Show Your Faith by Your Works
James 2:14-26
International Sunday School Lesson
February 16, 2014
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
Real faith naturally shows results. We know by our hunger to be involved, to be in His word, to witness and to make a difference.
In some places where our brothers and sisters worship it is easy to do and in others, well, not so much. For the latter the biggest loss is among those who are new to their faith so I cannot stress how important it is to get them off to a good start.
My experience shows that our communication skills are suffering badly as we go backwards in age. I will lay the blame at the feet of our electronic age as we get further and further from writing and conversing at length, favoring instead abbreviations and snippets. What makes it more amazing is that this is despite the massive and quick amount of communication outlets we now have. It would be hard to compare the advancement in communicating God’s word and the message of the gospel with the first mass printing of the Bible with how we are doing with the “advancements” we have today.
What makes it worse is that those who are coming up eventually don’t know they aren’t communicating very well as it becomes the norm for them.
So what’s the answer?
1. You must try and make a difference anyway.
2. You must hold people accountable by rocking the boat once and awhile.
3. People who think they are succeeding at communicating should ask anyway if they are doing things the best way. No one should be satisfied with the status quo.
4. People must realize that their favorite ways of communicating are not everyone’s.
There are other answers but I feel that this idea of communication is critical if all are to be involved in their faith.
In conclusion I’d like to communicate to you a few areas where I feel you can demonstrate your faith. Perhaps there are some areas you hadn’t considered and I will have accomplished what I set out to do.
First and foremost begin where you worship, second expand your deeds into the kingdom at large and finally progress to those without. Here is a short list:
The widowed
The orphan
The poor
The homeless
The prisoner
The hungry
The immigrant
The oppressed
Missionaries
Other ministries
The spreading of the gospel
Finally, I would like you to remember as I often remind that as Christians we are all gifted by the Holy Spirit with different abilities. These gifts should be utilized in many of the deeds you do. For some there will be multiple gifts and that is great but certainly we all have deeds to perform from teaching to encouraging, from giving to managing.
Our ultimate role is as assistants to each other working out our deeds in this manner so that the many make the complete whole.
For Discussion:
1. Discuss who might not be currently being reached where you worship. I’d start looking at those advancing in age. There is much yet for them to do and to do for them.
2. Examine what is in place to communicate to those new in their faith the importance of being more than a spectator.
3. Discuss what is in place for those just mentioned to have a place where you worship from the new, the old, the men, the women and couples.
4. If you meet in groups such as in couples in your homes how do new couples join in if you don’t regularly invite them. Some will decline by nature so keeping asking as they may start feeling secure.
5. True shepherds (pastors and elders) know their flock. The bigger the flock the more the challenge.
6. Discuss ideas you have where people can get involved with their faith in addition to my list above.
Upcoming Lessons
2-16-14 Show Your Faith by Your Works, James 2:14-26
2-23-14 Control Your Speech, James 3:1-12
3-2-14 An Eternal Kingdom, 2 Samuel 7:4-16
3-9-14 Son of David, Psalm 89:35-37, Isaiah 9:6, 7; Matthew 1:18-23 or Psalm 89:35-37
3-16-14 Peter’s Report, Psalm 110:1-4, Acts 2:22-27, 29-32 or Acts 2:22-36
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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