true life faith a study of the book of James

Transcription

1 true life faith a study of the book of James Christian Assembly Women s Bible Study Winter

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3 Save the Date March Women s Retreat Get away to the mountains to draw near to God and to one another. Get more information and register at April 6-May 25 - Session 3 true life: community Christian Assembly Women s Bible Study Spring 2010 Summer 2010 Book Clubs are back! Individual groups will meet throughout the city to look follow up on our discussion of True Life: Identity, Faith and Community by reading and discussing the book The Gift of Being Yourself by David Brenner. It s a short book just 110 pages and six chapters but it is filled with thought-provoking ideas to fill a time of discussion. Some groups will be tables that desire to continue to meet together. Other groups will be gatherings of women who want to meet new people and join in community as they walk with Jesus. We will have more details for you during session three but we wanted you to keep this in mind as you look toward the future. If you are interested in leading a book club please cherylf@caeaglerock.com. Discipleship!!! Beginning September 21/22, 2010 Women s Bible Study will return. Living an arrows out life includes helping others follow Jesus. One way to help others follow Jesus is to lead a table at Women s Bible Study. We provide training, encouragement and support. If you are interested in making disciples through WBS please contact Cheryl Fletcher at cherylf@caeaglerock.com. 3

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5 true life: faith Introduction Our theme this year is True Life. We started in the first session considering our true identity and how to live authentically as women known and loved by God. This session we will explore another aspect of true life faith. Together we will look at how true faith in Jesus is to be lived out and expressed. We will do this by studying the book of James in the New Testament. James is writing to Jewish Christians who are wondering some of the same things that we wonder: as Christians saved by grace does it really matter how we live? If we focus too much on doing good works will we miss out on God s grace and simply become judgmental legalists? How do we have faith in the midst of severe suffering? Why do we continue to face temptation if we belong to Jesus? Is Christianity practical or just mystical? These are just a few of the things we ll consider this session along with so much more. So, this session, we invite you to join us in considering a life of authentic faith. The Bible Study and this Study Guide This booklet is your guide throughout this study as we dive into the book of James. You are not required to complete these exercises but know that they are designed to complement the discussion at your tables and to facilitate your own personal journey of faith. We believe that there is no short-cut to knowing God. We come to know him through studying his word, prayer and gathering in community. You will get to do all of these things over the next eight weeks! We pray that these eight weeks will be more than just attending a meeting but that in them you will have an intimate encounter with the living God. Note: Each week the study is not divided into days but is given in one big chunk. You might want to break this study into several days so as to get the most from it and not be overwhelmed. 5

6 Prayer List Please make it your habit to pray regularly for this Bible Study Group. Pray that God will speak to you through the Bible, the teaching and through the women you meet with each week. Pray for those who sit at your table. Take a minute to write their names here as a reminder to pray. The Women at My Table Name Phone 6

7 true life: faith Table of Contents This guide prepares you each week for the discussion around your WBS Table. Week For the Week of Topic Page 1 January 19/20 Introduction: Persevering Faith James 1:2-8, January 26/27 An Overview of James & Faith that Overcomes Temptation James 1: February 2/3 Faith that Loves Impartially James 2: February 9/10 True Faith James 2: February 16/17 Empowering Faith: Taming the Tongue James 3: February 23/24 Empowering Faith: Wise Relationships and Keeping Friends James 3:13-4: March 2/3 Empowering Faith: Following Jesus and not the World James 4: March 9/10 Empowering Faith: Patience and Prayer James 5:

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9 CA Women s Bible Study Winter 2010 True life: faith Week One Introduction: Persevering Faith This is to be completed at your table & discussed week one Welcome to the first week of the CA Women s Bible Study. This may be your first time or your forty-first time; you may have never attended a Bible Study in your life or you may be continuing with us from the last session. Whatever your story, we are just glad that you are here. We ll spend this first meeting getting to know one another or catching up from the break. 1. Introduce yourselves around the table share a bit about yourself and what you hope to get from this study. 2. Answer the following questions and share your responses with your table: What has been your greatest joy over the past year? What has been your most difficult trial? 3. Reflect: Take a few minutes and read over the following passages and record your initial response below and then share your observations with your table. Passage James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Response I Peter 4:12-16 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 9

