1. Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2014 Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2014 powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com

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3. Carlos Steger, Principal Contributor

4. The Book of James Contents 1 James, the Lord’s Brother 2 The Perfection of Our Faith 3 Enduring Temptation 4 Being and Doing 5 Love and the Law 6 Faith That Works 7 Taming the Tongue 8 The Humanity of Heavenly Wisdom 9 One Lawgiver and Judge 10 Weep and Howl! 11 Getting Ready for the Harvest 12 Prayer, Healing and Restoration 13 The Everlasting Gospel

5. The Book of James Our Goal O ur journey this quarter spans the entire Christian era, as it includes some of the earliest preaching, as well as special insights for these last days. Let us not miss these insights.

6. The Book of James Lesson 2, Oct 11 The Book of James Lesson 2, Oct 11 The Perfecting of Our Faith

7. Key Text Hebrews 12:2 NIV “ L et us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

8. The Perfecting of Our Faith Initial Words W e need not get all worked up over whether or not our characters will be good enough in the end. That is God’s work. Our role is to “fight the good fight of faith” by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, “the author and perfecter of our faith.” Such faith enables Him to work in us “both to will and to do of his good pleasure” and to finish the good work He has begun.

9. The Perfecting of Our Faith Quick Look 1. Understanding Faith (James 1:2-4) 2. Experiencing Faith (James 1:5, 6) 3. Focusing On Faith (James 2:14-17)

10. The Perfecting of Our Faith 1. Understanding Faith James 1:2-4 NKJV “ C ount it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

11. 1. Understanding Faith Faith Lasts T he Greek word used in verse 3 for the testing of our faith is dokimion. It refers to the process of proving the genuineness of something. Peter likens this testing or trying of our faith to the way fire purifies gold. Trials should not discourage us; for, if we remain faithful, we will “come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

12. 1. Understanding Faith Faith Lasts We need to look through and beyond each trial and visualize the result God intends. That is where faith comes in. Only through faith, through knowing for ourselves God’s love, and living by faith in light of that love could we ever possibly rejoice in our trials.

13. 1. Understanding Faith Faith Lasts In James 1:3, the ultimate goal of the testing of our faith is “patience” (NKJV). The Greek word (hypomone-) can also be translated “endurance” (NASB) or “perseverance” (NIV). Hypomone- refers to that which outlasts everything else because it rests confidently in the assurance of God’s final deliverance.

14. 1. Understanding Faith Perfection God’s goal for us is that we “may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4, NKJV). The word perfect (teleios) means spiritual maturity, while complete (holokleros) refers to wholeness in every way. We can become so much more if we allow Him to work in us “to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

15. The Perfecting of Our Faith 2. Experiencing Faith James 1:5, 6 NKJV “ I f any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”

16. 2. Experiencing Faith Asking in Faith “ T he fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov.9:10). Both Proverbs and James describe wisdom as something very practical: not what we know but how we live. We can have all the knowledge the world offers but lack true wisdom.

17. 2. Experiencing Faith Asking in Faith God is the Source of all true wisdom. We gain wisdom most by listening to Him—reading His Word and spending thoughtful time contemplating the life of Christ, “who became for us wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30, NKJV). By learning to reflect the character of Christ in our own lives, we live out the truth as it is in Jesus. That is true wisdom.

18. 2. Experiencing Faith The Flip Side of Faith Jesus said mustard seed-sized faith was plenty. What counts is whether our faith is growing, and this will happen only as we continue to exercise that faith by trusting in God in all situations. But doubt sometimes gets in the way. All we can do is remember God’s faithfulness in the past and trusting Him for our future.

19. The Perfecting of Our Faith 3. Focusing On Faith James 2:14-17 NKJV “ W hat does it profit...if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother is...destitute of daily food...but you do not give...what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

20. 3. Focusing On Faith The Rich and the Poor J ames recognizes the insidious temptations that come with wealth. Rich or poor, we need to keep our eyes on the real prize. The problem with money is that it tends to deceive us into focusing on the temporal instead of the eternal (2 Cor. 4:18).

21. 3. Focusing On Faith The Rich and the Poor The acquisition of wealth, higher education, or social influence tends to separate people from the “less fortunate.” But the early church kept the two classes together by turning worldly values upside down. The one who takes the lowest place, the role of humility, is the one who can glory in exaltation.

22. 3. Focusing On Faith The Rich and the Poor “As long as there are hungry ones in God’s world to be fed, naked ones to be clothed, souls perishing for the bread and water of salvation, every unnecessary indulgence, every overplus of capital, pleads for the poor and the naked.” —Welfare Ministry 269.

23. The Perfecting of Our Faith Final Words “ G od would have his servants become acquainted with their own hearts. In order to bring to them a true knowledge of their condition, he permits the fire of affliction to assail them.... The trials of life are God’s workmen to...fit them for the society of pure, heavenly angels in glory.” —The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald April 10, 1894.