Bob Reeves

Q 5. 1. This study in James has made me more cautious of my walk with Christ. What I'm trying to say is, I've made more mistakes in my walk with Christ since taking this lesson, or else I've been walking in sin for quite a long time and hadn't noticed. I'm catching myself doing everyone of these sinful things James mentioned in this study. 2. All I can say about this lesson is, WOW! It has been an experience. 3. If should say this lesson needs improvements, then I would be upset at because "my sins have found me out." So I will have to say, "the improvement is needed in my life and there is no need to improve on the study." I've done a lot of confessing and repenting... God Bless bob

Q 4. 1. James is very clear on this subject. ". . . he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." Walking in sin seperates one from the fellowship of the God. Pslms 51:12 David cries out: "Restore unto me the joy of they salvation; and uphold me with they free spirit." Showing one their sinful ways and they confess, their sins will be forgiven and they will have the joy of their salvation restored.

Q 3. 1. The role of oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. 2. The one doing the praying the prayer of faith is expected to "have the faith of healing." 3. It is the act if faith in the One that does the healing, Jesus Christ. 4. According to James 5:16, healing comes after confession of sin.

Q 2. 1. The role of the elders is to pray for the sick. Their faith in the healer, Jesus Christ gives them the power to lay hands on the sick and give the prayer of faith. 2. the qualifications of the elders to pray for the sick is their faith in Christ and His healing powers. Other words, the elder is to be mature and spiritual.

Q 1. 1. According to James 5:14, prayer is initiated by the person that is sick or a person knowing (believing in faith) that Jesus can and will heal. It is expected of the elders to pray the prayer of faith. 2. James is stating it is expedted of the elders to pray the prayer of faith. It is the elders of the church that have the closeness and great fellowship with Jesus Christ the healer.

Q4. 1. Grumbling and complaining says quiet abit about our spirituality. The unsaved sees in a grumbling and complainging Christian, a person that could not be a Christian. They also see no need becomeing a Christian because if that is the way they act, "why should they themselves become a Christian?" There are more people going to hell because of grumbling and complaining Christians. Dr. Wilson made a statement on page 9 that I never thought of before. It goes like this: ". . . Grumbling about people is a thinly veiled way of complaining about God." 2. Whenever the lost and of course some of the Christians see or hear us grumbling and complaining, they see some with little or no faith in the Lord to accomplish what He said He would do. We tell others we have been set free of our sin, then we begin to act like non Christians, they may wonder about the "sin free person." 3. Being patient is so very important. If we draw near the Cross, then our patience can be seen by those that have no or little faith. This will bring a desire in their hearts to come to he cross of our Saviour. We are to be a light in a darken world. Is that not our goal?

Q3 1. Impatients is soon followed by unbelief. Whenever I speak about the return of Jesus, I oftern hear "there will not be a return of Jesus. I've heard that all my life and He isn't here yet. Besides that old saying has been around for hundreds of years." This kind of talk comes from some people that claim to be a Christian. 2. Dr. Wilson speaks of an old spiritual on page 8 of this lesson that is has the words, "I shall not be, I shall not be moved." We Christians must stand strong in the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that some have the world view that Jesus is dead and burried. They will spend a lot of money and time to try to convince you. For those who truly have their faith in and looking for the return of Jesus, will be rewarded.

Q2. 1. The spiritual danger of our demand for comfort and luxury is loosing fellowship with the Lord God. 2. (Extra Credit) Whenever we demand low-priced good and services from our employees, we are cheating on the quality of our product. This in turn is cheating the consumer.We too will be cheating on our employees because we pocket all these extra proffits. Cheating certainly doesn't exibit patients. It produce Greed. We are living in changing times. People are looking for "Cheap" and not "Quality.

Q.1 1. If we seek riches more than anything, we could die in our evil state, leaving God out of our life is very dangerous. Leaving God out of our plans is evil and will bring judgment upon us. 2. We should certinaly seek the Lords will before we attemp steping out to do something for Him. Do not say "If it be the Lords will, I will do this or that" whenever your intentions are "unless I can find something better to do." I've asked people on Sunday morning if they were going to be in the evening service. I usually get "If it be the Lord's willing." I come back and say, "Do you think it is the Lord's will to "forsake assembling ourselves together as the manner of some is?" Heb. 10:25. The person should have said "no, I have something else planned for tonight."

