GRANT FISHBOOK, LEAD TEACHING PASTOR
James 2:14–17
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
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Matthew 25:35, 40 — Our Mandate from Jesus
“‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…’
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
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James 2:18-24
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
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James calls us to get both oars in the water.
If your is dwindling, then you need to purposefully .
If your are dwindling, then you need to purposefully .
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“Your Bible should be bound in shoe leather.”
DL Moody
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James 2:25-26
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
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If you want to “hope-fill” your heart, see where God is working and .
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John 5:17, 19-20
“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working…”
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.
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Small Group Questions
- Where do you see a sign of hope in Whatcom County?
- How you do “hope-fill” when your heart gets discouraged?
- What does it mean for you to put your faith in action?
- Read the story of Rahab in Joshua 2. How does her faith in action change her world?
- Where do you see God working and how can you join him there?
- How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?