Meeting with a couple of friends once a week working through the discipleship book published by Francis Chan and David Platt called Multiply.  You can buy the book or download it for free at Multiply Movement in PDF.
    So why do I bring this up?  Well we are on the fourth week of this study.  Week 3 took us to a passage of Scripture I had heard preached numerous time as a Christian.  Take a minute and read James 3:1-12.  As I studied this passage for the book it hit me.  I have always heard this passage preached or taught in two sections.  The first section is taught about how "many should not desire to be teachers" because of the great responsibility of teachers.  The second section is used to illustrate the problems with gossip, back-biting, spreading rumors etc.  However, as I read the passage for Multiply, it hit me that verses 1-12 are together.  James is talking about the tongue of a teacher, and the fire it can set, or how it can steer those under the teacher in the wrong direction.  At this point, I thought, "Wait a minute!   The fact that I have always heard this passage broken apart is an illustration of what James is teaching.
      This passage warns about the great responsibility of teaching, and how teachers should control their tongues because they can start great fires  .  .  . I want to use the word apostasy here.    This staggered me when I put the entire passage together.  Context!!!!!!  

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