James for Beginners

In this final lesson, Mike will review the six ways Christians are different and James’ final words of encouragement to his readers. In this final chapter I would like to review what we have covered in this book so far and then examine the last verses where James himself leaves his readers with some things that they need to remember after finishing his letter. First, the review. The Jews to whom James was writing were discouraged because of the alienation…

James outlines the basic rules for success that Christian business people should follow. Ever notice that we always take God into consideration when we are sick or have trouble in our relationships but rarely consider His sovereignty in our business affairs? We pray over meals, for the sick and the poor but when was the last time we saw a prayer offered over a business deal? In his epistle, James tells us that failure to consider Him as Lord over…

James addresses the causes and cures for the destructive sins of harsh criticism and gossip. Nothing destroys a Christian’s faith faster than his own tongue. James, therefore, spends two out of the five chapters of his epistle dealing with the sins of the tongue and the damage created by these. Before, he talked about teachers and the heavenly or earthly source of the wisdom that guided their speech. Now, in chapter 4, he will address the sin of gossip that…

In this section of this epistle, James performs a spiritual check-up on his readers. After having taught his readers how to discern between good and bad teachers (good teachers produce good things in their students by drawing upon heavenly wisdom already evident in their own lives), James leaves off speaking about teachers and does a spiritual check-up of his readers. After reviewing their symptoms and diagnosing their illness, he gives not only a prognosis for the future for those exhibiting…

In this lesson, James reviews both the qualifications and results that Christian teachers should aspire to. In his letter, James is describing the Christian lifestyle and what type of attitude and conduct believers should have in various situations. Therefore, you have profited from this book so far if, as a Christian: You have faced recent trials with patience and joy knowing that God is maturing your faith through these. You have faced and responded to temptation with Christian action that…

Michael Jackson’s old song, “Black or White” reflects the attitude that James says Christians should have towards other people. In Michael Jackson’s 1991 album, Dangerous, he sings a song entitled Black or White. In it he repeats the words, “It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white,” promoting the idea that he did not want to judge or be judged based on skin color. These lyrics capture the spirit of what James is saying in the section of his epistle which we…

This section in the Book of James defines the type of thinking and behavior that constitutes the “bottom line” in what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. There has always been debate over various issues in the religious world. Our brotherhood is no different. Our journals and books are filled with passionate arguments over topics such as proper elements of worship, methods of evangelism and approaches to biblical interpretation. The early church was not free from this…

Sin is everybody’s problem and in this lesson Mike reviews the true tested method that James provides to successfully deal with the everyday temptations to sin. The book of James was written to Christian Jews in order to help them learn how to live the Christian life. The lessons here are easily transported to our lives today in helping us learn the Christian lifestyle as well. In the previous chapter I said that one of the features of the Christian…

James explains the radically different way Christians deal with trouble in life, and why they do so. The author of this epistle is James, the earthly brother of Jesus, not the Apostle James. then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; – I Corinthians 15:7 He was a leader in the church at Jerusalem and was writing to Christian Jews living outside of Jerusalem who were growing weak in their faith. In this letter he explains that Christians…

This introductory lesson reviews the author, date written and general purpose for this practical book on Christian living. If you were to ask people to define or explain the word “religion” they would probably describe the organizations and ceremonies carried out by various church groups. This is probably why younger people say that they are spiritual but not religious, because they no longer relate to the various rituals and observances practiced by the large denominations in this country. By spiritual…