James 5:19-20 Discussion Guide
Sermon Date: Dec. 3, 2023
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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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
In this discussion we will take a look at the topic of patience and perseverance. Jesus is coming back, and God wants us to live with trust and endurance as we wait for Him.
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 5:19-20 to provide an overview for this study.
OBSERVATION
Take time to read the passage and make observations. This will help you understand the thought process of the writer. It’s ok if nothing is observed from the specific list below. Feel free to move on to Interpretation.
Take this passage verse-by-verse. What initially stands out?
Who is the intended audience of the writer?
What is the context of this passage:
a) the literary context (passages before and after the passage)
b) the historical context (circumstances of the author’s audience)
c) the cultural context (details relevant to life as it was lived in this place at this time)
Any repeated words, phrases?
Any comparison/contrast between topics, passages, or stories?
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 would you say is the main idea of this passage in your own words?
What does it mean for someone to “wander from the truth”?
What does it mean for someone to be “brought back” to the truth?
What does it mean to be that a restored wanderer will be saved from “death”?
-Why? (Why is it being said?)
Why should we care about restoring wandering believers?
Why does it seem that we tend to judge, slander, or gossip about wandering believers rather than restoring them?
Read Matthew 18:15. This shows how James correlates this back to Jesus’s teaching from the Sermon on the Mount.
-What does this passage mean?
What does it mean to “win a believer back”?
What has to happen on both sides of the relationship in order to “win” them back?
-Why does this passage correlate to our passage in James?
APPLICATION
-So what? (What does God want me to do about it?)
For myself:
So what ways may the Holy Spirit be convicting me of how I relate to wandering believers?
So what ways may the Holy Spirit be calling me to do my part in helping restore brothers or sisters who are wandering?
So what is the next right step I can take to “win back” a brother or sister in Christ?
For others:
So what questions would you ask someone who is wandering from the truth?
So what biblical counsel would you give to a Christian who struggles with hurt from another believer?
So what person in your life is God calling you to talk to in order to help restore them back to the truth?
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.