MTE Session 5 - Perfect Peace

Summary

Keith Birchley did the fifth & last session for this year's MTE. He covered James 3.

He started by talking about paradigm shifts, which is a sudden change in the way one sees something. Shifting paradigms, says Birchley, is fun once you get over the shock. What we see is predetermined by what we prepare to see. What we see if often a product of what we prepare to see. If we change the paradigm, we will change the way we see the church.

Birchley made a few points:

#1:
Wisdom is more walk than talk.
It is more behavioural than intellectual. James 3:13-18. We are countering the idea that wisdom is all about ideas/intellect. "Pretend" wisdom (i.e. wisdom not from above) creates trouble (see v 14 - jealousy & selfish ambition; v16 - disorder & every evil thing). What wisdom from about is like is the complete opposite of earthly wisdom (v17). God given wisdom is pure & from above.
So, we are not to assume that someone is wise if they know a lot of stuff. Something can be accurate, or sharp & discerning, without being wise. What all that represent is not true wisdom. A thing is not true wisdom if it leads to a trail of destruction (Look at the fruit of the thing to decide whether the thing is or is not true wisdom). Wisdom is defined by the walk behind the talk.

#2:
Quarrels are more internal than external.
It is what is going on inside that creates what is going on outside. James 4:1-3 starts & ends in "pleasures". Pleasures drive desires which in turn drives quarrels & conflicts. Pleasure seeking drives adversarial acting. A person who is a perpetual arguer is pleasure seeking.
James 3:14. Motive is extensive in poisoning.
The best idea in a meeting of leaders is not necessarily wisdom even if it is intellectually the best idea or accurate by any objective criteria. That is because wisdom is more walk than talk. Ideas may be right but motives can be wrong. Pause before you push the "send" button - if there is any doubt as to your motives.
The great conflicts are within people, not between people. The real disagreements are within. Thomas Cranmer's anthropology states: "What the heart loves, the will chooses, the mind justifies".

#3:
Maturity is giving to the right jealousy, humbly submitting to the Lord's jealousy for us.
Birchley referred to James 4:4-10, also Exodus 20:3 (no other gods), Exodus 34:14.
Growing up is giving in to God's jealousy. Birchley referred to James 4:7 & 8. We are to resist those things of the devil, resist the devil by not fostering divisive ambition & resist destructive behaviour. God's pure & holy jealousy for his people.
Keep in mind that God is jealous for our unity. He wants us, therefore we should clean up our act.
Men like to fight. We like fights. We rejoice here together (in MTE), applauding each other's ministries.

Birchley then recapped the above:

• Wisdom is more walk than talk.
• What is going on inside creates what is going on outside.
• Maturity involves not spending too much emotional energy with jealousy towards each other.
  

Reflections

• Phheewww. I marvel at Birchley's talk & his style. It's pretty deep (I hope I haven't misrepresented his talk). I think Birchley is a really wise man & though I don't know him well, I certainly get the impression he is more walk than talk. Which is more than can be said about myself! (even if I sometimes delude myself into believing I'm wiser & cleverer than I actually am). Me, I'm "all talk & no action". When it comes to applications, if I'm not trying to get out of discussion, I will talk about it during Bible study, but hardly get around to doing them. So when people ask "how's your applications, DT?", I got no answer. I should really take applications more seriously.
  
• With maturity, it is my selfishness (with my time) & my self-centeredness that prevents me from giving in to God's jealousy. I need to remember that God is a jealous & personal God who loves & really cares about me. It's not a matter of "God is up there, I'm down here. I do my thing; if I really need His help, I call Him". I need to get God much more involved in my life & rather than marginalising His involvement. So, I should, as Birchley say, clean up my act. Do some things to get God more involved, such as spending some more time reading & reflecting on the Bible, & set aside some time for prayer. Ahh, look at that - Bible reading & praying more often. Doesn't that look familiar - how many times have I already got that as my applications?!!
• Birchley has been saying: "Wisdom is more walk than talk". Final thought on this: after all my MTE posts, perhaps someone might want to remind me that "wisdom is more walk than blog".