This Fall/Winter our Growth Groups will be studying The Book of James. We are getting excited to start our third year of Growth Groups on September 10th, and we hope that you are getting excited too! Below is a short preview of our study of James, with some questions for you and your family to enjoy time discussing together.

The book of James was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus, from Jerusalem, to Jewish Christians living outside of Palestine, around 40-60 AD. These are people like us, trying to live out in the world and be a follower of Christ, who need encouragement and wisdom to follow Him. Thus, James is a very practical book, almost like a manual for everyday Christian living, giving it the nickname “the Proverbs of the New Testament.”

Below is a preview of some questions James helps us answer. Please take some time to discuss with your family and friends how you would answer them, and take a look at what James has to say. 

1. How do you react when being a Christian gets hard? (1:1-18)

2. How do you react to temptation? Do you blame God for allowing the temptation? (1:13-18)

3. What is the difference between calling yourself a Christian and being a Christian? (2:14-26)

4. Why do negative words seem to have a greater impact on people than positive ones? (3:1-12)

5. How is the wisdom of the world different from the wisdom of God? (3:13-18)

6. How have you seen the power of prayer work in your life? (5:13-20)

Father’s Day: Put a New Twist on an Old Tradition

This year also consider all your Heavenly Father has done for you.

by Rachel Lovingood

The idea for Father’s Day began when a woman heard a Mother’s Day sermon and decided that she didn’t want all that her dad had done for her to go unrecognized. When you think about Father’s Day, what comes to your mind? Can you relate to this woman who was concerned about taking her father for granted?

Honoring fathers is important. After all, the Bible commands us to honor them; but, this year, think of Father’s Day with a new twist. Take some time to consider all your Heavenly Father has done for you and how you might be taking Him for granted.

God is Our Model Father

God Almighty is your Heavenly Father, and He is the perfect example of what it means to be a dad. Looking at each of the letters that make up the word “father,” consider some of the characteristics that set Him apart and provide a model for our human dads.

F   Forgiveness is a huge part of your relationship with your Father. He is willing and able to forgive you of any sin you commit if you will only ask Him. It’s comforting to know that nothing you do is ever so bad that God won’t forgive you (Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 1:9). Now, that’s unconditional acceptance.

A   He is active in your life all the time. God is always at work around you. Ask God to show you what He is doing. You will be amazed at all that is going on. More important, the invitation is open for you to get involved with Him. You never have to wait for your turn to be active with God (John 5:17).

T   Time for you. While humans get too busy to do this or that, God always has time for you. Whenever you feel lonely, struggle with a problem, want to share a thought, or need to deal with a concern, He is there for you. You can’t find a time in your day when He is too busy to talk or listen to you (Jeremiah 33:3).

H   The heart of the matter is that God knows your heart, and He loves you anyway. Proverbs tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things. Some people may not want to be in your life if you make mistakes. God wants to be with you anytime, and He alone is able to change your heart to be all you were created to be (1 John 4:9-10,19).

E   Everywhere sums up God’s place in your life. If you’re a Christian, there is nowhere you can go where He isn’t with you. It can be encouraging to realize that when you are in a tough place in your life, He is right there with you. Whether other people are there or not, God is by your side (Romans 8:35-39).

R   Rest and Read. These are two areas where most people could use a little work. Rest is important to you because it’s easy to become so busy that you don’t take time with the Lord. He wants you to set aside daily time to rest in Him and to read His Word. The Bible is His letter to His children. The best way to get to know your Father is to spend quality time resting and reading all about Him in His Word (John 14:21; Psalm 46:10).

Link to Original Article: https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/marriage-men-fathers-day-a-new-twist-on-an-old-day 

• Why do bad things happen to good people?
• Why do good things happen to bad people?

• I can’t____
• I don’t WANT to

• EVIDENCE
• 5874 manuscripts
• Early Historians notes/letters/sermons
• Archeology

• 2 Pe 1:3  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 
• John 10:10b I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.
• I AM the ……….

• Mat 16:18  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
• 1Th 4:17  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 

• Religious Leaders –opposed Jesus
• Matt 10:36 – opposition from own home
• 1 Tim 4:12 – be an example
• Matt 7:1 vs John 7:24
• John 8:7 – cast the first stone
• Gal 6:1 gentleness and 2 Tim 2:25 humility

Welcome to Central Church of Christ, a people who strive to Show God’s Love, Tell God’s Story, and Be God’s Family.

What does it mean to be a “Christian”?

Etymology: 

Acts 11:26b– “And in Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians.”

• G5546 – christianos (Christian)
• G5547 – christos (Christ/Messiah)
• G5548 – chriō (Anoint, Greek)
• H4899 – māšîaḥ (Messiah)
• H4886 – māšaḥ (Anoint, Hebrew)

OT Usage:

Gen. 31:13– “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’”

Gen. 28:10-22– 10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

When something is anointed, it is a mark of a connection between heaven and earth, and a mark of God’s blessing.

Exodus 28:41

1 Samuel 10:1– Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.

1 Samuel 16:13- Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

1 Kings 1:39

1 Kings 19:16- And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.

2 Kings 2:6-22

NT Usage: For Jesus

Matthew 16:16

Mark 8:29

Luke 22:67

John 11:27

Psalm 132:17-18- There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. 18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.”

Isaiah 61:1-2a- The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

Luke 3:21-22

John 1:51– And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,[a] you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

John 14:6– Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.,

Matthew 8:16– That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.

John 3:16– For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Matthew 4:17

Heb. 4:14-16

Is. 9:6-7

1 Tim 6:14-17

John 3:16

Matt. 4:16-21

NT Usage: For Us

2 Cor. 1:21-22– And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Close:

His Hand Is Bigger Than Mine

Titus 2:1-8– But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

Welcome to Central Church of Christ, where we strive to Show God’s Love, Tell God’s Story, and Be God’s Family. 

Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey” or “monomyth.” 

John 14:6– Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Matt. 28:18-20– “18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Each of us is at one of these different points in our spiritual journey:

• Point #1- Accepting the Call
• Point #2- Struggling with Challenges and Temptations
• Point #3- Maturing and Mentoring

Point #1- Accepting the Call

Romans 6:23- “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Gen. 1:26–  “Then God said, “Let us make man[a] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Romans 3:23–  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

John 3:16-18– “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his  only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. “

Acts 2:38– “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 6:3-4– “3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Point #2- Struggling with Challenges and Temptations

1 Peter 1:25b – 2:2– “And this word is the good news that was preached to you. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation”

Heb. 6:1-2– Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Hebrews 5:12-14– “12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

1 Cor. 2:14 – 3:3 -”14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 2:1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

Heb 5:14–“14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Point #3- Maturing and Mentoring

Hebrews 5:12– 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

Ephesians 4:11-16– 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

James 3:1– “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” 

Matthew 28:18-20– “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

Deut. 11:18-19–“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Titus 2:1-8– But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.