James – Faith That Works – Part 3

Open with prayer

Get To Know You (10 Minutes)

• If you were to meet James, what questions would you ask him? (Remember, he was the half-brother of Jesus)

Observation & Discussion (30 Minutes)

James 1:22-27
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.

27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

1. Verse 22 states, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Why would James need to say this to his audience (1:1) and to us?
2. Have you ever ‘deceived’ yourself or done the opposite of what you have heard from God through his Word?
3. Love what God Loves! From this passage and what you have read in James, what does God love? How does your ‘doing’ communicate you care about the same things?
4. Is there something in your life that you are ready to turn from or put aside?

Next Step (10 Minutes)

• The best way to know God, His word and His commands are to read his Word.
• What next step can you take this week to be in the Word?

Prayer Requests (5 Minutes)

Pray with your group to close.

A next step in prayer for your group could be to ask everyone to pray something they are thankful for – then have someone close in prayer. If your group is more comfortable praying together, maybe ask them to pray for the person to their right or left..

Challenge

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