People Pursue Reconciliation
James 5:19-20
- Read 5:19-20. Why are these words so important that James chose to end his letter with them? In what ways would obedience to the text reflect the heart and ways of Jesus?
- James' words suggest that one of the surest ways to know that a person is "wandering from the truth" is that he leaves the church. Why? How do you know if a person wanders off from the church? Can you detect the signs when people are disconnected or dissatisfied with the church?
- How have you ever wandered from the faith or seen others do so? What are some of the causes that give us excuses to wander from God's path?
- Who is called upon to bring people back to the Lord and to the church in v.19? If we all sought to obey James' words, what would that kind of obedience change in the church?
- In v. 20, James calls us to remember something. (James followed the Old Testament teaching that people are either on a path of life that centers on God or a path of death that centers on self.) Put his words into 21st Century language. How could this verse change your life and the lives of those around you?
- What can you do to keep people better connected in the church? What might you do to reach out to those who engage in sin and/or leave the church?
- What would the church look like if we all grew in showing the kind of courageous love called for in these verses? What would it take to make this happen? What will you do about it?