38th day of Lent: Two Kinds of People

There are two types of people in this world. TWO only. Just kidding. There are really so many. I took this little buzzfeed test on this subject and was thoroughly amused. In this extremely scientific test, they show you 20 sets of two pictures and you pick which one is you. From needing numerous alarms to wake up in the morning, to how you roll the TP...there are many situations in which you fall into one of two categories. 
I thought they should have included the pronunciation of the word "obvious." There are ONLY two types of people in this world. People who say "obvious" wrong and people who say it right!

1. Ah-b-vee-us (but said fast. The "b" is there. It's tiny, but it's there!)
2. Aww-vee-us (no "b", and the first syllable is accented and exaggerated in a strange and INCORRECT way) 

It's not really a pet peeve of mine, I don't care how people say the word obvious, but it's just something I've noted over the course of my life. Note: I have said the word "obvious" so many times while writing this blog that it now sounds like gibberish. So moving on, today's reading is also about two types of people. It is about two types of Christians: 

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. 

 - James 3:13-18 

This scripture really can't be read starting from verse 13, because then you miss a critical point: who this letter is addressing. And while this information is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)...it's definitely meant for a particular crowd. This crowd is not likely my blog audience. But one day my blog audience could become the target audience of this admonition:

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.

- James 3:1 

So this message is to teachers. And while every Christian is charged with sharing their faith and teaching others The Way, this is to people who want to teach officially. Professionally. These are not just fly-by-night bloggers. 

And of the people who teach, there are two kinds: 

• Those who are wise and understanding - and teach out of that
• Those who are full of bitter jealousy and selfish ambition - and teach out of that 

Or maybe it could worded like this: There are two kinds of people,

• People with God's wisdom
• People with their own wisdom

If you put it like that, it's clear that there is a wisdom that is from above, and it is pure. And there is another wisdom, from below, and it is tainted.

In a previous blog, I talked about what it meant for something to be pure. It means it is comprised of ONE substance, and is not mixed with anything else. So, I think it's very easy for our wisdom and understanding to become tainted, because to us everything is "relative" or "the way I see it" or "but if you look at it this way." And suddenly, we sound very wise, but if we've mixed the knowledge of God with our own brand of wisdom (no matter how witty/clever you are), there is a taint.

I've heard a lot of preachers in my life, and I've witnessed evil and disorder in the church. James says this "extra wisdom" born out of jealousy and selfish ambition is the cause. It causes an arrogance that makes someone lie against the truth, but I bet to them that truth is the lie. They've attained wisdom! It's just...tainted. I bet it's hard to realize your wisdom is tainted, except as Jesus said (regarding preachers):

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits... A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

 - Matthew 7:15-18

. 
What are these fruits? 

I don't know...but I think we know good fruit from bad fruit. The same way you know gentleness and mercy from callousness and cruelty. Where you have gentleness and mercy (one of which is a fruit of the spirit, and one which is a beatitude)...I think you know you're dealing with.

So if your church is out of order...better assess that wisdom.