justice – Page 5 – New Connexions Church

Comfort or affliction…

A study on James 5: 1-12, based on the sermon: Are You Ready To Meet Your Maker?

Take a few minutes as a group to recap on the issues James has been addressing in his letter up to the end of chapter 4, are any of those issues more or less relevant today? Discuss.
Read verses 1-6. Why are the rich people being told to weep and groan; is it their money, if not what?
How much do we have to have before we’re rich? Read 1 Chronicles 29: 10-20 for context.
If these verses are predominantly aimed at rich people who aren’t Christians, where is the lesson/application for us today?
Read verses 7-12. As you read through notice and discuss each one of the commands or instructions James gives, how do they apply to us today in 21st century Ely?
How do these two halves of the reading (1-6 &7-12) fit together to give a clear message about justice?
take some time as a group to pray for each other and the whole church as we seek to apply this passage to our lives – Also please focus some prayer time on ‘the brick’ (God building His Church).

Some study questions For James 4:11-17.

Here’s the sermon if you missed it… The Games Christians Play

In which kinds of ways might we “speak evil against each other”? Check back on what James said in chapter 3; maybe as a group you’ll find some other bible passages that say similar things?
What does it mean to judge a brother or sister? Does this mean we can’t point out others’ sins? Why or why not?
What is the difference between the kind of unpleasantness/judging here, and proper correction? So how do we balance confronting people with their sin and the fact that God is The judge?
Does verse 13 mean that making plans is evil? What about if your Pastor says, “I’ll move to Littleport and spend a year there, start a new church and train leaders and then move on to another place.” Would that be wrong?
How can we know God’s will?
Pastor said in the sermon that “it’s not difficult to know God’s will” – if that’s so, then why do so many Christians say things like, “I just don’t know what The Lord wants me to do?”
Share as a group any areas for prayer that you are seeking the Lord on, and spend some time praying for one another as well as the worship and witness of New Connexions.

A Study based of this sermon: Are you wise?

Bible Reading Hosea 13 &14

Looking at the first five verses of chapter 13: what had Ephraim been what had they become, what will they become and where is there an application for the Christian today?
Discuss verse 6 and how we might take a warning from it.
How does chapter 13 sit with Ezekiel 33:11? ~spend some time talking this through and discussing why a good understanding of how this fits together will help us in our own walk and in our evangelism.
Take a good look at chapter 14. What is the main point, and where is the application for us today?

You’ll be helped in this study by taking time to pick up on the accompanying sermon Learn what this means!

We took an overview of three chapters this week and reading the whole of the text before divining in to study might be a challenge. Instead after seeking the Lord in prayer, take the approach we took in the service and read through a section then ponder on and discuss:
1. what was going on;
2. what was the Lord saying to the original hearers and why;
3. where is the application for us today.
Read Matthew 9: 9-13 discuss verse 13 – why is it important for us to do what Jesus commands there?