Devotional
When you look at a fruit tree, you can tell the type of fruit tree it is when you look at the fruit. You know a tree by its fruit. You see an apple, you know it’s an apple tree. You see an orange, you know it’s not a banana tree, right?
Well in the same way that you know a tree by its fruit, you know a Christian by theirs. This is a principle James brings up multiple times in his new testament letter to the church. We are studying James this month and today I want to look at two key passages that teach us this idea.
First let’s read James 1:22-25,
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.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."
If you were here this weekend you know that what James is saying is if you just listen to the Bible but don’t actually do what it says, you are a joke basically. You are lying to yourself, convincing yourself you are all good when you know the truth of what the Bible is asking of you.
James says this kind of life is foolish and in James 2 he expands on this even more.
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath,so also faith is dead without good works.”
So what is James' point here? Is he saying we have to work to earn our salvation? No! He is not saying that at all. What James is saying is that if you have faith in God your actions would show it. Because if you truly believe something to be true, then why wouldn’t you do something about it? If you truly believe God has your best interest at heart then why wouldn’t you do what His word says.
That is what James is saying. He is saying it is not enough for us to just say we are believers. We gotta live like it. Otherwise we will look like hypocrites. If I tell you I love Jesus and I am following him, but all I do is act like a jerk and treat people poorly. Don’t you think it would become pretty obvious to you that I am not that concerned about following Jesus? I might like hearing his words. I might go to church every week. But if I am not acting like Jesus I am really not following Him or His Word. I claim to be an apple tree but there are no apples in sight.
This can be so damaging, to our faith and to the faith of other people. So we have to do something about it. Luckily though you are in the best place for it!
The truth is following Jesus can be hard. Because everything about our sinful nature wants to go the opposite direction. As far away from Jesus and his lifestyle as possible. So we have to fight that on a daily basis and we need people to help us fight. We need to surround ourselves with other believers who are helping us live out God’s Word!
That’s where your small group comes in. This is why we set certain expectations and goals for our small groups! We love that this is a place where you can come and talk to each other and build friendships and have fun. But that’s not enough. Our goal here is to help each other follow Jesus better! This is how we do it. These are the expectations of our small groups.
Commit to grow. Small groups are not just a place to hang out but an opportunity to develop your relationship with Christ and other believers. Don’t be satisfied with staying the way we are. Seek God’s help in growing and obeying His word more and more every day.
No gossip. What happens in small group stays in small group. You need to trust each other and give each other a space to be open and honest.
Respect each other. A small group is a privilege. We need to show respect to our leaders and fellow students by listening when other people talk, participating, asking good questions, and being kind.
Pray together. God could use your small group to transform your lives and the lives of the people around you. Prioritize prayer often.
GAME
Ultimate Ninja
SETUP: Each small group is to stand in a circle and select one person from each group to start the game by yelling "3,2,1-NINJA." Once in position students are to get into a ninja position.
Directions:
- Students are to then go clockwise and start attacking someone's hand next to them either on the left or right.
- When they attack they are to then keep that hand there. It must be frozen there and they can not move it.
- All students have two lives which are their hands. Once one has been hit they are to then put it behind their back. This is the only time that they can put it behind their back, when they are hit.
- IF both hands have been hit you are out.
- You are not allowed to move unless someone is trying to attack, or until it is your turn.
- Keep going around until there is one ninja left standing!
- NO FLINCHING! If you are anticipating that the person whose turn it is will go for you, you must NOT FLINCH but freeze until they try to hit you (in which case you must obviously try and move out the way).
Small group questions
*Before you get started ask your students how they did with the new testament reading challenge. If students are struggling consider starting a group chat to help each other*
- How often do you think the Bible influences your decision making?
- Why do you think it’s so common for Christians to just go to church and listen to God’s Word but never do anything about it?
Why is it important to actually obey God’s Word?
- What is one area of your life where you have a hard time obeying God’s Word? Could be your words, the way you treat people, being honest, your relationships, etc.
- What is one thing we can do this week to help each other get better in those areas
Bible study
*NOTE* For younger groups, if you feel they aren’t ready for a full soap journal, encourage them to read through the passage and write down 1. Anything that sticks out to them. 2. Any questions they have from the passage. 3. What they think God wants them to learn from that passage. Then talk over it as a group
1. Let’s continue to use the SOAP method for studying the Bible. Let’s apply that message today as a group to James chapter 2.
Open up your journal and write out
S:
O:
A:
P:
- First let’s pray and ask God to show us what we need to learn about Him or His Word today.
- Let’s read James chapter 2. Don’t rush through it but take your time to understand and look for one verse that sticks out to you. *read for 10 minutes*
- Now that we have read, let’s take 10 minutes to journal. You will start by writing down the verse or verses that stuck out to you in the scripture section. Then write your observation, application and prayer. Remember don’t rush, really take the time to see what God has for you.
Questions for observation:
- What is happening in this verse?
- What is God doing or saying in this verse?
- What can I learn from this verse?
Question for application:
- What should I do based on what I just read?
- Now let’s take a few minutes to share with the group what we learned.
*be prepared to dive into any questions and gently correct any confusion or misunderstandings. If you come to a question you don’t know the answer to, remember it is ok to say “I don’t know, let’s find out together!”
Moving forward
We want to become doers of the word. Let’s all pick one area we can work on to better obey God’s Word this week. Let’s share our picks with the group so we can pray for each other and help each other accomplish our goals!
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