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1 Peter 2:11-17 (MSG)

25/12/2017

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11-12 Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.

13-17 Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.
1 Peter 2:11-17 (MSG)
General Context Questions
  • Who wrote this? Who is or which groups of people are involved?
  • Was this written before, during, or after Jesus’ lifetime?
  • Is this a narrative, a parable, a praise, a suggestion, a command, an instruction, or something else?
  • Is there anything that stands out to you?
  • Did anything confuse you? Were there words or phrases that didn’t make sense?
Specific Questions
  • What does it mean to “indulge your ego at the expense of your soul”? How can we avoid that?
  • Did someone else’s actions or example cause you to be “won over to God’s side”? How did that happen? What did they do?
  • Are Christ followers a “danger to society”? Was that comment only relevant to the original audience? Is doing good still an effective cure for people who think that Christians are a danger to society?
  • How do you exercise your freedom?
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James 3:3-12 (NIV)

18/12/2017

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3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of oneʼs life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in Godʼs likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
James 3:3-12 (NIV)
General Context Questions
  • Who wrote this? Who is or which groups of people are involved?
  • Was this written before, during, or after Jesus’ lifetime?
  • Is this a narrative, a parable, a praise, a suggestion, a command, an instruction, or something else?
  • Is there anything that stands out to you?
  • Did anything confuse you? Were there words or phrases that didn’t make sense?
Specific Questions
  • What is the source of our words? How can we direct this source?
  • When was the last time you let your tongue get away from you?
  • Have you ever been on the verge of sparking a fire with your words, but managed to restrain yourself? Do you regret exercising restraint?
  • Is it ever appropriate to let your untamed tongue go? If so, how do you know when it’s the right choice to make?
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James 2:14-24 (NIV)

11/12/2017

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14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”and he was called Godʼs friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
James 2:14-24 (NIV)
General Context Questions
  • Who wrote this? Who is or which groups of people are involved?
  • Was this written before, during, or after Jesus’ lifetime?
  • Is this a narrative, a parable, a praise, a suggestion, a command, an instruction, or something else?
  • Is there anything that stands out to you?
  • Did anything confuse you? Were there words or phrases that didn’t make sense?
Specific Questions
  • What is the scope of deeds that we can engage in to demonstrate our faith? What are the smallest and largest deeds that you can think of?
  • The passage tells us that “faith without deeds is useless”. Is the reverse true? Is deeds without faith useless?
  • When was the last time you performed a deed in faith?
  • How can you tell if you’re performing a deed because of faith or because of some other reason?
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James 2:1-11 (MSG)

4/12/2017

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1-4 My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, “Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!” and either ignore the street person or say, “Better sit here in the back row,” haven’t you segregated God’s children and proved that you are judges who can’t be trusted?

5-7 Listen, dear friends. Isn’t it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the world’s down-and-out as the kingdom’s first citizens, with full rights and privileges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves God. And here you are abusing these same citizens! Isn’t it the high and mighty who exploit you, who use the courts to rob you blind? Aren’t they the ones who scorn the new name—“Christian”—used in your baptisms?

8-11 You do well when you complete the Royal Rule of the Scriptures: “Love others as you love yourself.” But if you play up to these so-called important people, you go against the Rule and stand convicted by it. You can’t pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God’s law and ignoring others. The same God who said, “Don’t commit adultery,” also said, “Don’t murder.” If you don’t commit adultery but go ahead and murder, do you think your non-adultery will cancel out your murder? No, you’re a murderer, period.
James 2:1-11 (MSG)
General Context Questions
  • Who wrote this? Who is or which groups of people are involved?
  • Was this written before, during, or after Jesus’ lifetime?
  • Is this a narrative, a parable, a praise, a suggestion, a command, an instruction, or something else?
  • Is there anything that stands out to you?
  • Did anything confuse you? Were there words or phrases that didn’t make sense?
Specific Questions
  • If not public opinion, what should we let influence how we live out our faith? What do you actually let influence how you live out your faith?
  • What other characteristics besides clothing on which we might base how we choose to treat people in church or in life in general? Have you ever see this in action?
  • Does this passage condemn people who are "high and mighty" as exploiters “who use the court to rob you blind”? How can you tell if a person is "high and mighty"?
  • If avoiding committing one sin isn't enough to cancel out another sin, what is?
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