16—Forty Days with James: The Tongue of the Teacher

<p>For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ <a href="https://www.douglasjacoby.com/16-forty-days-with-james-the-tongue-of-the-teacher/" target="_blank"><strong>website.</strong></a></p><p><strong>James 3:1-2</strong></p><ul><li>What is the context of James's warning?<ul><li>James is the most influential person in the Jerusalem church. 3:1 applies to him.</li><li>What’s the leadership model in the communities James is addressing? Teachers & elders (3:1; 5:16)—no mention in this epistle of prophets, evangelists, or other leadership roles involving speaking. Actually, there seem to be multiple models of church governance in the New Testament:<ul><li><i>Antioch</i> – prophets, teachers, and probably elders (13:1; implied by 14:23).</li><li><i>Corinth</i> – teachers and prophets—apostles also mentioned, in the gift lists, though no evidence they were present in Corinth—(1 Cor 12:28).</li><li><i>Ephesus</i> – elders (shepherds), deacons (servants), teachers, evangelists (at least Timothy), and possibly<br />prophets (Eph 2:20; 3:5; 4:11). 1 Tim 3:1-7.</li><li><i>Jerusalem</i> – apostles, elders (Acts 15:22).</li><li><i>Philippi</i> – shepherds, deacons (servants) (Phil 1:1).</li><li><i>Rome</i> – teachers and prophets, a collaborative model (Rom 12:6-8).</li><li>Evangelists show up only in the Ephesian "model," though I presume that they were mobile, planting churches, exposed to danger in a variety of situations. In Acts 20:17 Paul called for the <i>elders</i>, who appear to be the church leaders. No evangelist as "senior pastor" (as among many Protestant churches). Let's not get bogged down with titles and definitions. The N.T. seems to indicate that church governance is an area of freedom.</li></ul></li><li>In speaking of the tongue of the teachers, in other words, James is almost certainly referring to church leaders. To those who speak, teach, influence the body of Christ.<ul><li><i>Unfit</i> teachers troubled many first-century churches (Acts, 2 Cor, Col, 1-2 Tim, Titus, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, Jude