10 [Week 1 Notes:] Persevering Faith Prayer Requests 10

11 CA Women s Bible Study Winter 2010 True life: faith Week Two An Overview of James [to be completed for the study on January 26/27] Focus this Week: To gain an overview of the book of James. Over the next week try to read through the book of James at least 2-3 times (don t panic it s a short book!). The first time: just read it through and record your general impression. The second time: start circling and underlining key words (words that are repeated or appear significant to you as you read). The third time: record major themes, repeated words and questions that you have about what you ve read. Be sure to look at the questions that begin on page 17 to help guide you as you reflect on James. Sometimes it helps to use colored pens or highlighters. The bottom-line is to have fun and see what God has for you in this amazing book. On the next few pages you will find the entire book of James so that you can make marks and record your questions and thoughts in the large right margin. Before you begin: Quiet your spirit by recognizing the ever-present God who is with you. Invite him to speak to you through your reading and time meditating upon his truth in Scripture. Record your prayer: 11

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13 The Book of James 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. 9 The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. 10 But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. 12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created. 19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 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 a man 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 the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and 13

14 continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it he will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 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. 2 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don t show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, Here s a good seat for you, but say to the poor man, You stand there or Sit on the floor by my feet, 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder. 20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham 14

15 believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God s friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. 3 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peaceloving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. 4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, 15

16 you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you who are you to judge your neighbor? 13 Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord s will, we will live and do this or that. 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn t do it, sins. 5 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you. 7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord s coming is near. 9 Don t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job s 16

17 perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. 12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your Yes be yes, and your No, no, or you will be condemned. 13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. 1 List five words you would use to summarize the book of James? What verses particularly spoke to you this week? What truth would you most want to apply to your life? 1 The Holy Bible: New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984), Jas 1:1-5:20. 17

18 After reading through James what questions do you have? What does James teach you about faith? Was there anything that your read that surprised you or caused you to think differently about God, faith, yourself? What did you discover about God from the book of James that caused you to want to worship him today? 18

19 [Week 2 Notes:] Faith that Overcomes Temptation 19

20 faith that overcomes temptation Prayer Requests 20

21 CA Women s Bible Study Winter 2010 True life: faith Week Three Faith that Loves Impartially [to be completed for the study on February 2/3] Press Rewind: reflect on last week s lesson and record the things you most want to remember and apply to your life. Focus this Week: The call of God to love all people, all the time, everywhere. The Adventure of Inductive Bible Study As we study the book of James we want to study it using a method that is often called Inductive Bible Study. Basically, this is simply a way of reading the Bible in a way that seeks to understand the actual meaning of the text and not just imposing our own thinking upon what we are reading. At the back of this study guide on page 63 you will find a two page summary of this method called, How to Study the Bible for Transformation. But, don t panic we re going to make it easy and guide you through the process each week as we make our way through the book of James. The Book of James: Background Information [from the ESV Study Bible] Author: The title of this book derives from the name of its author, James the Just (as he was called), the brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55) and leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15). The historicity of James the Just is well confirmed in historical literature (e.g., Josephus, Jewish Antiquities ; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.23). Theme: James's primary theme is living out one's faith, being a doer and not just a hearer of the word. This theme is developed in view of the social conflict between rich and poor and the spiritual conflict between factions in the church. James rebukes his readers for their worldliness and challenges them to seek divine wisdom in working out these problems and getting right with God. Purpose, Occasion, and Background: The audience for James's letter is almost certainly Jewish Christians, as evidenced by the designations the twelve tribes in the Dispersion (1:1) and assembly (Gk. synagōgē, 2:2), the Jewish reasoning throughout, and James's frequent reflection on the Torah (Mosaic law). Most likely these are a group of Jewish Christian house churches outside Palestine, which fits the situation of persecution and poverty in the letter. As a result of the troubles, conflict has entered the churches, and they have splintered into fighting factions. Moreover, some have fallen into a worldly lifestyle (James 1:27; 4:4) and have failed to put their faith into practice (1:19 26), with the result that they have become double-minded, wavering between God and the world (1:8; 4:8). 21

