Faith + Works

"What's the use of saying you have faith if you dont prove it by your actions?" James 2:14

James has a point. If you apply that principal to other things it makes sense, right? For example...the example we used at club was Bobby....

Bobby is a 110lb freshman boy who wants to bench 200 lbs. Now if Bobby says he's going to go work out and thinks about working a lot but never goes and actually picks up a weight, will he get stronger? Absolutely not! Its absurd to think that if by talking and thinking about working out Bobby will get stronger.

So why do we a believer talk about our faith but not put any of it into action? James say that is not a saving faith.  That our faith should be proven or back up by the way we live!

Now...this does NOT mean that we are saved by our works or that we can earn our salvation. Not in the least bit.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by grace and that is not a result of our own works. James is challenging us in the passage to back up that faith with what we do and say!

So this week, take a look at your life.  Are you being a "doer of the word" or just a hearer? Or are you like Bobby, simply thinking about what you're supposed to do but failing to do it?

"Do as I did to you..."

Many times throughout the Gospels, Jesus gives us examples of how we are supposed to live.  The example given in John 13:1-15 is an incredible one.  In this passage, Jesus washes the disciples feet. Couple things we learned about this act...

1. Feet washing was a task performed by the lowest ranking servant in the household

2. This task was not a glamourous one by any means.  In this day and time roads were made of dirt and people walked everywhere...in sandals. This made for some pretty nappy feet.

3. It was custom for people to have their feet washed upon entering a household or before eating a meal.

So...for Jesus the Lord and Teacher of these men was definitely not the person the disciples expected to wash their feet.  In fact, Peter, tells Jesus no.  But Jesus was teaching them something.  He was giving them an example that they should do as He did. After washing their feet, Jesus gives them this command...

"Do you know what I have done for you? You call Me Teacher and Lord and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you should also do as I did for you." John 13:12-15

So Jesus gave us an example. A great example of how we are to serve others.  The question is are we? Later in this chapter, Jesus says "by this all men will know that you are My disciples if you love another." So the challenge is two fold...

1. Are we serving one another as Jesus served His disciples?

2. Do people know that we are followers of Jesus by the way we treat others?

Favorites?

This week at middle school club, we looked at James 2:8-13.  These verses are packed with some hard stuff that is super convicting.  James addresses the idea of favoritism.  In James 2:8 he says that if you're loving your neighbor as yourself, then great job! BUT if you show favoritism towards certain people then you are sinning.

So lets think about it...how do we show favoritism?
- towards family or friends over people we dont know
- towards people that are like us...the way we dress, where/how we live, believe what we believe, etc.
- towards popular or cool people

We talked about how a lot of times we write off certain sins like favoritism as "not a big deal." But we saw in James 2:10, "that whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in ONE point, he has become guilty of ALL." So just one sin makes you guilty of breaking God's law.  It doesnt matter if its lying or murder, in the eyes of the Lord a sin is a sin.

SO...we are called to "speak and act as those who are judged by the law of liberty," (v12). So love your neighbor as yourself, show mercy to others and remember that we are indeed sinners saved by grace!

The Good Shepherd....

This week at club we looked at John 10:1-21. In this passage Jesus is teaching to a group of people and refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd and His followers are His sheep.  This example shows how Jesus cares for us and how we are to follow Him. Here are a couple main points...

- The sheep knew the voice of their shepherd and followed Him where He lead. In the same way, we should know the voice of our Lord and follow Him (v1-7)

-  Thieves may try to steal the sheep or hurt them.  The shepherd protects them. The "thief" in this passage is also a metaphor for Satan.  He desires to "steal, kill and destroy" those who believe in Christ. (v10)

- A good shepherd is willing to put his life in danger for his sheep.  In the same way, Christ tells us that He lays down His life for His sheep, His people. (v11-18)

There are the basics! But here are a couple more questions to chew on this week! We encourage you to go back and read through this passage and see what the Lord has to teach you!

1. We read in John 20:31 the purpose of the Gospel of John. In what ways does John reveal the divinity of Jesus in the text of John 10:1-21?

2. What are some of the characteristics that Jesus possesses as the Good Shepherd?

3. Why do you think the word of Jesus caused division amongst the crowd? Which side of the crowd would you be on?

Have a great week!

Temptation...

This week at middle school club we talked through James 1:9-18.  The main focus was on verses 13-18 which talk about temptation.

Most of the time when we do something wrong, we immediately look for someone else to blame...it could never be our fault, right? My older brother convinced me to do it, all of my friends do it, or even God made me do it...

Wrong! According to James, the desire to do what we know is wrong comes from within us. Check out James 1:13-14...

"Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God;' for God cannot be tempted by evil and He Himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust."

So that desire to do what is wrong comes from within us.  Bummer.  If you don't believe me, check out the following verses that show the character of God verses the character of man...

God..Deut 10:17, Ps 7:17, Ps 34:8, Ps 100:5  Man...Is 64:6, Rom 3:23, Rom 5:12


We see then in James 1:15, that the lust, desire to do what is wrong, inside of us can turn into sin if we act on it.  And sin without the saving grace of Jesus leads to death.  BUT what's amazing is that in James 1:18, we see that the Lord provided a way, through the word of truth, that we might be considered His children.  That way is only through the cross of Jesus Christ. 


We all are faced with temptation each day...but dont lose heart, the Lord has provided a way out for those who believe in Him.  Turn to Him and trust Him that He will be able to help you resist temptation and thus grow stronger in your faith!

Water into Wine?

This week at high school club, we covered John 2:1-11.  In this passage, we find the story where Jesus turned water into wine.  It is well known as Jesus' first miracle but as we discussed on Monday, it was much more than that.  If you remember back to last Monday, we talked about how the purpose of John could be found in John 20:30-31...

"Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."

So the purpose of the book is so that people would see Jesus as the Son of God and believe in Him! In His first miracle, we see this and much more! Here are some highlights from the message...

Jesus, the mother of Jesus (Mary) and His disciples were at a wedding.  During the festivities, they ran out of wine.  This was no bueno in that time period! To run out of wine would be the social no-no of the newly weds lives.  Mary brings it to Jesus' attention what is going on but He doesnt fix the problem immediately. Instead, Mary tells the servants there to do whatever Jesus tells them to. We learn a couple things from Mary in this passage...

-She presents her request to Jesus.  She knows who He and what He is capable of and therefore, presents her need to him.
-When Jesus doesnt respond the way she most likely intended Him, she simply tells the servants to do as Jesus says.  This shows great trust and respect for her Savior.

Jesus was not being mean and ignoring the need of these people, rather He was waiting for just the right time.  He was God in the flesh and just as God knows best, Jesus did as well.

Starting in John 2:6, Jesus commands the servants to fill waterpots with water.  They do so and the water is later turned into wine.  The wedding is saved, but more importantly, the glory of God is manifested.  We see this in John 2:11...

"This the beginning of HIs signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him."

So we see in Jesus' first miracle the purpose of this book fulfilled.  He came so that we might believe! Through turning the water into wine not only manifest His glory but it lead people to believe in Him.

1. How often do you fail to present your need(s) to Jesus?
2. If He answers in a way that you dont want/expect, how do you respond? Do you respond as Mary did?
3. Do you live your life in such a way that would lead people to believe in Jesus? What would need to change to make that a reality in your life?

Awkward?

Nine times out of ten family photos are awkward.  Everyone normally matches, which lets be honest, never happens in real life.  Someone is probably in a bad mood and without fail at least one person has bad hair...or will think they did 5 years later.  So in honor of awkward family photos everywhere, at club this week we decided to take some of our own...

Middle school club...

High school club...