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Home Community Questions
First: continue the conversation concerning what project / mission your
Home Community is going to purpose to do together.
Did you pick up a piece of the shattered pot? Why?
How does our word hurt or help people? o Explain a time when words built you up or tore you down.
If the tongue is like a rudder and a pilot controls the rudder by steering, then who is the pilot of your tongue?
o If Jesus is the pilot, then how should your speech change?
o How do you make Jesus the pilot of your tongue? (Look up verses related to speech, your heart, your mind, etc.)
Spend time in silent confession. If you do not feel the need to
confess, then in your silence, ask God to reveal your sins of
speech to your mind and heart.
o Now that you know how you have sinned with your
mouth: (1) confess that to God; and (2) if you have
unresolved sin that you have committed that separates
you from your brother / sister, go confess to your
brother or sister before Sunday.
Devotion & the Tongue James 3:1-12
I. The 1st
warning is to teachers (3:1-2a)
James 3:1- Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that
we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2a
For we all stumble in
many ways.
- For Grace Church, this warning applies to:
o Senior Pastor
o Elders
o Associate Pastors
o School of Theology teachers
o Home Community facilitators
o Sunday School teachers
o Youth Group teachers
o Children’s Church teachers
- We are/will be held accountable by God for what we teach & do:
“…we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” – James 3:1b
“…they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an
account…” – Heb. 13:17b
- We all stumble / offend (3:2a), but this is not an excuse (3:2b-12).
If someone walked up to you & said, “Who is in control of your tongue?” What would you say?
II. The 2nd
warning is to everyone – the tongue has great power (3:2b-5)
James 3:2b- And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able
also to bridle his whole body. 3If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that
they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4Look at the ships also:
though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a
very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
- Horses & Ships = powerful forms of transportation.
- Bits & Rudders = relatively small steering devices.
- Horsemen & Pilots – need to be skilled.
James 3:5-
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How
great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
- The tongue has great power for good or destructive evil:
[Principle] Because the tongue has a powerful influence for good or evil, the implication is we need a skilled pilot at the controls of our tongues.
III. Who is the pilot of your life & how do you know? (3:6-8)
James 3:6-And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among
our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,
and set on fire by hell.
- Staining the whole body: “Evil speech…has a power to…corrupt the entire
moral character of a person.” – R.C. Sproul
- Set on fire by hell = evil speech indicates demonic influence.
James 3:7
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed
and has been tamed by mankind, 8but no human being can tame the tongue. It
is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
If the tongue is set on fire by hell & is a restless untamable evil full of deadly poison, then am I responsible for what comes out of my mouth?
- Reminder: James 1:13-15 – you are accountable for your sin!
IV. The doubleness of the tongue ought not to be among Christians (3:9-12)
James 3:9
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are
made in the likeness of God. 10
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
- Doubleness of speech indicates an incongruity between:
o Hearing & Doing (1:22-26) and Faith & Works (2:17-26)
James 3:11
Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12
Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither
can a salt pond yield fresh water.
V. Application:
- #1 – Figure out who is your pilot. If your speech is negative, it is an
indication you have the wrong pilot behind the wheel of your life.
- #2 – Strive to make Jesus your pilot. If you’re processing / speaking
correctly, there is a benefit to the church and those you influence.
BI: We need to stop hindering & start furthering the Gospel with our tongues.
How? 2 Cor. 10:5-
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the
knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”
LOOKING AHEAD
Oct 28-29 ········ Women of Faith
Oct 31 ············· Trunk or Treat
Nov 12 ············ Women’s Forum
Nov 20 ············ Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Sunday
Nov 24 ············ Thanksgiving
Nov 27 ············ No School of Theology or Sunday School classes
Dec 3 ··············· Craft Bazaar & Bake Sale
Dec 4 ··············· Advent Conspiracy series begins
Dec 4 ··············· Surviving the Holidays - 2pm
Oct 23 , 2011
Be part of this great opportunity to BUILD community and PROCLAIM Christ
by bringing your decorated car (prizes awarded for most creative!), providing
cupcakes or cookies, or donating individually wrapped candy to hand out.
Food and fun begin at 6pm; trunks close at 8pm. Contact Pastor Nathan if you
can help. (206)937-8400 or [email protected]. Please be sure
and complete the bulletin insert today! Place it in the offering plate or turn
it in at the Welcome Center in the foyer after the service. There is also an
invitation for you to share with others so they can join the fun! More invites
are at the Welcome Center in the foyer if you need more.
