James – Faith That Works – Part 1

Open with prayer

Get To Know You (10 Minutes)

• What would be your last meal?
• If your personality were a holiday, which one would it be?

Observation & Discussion (30 Minutes)

James 1:1 — James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

James started out as a skeptic then became a servant

James 1:2-4 — 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

1. Are you more of a skeptic or a servant naturally?

2. Trust the Process: Have you experienced a time in your life when you had to trust the process instead of trying to control the outcome?

3. Why is it hard to trust God when in the midst of trials or pain?

James 1:22-25 — 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

4. Be a doer: Don’t just listen and hear, but do what it says. Share 1 or 2 ways you could more actively do or live out your faith in God.

5. Consider the audience James is reaching. Have you tried to live out your values but run into external hurdles?

Next Step (10 Minutes)

• Name some ways you can help one another in your group to be doers instead of just talkers.

Prayer Requests (5 Minutes)

Pray with your group to close.

Challenge

Read the book of James (weekly). It’ll take 15 minutes to read the entire letter.