Devilish Characteristics

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Scripture

Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

~James 3:15/NIV

Quote

“Every word spoken in Christ’s name carries eternal weight, for we are accountable not only for what we say and how we say it, but for where our words lead others.”

~Source Unknown

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As I was preparing for our Wednesday bible study in James, I was meditating on James 3:15 and the word demonic or KJV devilish. The Greek word is daimoniōdēs and it is used only one time in the New Testament. The word means to have demon like qualities. It does not mean to be possessed but to act like a demon or a devil. Most of us have been accused of acting like the devil at some point in our life. It is the opposite of acting Christlike. That stirred my mind and so I did a little research. I came up with a NT list of devilish characteristics that I think is very interesting. Astounding may be a better word.

  • Demons knew and recognized Jesus. Demons can be orthodox. They know Jesus and they believe that God is one. It is amazing, the Jewish scholars did not know who Jesus was but the demons always recognized Him immediately. {Mark 1:24}
  • They feared Jesus, submitted to Him and associated Him with the coming judgment. {Matthew 8:29}
  • The demons were loud. They refused to go unnoticed. They called immediate attention to themselves. {Mark 1:26}
  • The demons were disruptive. They would often interrupt Jesus as He was teaching or preaching. It didn’t matter if He was in the middle of a miracle or a message, they rudely interrupted. {Mark 1:26, 5:6-7, Acts 16} Remember the story of the slave girl in Acts 16, the girl was not cursing, she was saying loudly, “These men are slaves to the most high God and are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” She was disruptive. She was hingering Paul, not helping him.
  • They sought to enslave, torment and destroy humans. {John 8:44, Mark 9:22}
  • They were difficult to deal with: hard to get rid of, resistant to leave or depart. {Mark 9:26}

James is addressing teachers in the church. He is talking to Jewish Christians and primarily those who are ambitious to teach and to lead. This letter is not to lost folks per say. He is talking about teachers who do not model what they teach. Instead of being humble, gentle and possessing a spirit of sweet reasonableness: they are loud, abrasive and will argue at the drop of a hat. They are more concerned about being right and winning the argument than they are winning a soul. They are so wrapped up in their own opinion, that they refuse to listen when others speak. No one can be a good teacher that has an unteachable spirit. You cannot lead until you learn to follow and you cannot teach until you learn to listen.There is a huge difference between being a professor in a university and being a Sunday School teacher. Knowledge alone does not make a good bible teacher. We need a genuine concern for the people we teach and we must demonstrate what we teach. A college professor simply teaches with his/her words. The only time the student sees them is in the class room. This is not true with Christian teachers. Our students are watching us. If we mislead someone by lip or life, we will be held accountable.

This is why James cautions folks to think twice before trying to teach. The Christian teacher or preacher wears a heavy mantle. This mantle is a constant reminder that I am accountable for what I say. If I were to retire from preaching today: this would be my number one reason.

Jim’s surgery {gall bladder} went great. He spent the night in the hospital but may go home today if all goes well. His niece texted me this morning and said he was doing well. Jenny has to be at DMH at 10 but Sue said they have no idea when the surgery will be. She is going to keep me posted.

Concerning the blog on Matthew 7:21-23. It was brought to my attention last night that J. Vernon Mcgee says this passage does not pertain to Christians who will be caught up in the rapture. I have given this a lot of thought. I guess this proves there is no rapture because the folks in Matthew 7:21 are rock solid sure that they are saved. If a rapture had already occurred, they would know for sure that they were not saved. I think McGee misses the point. Self-deception is the problem that Jesus is addressing. He is talking about folks who are fully convinced they are going to heaven. They have decieved themselves based on their works and their misunderstanding of Christianity. I think the passage should stir us to reexamine ourselves and to make sure our faith is in what Jesus did for us rather than what we do for him. I do appreciate the feedback, otherwise I would never have seen this new insight. Never hesitate to talk to me when you have questions or insights.

GRACE POINTERS: Remember July is Deacon nomination month. You have two more weeks. Write down your nomination and put it in the offering plate or give it to David Cowart. Election is August 16. Two other events coming up: September 13th we will have a special offering for Wycliff Bible Publishers. Our Morgan Baptist Association is trying to translate the gospel of John. It cost $35 to translate one verse. My prayer is that each member will translate at least one. It is a one offering event. October 26 {Monday} Grace Point will host the MORGAN BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONAL ANNUAL MEETING. It may be the first time GP has hosted {I’m not sure}. The meeting begins at 9:30 or 10:00 I think and concludes at 11:30 and we furnish the noon meal. It will be like a 49er feast. This will be in lieu of the Pastor Appreciation lunch that you have been doing. We have been feeding 20 and that number should go to 50-60 but we can do it, and I am looking forward to it.

I don’t think many pastors read the blog but here is the PASTOR APPRECIATION schedule for OCTOBER

  • Monday, October 5…Keith and Judy Blackwood
  • Monday, October 12…New Center Baptist Church
  • Monday, October 19…East Highland Baptist Church
  • Monday, October 26…Grace Point Baptist Church
  • Christmas Breakfast, December 7…{Cracker Barrel} Danville Baptist Church

Have a great day! Thanks for reading the blog.

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