6–8). Similarly, Peter simply tells his readers how to use their gifts, but does not say anything about discovering what they are: “As each has received a gift employ it for one another, as good stewards of God ’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10). But what if many members in a church do not know what spiritual gift or gifts God has given to them? In such a case, the leaders of the church need to ask whether they are providing sufficient opportunities for varieties of gifts to be used. Though the lists of gifts given in the New Testament are not exhaustive, they certainly provide a good starting point for churches to ask whether at least there is opportunity for these gi...

St. Peter Denying Christ, by Gustave Doré (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church . And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.” ( Acts 12:1-2 ) Verse 2 of our text rather casually records what may have been one of the lowest points of apostolic time. James was killed with the sword—James, one of the only three disciples in Christ ’s inner circle. He was one of only three to witness the resurrection of the synagogue ruler’s daughter ( Luke 8:51-55 ); one of three to catch a glimpse of Christ’s glory at the transfiguration ( Matthew 17:1-2 ); and one of only four to sit with Christ on the Mount of Olives and learn of the future ( Mark 13:3-4 ). In Gethsemane , after their last supper together, Christ allowed him, along with Peter and John, to witness His agony in a special way ( Mark 14:32-34 ). He was highly trained by Christ Himself, and the fledgling church could ill afford to lose his l...

Elijah (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Interestingly, it is in the letter of James (who has so much to say about works) that the term occurs. It climaxes the marvelous teaching on prayer that punctuates the entire letter (see 1:5–8; 4:2–3; 5:13–18). What is even more striking is that the significance of the phrase seems to be illustrated by the experience of one individual, the prophet Elijah . In his case, the prayer of faith was instrumental in shutting the heavens. Perhaps it is not surprising, therefore, that the phrase has come to be associated largely, if not exclusively, with dramatic, miracle-like events—with the extraordinary rather than the daily. The reason Elijah is used as an example is not that he was an extraordinary man; James stresses that he was "a man with a nature like ours" (James 5:17). It is his ordinariness that is in view. Elijah's praying is used as an example not because it produced miracle-like effects but because it gives us one of the clear...

The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) What kind of God could be influenced by my prayers ?  What could my prayers do to induce Him to change His plans? Could I possibly give God any information about anything that He doesn’t already have?  Or could I persuade Him toward a more excellent way by my superior wisdom?  Of course not. I am completely unqualified to be God’s mentor or His guidance counselor . So the simple answer is that prayer does not change God’s mind.  But suppose we ask the question of the relationship between God’s sovereignty and our prayers in a slightly different way: “Does prayer change things?” Now the answer is an emphatic “ Yes !” The Scriptures tell us that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” ( James 5:16 ). This text declares that prayer is effectual. It is not a pious exercise in futility. That which is futile avails nothing. Prayer, however, avails much. That which avails mu...

William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) - The Flagellation of Our Lord Jesus Christ (1880) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) James 2:1 “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ , the Lord of glory” ( v. 1 ). We turn today to the first verse of the second chapter of James, wherein the apostle refers to Jesus as “the Lord of glory.” Even though this is an acceptable translation of the original Greek text, it is not necessarily the most accurate way to render the verse in English.  It is also possible to translate “the Lord of glory” as simply “the glory.” However, to say Jesus is “the glory” is a good way to encapsulate a portion of the New Testament ’s description of the majesty of Christ . As someone from a Jewish background, James undoubtedly had the Hebrew term kabod in mind when he penned his epistle. “Glory,” or kabod in the original text, usually deals with weightiness or substance. When the Old Testament declares that God ’s name is “gl...

Some folks seem to have the spiritual gift of pointing out everything you and the church could do better. Others have impossibly high expectations that despite your good intentions you never seem to meet. Still others are just plain ornery: cantankerous old (or young) cusses that fit the profile of grumpy goats, better than cuddly sheep. And speaking of sheep, well, you’ve probably read enough about them to know it’s not a flattering metaphor. In short, churches are full of individuals with flawed personalities, irksome quirks, psychological disorders , and good old-fashioned sins. Sometimes, after discussing some difficult situation, my wife and I look knowingly at one other and say (tongue in cheek), “Everybody’s weird except us.” So, how do you deal with difficult people? 1. Remember they are  people . That they’re  people  is more important than that they’re  difficult . Sometimes we can get so focused on the problems people bring to us, the inconve...