How does testing improve our faith?
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6,7)
What kind of doubting is bad, and how do we avoid it?
And a leper came to Him, beseeching Him, and falling on his knees before Him, and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” And moved with compassion, He stretched out His hand, and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed” (Mark 1:40,41)
Compare this to the father in Mark 9:21–24
(Jesus). . . asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” and he said, “From childhood. And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us, and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “If You can! All things are possible to him who believes” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and began saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
The difference between the man in Mark 1 and the father in Mark 9 is captured in the two phrases: “if You are willing,” and “if You can.” The first man has faith Jesus can if He will. The second man seems to question if Jesus can do the miracle. This is why, I believe, Jesus answers the poor father almost sarcastically . . . “If I can!”. . . meaning, “The issue here isn’t whether I can, but whether you believe I can.” Then the father cries out “help my unbelief.” So when we ask God for His wisdom, we may ask if He is willing to impart wisdom, but not doubt that He can.
Another aspect of doubting would be a sort of “ask-God-as-a-last-resort” attitude that, “Oh, well, I might as well ask God for help or understanding. I’ve tried everything else, so I have nothing to lose.” Let not that man think he will receive anything from the Lord!
Key: And without faith it is impossible to please God, for anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
Conclusion to our brief Bible study on James 1: 1–8
James’ teaching here assumes that all of us Christians are going to experience various trials, hardships, even suffering in our lives. We can be joyful because we know God is in control and that the difficulty can actually bring us increased strength as Christians. We can even ask God to help us understand the cause and/or resolution of the situation, and accept His response without doubting His ability to do what He knows is best for us.
Leading the Bible study group
You’ve done a good Bible study on the James 1 passage. Now let’s see how you might lead this study with your small group.
The place you meet isn’t particularly important; it could be a classroom at the church, or in someone’s home. Of course, it’s always good to have snacks, drinks, and that it’s a relatively quiet location, without distractions, so people can enjoy fellowship.
Open with a brief prayer. Ask someone—not you— in the group to pray.
Then ask a fun question that everyone has to answer. For example, “If you could have a one-month, all-expenses-paid vacation anywhere on earth, where would you go?” Or, “what’s the most unusual food you’ve ever eaten, and what was the circumstance?” Or, “What was the best Christmas gift you got as a kid?”
Why do we do this? It’s an effective small-group dynamic to have each person in the group hear the sound of his or her own voice before the Bible study begins. This increases the possibility that people will contribute their thoughts during the Bible study. The more reserved people will be less shy about talking, and the more talkative people will be less likely to dominate the discussion because they’ve already listened to other voices.
If the group members don’t know each other well, it’s also good to have each person say her / his name during the fun question. Have everyone do this for several meetings. Why? It’s quite common for people to be in a group—even for weeks— and not be sure about everyone’s name. And after a certain period of time, people are embarrassed to admit they don’t know someone’s name and are afraid to ask. This can cause awkwardness in the group. I even have people say their middle names . . . there can be interesting stories related to middle names.
Have someone read the Bible passage the group is going to discuss. As a side note, find out in advance if there is anyone who hates to read aloud in a group.
Now ask your first “open-ended” general question to get the discussion going. This is a “long pause” question. That is, you ask the question, then wait . . . and wait and wait! In some small group settings, people are so used to the leader asking a question, then answering it himself in about 1/10th of a second, that it’s a bit of a shock when the leader asks a question and actually expects people in the group to respond.
So when you ask a question, pause as long as it takes for someone to say something. Ha! This really can seem awkward when you first do it, but once the ice is broken, it goes really well, and people suddenly find themselves in an honest-to-goodness discussion. Then you can guide the discussion with follow-up questions. For example:
Opening question: “In the first few verses of James 1, the writer says Christians should “consider it all joy when we encounter various trials.” What kind of trials do we encounter today?
Long pause. Finally, someone says, “Well, problems with raising kids . . .”
Then, after a much shorter pause, another person adds, “Money issues, as in not enough.”
The hesitation fades away and more people jump in:
Kathy: “ My washing machine broke down, and the store said the warrantee was worthless. “
Sean: “ I got a really unfair grade in a stupid self-defense class! It lowered my GPA“
Greg: “ I’m frustrated with my co-workers. I do most of the work but they share the credit. “
Laura: “I don’t know why God would allow my nephew’s leukemia to come back.”
The point here is that the “various trials” that Christians struggle with, and seek wisdom on, can range from catastrophic situations to the tribulations of daily life.
At this point, you can ask follow-up questions that allow the group to explore the issue more deeply.
You: “How do you all think we can be joyful in these situations?” Again, allow people to answer.
(Hint: Keep your questions simple and brief, without qualifiers. For example, don’t ask, “How do you think we can be joyful in these situations? Isn’t that difficult? Is it reasonable?” These are valid questions, but don’t bunch them all together, so that people aren’t sure what question—of the 3—you’re asking.)
Greg: “Well, the verses say that when faith is tested, it has a good result for us.”
You: “Okay. What’s the result?”
Moment of silence.
Then Laura (with a little attitude): “It mentions perseverance that results in Christians being mature. Then it says, not lacking anything. I don’t know what that means.”
You: “Anybody have an example of this?”
Kathy: “I think I do. My college roommate . . . etc.”
This kind of interaction, based upon “unpacking” a Bible passage is, I believe, the most helpful way to have people in a small group gain understanding and benefit from the group meeting.
Keep it going in the same way. You ask questions, such as . . .
“Why do you think you might not