(Below are Nicole's thoughts on Chapter 9 of Twelve Unlikely Heroes by John MacArthur. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this as well.)
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. -Galatians 1:18-19
I really struggled with this chapter. I'm hoping that by the time I'm done writing this post I'll have a clearer picture of James and the reasonings behind him being an unlikely hero.
Below are the points that John MacArthur made in Chapter 9 to describe James as an unlikely hero:
* As the second-born, James had lived with and felt the differences between himself and Jesus longer than his other siblings. p. 176
*...Jesus personally appeared after His resurrection to James (and possibly to the other brothers also). What a stunning reunion that must have been! Undoubtedly, it was the moment of James' conversion and explains why he was among the believers in the upper room. p. 177
* Although he had known Jesus for over three decades, he did not believe in Him until his risen brother graciously appeared to him and saved him. p. 178
* Because James had become the focal point of the church leadership at Jerusalem, any significnat church-related matters needed to go through him. p. 178
* James's ministry, along with the twelve apostles, was critical in setting the church on the right foundation. p. 181
* In many ways, James was the first model pastor. Unlike the twelve apostles, who eventually left Jerusalem to take the gospel throughout the world, James never left. p. 181
* He was characterized by commitment to the truth but also by compassion for the consciences of his fellow Jews who were still sensitive to the traditions of Judaism. p. 182
* James was a man of true humility. p. 183
* James was a righteous man. p. 183
* James was a loving pastor. p. 183
* James was a man of the Word and prayer. p. 184
* James was a theologian. p. 184
* James was a man who practiced what he preached, and who lovingly led that initial generation of believers in Jerusalem to do the same. p. 185
* Like his neighbors in Nazareth, James was filled with incredulity and contempt when his older
* In many ways, James was the first model pastor. Unlike the twelve apostles, who eventually left Jerusalem to take the gospel throughout the world, James never left. p. 181
* He was characterized by commitment to the truth but also by compassion for the consciences of his fellow Jews who were still sensitive to the traditions of Judaism. p. 182
* James was a man of true humility. p. 183
* James was a righteous man. p. 183
* James was a loving pastor. p. 183
* James was a man of the Word and prayer. p. 184
* James was a theologian. p. 184
* James was a man who practiced what he preached, and who lovingly led that initial generation of believers in Jerusalem to do the same. p. 185
* Like his neighbors in Nazareth, James was filled with incredulity and contempt when his older half-brother claimed to be the Messiah. p. 187
* James stands as a hero for providing godly leadership in the midst of that critical struggle and bodily affirming the gospel of grace, while also declaring that the Holy Spirit will produce righteous works in the lives of those people who are truly saved. p. 187
As I'm reading over these notes and this chapter again to prepare to close out this post, I find my answer to why James is an unlikely hero.
On page 188, John MacArthur writes:
"The Lord created, called, saved, and equipped James for usefulness in manifesting His glory. He does the same for all believers (Romans 8:29). Like James, we were all filled with contempt and hatred toward God at one time. But if we have come to saving faith in Christ, we too have each been forgiven and equipped for spiritual service. Our salvation has been fully secured by grace through faith in Christ. Now, as James emphasized in his epistle, we must put feet to our faith-faithfully living in submissive obedience to the Word of God. In such living, our own story will unfold to the honor of the Lord Jesus, who is not ashamed to make us part of His family (cf. Romans 8:16-17)."
Let me repeat that small but power phrase from above...we must put feet to our faith.
In other words, James is a hero because no matter what his life was like or who is brother was, he moved forward with what God had planned for his life. God worked through James. James didn't run the other direction. James "put feet to his faith" and did some amazing work for God.
So, I ask you...how does your faith look? Are you moving forward with what God has planned for your life or are you stuck in "sibling rivalry" looking at what other people have wishing you had it? Being a parent to a child on the spectrum brings us a lot of challenges. One of them is wishing for a child that didn't have meltdowns at ten years of age. It's easy for us to look at another family and wish for what they have. However, that's not what God wants us to do. He needs for us to move forward with our lives and our children and help them become the children that God needs them to be so that they can be world changers for God. I encourage you to take some time and dive into His Word. James was a man of the Word and of prayer. He knew God's plan for his life because he spent time with God through reading the Bible and praying.
...The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. - James 5:16
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