¹ What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ² You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

James 4:1-3

You have to be careful restringing your guitar. When turning the tuning pegs to reach the desired pitch, the tension audibly builds higher and higher. If you over-tighten one it can easily snap, lashing out wildly to scratch you.

Some local congregations can be ‘high strung’ too. It may be just an undercurrent for a while, but little things can increase the tension over time until… SNAP! The flood gates open and people get hurt. What causes tensions in the church and what are we to do about them? The Christians addressed in James’ letter were an agitated bunch. Both external and internal factors contributed to their tension.

Outwardly, they were facing persecution. They were poor and being taken advantage of by wealthy landlords (5:4-6). They were also being hauled into court by the rich (2:6) who scorned their Christian faith (2:7). These outward pressures were no doubt a great source of stress so James admonished them to meet their trials with endurance, trusting that through them they were being shaped and strengthened by God who would eventually give them victory (1:2-4, 12).

Inwardly, they were struggling with worldliness. James was concerned that their culture was influencing them instead of the other way around. He warned that “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (4:4) and highlighted that one key ingredient of “religion that is pure and undefiled before God” is keeping “oneself unstained from the world” (1:27).

When we think like the world instead of like Christ (what James calls “earthly wisdom” in 3:13-18) and then encounter some form of persecution, we are not poised to respond in God-honoring ways to that stress. Worldliness in the church manifested in several ways: a deference to the rich and a callous indifference to the poor (2:1-4); uncontrolled, critical speech (3:1-12; 4:11-12; 5:9); envy and selfish ambition that degenerated into quarrels (3:13-4:3); arrogance (4:13-17); and, most of all, an essential “double-mindedness” with respect to God that short-circuited the effectiveness of prayer (1:5-8) and resulted in a failure to put faith into practice (1:22-27; 2:14-26). James called upon these Christians to repent from this worldliness by humbling themselves before the Lord so that the Lord might exalt them (4:7-10). Then they could work diligently to bring other sinners back from the error of their ways (5:19-20).

Perhaps we can attribute tensions within the church to three failures:

A failure to think like Christ — Jesus has sanctified us (‘set us apart’ from the world) “in truth” (Jn. 17:17). We are called to shape our thinking after God’s word and resist the world’s efforts to squeeze us into its mold (Rom. 12:1-2). James tells us to adopt the wisdom from above that is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (3:17). When we think according to Christ’s wisdom we begin to sow seeds of peace within the church, reducing and resolving tensions, producing a “harvest of righteousness” (3:18). If there is tension within the church, check your heart first. Is there tension there? James says that his readers were at war with each other because their “passions [were] at war within [them]” (4:1). Many quarrels between Christians are not due to justifiable zeal but self-indulgent desire.

A failure to forgive like Christ — Many tensions can be traced back to an unwillingness to forgive those who have wronged us in the past. We must remember that wisdom from above is “full of mercy” (3:17) and that “judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy” (2:13). It may be argued that Jesus taught us only to forgive those who repent of their sins (Lk. 17:3). While true reconciliation (the repairing of the relationship) cannot take place until there is contrition and ownership of one’s sin, we must always have the mindset of mercy. When we truly want reconciliation, we are ready to forgive and pray for it. Jesus prayed for those who crucified him, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Lk. 23:34) Many of those for whom he prayed never repented but some did. The point is, Jesus had a heart primed with mercy and ready to reconcile.

A failure to restore like Christ — Perhaps all the steps have been taken to reconcile (Mt. 5:21-26; 18:15-17) but tension still exists. When full restoration is lacking it may be due to a failure to forgive as we have been forgiven. Paul clobbers us with instructive grace: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:28) How did God in Christ forgive us? Once we repented and came to him for mercy, he did “not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psa. 103:9-13) So Paul urges us to look to God as our model for forgiveness. Psalm 103 poetically describes how God forgives us in Christ: he does not dwell on our forgiven sin, use it against us, gossip to others about it or let it come between us and him.

Christians will always experience tension as we live in this world while not being of this world. But the church should be a place of peace, mercy and goodwill.

²⁴ Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, ²⁵ of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, ²⁶ the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. ²⁷ To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ²⁹ For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Colossians 1:24-29

Since Paul had never met the Colossians in person he introduces himself and his ministry to them in this section. The apostle’s description of his ministry bears three distinguishing marks, marks our service to the Lord should also bear.

First, Paul’s ministry bore the afflictions of Christ (24). He suffered greatly in his service “for [their] sake.” How so? Paul wrote this letter from prison. In bringing the gospel to the Gentiles, Paul was, in a sense, drawing the enemy’s fire to himself, granting small Gentile churches, like that in Colosse, a chance to grow in peace. Paul’s suffering served another purpose: “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” This does not mean, of course, that Jesus’ suffering on the cross was somehow incomplete or insufficient. Rather, there is a certain measure of suffering that saints must endure until God executes his judgment (cf. Rev. 6:9-11). Paul’s ministry essentially made him a punching bag for God’s enemies.