22 Start your time in attentive prayer. Seek to start your time with 3-5 minutes of attentiveness to the reality of the presence of God. Quiet your heart and seek to be still before God. Evelyn Underhill says, There should always be more waiting than striving in a Christian s prayer. It is also helpful to remember the words of Eugene Peterson: The assumption of spirituality is that always God is doing something before I know it. So the task is not to get God to do something I think needs to be done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can respond to it and participate and take delight in it. Read through the passage circling key words and themes and recording observations and questions in the margin. James 2:1-13 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don t show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, Here s a good seat for you, but say to the poor man, You stand there or Sit on the floor by my feet, 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! How would you summarize this passage? What is the main point James is making? 22

23 When are you tempted to show favoritism or to be prejudiced? Why? James says that it is not appropriate for a believer in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ to show favoritism (v. 1). Look up the following verses and record what you learn from them about the love and impartiality of Christ and what he desires from us as we love others. Passage Why should I love without favoritism or prejudice? Consider here what the passage teaches about what God has done for you and His great love. Ephesians 2:8 Luke 18:9-14 Romans 5:6-11 Matthew 9:9-13 John 3:16-17 Leviticus 19:18 23

24 5. A key word in this passage is the word mercy. Look up the word mercy in your dictionary and record the definition here and then fill in the following chart. Mercy - Passage What does this passage reveal about mercy? Zechariah 7:9-10 Matthew 5:7 Matthew 18: Chronicles 21:13 Proverbs 28:13-14 Micah 6:8 Ephesians 2:3-5 How has God shown you mercy? Have you ever experienced someone extending you mercy? When? How? What did you feel? Who could you extend mercy to this week? What will that look like? 24

25 Summing it all up What have you heard God say to you from your study this week? What have you learned about God that causes you to worship him today? Write out your prayer to God in light of James 2:

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27 [Week 3 Notes:] Faith that Loves Impartially 27

28 Faith that Loves Impartially Prayer Requests 28

29 CA Women s Bible Study Winter 2010 True life: faith Week Four True Faith [to be completed for the study on February 9/10] Press Rewind: reflect on last week s lesson and record the things you most want to remember and apply to your life. Focus this Week: True faith is first given by grace and then expressed in good works. Start your time by acknowledging God who is always present with you. Sometimes it s helpful to light a candle that then serves as a physical reminder of Jesus who is the light of the world and present with you. Lord, I do not know what to ask of you; only you know what I need. I simply present myself to you; open my heart to you. I have no other desire than to accomplish (and know) your will. Teach me to pray. Amen. Francis Fenelon in Little Book of Prayers Read through the passage circling key words and themes and recording observations and questions in the margin. James 2: What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder. 20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God s friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. 29

30 How would you summarize this passage? What is the main point James is making? What is James saying about faith and deeds [belief and action]? Is he contradicting the words of Paul who says that we are justified to God by faith alone, apart from works? Look up the following cross-references and record what these verses teach about faith and deeds. [Cross-references are passages of Scripture that correspond to the verse or passage you are reading. In a good study Bible you will find small letters and/or numbers next to a word or verse that leads you to a verse or reference in the margin of your Bible. In this study we are simply providing these references for you]. Cross-References Faith and Deeds James 1:22 1 John 3:17 Galatians 5:6 Romans 3:21-31 *note verse 28 Hebrews 11:32-36 Hebrews 12:2 Matthew 7:15-24 Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-19,

31 Cross-References Faith and Deeds Romans 4:1-8 1 Thessalonians 1:2-7 Ephesians 2:1-10 Summarize what these passages teach about faith and deeds. What questions do you have about James 2:14-26? 31

32 Summing it all up What have you heard God say to you from your study this week? Using James 2:14-26 how would you explain faith and good works to a friend who thinks Christianity is just a bunch of rules? Write out your prayer to God in light of James 2:

