In our last visit we were doing a biographical study of James, the author of the epistle named after him. We first collected information about him. To help you, use a concordance. Then we correlated this information into an outline.
We did an historical sketch: James, before becoming a Christian, James, becoming a Christian, and James, as a mature Christian. After amplifying each point we are now ready to develop some applications to our own life based on what we learned. The first one I identified was, being exposed to Jesus Christ doesn’t make you a Christian. James had been exposed to Jesus all his life, but only committed to Him after the resurrection. Growing up in a Christian home and going to church doesn’t make you a Christian. You must commit yourself to Christ by faith.
God uses all of our experiences and positions in life for His purpose. Being Christ’s brother no doubt contributed to James becoming the leader of the Jerusalem church.
Another application is this: he practiced what he preached, and had high expectations of Christians doing the same. We should not expect of others what is not true in our own life.
Finally, he was a man of prayer. His background and his position were not enough to succeed in the work of God. He knew he needed God to answer his prayers. That’s why prayer is mentioned throughout the book.
While reading the book, keep in mind the example of James. It’ll help apply his teaching to your life.
