David Hathaway

We are made in God's image, yet our speech reveals our need for salvation. The Holy Spirit purifies our heart so that our words become good and pleasing to the Lord.  Just as you can identify a tree by the fruit it produces, so you can evaluate your wisdom by your words and actions. Foolishness produces disorder and discord, whereas wisdom leads to peace and goodness. Are you tempted to escalate conflict, share gossip, or fan the flames of discord? God blesses peacekeepers. Wise, loving words are the seed of peace. 'Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, cons

A few words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build. Before you speak, ask yourself, is what I want to say true? Is it kind and loving? Is it necessary? Is my intention to build up or to put down. 'We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.' (James 3:2-10, NIV)

Do you want to be called a friend of God?  Writing in the book of James chapter 2, 'Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.'  While our good deeds can never earn salvation, true faith always results in a changed life and good deeds. Faith brings us salvation; active obedience demonstrates that our faith is genuine. 

The faith you have will be demonstrated by the life you live. Our born again experience must be evidenced by obedience to the Word of God. We should have such a reverential fear of the Lord that our greatest desire is to please Him. 'What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.' (James 2:14-17, NLT)

'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.' God's commands and promises never change; He is dependable. We are all aware of English weather, we can experience all four seasons in one day; it can start with a beautiful clear blue sky, but by lunch time, it can be cloudy, with the light casting shadows. But the light of God's Word illuminates our lives without shadows. But the key to experiencing the beauty of God's presence is in verse 22, chapter 1: 'Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.'

“Blessed is the man who endures, perseveres under temptation.” We come back to the key thought, perseverance. “Because when such a one has stood the test, when he is brought to Judgement, he will receive the Crown of Life that the Lord has promised to those that love Him.” I don’t hear enough these days about judgement and reward. Whether we are a Believer or unbeliever, every one of us must appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ to be judged on what we have done! Unbeliever to condemnation; to the Believer, the Crown of Life - the Crown of Righteousness, the Crown of Glory! We are clearly promised a reward - if we don’t quit, don’t give up, but finish the job God has given us.

I have just spent a further time in prayer and fellowship in preparation for the next move of God. From March 20th to 27th I will be in Uzbekistan to begin the next part of our move into evangelism in Central Asia. This is a critical region almost untouched by powerful evangelism with miracles and signs following. While Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan were exposed to traditional Orthodoxy under the Russian Empire, both were Islamic countries until Soviet Russia suppressed even that. There has never been real freedom to evangelise and even now we have to use whatever opportunities we can, as fast as we can. 

“Perseverance must finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.” The difference between childishness and maturity is perseverance. It’s only through perseverance that you get to maturity. In verse 5 James says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally and doesn’t criticise, upbraid, or reproach, but gives to all men generously without finding fault with you!” If we lack wisdom, we need to ask! I do this all the time. I know what job God has given me to do, but I’m always asking, “How do I do it?” It’s not just a question of perseverance in the doing but finding out how to do it! That comes with every task. We have to become skilled in our persevering, we have to learn how to do the job! I marvel at some ladies who can put together a meal without reference to a cookery book - but they have experience, it makes it easier. So it is in our spiritual experience. It’s the maturity that comes with experience, when we don’t always have to look

James says, “Know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance!” It’s faith in something in which we can persevere. So many people run well for a time, but drift away. It’s so sad - I don’t find enough teaching in our Christian life today about persevering, not giving up, not quitting. Do you understand what perseverance is?!! Perseverance is the idea that you have a job and you’re not going to stop until it’s done. I have to laugh: married men have a reputation of starting a job and never finishing! Well, I built my own houses with help, yes, and I finished it. But I also start jobs I don’t finish! But perseverance means you finish the job you start! What a challenge!

Let us love one another, not just in words, but in action, in what we do! In Philemon 1, Onesimus, a runaway slave, a thief, has found Christ. In v15, Paul is saying to Philemon, 'Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for ever – no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.' This Scripture shows how we should receive one another with love: we are brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Paul is in prison as he writes to Philemon, but throughout the New Testament, he often refers to himself as a ‘prisoner of Christ’. The relationship he has with Christ is more than being a follower, it’s such a strong relationship, it’s as if he is captive to the love, to all that Jesus is. If we could only see ourselves in this relationship – captives, almost prisoners, to the drawing power and the influence of the love that is in Jesus!