This brings us to an important point. In the west, it is common to see “church ministries” for everything under the sun: they come with a T-shirt, clever branding and advertise entertainment for all ages. But “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions”? Not so much. Paul teaches us that true Christian ministry is marked by the hardships of Jesus. That’s how it has always been from Abel on. Serving the Lord means bearing the marks of the Lord. Though our ministry to Christ is often a great source of joy, we can also be wounded with “affliction” in the line of duty. Even so, we can rejoice even in our “sufferings” because they identify us with our Savior. Does your ministry bear the afflictions of Christ?

Second, Paul’s ministry revealed the mystery of Christ (25-27). “Mystery” is Paul’s shorthand for God’s eternal plan that in previous times had been hidden but has now been revealed by the Spirit to the church in the gospel. The gospel reveals “how great… the riches of glory” are “among the Gentiles.” That is, God welcomes Gentiles as full members into his covenant family. So intimate is his fellowship with Gentiles that Paul can say the essence of this mystery is “Christ in you.” He is not only the Christ above you (1:15) who created and sustains you (1:16-17), the Christ beyond you (1:18) who also died for you (1:21-23). He is the Christ “in you!” Jesus being “in” us is a way of saying that he takes up residence within us and transforms our lives from the inside out. We begin to think and act just like him. Christ living within us is our “hope of glory,” our hope of appearing with him in glory at the end (3:4). But how does this relate to ministry?

Part of what makes a ministry distinctly ‘Christian’ is that it reveals these riches of the gospel. Our service for Jesus must communicate the marvel of God’s grace toward us (“how great… the riches of glory”), the intimacy of his fellowship (“Christ in you”) and “the hope of [future] glory”. If we are not sharing God’s spiritual wealth with others in our ministry, then is our ministry even ‘Christian’?

Lastly, Paul’s ministry had as its goal the maturity of Christ (28-29). Paul’s aim was to “present everyone mature in Christ.” He toiled and struggled to prepare people to meet their God. How does one go about making Christians mature? Paul did so by teaching them about Jesus (“him we proclaim”) and he did so in a balanced way (“struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me”). That is, he recognized his responsibility to work hard but knew that when he did God’s will God was the one working within him. By striving with the strength that God supplies (1 Pet. 4:11), Paul never experienced ‘burn out’ in his ministry. His teaching took the form of both negative and positive instruction (“warning” and “teaching”). To grow in Christ, we need the gospel positively applied to the whole range of life’s circumstances (“teaching”) but because we often get things wrong, we also need constant “warnings” to keep us on track and correct us.

Christian ministry is a word-centered ministry because what Christians need more than anything to be mature is God’s truth. That is why our sermons and classes are not full of entertaining stories with a sprinkling of Bible quotations to make them ‘spiritual’ but serious expositions and applications of Scripture. That is why our children’s classes are not free day care but aimed at teaching them God’s will at their level. There are other legitimate Christian ministries (Paul mentions a few in Rom. 12:3-8) but none can prepare people for heaven like the ministry of the word. Only a word-centered church can produce Christ-like disciples.

Paul was a true minister, a servant of the church, and his ministry bore all the distinguishing marks of Christ. We understand that as an apostle, Paul’s ministry was unique, but our service, at least in principle, ought to resemble his in these three ways. Keep in mind that Paul’s ministry had no board of directors, no annual budget or any of the other administrative scaffolding of so many denominational ministries today; but it was authentic, effective and distinctly Christian. Does your service for Jesus bear the marks of Christian ministry like Paul’s?

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:15-17

The following is George Herbert’s poetic prayer to God entitled “Gratefulness.”

The Elizabethan language can be difficult, but Herbert’s basic prayer is this: God has blessed him so much, but in order to fully appreciate all that God has done, he must give him one more vital gift—a grateful heart. Without a constant mindset of gratitude, a heart that “pulses” with God’s praises, God might as well have not given him anything to begin with. God knew we would be reliant on his gifts, petitioning him again and again, but it pleases him to hear our prayers because it provides him opportunities to our out his love to us. So Herbert resolves not to stop praying until he obtains that grateful heart.

We too must learn this lesson. When ancient Israel experienced success and blessing, instead of humbly giving thanks, they were inflated with pride. In their comfort they forgot God and slipped into rebellion, despite God’s warning before entering the promised land (see Deut. 8:11-18). In Colossians 3:15-17, Paul emphasizes gratitude with a triple repetition of “thanksgiving” words, clueing us in on three things to be grateful for.