33 [Week 4 Notes:] True Faith 33

34 True Faith Prayer Requests 34

35 CA Women s Bible Study Winter 2010 True life: faith Week Five Empowering Faith: Taming the Tongue [to be completed for the study on February 16/17] Press Rewind: reflect on last week s lesson and record the things you most want to remember and apply to your life. Be sure to note what you found to be most beautiful about God. Focus this Week: The power of words over the listener and the speaker. Start your time in prayer. Make the prayer of David in Psalm 19:14 your daily prayer this week: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Read through the passage circling key words and themes and recording observations and questions in the margin. James 3:1-12 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. 35

36 How would you summarize this passage? What is the main point James is making? James says that there are two negative things we do with our tongue and one positive thing what are they? Have you ever been hurt by words spoken to you? When? What was most hurtful about the words said? What kind of power do these words continue to have over your life? How have you hurt others with your words? When and why are you tempted to use hurtful speech (gossip, sarcasm, slander, lying, anger, boasting, etc.)? 36

37 Consider what else the Bible has to say about the power of words. Passage Matthew 12:34-37 Observations Ecclesiastes 10:12 14 Proverbs 10:19, 21, Proverbs 11:9, 12, 13 Proverbs 12:18-20 Proverbs 13:3 Proverbs 15:1, 4 Proverbs 17:19, 27, 28 Proverbs 18:4, 6-8, 13 Proverbs 21:19, 23 Proverbs 26:20, 21, 22 Proverbs 27:2 Psalm 37:

38 Summarize what you learned from these verses? How do you want to live and speak differently in light of what you have learned? Meditate upon Psalm 71 and use it as a guide for your prayer. Record your thoughts and prayer here 38

39 Summing it all up What have you heard God say to you from your study this week? What have you learned about God that causes you to worship him today? Call someone today and speak words of encouragement to them. Who did you call? What did you experience? 39

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41 [Week 5 Notes:] Empowering Faith: Taming the Tongue 41

42 Empowering Faith: Taming the Tongue Prayer Requests 42

43 CA Women s Bible Study Winter 2010 True life: faith Week Six Empowering Faith: Wise Relationships and Keeping Friends [to be completed for the study on February 23/24] Press Rewind: reflect on last week s lesson and record the things you most want to remember and apply to your life. Be sure to note what you found to be most beautiful about God. Focus this Week: Having godly wisdom in our relationships. Start your time in prayer. Lord, let me at least remain open to your initiative; let me wait patiently and attentively for that hour when you will come and break through all the walls I have erected. Teach me, O Lord, to pray. Amen. Henri J. Nouwen in A Cry for Mercy Read through the passage circling key words and themes and recording observations and questions in the margin. James 3:13-4:3 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. 4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 43

44 How would you summarize this passage? What is the main point James is making? What does this passage say about the sources of fights and quarrels? How has this been true [or not true] in your own life? How does James describe the wisdom that is from heaven? Not from heaven? Wisdom from Heaven is Wisdom not from Heaven is Is there one thing from these lists that you would want more or less of in your life? Pause to ask God to help you with this today. 44

45 Look up the definitions of the following words: Pure Peace Considerate Submissive Mercy Impartial Sincere What do the following passages teach about relationships? Passage Observations on Relationships Ephesians 4:17-32 Galatians 5:13-25 Luke 6:

46 We do not grow in our love for others by trying harder but by having a profound encounter with the love of God for us. How have you experienced God s love for you? What do the following passages say about God s love for you? Romans 5:6-11 Psalm 36:5-9 Zephaniah 3: John 3:1-3 Romans 8:1, Listen to the song, Remedy by David Crowder Band. You can find this for free at (search for Remedy David Crowder Band ). 46

47 Summing it all up What have you heard God say to you from your study this week? Look over the description of wisdom from heaven. Pause and thank Jesus for being each of these things to you today. Write out your prayer to God in light of James 3:13-4:3 47

48 48

49 [Week 6 Notes:] Empowering Faith: Wise Relationships and Keeping Friends 49

50 Empowering Faith: Wise Relationships and Keeping Friends Prayer Requests 50

51 True life: faith Week Seven Empowering Faith: Following Jesus and Not the World [to be completed for the study on March 2/3] Press Rewind: reflect on last week s lesson and record the things you most want to remember and apply to your life. Be sure to note what you found to be most beautiful about God. Focus this Week: Living for God in a world that isn t always God-loving. Start your time in prayer. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 146:1-2 Read through the passage circling key words and themes and recording observations and questions in the margin. James 4: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud But gives grace to the humble. 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 51