It's our faith and our love that should be such a hallmark of who we are in Christ. This is key – our trust in Jesus. Our faith is in HIM. As Christians the most important thing in our lives is trust. And it’s not just faith, it’s love for Christ – and our love for all the saints. The relief work we do in war-stricken Ukraine is an expression of our love.

'Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.' (Colossians 4)

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” This theme runs right through Scripture, watching, praying – with thanksgiving – faithfulness in prayer! There is a big responsibility for us in this. Paul says in Colossians 4:3, “Pray for us that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ for which I am in chains.” There must be constant prayer from me and from you – pray! Just like Paul, I need prayer that God will open doors. 

'And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him... Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.' (Colossians 3.18-25) Paul is addressing workers in secular jobs, slaves, servants, employees, telling them to obey their employers, not as men pleasers, with eyeservice, but with singleness of heart, fearing God; whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord, and not as unto men! You see, even in the secular world we have to serve a secular master – as if he were the Lord! But, v24, the Lord will reward us! So we must be faithful in whatever job we do.

Be encouraged, God is at work! I am experiencing it in my life even more as I get older! There is always opposition, but significantly, I have always found that, if Satan attacks, it means that something big is about to happen! We need your support both in prayer and with finance more this year than ever. We are all living in a difficult time economically, but the seed which you sow will reap an even larger harvest in eternity because God Himself will reward you!

The new life that we have in Christ is a renewed one, in a new image – the Image of Christ. Christ should be in us! That’s what Paul often says, “Christ in you, the hope of Glory!” The Life, the very essence of Christ – in us! When a child is born, that new life comes from father and mother – in their image! come on! By faith, you are born of God. It’s the Life of Christ in you that now makes you who you now are! Paul says in Galatians 4:19, “I travail until Christ be formed in you.” You are in Christ! But v11 reveals complications: in this new Image, there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free. Paul is saying there’s no difference between any of us in Christ. There is no difference between cultures, between Jew and Gentile, no difference between those who obey the Jewish law, and those who don’t, no difference between a slave and a free person. Christ is in all. There is absolutely no difference. No difference between black and white, no difference what

When Christ appears, we shall appear with Him. When a Christian dies, your body dies, but YOU are not dead! And when the Day of Resurrection comes, we shall rise with Christ with new Resurrection bodies! Where Christ is, there we shall be. With Him! The new life that we have in Christ is a renewed one, in a new image – the Image of Christ. Christ should be in us! That’s what Paul often says, “Christ in you, the hope of Glory!” The Life, the very essence of Christ – in us! When a child is born, that new life comes from father and mother – in their image! By faith, you are born of God. It’s the Life of Christ in you that makes you who you now are! Paul says in Galatians 4:19, “I travail until Christ be formed in you.” You are in Christ!

“If you are then risen with Christ…” You can ONLY have this experience of being ‘risen with Christ’ – IF you have died with Him! Being dead to the old life is the theme that runs throughout the Gospels and the Letters! Water baptism is the symbol of this! We’ve got to die to the old life. It’s got to be finished. Once we’ve had this experience of repenting of our sin and dying to the old, the devil can hold nothing against us. It’s gone! Dead! Buried! The past is gone, you are a new man, a new woman in Christ. 

Our salvation consists in the fact that Christ, in His death, blotted out all accusation against us! When He, Christ, nailed our sin on the cross, He ‘spoiled’ principalities and powers, He disarmed the powers and authorities – and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross, v15! Christ triumphed over all the powers of Satan and all the powers of evil that are against us and attack us! When Christ died on the cross, He did not only forgive our sin, but He broke the power the devil had against us. The NIV translation sums up this triumph in a military sense: Christ on the cross, disarmed the powers and authorities! He disarmed the devil! That’s what the Ukrainians are trying to do with the Russians – to smash all their arms and ammunition depots, all their weapons and tanks and armaments and to disarm the enemy! And when they’re disarmed, they can’t fight! Christ has done for us what the Ukrainians are doing – disarming the enemy!