James 2:1-13 Discussion Guide
Sermon Date: Sept. 24, 2023
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Land Pledge - We are praying to buy land and build a church building! If you believe what God is doing at CLB, be sure to get in your pledge in person or online by Sunday, Sept. 24!
Sept Coat Drive - Donate any sized women’s winter coats through Sunday, Sept. 24 in the lobby at Westview. All coats will go to the women of New Community, a Christian ministry which seeks to help women coming out of incarceration of addiction.
Serving Teams Celebration - Saturday, September 23, 10am-12pm @ Johns-Bohn Park
-You're invited if you've served in any capacity, and we welcome new families to come enjoy and get plugged into serving! No registration required. Don't forget to bring lawn chairs for seating!
Evangelism Tool - The Holy Spirit is using CLB’s Google reviews to bring people in. Please consider leaving a review, as an evangelistic tool
WHY CITY GROUPS?
The point of a City Group is to help us apply God’s Word to our everyday lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, and to multiply faithful intimates of Jesus who make more disciples of Jesus. So we gather regularly to give ourselves to three basic Christian practices: sharing stories, reading the Bible, and praying.
PRAY
Ask if anyone would like to open up in prayer and ask God to bless your time together
STORY
Break the ice with a testimony..
Who has prepared their 5-7 minute story?
Who can give testimony of God’s goodness right now? (i.e. answered prayer, provision, transformation, etc.)
VISION FOR THIS DISCUSSION
The book of James is made up of many different exhortations that are meant to help Christians live in a way that pleases God. It puts faith into action—not just hearing, but actually doing! The first way James exhorts us is not to have favorites—a heart issue that actually reveals to us how we view others as well as God himself!
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PASSAGE
Use the OIA (Observation, Interpretation, Application) method to read, study, and use Scripture to grow in knowing and following God.
Read James 2:1-13 to provide an overview for this study.
OBSERVATION
Take time to read the passage and make observations.
Any repeated words, phrases?
Any comparison/contrast between characters, topics, passages/stories?
Specific characters—named or unnamed?
Any connecting words/phrases to bridge verses, stories, or ideas?
(“therefore..”, “however..”, “In the same way..”)
INTERPRETATION
-What? (What’s being said in the text?)
What is the main idea of this passage in one simple sentence?
What does favoritism look like in our own lives?
What law(s) of God are broken when we treat some people better than others?
What does it mean in vs. 13 when it says, “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.” What does it mean to be merciful?
-Why? (Why is it being said?)
Why do you think we are we prone to favoritism with certain people and not others?
Why do you think it matters to God that we treat everyone equally?
Why do you think James emphasizes “love” and “mercy” when addressing favoritism?
Read vs. 10. Why is someone who is guilty of breaking just one law just as guilty as someone who has broken all of God’s laws? Why does favoritism break God’s laws?
-So what? (So what does God want me to do about it?)
Some people are “hard to love”. But God calls us to love them the same.
So what can we do/say to treat those “hard to love” people in our life like we would anyone else?
So what is the next right step the Holy Spirit is leading you to take with them in your next encounter/interaction?
So what specific examples (his acts of service, interactions, miracles, parables) can we see in Jesus’s life that model how to treat everyone equally?
So what Bible verse/truths about God can we remember in the moments we are tempted to treat others better than others? Worse than others? So what Bible verse/truth about other people can we remember in the moments we are tempted to treat them better or worse?
APPLICATION
-Inward Application (for myself)
Head—What are the biggest obstacles and struggles we can have about loving the “hard to love” people in our lives?
Heart—What do we really want (aka what’s our true motives) when we treat some people better than others? Worse than others? What is God’s motives when He interacts with people?
Hands—What next right step can you take towards treating everyone with the same amount of love, mercy, and compassion?
-Outward Application (for others around me)
Head—What biblical counsel would you give to a Christian who struggles with favoritism?
Heart—What questions would you ask someone who doesn’t see anything wrong with favoritism?
Hands—Who in your life is God calling you to care for and have a conversation with to talk more about why favoritism is not the heart of God?
PRAYER
Feel free to ask the group for any pressing prayer requests that would be good to pray over together.
Use the TACOS acronym to let the text you studied pray for you:
Thanksgiving - “Father, thank you…”
Adoration - “Father, You are…”
Confession - “Father, I confess…”
Others - “Father, I pray for…”
Self - “Father, please help me…”
*If size or group dynamics seem to hinder prayer, consider dividing into groups of men/women or groups of 3-4 to reduce barriers to praying out loud.