52 What four words would you use to summarize this passage? What is the main point James is making? Look up the following cross-references and record your observations: Passage Jeremiah 3:6-4:2 Observations [In James 4:4 he calls the readers adulterous people. The Old Testament prophets used this language to describe Israel s unfaithfulness to God. Note that adultery is used metaphorically in Jeremiah for idolatry. Idolatry is making anything in our life an ultimate thing other than God.] 1 John 2: John 5:18-19 [Note that in verse 18 when it says that those who belong to God do not sin, it does not mean that a Christian will never sin but that they will not willfully continue in sin. ] Galatians 1:10 John 15:18-16:4 Matthew 6:24 52

53 Consider these cross-references on pride and humility: Passage Observations on Pride and Humility 1 Peter 5:5-6 Isaiah 57:15 Matthew 23:11-12 Philippians 2:5-11 What is so amazing about Jesus humility? When is it difficult for you to be humble? Pause to ask God to help you be like Him. This passage teaches us to resist the devil. Consider what the following passages teach us about the devil (Satan) and how to resist him: Passage Observations 1 Peter 5:8-11 Ephesians 6:10-20 Ephesians 4:

54 Summing it all up What have you heard God say to you from your study this week? What have you learned about God that causes you to worship him today? Write out your prayer to God in light of James 4:

55 [Week 7 Notes:] Empowering Faith: Following Jesus and Not the World 55

56 Empowering Faith: Following Jesus and Not the World Prayer Requests 56

57 True life: faith Empowering Faith: Patience and Prayer [to be completed for the study on March 9/10] Week Eight Press Rewind: reflect on last week s lesson and record the things you most want to remember and apply to your life. Be sure to note what you found to be most beautiful about God. Focus this Week: Patiently following Jesus through Prayer. Start your time in prayer. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Psalm 84:10-12 Read through the passage circling key words and themes and recording observations and questions in the margin. James 5: Brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord comes again. A farmer patiently waits for his valuable crop to grow from the earth and for it to receive the autumn and spring rains. 8 You, too, must be patient. Do not give up hope, because the Lord is coming soon. 9 Brothers and sisters, do not complain against each other or you will be judged guilty. And the Judge is ready to come! 10 Brothers and sisters, follow the example of the prophets who spoke for the Lord. They suffered many hard things, but they were patient. 11 We say they are happy because they did not give up. You have heard about Job s patience, and you know the Lord s purpose for him in the end. You know the Lord is full of mercy and is kind. 12 My brothers and sisters, above all, do not use an oath when you make a promise. Don t use the name of heaven, earth, or anything else to prove what you say. When you mean yes, say only yes, and when you mean no, say only no so you will not be judged guilty. 13 Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises. 14 Anyone who is sick should call the church s elders. They should pray for and pour oil on the person in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will heal that person. And if the person has sinned, the sins will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. When a believing person prays, great things happen. 17 Elijah was a human being just like us. He prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! 18 Then Elijah prayed again, and the rain came down from the sky, and the land produced crops again. 57

58 James is writing to a church that is being persecuted and is suffering. The temptation in times of persecution is to fight back but James calls them to be patient. Why is he suggesting they be patient? What does he encourage them to consider to help them remain patient? In James 5:10, he encourages the reader to consider the perseverance of the prophets. Look up the following verses and record what they teach about the prophets and followers of God persevering in trial: Hebrews 11:32-40 Hebrews 11:24-29 James 1:2-4, 12 1 Peter 1:3-9 1 Peter 4:12-19 Record all that James 5:7-18 teaches about prayer 58

