Date: September 18, 2022
Faith on Display in Your Actions
The Point: What you believe is seen in what you do.
Get Into the Study
After discussing Question #1 share this story:
Francesca Teal and her husband were enjoying time together at North Beach in Hampton, New Hampshire when a horrible accident happened. While they were throwing a football to one another, her diamond wedding ring slipped off and fell into the ocean. To add more weight to the accident, the ring originally belonged to her great-grandmother. After spending hours searching, they eventually returned home without the ring.
She shared the tragic news on Facebook with many offering her sincere condolences. Many people sent encouraging messages and shared the story with others. Eventually, a 60-year-old man named Lou Asci saw the post and decided to do something about it. He garnered a wetsuit, headlamp, and metal detector and initiated a search without Teal knowing about it.
He initially searched unsuccessfully for three days but eventually discovered a ring under the sand on the ocean floor. After uploading a picture, he wrote a message to Teal saying, “Please tell me this is the ring so I can finally get off this beach.” Not only was it her ring, but her husband decided to get back on one knee once it returned in order to place it back on her finger. They were overwhelmed with gratitude toward a random stranger who decided to put his concern into action.
Plenty of people sent emojis to express their sorrow for her. Many people attempted to cheer her up. Numerous people decided to share the story on their feed. But only one decided to do something about it.
What made Asci’s involvement so unique?
For more information on this story, you can read this article:
Travis Agnew is a disciple of Jesus, husband to Amanda, dad to the Agnew 3, and Lead Pastor or Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. He loves writing about faith and family at travisagnew.org.
Study the Bible [Option from Adult Leader Guide, p. 42]
In advance, play a song like “Screen Door” by Rich Mullins to emphasize “The Point.”
Live It Out
Share the following story as you conclude your session.
The social media app BeReal is the No. 1 free iPhone app for August. The BeReal app aims to capture a more authentic view of people in their daily lives. Each day, at a random time, users receive a notification that it’s “time to be real.” They have 2 minutes to post a photo of what they are doing. The camera will simultaneously take a picture with both the front and back cameras, so you get a selfie and a shot of where you are. Unless you post a picture, you cannot see your friends’ posts. There are no filters, and no time to stage your photo.
After years of carefully curated pictures on Facebook and Instagram, many people want an app that forces others to show who they really are. The app’s tagline, “Your Friends for Real,” speaks to a growing push for authenticity on social media. As Christ-followers, we are called to an authentic faith, where our actions show people “Our Faith for Real.”
Discuss: The BeReal app claims to help people “discover who your friends really are in their daily lives.” How can our daily lives help our friends discover who Christ really is?
Invite the group to review the Live It Out section and each choose one application for this week.
Nikki Wilbanks grew up in Tennessee before heading to California to study literature at Pepperdine University. She enjoyed a decade-long career as a commercial real estate appraiser in Southern California, where she met her husband. Back in Tennessee now, she loves being a writer and mom. She is an active member at Third Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Additional Questions
Icebreaker
- When has someone had to remind you that actions speak louder than words?
- When have you seen actions speak louder than words?
- Who’s someone you appreciate for practicing what they preach?
James 2:14-17
- What are some reasons people claim to have faith in today’s world?
- What kinds of works or actions demonstrate that our faith is genuine?
James 2:18-20
- How would you describe the two kinds of faith spoken of in verse 18?
- How is faith more than what we say we believe?
- What are some healthy ways we can demonstrate our faith to a skeptical world? (BG)
James 2:21-26
- What are some blessings we receive when we obey God?
- What are some characteristics of a life of faith?
- What are some obstacles to living out a genuine faith?
For Those in Your Group
Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:
Podcast
Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.
Podcast (adultsleadertraining): Play in new window | Download
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