Woody's Words

Meaningful Christian ministry Part 1   Part 1 of a 2 part discussion on  meaningful Christian ministry. By David Woodbury There are few subjects in the realm of the church that is so disputed as the concept of Christian Ministry, much of it as a result of conflicting theological and denominational views. The early church struggled with the concept and letters from the early church fathers Clement and Ignatius revealed serious divisions among Christians regarding the subject. If Christian ministry is to be meaningful, effective and fruitful it has to have a sense of divine purpose about it. It has to be something out of the ordinary, and in a sense, something quite different to any of the other elements of our lives. Most Christians are sure that Christian ministry is an integral part of their spiritual pilgrimage but are not exactly certain of what the Bible really says about it. Ministry in the Old Testament was restricted to those chosen or a...

A LETTER FROM JAMES Chapter 3 – Part 2 13  If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. (James 3:13 – NLT) As he has before, James appears to change gears again and goes back to his discussion on wisdom and ethical issues. It may well be that he still has in mind the characteristics needed for teachers, however, he does cover a number of personal traits crucial in the life of the Christian.   Wisdom and understanding rate high on the necessary characteristics needed for personal growth in the lives of these new Christians; as it is today in contemporary Christianity. By using the preposition if , James is suggesting that the acquisition of wisdom is something we can elect to attain, or bypass. The reality is that there are those who naturally have a gift of wisdom. However, we can all acquire a degree of it by observation and introspection. It is an attribute all Chr...

A LETTER FROM JAMES Chapter 3 – Part 1 Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2  Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. (James 3:1-2 – NLT) The power of the Tongue This is a curious start to this section; a rather sombre warning about the responsibility of being a teacher. There is no doubt that the members of the early New Testament church were on a steep learning curve and the role and integrity of teachers were critical. Mistakes made at this early stage of the church’s development would be very difficult the correct later and would in fact, snowball heresy and false teaching. As one of the elders in the fledgling church James is anxious that the church and its members get things right. Perhaps when he suggests that not many of you should become teachers in the church...