We’re starting a new series this week on the General Epistles. Please encourage your people to read along with us, using the reading plan available here.
Step 1: Assignment - The text for this week is James 1:19-27 & 5:19-20 . I’ll will be preaching this on Sunday, June 2, as part of our new series Notes From a Friend. You’ll want to discuss this text in your groups on the week leading up to June 2nd.
Before your group meets, text this passage to them and ask them to read it at least once.
Step 2: Read Through - When your group meets, read the text in at least two different translations.
Step 3: Retell - Ask one or two people in your group to restate the passage in their own words, as if they were telling the story to a friend. Make sure you choose different people each week!
Step 4: Reflect: Go around the group and ask each person to answer these two things.
What does this passage teach us about God?
What does this passage teach us about human beings?
Step 5: Respond - Go around the group and ask each person to complete this statement, “Because of this passage, I will _____this week”
Two Additional Steps
Followup: when you start group in future weeks, check in with your people about their previous “I will” statement. Start group time, before you read, with this question: “How did your ‘I will’ go this week?”
Secondly, it’s important that we are sharing God’s truth with those around us. Your second question before the readt hrough should be, “Who were you able to share with this week?”