59 Consider these prayers of Jesus, what do they teach about prayer? Mark 14:32-41 John 11:38-44 John 17 James 5:15 is a difficult verse. Consider here what The Pillar New Testament Commentary on James by Douglas Moo says (page ) <Certain preachers and writers make a great deal of this call (in James 5:15) for faith, insisting that a believer simply needs to have enough faith in order to receive healing from the Lord. The devastating result of this line of thinking is that believers who are not healed when they pray must deal with a twofold burden: added to their remaining physical challenge is the assumption that they lack sufficient faith. But this way of looking at faith and its results is profoundly unbiblical. And, in James, at least, the prayer of faith that heals in v. 15 is offered not by the sufferer but by the elders (v. 14). Are the elders, therefore, at fault when their prayer for healing does not bring results in a reasonable amount of time? Would the healing have taken place if they had just believed enough? Answering such a question involves us in the finely nuanced broader issue of the relationship between God s sovereignty and our prayers. But we can say this much. The faith exercised in prayer is faith in the God who sovereignly accomplishes his will. When we pray, our faith recognizes, explicitly or implicitly, the overruling providential purposes of God. We may at times be given insight into that will, enabling us to pray with absolute confidence in God s plan to answer as we ask. But surely these cases are rare more rare even than our subjective, emotional desires would lead us to suspect. A prayer for healing, then, must usually be qualified by a recognition that God s will in the matter is supreme. And it is clear in the New Testament that God does not always will to heal the believer. Paul s own prayer for his healing, offered three times, was not answered; God had a purpose in allowing the thorn in the flesh, that messenger of Satan, to remain (2 Cor. 12:7-9). Note also Titus 3:20, where Paul mentions that he left Trophimus sick in Miletus. The faith with which we pray is always faith in the God whose will is supreme and best; only sometimes does this faith include assurance that a particular request is within that will. This is exactly the qualification that is needed to understand Jesus own promise: You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (John 14:14). To ask, in Jesus name means not simply to utter his name, but to take into account his will. Do you agree with these thoughts? Disagree? Why? Why not? 59

60 Summing Up this Week and this Session What have you heard God say to you from your study this week? ***Since this is our final week, we want to take some time to reflect back over the entire session. Consider the following questions for reflection: 1. How would you summarize the book of James? 2. What was your favorite verse or passage from James? 3. What is the one thing from James that you never want to forget? 4. How have you applied this study to your life in the past eight weeks? What is different as a result? 5. How do you think differently about the following after studying the book of James? Faith God Suffering Good Works Grace Love 60

61 [Week 8 Notes:] Empowering Faith: Patience and Prayer 61

62 Empowering Faith: Patience and Prayer Prayer Requests 62

63 HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE FOR TRANSFORMATION The Bible is the only book we ll ever read that is inspired by the one true, living God. Second Timothy tells us that it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. No other book has been as controversial or changed as many lives. The Bible provides us with a way to know God and to become more and more like Jesus Christ. One of the most amazing things about the Bible is that it is readable. Certainly, there are confusing and disturbing passages but that does not mean that we can t understand the true meaning of the text. Perhaps the best way to read and understand the Bible is to study it inductively. To inductively study the Bible is to let the Bible interpret itself. When we study the Bible inductively we seek to put aside our own preconceived notions and discover what the Bible really says. For every passage in the Bible there is one meaning and intent for the original audience. To handle God s word correctly and avoid wrong thinking and wrong living we want to know what the Bible really says -- not what we think it says or what we want it to say. The place to start is with the Inductive Bible Study Method. Inductive Bible Study Inductive Bible Study is made up of three steps: 1. Observation - What do I see? 2. Interpretation - What does it mean? 3. Application - What do I do? Step One: Observation (What do I see?) The hardest part about the observation stage is not jumping too quickly to interpretation. When making observations you record exactly what you see in the text. Here s an example of what to do and what not to do: For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 An incorrect observation of this passage is: Non-Christians can t understand the word. A correct observation of this passage is: To those who are perishing the word of the cross is foolishness. The incorrect observation is an interpretation but the correct observation simply records what the passage says. Discipline yourself to make good observations so that your interpretation will be correct. When making observations, look for: People Places Times Promises Commands Lists Relationships Contrasts Context Key Words Progressions Questions Answers Details Warnings Repeating words Cause/Effect Comparisons Verb Tense Themes Emphasis Exhortations What s not said Always ask: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? Step Two: Interpretation (What does it mean?) Correct interpretation begins with a commitment to fact that there can only be one right interpretation. There can be many applications but only one correct interpretation. This requires thorough observation. 63