Let us LOVE GOD & PEOPLE BY PRAYING FOR: William Turner (fall), Debbie Buell (breast
cancer treatment), Bill & Charlene Hall (home
recovery) Jim Smith (continued hearing loss),
Cole Sonsteng (gastro paresis), Jorge Enciso
(liver disorder), Kathy Setzer (lymphoma
treatment), and those with ongoing health
needs: Kimberly Smith (seizures), Martha Miller
& those unemployed looking for jobs. Please
also pray for the Elder Board: Larry Watson,
Ron Sasaki, Paul Lang, Josh Hanson, Ryan Faust
and Elders in Training - Kevin Anway and
Drayton Lemert.
PASTOR’S OFFICE NEEDS Have an extra file cabinet or shelf that you
are no longer using? Is it in good condition?
Would you be willing to donate it to the
church? Please contact Janis Lemert at
(206)937-8400.
FOOD DRIVE ACTUAL TOTALS Thank you to everyone who helped collect
food for the White Center Food Bank this
weekend at Safeway on Roxbury and the
QFC at Westwood Village. And a special
thank you to the stores for allowing us to do
this! 2274 lbs. of food was collected along
with $764 in cash and grocery gift cards. It
was over 80 hours, and 30 people to make
this happen. Thank you also to Bank and
Office Interiors for the use of the bins for
hauling all the bags of food to the food bank.
AWANA UPDATE
With out first quarter nearing a close we
have close to 100 Clubbers enrolled, and
over 60 volunteers and leaders! We've
been blessed to have over 60% from
outside our church congregation! Over
193 Bible verse sections were said at
our last Club night. We're always in
need of more volunteers to hear verses
- contact Pastor Jerry or Amber if
interested!
HELP SUPPORT LIVING WATER
Calling all Bakers, Crafters, and Event
Helpers -- Men, Women, and Families!
Sign up now to participate in our Craft
Bazaar & Bake Sale, Sat. Dec. 3. This is a
community outreach event, an
opportunity to LOVE God & people
while PROCLAIMING Christ and
opportunity to support Living Water
(clean water wells). See Martha
Heuschele in the foyer today.
GETTING CONNECTED AT GRACE Where do I fit in? What are my gifts and
how can I use them at Grace? How can I
get more involved in this community? I
would like to serve in another way than I
am right now, but I’m not sure who to
talk to about that. Or maybe you have
been thinking about joining a Home
Community group? Email or call Janis
Lemert, Director of Body Life at janisl@
gracechurchseattle.org or (206)937-8400.
Visiting Grace? If this is your first time of worshiping with us, we joyfully welcome and thank you for coming! Please visit the Info Desk in the foyer
to learn a bit more about life at Grace. 10323 28th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98146-1202
Phone: (206) 937-8400 Fax: (206) 937-0881 [email protected] www.gracechurchseattle.org
THIS WEEK AT GRACE SUNDAY, OCOTBER 23
9:00 am Sunday School for Infants through Jr. High
9:00 am School of Theology - various classrooms downstairs
10:00 am Coffee & Fellowship
10:30 am WORSHIP CELEBRATION - sanctuary
Kids dismissed to Children’s Church - 1st-3rd grades - room 122 Kid’s bulletins are available for 4th and up at the Welcome Center
7:00 pm Youth Small Groups - various
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24
Church Office open 9 am to 4 pm
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25
Church Office open 9 am to 4 pm
6:30-9:00 pm Celebrate Recovery - foyer, rooms 128 & 129
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26
Church Office open 9 am to 4 pm
6:30-8:20 pm Awana Clubs
7:00-9:00 pm Elder Meeting - conference room
7:00-8:30 pm Youth Group - the shack
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27
Church Office open 9 am to 4 pm
9:30-11:30 am Women’s Community Bible Study - 122 & 123
8:30 pm College Group - Nathan & Megan Schlaud’s
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28
Church Office closed
10 am-10:00 pm Women of Faith - Key Arena
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29
Church Office closed
10:00 am GriefShare - room 123
9am-5:00 pm Women of Faith - Key Arena
Pastor Ryan Faust, Senior Pastor [email protected] Pastor Jerry Buell, Children’s Ed & Family Ministry [email protected]
Pastor Nathan Schlaud, Youth & College Ministry [email protected] Janis Lemert, Director of Body Life [email protected] Kathie Varney, Executive Assistant [email protected] Sherry Croom, Bookkeeper [email protected]