Q4 1. I believe James makes it very clear,"Back biting, bad mouthing your brother or neighbor is speaking against the low and of course James tells us we are judging the law by NOT keeping it. There is but one Judge. We are to be wittnesses, not judges. Keep our tongue under subjection. 2. We are tempted to bad mouth others because of jealousy, envoy, and hurt. If you harbor any one of these, you are out of the will of our Heavenly Father.

Q3 1. Our Lord wants to "lift us up." We can never be used of God if we continue in our old ways. I was lost, but now I'm found. The Lord is wanting the church to walk in His ways. We are to be a light to the unsaved world. If we act as thought nothing has taken place in our lives after salvation, then we sure can't be a wittness for Christ Jesus. 2. I don't know if "nature" is the right word there. My old nature was to walk after the "flesh." Since Salvation, I have "put on Christ", which is now my new nature to walk after Him. II Corinthians 5:17 goes like this: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Refer back to II Cor. 5:13 through 16 to show why there is a "Therefore" in verse 17. Also in Galatians 5:16 Paul tells us to ". . .Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the **** of the flesh." We need to remember, the flesh did not get saved. Our Soul (the real me) got saved. The flesh lusteth after the things of this would. That is why we must walk in the Spirit of God to give us the POWER to walk as the verses 7 to 10 prescribe to those that are the bride of Christ. 3. To think about this question, I would have to say the flesh goes a whoreing after any one of the ten at one time or another. You get your eyes off Christ and you will fall. James 4:7 tells us to "submit ourselves to God." The Lord is our strength. Thank the Lord the saved have Power over sin. We can also thank the Lord that He will forgive us if we fall.

Q2. 1. God refered to the church as His Bride in the New Testament and Wife in the Old Testament. 2. The wife desireing affection from another. In this case, affections from the world system. 3. In the Old Testament, the Jewish people were addressed by God as His wife. In the New Testament, the Church is addressed as God's Bride. So that makes God as our husband. We are married to him. Sure wouldn't want my wife to be walking hand in hand with someone else. 4. According to James, ". . . a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

1. Is God against pleasure? The answer would be no. That is, if I'm seeking worldly pleasure such as fulfilling the desires of the flesh like, sex out of marriage, spending more time at gambling, going to sporting events, or anything that would take me away from doing the will of my Heavenly Father. Then, the answer is yes. God would not want me to commit Idolatry. Leaving His work to satisfy my desires would be a sin. 2. What wrong in living to increase one's pleasure? Sounds like selfishness. Whenever worldy pleasure comes before serving God, it becomes selfishness. (****, = sin) Those that are sold out to serving the Living God, gets pleasure fellowshiping with the brethren, telling others about the love of God and how He fulfills the lustful desires of this world. I use to get great pleasure from sporting events. Now that I'm saved, my greatest pleasure is doing the will of my Heavenly Father.

*Peace makers sow peace with humility and and loving heart. Having the love of God in your heart will bring wisdom and humility. *According to James 3:16, if we have "envy and strife" we are "confused and evil." Needless to say, you cannot produce peace nor can you produce a ripening crop of righteousness. *James 3:17 tells us ". . . wisdom that is from above (heaven) is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good FRUITS,. . ." Verse 18 goes like this, "And the FRUIT of righteousness is sown in peace . . ." *James finishes off in 3:18 like this, ". . . of them that meke peace." This is wonderful. So, if we receive wisdom form above (heaven), then we will be sow in love and the fruit of sowing in love will produce righteousness (right standing before God).

*If you are envious of someone and your ambition is to be above or better than they, then you are too busy steping on others to see who you really are. Your pride has kept you from seeing the light of Christ and his grace. *Being humble doesn't mean you can't be ambitious. Your ambition will be different than the one that is walking on others to get what they want. Your amition is seeing souls saved to the Glory of God. Bringing others to Jesus is the greatest amition a person could have. I Peter 5:5; ". . . all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." *You are walking in selfrightousness if you have bitter envy in your heart toward another person or persons. Most of your ambition is toward making others more lowley than yourself. As long as your are like that, you can never be set free of strife and contention. Boasting how great you are and how you got there is a sin. And of course, if you walk in that sin, you will never see yourself need a touch for The Great God. You will die in your sin.