#6: James The son of Zebedee;

Courage & Commitment

 

There are two different apostles named James.  We are considering what James the son of Zebedee and the brother of John (author of the gospel), has to say to us concerning evangelism. His actions speak louder than words. He was the first of the apostles to be martyred. So although we know very little about his message, we know his character was courageous. He was named by Jesus as one of the sons of Thunder (Mk. 3:17), or commotion. The name James is the Greek version of the Hebrew name Jacob, which means “the heel-catcher or supplanter”, better explained as a trickster. Jesus taught his disciples to be wise as serpents, yet gentle as doves, (Mt. 10:16). This does not mean we should avoid being courageous. Godly wisdom demands action at the right time and it is foolishness to ignore an invitation. James was one of the closest disciples, so we know Jesus was well aware of the potential problem of putting someone with a courageous attitude in a leadership position as an apostle. God wants leaders in evangelism with ‘no fear’. Paul warned Timothy to avoid timidity and be brave, (2nd. Tim. 1:7), and God told Joshua to be brave, (Josh. 1:6-9) in order to be successful.  James is the apostle that gives us warning, that bravery can bring on a costly price. We should count the cost of discipleship before committing ourselves, Luke 14:26-35. If we are unwilling to pay the price, is that a good reason to refuse to grow & go spread the word? No. James knew how to absorb the cost of discipleship. Let Jesus pay the price alongside you! This is explained by the apostle Paul. Colossians 1:24, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church”. It becomes evident in every Christian’s life, that suffering, persecution, temptations and trials are God’s way of strengthening our weaknesses and benefiting the Church, IF WE PRAYERFULLY PERSEVERE. Even in Paul’s thorn in the flesh, he learnt that God’s grace was sufficient to give him the strength to endure the problem, 2Cor. 12:8-10. James the apostle carried that perseverance to the point of a sword, Acts 12:2.

 

Son of Thunder (Commotion). God’s people should always try to make a big stir. The gospel is worthy of much noise! We should never let the love of God, fellowship of the Spirit and the grace of the Lord Jesus seem like a small thing to the world. The church is the pillar of the truth. Pillars are BIG and STRONG, 1st. Tim. 3:15. The world accused Christians and their message in the 1st. century of turning everything upside down! Acts 17:6.  Do we ever speak about Jesus in such a way that makes people feel like we are causing a commotion?

 

James teaches us to use what seems to be bad about us for good! His courage was a good attribute when used for Jesus and the Truth, but sometimes he used his courage to gain power, which is not necessarily a bad thing, Mark 10:35-45, but this was refused by Jesus.  Jesus did not rebuke James for wanting to be at his right or left side, he merely told him that he was ignorant of the way God wanted to work with him and use him. James had to learn that Jesus was in subjection to the Father’s intentions and plans concerning who sat on his left or right in His glory. This should teach us one thing about evangelism. Never be afraid to ask God for power, v35-38. The result? You will be educated!

 

James also used his courage in the wrong way. It was judgmental on God’s behalf, and this was rebuked by Jesus, Luke 9:51-56. James had not grown to understand righteous judgment; he was guilty of practicing selfish judgment. Matthew 7:1-2 & John 7:24. Judging a person from appearance is sinful, but judging a person from the fruit of their heart is righteous. In order for us to have and exercise courage for Jesus, we must make a judgment about whether or not to speak up or be silent, therefore righteous judgment is needed. The only godly way to use courage should be to esteem Jesus and God’s manifold wisdom. No matter what the cost, point people to Jesus and His word!