James 5:1-6 - How to Be Wise With Your Wealth

James 5:1-6 - How to Be Wise With Your Wealth

1. How much does it take to be considered rich in your community?

2. How does money change people?

3. What warning did James give to rich people? (5:1-3)

4. Who should "weep and wail"? Why? (5:1-6)

5. For what reasons will the rich be punished? (5:4-6)

6. How have rich people hurt others? (5:4-6)

7. What do luxury and self-indulgence have to do with the trouble that lies ahead for rich people? (5:5)

8. How do money and riches affect our relationship with God?

9. How does God want us to handle money?

10. What does it mean to live in "luxury and indulgence"?

11. How should a Christian business owner or employer be different from others who do not follow Christ?

12. What material possessions would you find it difficult to give up to help someone else?

13. What changes can you make in your habitual use of money to please God?

14. What plans for the future can you make to reflect God's concern for the poor?

James 4:13-17 How To Face Your Future

James 4:13-17 How To Face Your Future

1. If you could start your own business, what would it be?

2. What warning did James give to those who make plans for the future? (4:13-14)

3. To what did James compare our lives? (4:14)

4. What is the best way to plan ahead? (4:15)

5. What outlook toward the future does God want us to change? (4:16)

6. How did James define sin? (4:17)

7. What responsibility does God want us to take in planning our lives?

8. How can we make plans for business or living which are pleasing to God?

9. What would you like to accomplish before you die?

10. How can you determine in your daily life what is sinful and what is pleasing to God?

11. What can you do this week to place your plans for the future in God's hands?

James 4:1-10 How To Avoid Arguments

1. What do families and friends commonly fight about?

2. What are the battles going on inside a person? (4:1-2)

3. Why doesn't God give some people what they ask for? (4:3)

4. What does friendship with the world do to our relationship with God? (4:4)

5. When does God give us grace? (4:6)

6. How did James describe the way we should come to God? (4:7-10)

7. What does God do to us when we have an attitude of humility before Him? (4:10)

8. How has your belief about what God wants from you changed over the years?

9. What is the difference between pride and a sense of accomplishment?

10. What do we want from God most of the time?

11. What can you do this week to help you bring more humility into your life?

James 3:13-18 How To Relate To Others Wisely

James 3: 13-18 How To Relate To Others Wisely

1. What kinds of jobs or occupations require wisdom or discernment?

2. Where do people often go to get wisdom?

3. How can a person demonstrate wisdom and understanding? (3:13)

4. How is a person's character related to his or her ability to discern? (3:14-16)

5. What is wrong with the "wisdom" of a selfish and bitter person? (3:14-15)

6. To what do envy and selfish ambition lead? (3:16)

7. How does a wise person act? (3:17-18)

8. What happens when people "plant seeds of peace"? (3:18)

9. What is the best way to make a lasting positive impression on others?

10. What life experiences increase our wisdom?

11. What damage can bitter envy or selfish ambition do to a person?

12. What godly characteristics are present in our speech when we are pursuing God's wisdom?

13. What can you do this week to plant peace in a relationship or situation which has been troubling you?

How do you identify a Small Group Leader?

1. Do they have a vision for leadership of small groups?
2. Is their Christian faith vital and growing?
3. Do they have essential biblical qualities required of a leader in the Christian community?
4. Have they some of the characteristics/skills required to lead a group, particularly the servant attitude towards leadership, and are they personable?
5. Does their situation allow them to be committed to leadership?
6. How have they handled previous leadership positions?
7. Are they teachable?

Finally, given all the above, we must constantly pray for the gift of wisdom and be prepared to wait before the Lord for the right leaders.

James 3:1-12 - How To Manage Your Mouth

James 3:1-12 - How To Manage Your Mouth

1. If you could hear a recording of everything you said last week, what would you want to edit out?

2. What can you learn about a person by listening to him or her speak?

3. What unique responsibility does a teacher bear? (3:1)

4. If a person were never at fault in what he or she said, what would that show about the person? (3:2)

5. What is the purpose of a bit in the mouth of a horse? (3:3)
What is the purpose of the rudder of a ship? (3:4)
What damage can a small spark cause to a great forest? (3:4)

6. How did James describe the tongue? (3:6-8)

7. What is so difficult about taming the tongue? (3:7-8)

8. What inconsistencies are we capable of? (3:9-10)

9. What can a spring or a fruit tree teach us about speech? (3:11-12)

10.Why will God judge teachers more strictly than other people?

11. Why are sins of speech often overlooked as not serious?

12. What positive words do your family and coworkers need to hear from your mouth this week?

James 2:14-26 How To Have Real Faith

How To Have Real Faith
James 2:14-26

1. If you were 100 kms. from home with no money, no credit cards, no friends, no transportation, and no place to stay, what would you do to survive and make it home?

2. What is the relationship between faith and deeds? (2:14)

3. What illustration did James use to explain how real faith affects a person's deeds? (2:15-17)

4. What is wrong with having faith without deeds? (2:18-26)

5. What do the demons believe about God? How does it affect them? (2:19)

6. What did Abraham do to show his faith? (2:21-23)

7. How is a person justified before God? (2:24)

8. How did Rahab show faith? (2:25)

9. How are faith and deeds like the body and the spirit? (2:26)

10. How is being a Christian supposed to change the way we live?

11. What is one way to tell if a person has a real, living faith?

12. What is difficult about applying what we hear in church to our everyday lives?

13. If God has forgiven us and promised us eternal life, what motivation do we have to live in obedience to Him today?

14. In what home, work, or neighborhood situations might you be able to show faith in God this week? How?

New Online Bible Reading Resource

Scripture Union have just announced a website which provides a range of helpful Bible Reading and devotional aids.

WordLive – a website which allows you to step into a multi-media Bible reading experience and deepen your relationship with God.

WordLive offers a fantastic range of creative approaches you can follow to engage with God’s Word. WordLive is designed to be intuitive and simple. Each day when you log on you will be prompted to pray and then read the Bible. The next step is up to you.