Grateful unity (15) — When love binds us together in “one body” (Col. 3:14), we can allow the “peace of Christ” to “rule [our] hearts.” “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psa. 133:1) How marvelous that Jesus brought such diverse people like us together “in one body” to cooperate in serving him and each other? We ought to “be thankful” for our spiritual unity because it is by no means an automatic thing. Christ had to die to create it (Eph. 2:13-14) and we must live to maintain it by exercising attitudes of humility and patience (Eph. 4:1-3). Be grateful for the fellowship we forgiven sinners share in Christ.

Grateful praise (16) — When we “let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly,” we can offer praise to God that is both mutually encouraging (“teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom”) and acceptable to God (“with thankfulness in your hearts to God”). Worship without gratitude is not worship. If we find our minds wandering by the third verse of the hymn, we are not singing “in all wisdom.” That is, we lack mental discipline and must chasten ourselves to refocus (1 Cor. 14:15). We focus by allowing the “word of Christ” to take up residence within us, to be at home in our minds. We prepare to worship God with the church by filling our minds with the teachings and stories about our Lord. Then, filled with his word, we can offer worship “with thankfulness in [our] hearts to God.”

Grateful living (17) — Finally, Paul admonishes us to “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” To act in Jesus’ name means to act on his behalf. Acting in Christ’s “name” restricts us; it acts as a check on our behavior by getting us to ask ourselves, “Would Christ be pleased if I did this or that?” But acting in Christ’s “name” also encourages us; it acts as a motivation to persevere with difficult tasks that we undertake for him. We know that when we act “in his name”—doing his will—he will provide us with the necessary strength to carry the task out.

When Christ’s peace rules us, Christ’s word fills us and Christ’s name guides us, our hearts will truly be thankful for what we have in Christ. Then we are prepared to worship God and live grateful lives for him. God save us from cynicism, ingratitude and selfishness and give us thankful hearts.

Having a family isn’t something to take for granted, though we often do. Sure, there are plenty of things to gripe about and nitpick concerning our relations, but if we took more time to appreciate them our quibbles would soon dissolve into prayers of thanksgiving.

Since the beginning, God instituted the family as the cornerstone of society. But the concept of family extends beyond our earthly ties to include our spiritual family—those with whom we have fellowship in Christ. Let’s explore three dimensions of family, each with their own blessings.

Our physical family — Family begins with marriage, the most intimate human bond we can experience. It is a blessing to have another who corresponds to you, who shares your essential nature as an equal image bearer of God but who is also distinct from you in complimentary ways (Gen. 2:18-24). Having a constant companion with whom to laugh and mourn with, to work and relax with, to delight in, to lean on, to build up, to listen to or even just to fold laundry with is a spectacular gift of God! (Prov. 18:22; 31:10-12; Ecc. 4:9-12; Eph. 5:22-33)

And what joy, purpose and wonder children bring to the lives of their parents! As “a heritage from the Lord” (Psa. 127), children require the most diligent care from their parents (Eph. 6:4) but parenting teaches us valuable lessons in self-sacrifice, unconditional love, patience, forgiveness and, perhaps most of all, humility—lessons which all have their Christian analogues and deepen our gratitude for our heavenly Father. God teaches us our need for authority through our parents (Eph. 6:1-3). Where would we be without their care when we were vulnerable, their sacrifice for our benefit, their loving discipline for our development and their  patient encouragement and instruction (Prov. 22:6)? Space does not permit all the reasons parents deserve our enduring honor and respect (Ex. 20:12).

Those of us who have siblings know what a special relationship that can be. Though having siblings presents many challenges in the home, they can also provide a structure of safety and an environment for growth, with the older serving and leading the younger. The blessings of having brothers and sisters really bloom in our adulthood when siblings reconnect as mature individuals in their own right.

No family is perfect—and they can often be tragic—but given the biblical ideal, the family can provide a context where love is expressed, values are instilled and faith can be passed down from one generation to another (2 Tim. 1:5; Deut. 6:6-7). The various family roles reflect God’s multifaceted design for the flourishing of our character and the shaping of our future.

Our spiritual family — Becoming a Christian introduces an even greater joy than a physical family. In Christ, we become part of a spiritual family that transcends biological ties. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God” (1 Jn. 3:1; also Gal. 3:26). In “the household of God” (1 Tim. 3:15), we inherit spiritual siblings who have our backs and build us up. We are adopted by spiritual parents who nurture and guide us (1 Tim. 5:1-2). We may even adopt spiritual children of our own through teaching them the gospel (1 Tim. 1:2). The church functions like a family as we support each other, share what we have and meet each other’s needs (Acts 2:42-47).

