Life According To Jim – Fork Christian Church

Faithful & Faithlessness

November 20, 2022

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

1. When do you usually pray and what do you usually pray for? Is praying a challenge for you? If so, why?

2. Have you ever had a prayer answered? Share one example.

3. Read James 5:13-18. What stands out to you? Why does James share the story of Elijah as an example for us?

4. Read John 15:1-8 and 16. What does John mean by abiding/remaining in me and why would that matter to the answer of a prayer?

5. James asks these questions we should answer, “Are you in trouble?… Are you happy?… Are you sick?… Have you committed any sins?” Then you should pray. Break off into pairs and (if comfortable) have one or both of you pray for each other. Commit to continuing to pray for each other each day this week.

Patience and Endurance

November 13, 2022

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

Read James 5:7-11

1) In Verse 11 James reminds us that “The Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.” Is that how you see Him? How does His tenderness and mercy play out in the lives of believers? How has His tenderness and mercy impacted you personally?

2) Rate your patience on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the lowest, and 10 being the highest. What are the circumstances or situations that try or test your patience the most?

3) In the teaching it was said that “James wants his listeners to have the kind of patience that makes them mature and complete… not the kind that demands instant gratification.” Why is that important: For our own faith? As an example to others? For the benefit of the church?

4) Read Matthew 5:10-12. Have you actually been persecuted for your faith? Have you seen that persecution as a blessing? (For a deeper look read Hebrews 11 or at least 11:36-39)

5) Read James 5:9 again. How can grumbling be divisive, distracting, and destructive? Why do we get caught up in it so easily?

6) How can our faith in Jesus help us patiently endure our future? How can our faith in Jesus help us patiently endure our suffering? How can our faith in Jesus help us patiently endure our relationships with one another?”

Worldliness & Godliness

November 6, 2022

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

1. What are your top 3 passions? Have those passions ever become a problem? Why or why not?

2. Answer the following question as posed by pastor and author John Piper,

“The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—
is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the
friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and
all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties
you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no
human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with
heaven, if Christ were not there? ” Did this question cause you to hesitate? If so, why?

3. Read James 4:1-10. What stands out to you? Why does James emphasize the division of the reader’s hearts and passions?

4. Read 1 John 2:15-17. What does John mean by not loving the world? Share personal examples of times you have loved the world too much.

5. Share one worldly passion that you are committing to letting go of or, at minimum, do less frequently this week in order to make Jesus the priority? Pray for one another and help hold one another accountable this week to this commitment.

Blessings & Cursings

October 30, 2022

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

1. Share a time when someone shared a few words with you that powerfully impacted you and stayed with you in a positive way.

2. Share a time when someone shared a few words with you that powerfully impacted you and stayed with you in a negative way.

3. Read James 3:1-12. What stands out to you? Why does James place such an emphasis on words?

4. Read Matthew 16:21-24. What did Peter say that was so wrong? How does verse 24 show you how the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks?

5. Share personal examples of how your own personal communication needs to change. Are the words you are sharing (speaking, texting, posting, etc.) from a human perspective or a heavenly one? Pray for each other and encourage one another to have a renewed heart and a change in how we speak and share with others.

Faith & Works

October 24, 2022

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

1. Share a time that you had to have extreme faith/trust/belief in someone or someone had to have extreme faith/trust/belief in you. (Trusting a surgeon, trusting a parachute, trusting someone with your child etc.)

2. Share a time where a lack of confidence and trust in a person or thing stopped you from relying on someone or something.

3. Read James 2:14-17. What stands out to you? What is the difference between a faith that saves and a faith that doesn’t?

4. How do you wrestle with Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:8 and James words in James 2:17? How can these two passages be complimentary to each other and not in conflict.

5. Share personal examples how having a faith that works is evidence that you have a faith that saves. What would look differently in your life if you didn’t have a saving faith like the one James is referring to? What works/actions should change in your own life as a result of having a saving faith?

Partiality & Favoritism

October 16, 2022

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

1. What is the personality type that annoys you the most? (Millennial Hipster, Judgmental Baby Boomer, Gothic New Ager, Artsy Creative Type, Extroverted Salesperson, Indecisive Introvert, Overtly Wealthy Person, Poor Begger, etc.)

2. How does it feel to know that someone just specifically described you in question #1? If that person never met you, how would you want them to treat you?

3. Read James 1:26-2:13. What stands out to you?

4. James calls us out to not commit the sin of partiality/favoritism. What are some practical ways we may knowingly and not knowingly do this to people in our own life?

5. Perhaps the main problem with the sin of partiality/favoritism is a lack of understanding of the mercy that we have been given. Write down on a piece of paper your answer to the question, “What do I deserve?” Now read, Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23. Based on our sin, what do we deserve? Does that match our previous answer? How would seeing God’s unmerited favor on your life change how you show partiality/favoritism to others? Spend some time in prayer asking for God to forgive and to show where we need to grow.

Hear & Do

October 9, 2022

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

1. What is something that stood out to you about this week’s message?

2. Read James 1:19. James tells us to be quick to listen and slow to

speak. Have you had situations where you did the opposite—slow to listen, quick to speak? What do you think is the problem with that?

3. Read James 1:23-24. Do you really think it’s foolish to hear God’s word without putting it into action? Why or why not?

4. Read James 1:26-27. Why do you think James defines “religion” the way that he does?

5. Practice being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. If you follow that instruction, how will putting your faith into action look different this week?

Trials & Temptations

October 2, 2022

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

1. Have you ever been in a trial or in a season of suffering that made you question, “Where are you God?” Ever felt like all happiness and joy was just zapped out of your life? Briefly share what happened.

2. How would you define joy? Give an example of what you think of when you think of being full of joy and the opposite of joy.

3. Read James 1:1-4, 12. Look for Purpose, Promises, Perspective in Pain. What stood out to you? Do you think joy is possible in pain? Why or why not?

4. C.S Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Do you believe that statement it true? Why would this possibly bring joy even in our pain?

5. Read Hebrews 12:1-3. How would fixing your eyes on Jesus, focusing on purpose, promises, and perspective change how you are feeling in your trials right now or in the future? Spend some time praying for one another and whatever trials they are going through.