Community Group Discussion Guide

James 5:19-20 – Weekend of November 17 & 18, 2018

I. Starter Question:

Simple question: What has been your biggest takeaway from this series through James?Vulnerable question: Do you know someone who has fallen away from the church? How did that change your relationship with them?

II. Discussion of Scripture:

Context: The entire book of James focuses on Christians living out their faith. Chapter 5 continues this theme by expounding on wisdom for the rich and those in suffering. The previous passage discusses the power of prayer and its importance for all believers. The specific prayers include for suffering, healing, and confession of sins. James is continuing his call to action for the church to care for its members well.

James 5:19-20 (ESV)The Prayer of Faith19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Brief Explanation: The core of this passage is exhorting Christians to build one another up and bring each other back to the truth when we wander. While NOT implying that we can lose our salvation, this passage does say that keeping each other accountable is a way to bring about salvation for sinners.

James stresses the importance of our relationship with others around us for the purpose of bringing them to Christ. Whether this involves the salvation of non-believers or the discipleship of church members, we are instructed to build one another up as we have been built up in Christ.

For Discussion:

1. Who is being spoken about in this passage? How do you know?

2. What does it mean to wander from the truth? When you see a fellow believer wandering, is your tendency to watch in disappointment, keep your distance

as a protection, or seek ways in which God could use you to “bring them back”?

3. Do you need to explicitly share the Gospel with Christians? Why or why not?

4. Why would bringing someone back from their wandering cover a multitude of sin? What is it about that exchange that could cover sins?

5. If all our sins have been covered, why should we call each other to repentance? (1 John 1:9-10)

6. How often do you confess your sins to other brothers/sisters? How often do you want to? Discuss how this confession time felt in the worship service last weekend.

7. When have you personally come the closest to wandering from the faith? What or who helped bring you back? How did that exemplify the body of Christ in action?

8. What are some ways we can hold each other accountable this week?

III. Responding in Prayer:

1. Pray for those wandering from the truth. Pray that they might see the hollowness that the world has to offer and the sweetness of the Gospel. Pray that we would have opportunities to reach out to them in love and invite them back to the community.

2. Pray for sanctification of believers within the Church. Pray that we would unify as a body of Christ and build one another up with the Gospel. Pray that both young believers and mature Christians will grow in their knowledge and understanding of Christ.

3. Pray for the salvation of the lost. Pray that God would call them out by name and adopt them into our family. Pray that your group would help facilitate salvation this week.

Mission / Vision / Valuesof Henderson Hills Baptist Church

Our Mission:Love God. Love People. Make Disciples. Our Vision:Our vision is to become a diverse family of surrendered and transformed people who passionately love God and others. We endeavor to be a body that is overcome by the reality that this life is not about us, but all about the glory of God. We want to be transfixed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and compelled by His heart for our world. We strive to be seed-throwers and fire-starters, hope-announcers and grace-givers, risk-takers and constant-reformers, lifelong-learners and sold-out doers. We desire to be a people who gladly give our lives to free the captive, strengthen the weak, embrace the outcast, and seek out the lost. Because Scripture is our authority, we strive to be a family that serves together, studies the Word together, plays together, worships together, and lives life together. By God's grace our world will be changed because we are here. Our Values:

1. Glorifying God:

We value the passionate pursuit of knowing God and walking with Him.

2. Submitting to the Authority of Scripture:

We value the sufficiency of Scripture in every aspect of our lives.

3. Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

We value sharing the Gospel and making disciples.

4. Serving with a Kingdom Perspective:

We value living our lives focused upon what will matter most for eternity.

5. Cherishing the Local Church:

We value the essential role of the church in the sanctification of the believer and salvation of the nations.

6. Doing Life Together in a Christ-Centered Community:

We value that God uniquely uses personal relationships to sanctify and sharpen believers.