The church family is, perhaps, especially meaningful to those whose physical family did not offer them the sense of belonging and love that it ought to have. Jesus once said, “whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mk. 3:35) He was in no way diminishing the value of the physical family (on the contrary, he was deeply concerned with family matters [Jn. 19:26]). Rather, he was teaching that those with a common faith share an even deeper connection than blood relations. All Christians can attest to this; how easy it is to connect with saints you’ve just met due to sharing that most important common denominator, faith.

When physical family is also spiritual family — The greatest blessing of all is when our physical family is also part of our spiritual family. When our spouse, parents, children and/or siblings are Christians, the household becomes a microcosm of the church—a place where the gospel is lived out in the daily rhythms of life by every member. Many Christians never get to experience this double-blessing, and their love for their physical family compels them to make petitions to God for them and to persuade them of the truth. Jesus’ own brothers did not accept him at first (Jn. 7:5). This missing link with our blood relatives can be a source of constant anguish. I pray that those saints who have Christians in their family would truly appreciate the gift that they have been given! Thanks be to God when we share our faith with our physical family. Thanks be to God for his church.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:1-4

One of the things Paul charged Timothy to straighten out at Ephesus (1:3, 18) was prayer. He urges that prayers of all kinds (“supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings”) be made for all people, including those in “high positions.” The aim of such prayers is to enable Christians to “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” Our concern isn’t so much that we live a life free of trouble (2 Tim. 1:8; 3:12), but that we may be free to display the gospel to society.

We want to foster a good reputation among our neighbors, accurately reflecting God’s truth to them (1 Tim. 3:15). When we are “well thought of by outsiders” (3:7) we “give the adversary no occasion for slander” (5:14) so that the gospel “teaching may not be reviled.” (6:1)

How does praying for governing authorities help the church live out their faith in a public way? When the government does its job (cf. Rom. 13:1-7), it creates a peaceful and stable society as God intended. A peaceful environment creates a strong platform upon which Christians can gather for worship without fear of reprisal, raise their families according to God’s purpose and travel freely to proclaim the gospel “for all.” And the gospel is “for all people.” God is pleased when we pray for our nation’s leaders because he “desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.” Though the gospel can spread in adverse conditions (see the book of Acts), a stable society only further broadens its reach. More seed can be broadcast when Christians are free to sow in peace.

With the election over and the government preparing to transition, let’s list a few ways we can hone our prayers for those “in high positions.”

Supplications — A “supplication” is simply a request we make to God in prayer. Pray for a peaceful transition of power in January, avoiding a repeat of the 2021 tragedy. Pray that justice would be upheld at home and abroad and that leaders would avoid corruption and selfish ambition (Prov. 11:3). Pray that policies reflective of God’s will would be enacted. Pray that those in authority would avoid leading the nation into war. Pray that they promote laws that allow citizens to live free from violence and oppression, especially for those who are vulnerable (Psa. 82:3).

Intercessions — We may find ourselves having to “intercede” on behalf of our nation’s leaders. As Moses interceded for rebellious Israel (Ex. 32-34), we ought to pray for God’s mercy and patience when those “in high positions” commit crimes, promote unjust practices and are guilty of corruption and blasphemy. We know that “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Prov. 14:34) As students of God’s word, we understand that nations can become so corrupt they end up as unwitting agents of Satan (Rev. 13, 17-18). Once this happens, God is forced to execute his wrath and consign them to the graveyard of history. The fallen empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and Rome serve as sober  reminders that our God “changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings” (Dan. 2:21a). He “rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Dan. 4:25b). Our leaders need our intercession.

Thanksgivings — We often fail to be as grateful as we ought because we focus only on the shortcomings of our nation. Earthly kingdoms, by their very nature, are fundamentally flawed but that doesn’t mean they are all bad. If only we would count our many blessings! America is a wonderful country for all its warts and scars. The freedom to vote on candidates and policies; the freedom to travel wherever and whenever we want; the wealth we enjoy in a free market economy (even despite high inflation at the moment); the relative peace we have experienced; the schools, hospitals, museums, restaurants and parks. The list is endless. And how do these freedoms and opportunities come to us? Certainly by God’s grace, but through the honest and sacrificial work of civil servants.

So let’s pray for our leaders. Pray for President Biden and Vice President Harris. Pray for their supporters that peace may prevail. Pray for President-Elect Trump who has many challenges ahead of him. Pray for all those “in high positions,” incoming and outgoing, that they may seek to do what is right. Most of all, let us continue to love our neighbors and our enemies and pray that all may come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved. This is good and pleasing to God.