I am currently teaching a weekly Course on THE BOOK OF JAMES at Rothbury Community Church in Rothbury, Michigan. Below you will find an introduction to the book. After that, you will be able to download any of the lesson outlines (some which may get revised later).
The book of James is built upon this proposition: The quality of your life depends upon the quality of your faith. Since that’s true, we need a process for examining and improving the vitality of our faith. That is exactly what the book of James does. It provides a series of faith tests that you can use to evaluate and expand your spiritual life.
The letter was written to Jewish Christians living outside of the land of Palestine (1:1). Its purpose was to help struggling believers triumph over the many trials and temptations they were facing. They are shown that these inner and outer struggles are the perfect arena for diagnosing and enhancing their spiritual health. You, like them, will find this letter highly practical. It deals with the kind of issues that we deal with daily. And the goal of the whole process is for you to radically enjoy the abundant life that God wants you to experience. The key verse is James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life…”
Here is the outline we are using. Below each title is a link to the outline we are using for that particular lesson. Feel free to download them for your files. Of course, printed outlines will be provided in each actual class.
1:1-8 Testing Your Faith by Adversity
1:9-12 Testing Your Faith by Your Wealth
1:13-18 Testing Your Faith by Temptation
1:16-26 Testing Your Faith by Your Receptivity to Scripture
2:1-13 Testing Your Faith by Partiality
2:14-26 Testing Your Faith by Your Works
3:1-12 Testing Your Faith by Your Speech
3:13-18 Testing Your Faith by Your Wisdom Source
4:1-10 Testing Your Faith by Your Conflict Patterns
4:11-12 Testing Your Faith by Judgmental Criticism
4:13-17 Testing Your Faith by Your Approach to Planning
5:1-6 Testing Your Faith by Your Craving for Wealth
5:7-14 Testing Your Faith by Perseverance in Suffering
5:14-20 Testing Your Faith by Your Health